fredmiranda.com
Login

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

  

Archive 2014 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt

  
 
AndereObjektiv
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Hello

Just a quick introduction, I've been a reader of the forums for a while now, but only recently decided to join, because I thought I may finally have something useful to contribute.

I've been using Alternative Lenses on my cameras for quite some years now ever since I stumbled on the "Medium Format Articles Page" by Robert Monaghan ( now at http://web.archive.org/web/20050208101319/http://www.medfmt.8k.com/ ) and adapted various medium and large format lenses.

For the past 6 months or so I've been using the Mamiya RZ ULD and APO glass on a Fuji X-E1, Sony α850 and the α6000. Today was another step forward:

The Mamiya M 65mm L/A on the Nikon D810:

Enjoy.



© AndereObjektiv 2014


Raspberry Leaves



Edited on Dec 23, 2014 at 10:43 PM · View previous versions



Dec 23, 2014 at 10:29 PM
jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #2 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Welcome to FM.

Very nice.



Dec 23, 2014 at 10:32 PM
AndereObjektiv
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Here's another with the 65mm, this time on the wonderful α6000:





Grasshoppers passing the time




Dec 25, 2014 at 08:45 PM
AndereObjektiv
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Watching, Waiting

http://i.imgur.com/KuYFqVv.jpg

Mamiya APO-SEKOR Z 350mm F/5.6 @ F/11 - Crop



Jan 15, 2015 at 05:55 PM
Beni
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


One day I'll buy the 110mm to adapt. I would like it better however with a speed booster. Using that incredible lens without it being its true FOV would be a shame.


Jan 16, 2015 at 04:25 AM
niepce
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Hi Andre,

The link for Monaghan's Medium Format takes me as far as the Wayback Machine, but it won't take me beyond. I'd very much want to see the article; any help? Thanks.

Ravi Babu



Feb 02, 2015 at 02:58 PM
ccihon
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Your results look great - but in general, lenses with image circles designed to cover areas relatively larger than 35mm like mf or lf lenses do so at the cost of resolving power (sharpness). This is fine for those larger film formats as they are (were) generally enlarged less than 35mm.

I shot RB, RZ and 4x5 for years - when using any of the lenses, even the very best ones, projected onto image areas of 35mm or smaller, the results were poorer than using a lens designed for a small format camera of similar quality. Smaller, lighter setup, too. Of course, if your goal is to utilize the larger image circle for tilts and shifts, then they may be the way to go.




Feb 02, 2015 at 04:44 PM
AndereObjektiv
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


So when I departed on this quest of medium format glass adapted to smaller formats I spent a lot of time perusing forums, flickr, etc. for sharp Medium and Large Format lenses. I read many posts, MTF charts, test reports, reviews and opinions about the sharpest glass. There are even a few current threads on various forums asking similar questions.

I did it the old-fashioned way, I lurked and combed the threads for knowledge.

I had a few heuristics to guide me:

The notion that the image formed by the lenses would be better in the center of cropped format.

The MTF, LP/MM measurements would be not directly applicable, but would be a good guide.

The guess that older lenses would be less expensive than lenses purchased new, and hence a wider net could be cast.

That I knew I would not have the Depth of Field of the larger frame lenses and that the cropped image would be different from what the lens was designed to be.

And finally, that newer sensors would have the spatial resolution to make use of the higher performance of the higher performance lenses recommended.

So far, all of my heuristics have been born out to my satisfaction.

Using first the a850 then the a6000 and finally the D810, I've been making images that approach the quality that satisfies my desire for a balance between sharpness, color rendition, contrast and dynamic range. I've gotten photographs that have that elusive dimensionality that seems to jump out of the print or the screen. Not that this is impossible with other lenses for the correct format and mount, but those are indeed not as frequent.

I read a bit about sharpness and resolution. here's one that got me started with crunching numbers:

http://photo.blogoverflow.com/2012/06/the-realities-of-resolution/

Therein he talks about Spatial Resolution, MTFs, diffraction both in lens and sensor and the interactions of all. So with those guidelines I did some calculations of my own regarding sensor size and resolution measurements.

Turns out the newer, denser sensors have much higher Spatial Resolution as well as increasing Megapixels.

------------------------- spatial-res ----- image-res

Nikon DF ------ 68.61 lp/mm ----- 1640 lp/ph
Nikon D810 ----- 102.33 lp/mm ----- 2456 lp/ph
Sony a7r --------- 102.33 lp/mm ----- 2456 lp/ph
Sony A7S --------- 59.83 lp/mm ----- 1424 lp/ph
sony a6000 ------ 128.84 lp/mm ----- 2012 lp/ph
ML Credo 60 ------ 83.31 lp/mm ----- 3366 lp/ph
phase one p25+ -- 55.73 lp/mm ----- 2040 lp/ph
p1 iq280 ------------ 95.94 lp/mm ----- 3876 lp/ph
p1 p65+ ------------- 80.31 lp/mm ----- 3366 lp/ph
p1 p40+ ------------- 83.34 lp/mm ----- 2742 lp/ph
hasselblad cfv50c - 94.22 lp/mm ----- 3100 lp/ph
samsung nx1 ----- 137.57 lp/mm ----- 2160 lp/ph
pentax 645Z -------- 94.10 lp/mm ----- 3096 lp/ph
canon 5Ds R ------ 130.91 lp/mm ----- 3142 lp/ph

The above are a rough table continuing the work from the linked article showing spatial resolution as well as image resolution. As you can see the a6000, the NX1 and now the upcoming Canon 5Ds R are capable of 125+ LP/MM and the 5DsR will have full frame Depth of Field to boot.

I figured the lenses highly correlated to high LP/MM like the Hasselblad 110mm F/2 Plannar FE would perform to a level of excellence similar to that on their native systems sensors/film. And if indeed the lenses outresolve the sensors the newer, denser sensors would perform perhaps even better than the Medium Format systems.

Turns out I was mostly right. The sharpest, most contrasty, best color rendition, flat field, low distortion lenses of years gone past, lenses which cost as new as much as the top performing lenses of today, are spectacular performers on today's denser sensors. So I contend that while these lenses won't have the same look as 6x7 film or Medium Format digital backs they do have an excellence and performance that is really hard to be equaled, for the cost, with current and former full frame lenses. I haven't tried them all, and there's about 100 lenses on my list to get, of all formats, and for use in all the formats I shoot, which is now 135 film and digital, 6x6, 6x7 and 4x5 film and hopefully one day soon, MF digital.

So directly to the RZ67 glass, which with I have fallen in love because of their color renderings as well as sharpness.

Here are some more with the M 65mm F/4 L-A

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/014/3/8/frost_9_by_forseti_the_gray-d8dvnwo.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/360/6/0/boxing_day_sunset_by_forseti_the_gray-d8bc6gc.jpg

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/269/b/c/autumn_2014_by_forseti_the_gray-d80mvtk.jpg

Here's the great Mamiya Macro M 140MM F/4.5 M/L-A, Extension Tubes No.1 & No.2 on the D810

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/362/6/7/tomatos_by_forseti_the_gray-d8bnd29.jpg

And without tubes on the a6000

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/344/d/7/rose_hips_by_forseti_the_gray-d89cfuw.jpg



And some Pentax

SMC Pentax 67 Soft 120mm on D810

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/012/3/8/outside_by_forseti_the_gray-d8dno5h.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2015/013/4/6/firey_frost_by_forseti_the_gray-d8du40z.jpg

SMC Pentax 67 55mm F/4

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/018/3/e/profile_by_forseti_the_gray-d8eet2z.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2015/017/e/5/trails_by_forseti_the_gray-d8ecat3.jpg

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/024/1/2/behind_the_wood_sheds_by_forseti_the_gray-d8fa6n1.jpg

The 80mm F/2.8 Schneider Xenotar PQS HFT on D810, spectacular colors.

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/360/2/b/winston_relaxing_by_forseti_the_gray-d8bdqum.jpg



Of course I have on my list the Zeiss Otus', the nikkor 200 F/2, the Schneider PC-TS', and of course the upcoming Canon 5DSR, but those will take many years to obtain, and I would hazard that I am approaching such levels of quality with my older MF glass, right now.

Not, speed, mind you, but color rendition, tonality and sharpness. The real improvements of late I feel are the control of aberrations in the newer glass, which are simply amazing. The older lenses have longitudinal chromatic aberrations that are mostly correctable in modern software, but the newer glass hardly has any.

So my quest is hardly over, but my heuristics are doing me well, and I'm not alone in that thinking, look at the similarity between the Rollei PQS HFT 90MM Makro and the Schneider PC-TS 90mm f/4.5 Makro Symmar. That .5 of a stop is for the light loss for the flange focal distance and I bet Scnheider engineers said:"We could put a PC-TS mechanism in the space the adapter would take." So I bet the optics are almost exactly the same, except with modern Schneider HM glass.


---


PS Ravi Babu, sorry I missed your question before, here is a link:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050403172108/http://medfmt.8k.com/bronross.html

(You'll have to copy & paste the whole line, as the url and the tables are broken by formatting here.)




Edited on Feb 03, 2015 at 01:47 PM · View previous versions



Feb 02, 2015 at 07:36 PM
Ed Sawyer
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


They are excellent lenses, no doubt. And medium and large format lenses CAN equal the same resolution of small format. Chris Perez's tests bear this out. (Check out his Mamiya 7 lens test results).

Of course they are all even better on their native formats. And if you are shooting the RZ APOs @ F/11, you are hitting diffraction problems. They are at their best wide-open or at most 1/2 stop down. The MTFs bear this out.

-Ed



Feb 03, 2015 at 11:33 AM
AndereObjektiv
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Thanks, I actually read Chris Perez's tests when looking for lenses. If I had found a Mamiya 7 adapter I'd have posted pictures from Mamiya 7 lenses, but I think I will have to make a circuit to open the shutter for it to work. So, no M7 lenses yet.

As for diffraction anything past around F/7 on the D810 is into sensor diffraction, let alone lens diffraction. With the APO 350 shot above it lost sharpness to diffraction, but even more to the shallow Depth of Field on the lens even at F/11, but the
lighting and the expression of the Owl aren't in any of the other shots I have.

I do mostly shoot the RZ lenses open or at 5.6.

Because focusing with the fotodiox adapter is ok for gross movements, but for fine detail one has to move closer and farther away. Plus I drink far too much coffee and tea to hold anything like that steady. I suck at manual focus telephoto.

I have been shooting an actual RZ67 for a week or so now, so I'll have "Native Format" results after I get the film back. Of course no one in internatland can see those until they're scanned.

And actually I'd like to see some tests to show how the native format sensors are better than the 102.33 LP/MM resolution of the D810 with the exact same lens. DoF, FoV different, sure, but sharpness, color rendition, contrast, those lens properties are fused into the glass, and the combination MTF with the newer sensors will bear that out I believe. Certainly the upcoming Canon 5DSR will challenge the assertion that glass only performs best on it's native format. In fact I'd still be shooting a lot more with the 128.84 lp/mm a6000 but for the crap RAW compression scheme Sony chose for speed over quality.

I'd love to shoot my Sinar P2, Hasselblad 503CW, and RZ67 in "Native Format" digital back for the 2999.00 I paid for the D810. I'd love to see my SW 90mm Nikkor do it's thing on CMOS full frame 4x5.

I'll drop a line when that happens. In the meantime, until I can afford a Leica S2 to use adapted lenses on their (not quite!) proper format, or a CVF 50c, I'll be taking the pictures in front of me with adapted affordable MF glass cropped to 135 format, or closer, as many of my shots end up at 1:1 6:7 2.35:1 2:1 5:7 etc.

The pictures aren't gonna wait. The frozen raspberry leaf at the top was gone 2 days after that shot, which has so much flare it's just crazy. The shadow recovery and highlight DR of the D810 is amazing.



Feb 03, 2015 at 01:07 PM
Ed Sawyer
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


sounds like some good plans. I will stick with film, but it's good to know the MF/LF glass holds its own on digital too. Btw, the Nikkor 90mm f/8 SW lens is the best LF 90 made by anyone, I think. Superb resolution (80+ lp/mm on 4x5 film!). I have 2 of them, such a superb lens. (All the nikkor SW f/8 lenses are excellent, the 120 and 150 also).


Feb 04, 2015 at 10:57 AM
Mescalamba
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Some pics look pretty interesting and different..

Kinda funny that Samsung currently leads in resolution. Who would guess that years ago, when they started APS-C mirrorless..



Feb 04, 2015 at 11:17 AM
Zinovi
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


just testing adapter ))
Leica M240/Mamiya RZ 140/4.5 Macro

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7588/17068366471_4d7405a621_o.jpg



Apr 07, 2015 at 01:28 PM
Zinovi
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Leica M240/Mamiya RZ 140/4.5 Macro
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7719/17073581611_e06284a8e4_o.jpg


Sony A7r/Mamiya RZ 140/4.5 Macro
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7590/17051405526_9e4a24db7d_o.jpg



Apr 08, 2015 at 08:05 AM
Zinovi
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #15 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Sony A7r/Mamiya RZ 140/4.5 Macro

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8685/17084597691_6dc1edbee6_o.jpg


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/16907988280_b2f4fbe948_o.jpg


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7697/17120775012_6b630ce97e_o.jpg



Apr 12, 2015 at 02:21 PM
chris.b
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #16 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Those flower shots are gorgeous!


Apr 12, 2015 at 05:31 PM
wabrock
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #17 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Great stuff. Out of curiosity, who makes the Mamiya RZ-to-Leica M-mount adapter?


May 06, 2015 at 01:22 PM
tjack
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #18 · Mamiya RZ Lenses as Alt


Sony A7 using the RZ 150mm 3.5







May 06, 2015 at 08:51 PM





FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

    
 

Welcome back
Log in to your account