Had a heck of a time focusing this one ... battling the sun something fierce. I focused on the top of the lever, would have liked it to have been just a touch closer, now that I see it.
Gotta love what you can do with the files that come from the Mamiya glass. Unless you're RAW & PP, I think you're really missing out on the true value of the M645 optics.
Couple more from me, these of the Schubert Chokecherry tree (Prunus virginiana 'Schubert') in the front yard.
1D2 & Mamiya Macro Sekor 60mm @ f2.8 (1st pic) and maybe f11 (2nd pic). Buds are about the size of baby peas (1/4" diam), and the flowers about the size of a dime.
@Rustybug: Wonderful clarity and sharpness in that first shot, but I really don't like the gaping black hole you have there now. If it wasn't so dominating and accompanied by a greater contrast in the rest of the picture, such a thing could be nice in b&w, but like this it just looks 'wrong' to me.
@Dajavu: Those hexagons are the reason why I will not buy any more alt macro lens with 6 or 8 non-rounded aperture blades. I have two cheap alts that gave me wonderful results, but some shots are imho just ruined by the unnatural looking hexagons or octagons because they give backgrounds a geometric regularity that is very obviously unnatural and clashing with the form of the subject (flowers and such).
Dang... :-) Still trying to find some workshop time to rebuild my now ex-nikon>Mam adapter as I've now bought a Sony A850... That 150/2.8 needs to be put to some use!
I am already using the "ordinary" Mamiya SX135/2.8, but the LoCA gets pretty unbearable in some high-contrast situations...
AhamB wrote:
@Dajavu: Those hexagons are the reason why I will not buy any more alt macro lens with 6 or 8 non-rounded aperture blades. I have two cheap alts that gave me wonderful results, but some shots are imho just ruined by the unnatural looking hexagons or octagons because they give backgrounds a geometric regularity that is very obviously unnatural and clashing with the form of the subject (flowers and such).
Yeah, I kinda expected I'd get those, but grabbed the lens anyway. I'm not positive I hate them yet myself, but I'm sure I'll learn to... Good news is they aren't as prominent shot wide open as I though they might be, as the blades project into the image circle still wide open. This pic isn't really a good example of that since there wasn't much for highlights in the bg though...
Water drop from ice, 1Dm2 + Mamiya Macro Sekor 60mm @ f2.8
Had a heck of a time focusing this one ... battling the sun something fierce. I focused on the top of the lever, would have liked it to have been just a touch closer, now that I see it.
Gotta love what you can do with the files that come from the Mamiya glass. Unless you're RAW & PP, I think you're really missing out on the true value of the M645 optics.
I almost sold mine. Then somebody asked me to take some shots to show how it looked for CA among other things. I did and when I looked at them, they looked so good that I decided to keep it, at least for now. It's not an easy lens to focus and I think that's why I was unimpressed with it when I got it. However, I took my time and nailed the focus on some of these and it was a real eye opener.
Rusty, I thought about you and Jim Schemel when I withdrew it. He's got a 200 ordered and I'm interested in hearing his take and seeing the results. Looks pretty big and heavy but if it's as sharp as this 150 and it should be, I may have to put it on my list. I don't really need the 150 but it's hard to sell a $300 lens that's as sharp as this.
zombii wrote:
it's hard to sell a $300 lens that's as sharp as this.
+1 ... even harder if you paid less than $200 for it
As much as the 200 APO is attractive to me too, I'll probably be keeping the 150 2.8 A as the better bang for the buck ... and using the funds that would go toward the 200 APO for ?? instead.
Well, as usual, I got in after the stampede started. However, I could easily see lenses as sharp as these going for a good bit more. I've seen a lot of lenses go up in the last year so no telling where it will end.
Zombii,
i put a few up on the Alt Gear thread.Here are a few taken with my 1.4X extender.This is one sweet piece of glass.I am looking forward to using it.These were just some quick shots from a local metro park.Very little PP on these
-Jim
zombii wrote:
Well, as usual, I got in after the stampede started. However, I could easily see lenses as sharp as these going for a good bit more. I've seen a lot of lenses go up in the last year so no telling where it will end.
I know what you mean, I didn't do as well on my 80/4 Macro ... and I'm thinking about whether or not I should get the 45mm.
Good news is they aren't as prominent shot wide open as I though they might be, as the blades project into the image circle still wide open. This pic isn't really a good example of that since there wasn't much for highlights in the bg though... 
However, I could easily see lenses as sharp as these going for a good bit more. I've seen a lot of lenses go up in the last year so no telling where it will end.