rapscallion wrote:
Quite a few lovely shots here !
I want to try Mamiya on my 5d II as well !
I am a little bit confused though.
Is it only the 645 lenses that will work ? I know nothing about Mamiya, and searching the net I found different "versions" . Mimaya 7, 645 AFD, 645 AF, RB 67 etc..
Which lenses will work with the adapter on my 5d MKii ?
Will any of these work :
-Mamiya-Sekor C 150mm f:4
-Mamiya-Sekor Zomm C 55-110mm f:4.5
-Mamiya-Sekor SF C 145mm f 4
-Mamiya-Sekor C 80mm f:1.9
-Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm f:2.8
Some Mamiya medium format lenses are not compatible with contemporary "small format" DSLR bodies. The M645 series includes leaf shutter (LS) lenses that are designed to synchronize with the focal plane shutter in the M645 camera, and so can't work with a DSLR. Most new 645AF and 645AFD lenses do not have a manual aperture ring (including a version of the Mamiya A 120/4 Macro, called "645AF Macro MF 120mmF4"). The RB67 and RZ67 are 6x7 SLR bellows bodies and their lenses are not compatible as they don't have focus helicoids (see thanks to bruicemuir, below). The Mamiya 6, 7 and 7 II cameras are 6x7 rangefinders, and their lense are not compatible, AFAIK.
The M645 system includes the following leaf shutter (LS) lenses: 55/2.8, 70/2.8, 80/2.8, and 150/3.8, and so there are LS and non-LS versions of the M645 55/2.8 and 80/2.8 lenses. The name on the lens includes an "L" to show that it's a leaf shutter version. For example, I once owned the "Mamiya-Sekor 645 C 80/2.8 N/L".
Here's a preliminary list of Mamiya medium format series lens compatibility.
M645 or 645
- 645 format SLR
- register = 63.3mm
- manual focus
- most lenses are compatible (best choice, IMO)
- includes "C", "S", "N" and "A" lens series
- leaf shutter (LS) lenses are not compatible, incl. 55/2.8, 70/2.8, 80/2.8 and 150/3.8
- non-LS versions of 55/2.8 and 80/2.8 are common (and very good)
645AF, 645AFD, 645DF
- 645 format SLR
- register = 63.3mm
- autofocus
- most lenses not compatible (no manual aperture ring)
RB67, RZ67
- 6x7 format SLR with focus via bellows in the body
- register = 105mm (RZ), 112mm (RB)
- manual focus
- not compatible
zombii wrote:
I can't quite agree with this. They may be pretty good adapters but their service sucks. I ordered one on Ebay and requested an invoice for Priority Mail shipping since they didn't have a drop down option like most dealers who offer shipping options. I wanted faster shipping because I needed the adapter three days after I ordered it. Not a problem with Priority Mail. Well, it took them until the next day to send an invoice. I paid it as soon as I got it and then sent an email requesting that they ship it that day. No response to the email and they didn't get it shipped for another day and then sent it by First Class instead of Priority Mail. Oh, but they charged me for Priority Mail. I've sent them two more emails telling them how unhappy I am with their slop service. I'm going to give them negative feedback too unless they do something to make it right which doesn't seem likely since they can't even answer an email. My advice is, good adapters or not, if you need it in a hurry, buy from somebody who actually cares about your business....Show more →
My opinion of their service / customer satisfaction via Ebay was lackluster and even a bit offensive a year or so ago. I rented one of their regular adapters (Nikon-EOS) and wasn't overly impressed with it either ... HOWEVER, I ordered the M645-EOS adapter via Amazon and was THOROUGHLY SATISFIED with both the price, shipping, expediency ... and the PRO ADAPTER (no chip) was significantly better than my previous experience would have warranted, so 'Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." ... just a shame that they have given themselves a bit of a reputation on the service end. When / if I am in the market for the M645-Nikon adapater ... I'll be headed back to Amazon for their product.
brucemuir wrote:
Jim,
How would you focus with an RZ or RB lens?
None of those have a focus helicoid.
Oh right! they're bellows bodies - shows how much personal experience I have with them (none). I've changed the summary. Thanks Bruce!
brucemuir wrote:
On another note...
wonder if you could use an M645 LS lens on a DSLR if you used bulb on the DSLR and then fired the leaf shutter
Sure, if you could reliably push the manual release on the LS lens at about 1/500 sec after opening the DSLR shutter. I actually tried doing this with the 80/2.8 LS lens, and had no success at all. Of course, that doesn't mean it can't be done.
Can't the leaf shutter be cocked open by some manual means to make use of LS lenses on DSLRs? I was going to obtain a 70mm 2.8 to see if this was a possibility. What's your specific experience with these?
Nick, I don't have the 80 N/L lens any more to test it, but I'm pretty sure that yes, it can be cocked open. For me, it doesn't make much sense to buy a LS M645 lens, because most of them (55mm, 80mm and 150mm) have non-LS versions that are smaller and lighter. AFAIK, you can only get the 70/2.8 with LS, and so it would be only the way to go for a 70mm point of view. I'm all set with 55mm and 80mm (plus others), and so not having 70mm isn't a problem.
jcolwell wrote:
Nick, I don't have the 80 N/L lens any more to test it, but I'm pretty sure that yes, it can be cocked open. For me, it doesn't make much sense to buy a LS M645 lens, because most of them (55mm, 80mm and 150mm) have non-LS versions that are smaller and lighter. AFAIK, you can only get the 70/2.8 with LS, and so it would be only the way to go for a 70mm point of view. I'm all set with 55mm and 80mm (plus others), and so not having 70mm isn't a problem.
Thanks for your perspective. I hadn't considered the weight issue. The Mamiya MF lenses do tend to be heavier than comparable 35mm MF lenses of the same FL....so the added weight for the LS system is definitely a factor to consider.
RB67 can be set to "T" to keep the shutter open, and RZ67 can have the stop-down lever taped to hold the aperature at whatever setting you like. Then just use the shutter in the DSLR body. And you absolutely do need a bellows and macro-rail type rig to pull it off.
Well, I was bored and decided to troll eBay last night...came across an auction for a Mamiya 645 150/3.5 lens with less than a minute to go. I sniped a bid and scored the lens for $65. Any ideas as to how this performs? Or should I have cured my boredom doing something more constructive?
Must stop trolling when bored In hindsight, it seems like my boredom could have been better spent chowing down on a bag of Doritos. Well, for the money spent, its worth playing with for a while...
Mike G - The 150/3.5 is a nice compact 'portrait' lens. Good M645 color & bokeh, etc. It's not the (much later designed) 150/2.8A or 120/4 (to pick two in similar FLs), but for the price paid, I've used FAR worse from other manufacturers for A LOT more than $65. I happily used a clean copy of the 3.5 on EoS (since replaced by the 2.8A) for a number of years that cost 2x what you paid.
In hindsight, it seems like my boredom could have been better spent chowing down on a bag of Doritos. Well, for the money spent, its worth playing with for a while...