Mamiya 645/80mm f/1.9 devotees?

David R Munson

David R Munson

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This is my favorite setup for photography in general, maybe out of all the equipment I have ever used. It just works for me so well it's almost spooky sometimes. Is anyone else shooting with the 645 and the 80mm f/1.9.? It's such a gorgeous lens wide open, I seriously feel like this lens is reason enough to own a 645 body to put it on.

Some examples:

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I picked-up a M645 1000s and it came with the 80mm 1.9 lens...
I also have the 55, 110 & 150mm
I love this format and the larger negs are great to work with...
I don't think I've used the 80 wide open...

Hey, I used to work with a guy who might still live in Denton...

Oops, Nice shots too...
 
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I have a Mamiya 645 Super with the 80/1.9. I like it ok, but I rarely shoot wide open. I find that I simply cannot focus it accurately wide open because my camera's focusing screen is so dim and hard to focus. It's not my eyes, because I can focus my Olympus 85mm f2 and 50mm f1.4 lenses wide open very accurately on my Olympus 35mm bodies. The viewfinder on the 645 just doesn't work for me well. I've had mine for 14 years, bought it new, and never liked the camera, though I have used it for 90% of my fine art photography over the last 14 yrs! The lens is very, very sharp for the way I use it, usually stopped down to 4 or 5.6 for portraits, and 11 or 16 for landscapes and photos of old buildings. It has some barrel distortion though. I keep thinking I'm gonna get one of the 80mm/2.8 mamiya lenses to compare but I haven't got round to it yet.

kay-westhues1.jpg

A recent portrait with the 80/1.9 (shot at f5.6 or 4, can't remember which)

barn-and-chairs.jpg

My more usual use of the 80mm (4 MINUTE exposure at f16! The sun had set)
 
David, you've really brought out some lovely tonality in your first and third photos above. The lens has clearly done its job, and in pleasing you it contributes to confidence in future success too. At f/1.9, this is amazingly fast for medium format... and a full half-stop faster than the f/2.4 105mm on my Pentax. Hope you'll continue to enjoy using your gear to create meaning & beauty.
 
80/1.9 was the biggest reason for me to get M645, it's depth of field is amazing.

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Of course it also works stopped down..

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Unfortunately my M645 suffers from some strange light leaks and film winding problems:
liikennemerkkivalovuoto.jpg


They appear so irregularly that I can't really trust my camera, so it has just sat on a table for a year now. Maybe I should get it repaired..
 
Lotari said:
80/1.9 was the biggest reason for me to get M645, it's depth of field is amazing.



Unfortunately my M645 suffers from some strange light leaks and film winding problems:
liikennemerkkivalovuoto.jpg


They appear so irregularly that I can't really trust my camera, so it has just sat on a table for a year now. Maybe I should get it repaired..
Click to expand...

Looks like the felt light trap in the side of the film holder (where the dark slide goes in) has gone bad. I'm assuming you have one that has interchangable backs, like the Super or Pro. If not, i'm not sure where the leak is but I'd get it fixed. Light leaks are usually not expensive to repair.
 
looks very nice, would you mind feeding our loathing GAS attack by supplying some info on how you use it? ground glass? prism? how is focus accuracy (see above)?
 
these shots all look great - esp the black and white. I have the 645 af with the 2.8, so I'm a little jealous though the 'modern' features are nice and it's still a pretty great lens.
 
wayneb said:
these shots all look great - esp the black and white. I have the 645 af with the 2.8, so I'm a little jealous though the 'modern' features are nice and it's still a pretty great lens.
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IIRC, while the aperture is not automatic, I believe you can still mount/shoot with the older MF 645 lenses on the newer 645 bodies. That means you could still mount and shoot with the f/1.9 wide open if you wanted to, and shoot the f/2.8 the rest of the time and keep all your automation.

philhirn said:
looks very nice, would you mind feeding our loathing GAS attack by supplying some info on how you use it? ground glass? prism? how is focus accuracy (see above)?
Click to expand...
Not sure who you're addressing but I'll answer anyway. I use it on a M645 Pro with the non-metered prism and the standard focusing screen with the split image center. I used to use it on an old M645 1000S, also with the standard screen and the non-metered prism. With both setups I have never had any trouble whatever focusing the lens accurately, even in low light. It seems like if I can't focus, it's too dark to shoot anyhow.

CK Dexter Haven said:
I recently bought one, with a 645ProTL, largely because of some of your images (David) that i found a few months ago. So, thanks.....
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I am flattered! Thank you! I hope you enjoy the lens thoroughly.

EDIT: Lotari - those shots are beautiful! I love the color palette.
 
The camera is still new to me, so I'm learning how to get reliable results with the 2.8. I realize I could also get the 1.9, but at this point if I was going to get another lens it would probably be the 45mm or 55mm (if you have any experience with either please chime in).

David R Munson said:
IIRC, while the aperture is not automatic, I believe you can still mount/shoot with the older MF 645 lenses on the newer 645 bodies. That means you could still mount and shoot with the f/1.9 wide open if you wanted to, and shoot the f/2.8 the rest of the time and keep all your automation.
Click to expand...
 
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wayneb said:
The camera is still new to me, so I'm learning how to get reliable results with the 2.8. I realize I could also get the 1.9, but at this point if I was going to get another lens it would probably be the 45mm or 55mm (if you have any experience with either please chime in).
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Either lens (I have the 'N' versions) would be great additions (I also have the 35mm). You can't go wrong with any of them, just depends on what angle you want (28, 35mm equivalent).
 
wayneb said:
The camera is still new to me, so I'm learning how to get reliable results with the 2.8. I realize I could also get the 1.9, but at this point if I was going to get another lens it would probably be the 45mm or 55mm (if you have any experience with either please chime in).
Click to expand...

I have the 55 and 45mm lenses for my 645. I like them both and use them both frequently. The choice between them depends on how wide you need to go. The 55 is similar in view angle to a 35mm lens on a 35mm camera, and the 45mm lens is more like a 28mm lens on 35mm.

branstrator-fog7.jpg

55mm lens

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45mm lens

I think the 55 is slightly sharper than the 45, but the 45 is still a good lens. Get the one that corresponds to the 35mm format lens you use more.
 
I haven't used the 55mm lens, but I have and love the 45mm for my 645. Obviously the AF versions of these are going to be constructed differently from the MF, but I don't know how much of a difference there is (if any) in optical formula.

With the 45mm:

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As sharp as I could ask for and extremely versatile for my working methods.
I'd love to have the 55mm and 35mm as well, but as long as I only have one the 45mm is it.
 
great examples of the wide lenses. thanks all. Luckily in San Francisco there are several places to rent these lenses so I can try both and see what works best for me :)
 
Lotari said:
80/1.9 was the biggest reason for me to get M645, it's depth of field is amazing.
Unfortunately my M645 suffers from some strange light leaks and film winding problems:
liikennemerkkivalovuoto.jpg


They appear so irregularly that I can't really trust my camera, so it has just sat on a table for a year now. Maybe I should get it repaired..
Click to expand...

I have seen this on some of my recent B&W shots...I'm pretty sure the shots, with this dark band on the top, were taken @1/1ooo sec.
I haven't seen it at any other speeds and if I dry fire the camera @1/1000 for a few frames before shooting more film it isn't there...
I don't normally shoot @1/1000 so it really stuck out when this happened...normally been using Neopan 400 >>1/500@f/8-11

If you have the m645 1000s I would like some feedback on your exposures...:)
 
I almost forgot to mention...I just picked up a 210mm lens from KEH off eb@y...they called it "Exc. Condition"...other than a bump or two on the lens hood this lens appears as new...can't wait to put this one to work...
 
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