Mamiya 80 verses 65 lens

[loml]

I am about to purchase a Mamiya 7II, which I have long wanted. I just found out that Mamiya makes a 65mm f4 lens, which is equivalent to a 35mm lens in the 35mm format. My most used lens has always been the 35mm (I used to shoot Leica M).

I am writing to ask if there are opinions about the 65mm Mamiya verses the 80mm Mamiya lenses in terms of sharpness and contrast? Part of me was glad to get the 80 and use that as my primary lens because its field of view is closer to the human eye, and later get a 50mmm for wide angle, but then I found out about the 65...

 

[oftheherd]

I seem to recall the 65mm on a MF camera is closer to a 28mm in 35mm photography. If it is like the 65mm on the Mamiya Press, it will be a fine and useful lens. The 50mm on MF will be like a 24mm (or really a 25mm, of which few were made) in 35mm photography. From all I have heard, you will love that camera. It should be lighter than my Mamiya Super Press 23, but of course, doesn't have the interchangable backs.

 

[Doug]

Medium format camera film-gate sizes vary a bit even within nominal sizes... But if the Mamiya 7II's film gate is 55x70mm (same as Pentax), then the correspondence with the same angles of view vs lenses for 24x36mm format is about 2:1. The frame diagonals are 89mm and 43mm, so the multiplier is 2.07. So the 65mm on a 6x7 comes out with the same angle of view as a 31.4mm on the smaller format.

I have a 55 that's about equivalent to 26.6mm, and a 75mm corresponding to 36mm. This is all assuming the marked focal length is accurate! And the aspect ratios aren't the same, making exact correspondence, umm, inexact! If you crop the 35 frame to the same aspect ratio as 6x7, then it would be 24x30.5mm, for a shorter diagonal of 38.8mm and a larger multiplier.

 

[Evgeny]

I read what 65 mm more "good" lens than 80 mm in terms design & build quality and more sharp. 65 mm is my "lovely" lens.
Examples of bokeh 80 mm and 65 mm - http://www.pbase.com/xon/investigations
I prefer walking in city with 65 mm, 150mm - for street people photoshooting , 80mm - for lazy walking (single lens for all) and party on kitchen. 🙂

 

[jamesong]

I have both lenses and found that both gives awesome images. I prefer the 65mm to the 80mm because of its wider view. When I bought the 7ii, it comes with the 80mm and I shoots landscapes, the 80mm is equal to about 50mm in the 35mm camera. I just can't get enough coverage so I went to buy the 65mm and now my 80mm is a "white elephant".

 

[Jan Brittenson]

i've attached the same shot taken on 35mm on 24x36 and a Mamiya 7 80mm. same position. Because of the different aspect ratios, 6x7 appears IMO a little wider than its diagonal would suggest. I think of the 80 as a 40mm on 24x36. (These are from my attempt to create a usable E200Pro emulation for the 1Ds2.)

 

[RFMan]

I have 65,80,150 lens with a M7, they all seems to be quite equal in perfromance, so nothing to choose which is better ( I guess you woun't see much different ), only the angle of picture is the consideration.

 

[RFMan]

the lens is very sharp even wide open for 80mm , same as 65mm.

 

[Frank Dernie]

As has been said the ratio of frame sizes 35mm to M7 is 2:1 in width. This means the 80 is like a 40 and the 65 a 32.5. The 80 M7 lens is the sharpest lens I own. It doesn't -look- too impressive with the smaller diameter elements but it is outstandingly good. OTOH the 65 lens is pretty good too and the difference will only be noticed in the largest prints. I prefer the 80 personally and I use a 35 out of preference in 35mm. FWIW