Norita 66 Vs. Pentax 67

tunalegs

tunalegs

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I'm just curious since the Noritas seem to always have an asking price about twice that of a Pentax 67. Has anybody used both? Why the premium on the Norita? Is it the square format, or the lens?
 
I think the price difference has a lot to do with the relative scarcity of the Norita. There are a lot more Pentax 67s out there. I've used them both and prefer the Norita for the square format. The 80mm f2 lens is simply amazing, but the Pentax's 105 2.4 has a similar look in some ways. I'd say the 67 is probably more reliable, but once the Norita has had a proper CLA it tends to hold up OK.
 
I've used both and the Pentax seemed a lot more user friendly to me. But that F2 lens for the Norita is a stunner if you like something different ... Dante Stella refers to it as the MF Noctilux.
 
The bokeh from the 80mm f2 lens is pretty 'out there!' :D

hippeastrums10-1.jpg
 
That f/2 lens is its only redeeming aspect, and, frankly, the fast Pentax, Mamiya and Hasselblad lenses are all better...
 
I have quite a bit of experience with the Norita, in fact, becoming a collector.

The cameras are relatively scarce compared to the Pentax, and often found dented, worn and with shutter bounce which require repair. They are all metal and heavier than a Fujica 690, for comparison. Copies in good condition are rare enough to explain their high asking prices.

I prefer the quite rare earlier offerings - Rittreck 66 and Warner 66, (sold for only 1 or 2 years) as they have satin chrome trim, less susceptible to the wear usually present on the black Norita and Graflex Norita. Additionally, the earlier models have a mirror lock up not present in the Noritas. This comes in handy, as I have a Zoomar 1000/8 catadioptric lens sporting a Norita mount.

Mathematically the Noritar 80/2 has even more bokeh than the 35mm Noctilux. The viewfinder is quite bright and easy to focus, especially with the 80/2, though the other lenses 40/4,55/4,160/4, and 240 are all quite easy to use. There is also a 70mm lens designed for flash, but I don't have that one. I have acquired the late production Multi Coated 55,80, and 160 lenses, which are improvements to the standard/original lenses.

The 80/2 is a spectacular portrait lens, and quite sharp even wide open. My go to MF portrait cameras are the Warner 66 with 80/2 and the Fujica 690 with 100/3.5AE and Auto Up close up supplemental lens. Both cameras in these configurations focus inside of 3 feet for heads only portraits - pretty rare for MF.( you can't take head only portraits with the great 80mm Mamiya 7, for instance, because it won't focus close enough).

Texsport
 
"Both cameras in these configurations focus inside of 3 feet for heads only portraits - pretty rare for MF.( you can't take head only portraits with the great 80mm Mamiya 7, for instance, because it won't focus close enough)."

That's a good point. The bellows focussing on the Mamiya RZ, RB and Rollei SL66 works pretty well, though.
 
Mamiya made an excellent 80mm f1.9 lens for the Mamiya 645 cameras. It is common and usually sells for about $300. I have one; it is the fastest lens for any medium format system. If you want a fast lens, I'd go for a Mamiya 645. The system is cheaper, the lenses excellent and the cameras likely much more reliable than a Norita.
 
As a side note, I am in discussions with 2 different custom adapter manufacturers who are planning adapters allowing use of Pentacon Six lenses on the Norita 66 cameras.

That would allow use of the renowned Carl Zeiss Jena 180/2.8 lens, among lots of others, on the Norita 66.

Texsport
 
Echoing Texsport's technical findings, in real-world situations, I found the Norita's 80mm f2 sharper than the Mamiya's 80mm 1.9 at wide apertures. It's simply a fantastic piece of glass. Actually, all the Noritars I've used -- 160 (MC), 55, 70 and the wonderful 40--have been quite good.

I also found the Norita easier to hand hold at lower shutter speeds than the Pentax--definitely a big plus!
 
The 180mm F2.8 MC CZJ Zeiss Sonnar is a spectacular optic;
I miss having mine but I disliked the Exakta 66, Pentacon Six and Kiev bodies.
Ever see the movie "The Money Pit" it was like that. :rolleyes:

I would like to adapt the 180mm Sonnar to fit my Plaubel Makiflexes
(see my avatar). Now that would really be something for me. :cool:
 
Pentacon six lens on Norita

Pentacon six lens on Norita

That would be wonderful! Let us know if the adapter becomes available.
Darya

Texsport said:
As a side note, I am in discussions with 2 different custom adapter manufacturers who are planning adapters allowing use of Pentacon Six lenses on the Norita 66 cameras.

That would allow use of the renowned Carl Zeiss Jena 180/2.8 lens, among lots of others, on the Norita 66.

Texsport
Click to expand...
 
I found a Norita 66 kit years ago on consignment and bought the whole thing with 40mm, 55mm, 70mm, and 160mm lenses. I played with it some but it didn't click with me.

The Pentax 67 in comparison was more user friendly to me, had a better frame size (not a big 6x6 guy myself), and had a faster tele lens. So I just pieced out the Norita kit on eBay.
 
Nokton48 said:
I would like to adapt the 180mm Sonnar to fit my Plaubel Makiflexes
(see my avatar). Now that would really be something for me. :cool:
Click to expand...

That would be fairly easy - just have some mechanic cut down the barrel and fit it to a Plaubel board. There also are some around that have already been LF modified (mostly on Linhof boards), where you would only have to swap boards.
 
sevo said:
That would be fairly easy - just have some mechanic cut down the barrel and fit it to a Plaubel board. There also are some around that have already been LF modified (mostly on Linhof boards), where you would only have to swap boards.
Click to expand...

Hi Sevo,

From your experiences do you think the 180mm F2.8 Sonnar would go on a flat Plaubel Peco Jr board, or, would it need to go onto a Plaubel Peco Jr recessed board? I would like to use the lens for longer distance shooting, as well as close-ups.

Here is my newly modified 150mm F2.8 Xenotar, mounted on a Plaubel Peco Jr recessed board. The rear cell strikes the mirror when shooting at far-away distances, so I removed A LOT of the rear cell tubing, which was very heavy brass, so now the lens focuses from infinity to very close-up, yet does not strike the Makiflex mirror when firing the shutter.

The Plaubel Peco Jr recessed board fits the Makiflex Standard, but not the Automatic Makiflex. That is why I wonder if the 180mm Sonnar will focus at inifinity on a Makiflex with a flat board?
 

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It being a long lens, it ought to fit a plain board. Whatever board you use, the barrel will need some trimming down or the lens won't reach infinity in bellows all-in position - the flange focal depth of the P6 is quite considerably shorter (the Makiflex has a FFD significantly greater than even the RB67). A board so deeply recessed that it could be used with a adapter bayonet would hardly clear the mirror.
 
sevo said:
It being a long lens, it ought to fit a plain board. Whatever board you use, the barrel will need some trimming down or the lens won't reach infinity in bellows all-in position - the flange focal depth of the P6 is quite considerably shorter (the Makiflex has a FFD significantly greater than even the RB67). A board so deeply recessed that it could be used with a adapter bayonet would hardly clear the mirror.
Click to expand...


I was thinking of removing the back mount of the lens (like with the Zebra version of the CZJ 180), and re-using the mounting screws, but more of the back mount may need to be removed, as you say. I've always been skeptical that the lens could be adapted in any type of board; I don't use a recessed board to use adapters, I use them to move the nodal point of the lens closer to the film plane. If I can find one without rear mount very cheaply, I might try it.

Anyway, Thanks!
 
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