TXForester
Well-known
Great portrait, Colton.
Swift1
Veteran
Thanks. It's one of my favorite recent photos of myself.
Swift1
Veteran
Pentax 67
SMC Pentax 6X7 45/4
Fujichrome Provia 100F
Epson V500
TennesseJones
Well-known
I've just got a very good deal on a 6x7 (MU) body..
The 105 is the lens to have it seems, amongst a great bunch.
Struggling to find a good place in the UK to buy 67 lenses though.. Any suggestions gratefully received.
And general 67 advice!
The 105 is the lens to have it seems, amongst a great bunch.
Struggling to find a good place in the UK to buy 67 lenses though.. Any suggestions gratefully received.
And general 67 advice!
FujiLove
Well-known
Ffordes (http://ffordes.co.uk/) have a few in stock, but they are not the cheapest. I ended up buying mine from a Japanese eBay seller. You pay VAT and import duty, but they still often end up cheaper than shops in the UK. The Japanese sellers are usually very honest and sell excellent equipment. Mine were delivered in about 10 days...24 hours from Japan and nine days sat in UK customs!
TennesseJones
Well-known
Many thanks!
I'll check out the 'bay...
Ffordes don't have 105 or 90 it seems at the moment.
I'll check out the 'bay...
Ffordes don't have 105 or 90 it seems at the moment.
FujiLove
Well-known
And in case you haven't seen these sites already, check which version of the lens you're buying, as some changed optically through their evolution.
http://www.antiquecameras.net/pentax6x7lenses.html
http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-67-Medium-Format-Lenses-i5.html
Happy shopping!
TennesseJones
Well-known
menos
Veteran
Hey guys, what is your opinion about the 45/4 vs 55/4 lens?
I would love to try either of these two to add a focal length between super wide angle and normal on a crop camera.
The compact size and weight of the 45mm looks really sweet but everyone keeps mentioning just how fantastic that 55mm lens is.
How do they compare in regards to flare - one better then the other?
How are the aperture stop down sliders on these Pentax lenses - will they stay in place safely or do I have to stop them down on a shot to shot basis.
I would love to try either of these two to add a focal length between super wide angle and normal on a crop camera.
The compact size and weight of the 45mm looks really sweet but everyone keeps mentioning just how fantastic that 55mm lens is.
How do they compare in regards to flare - one better then the other?
How are the aperture stop down sliders on these Pentax lenses - will they stay in place safely or do I have to stop them down on a shot to shot basis.
Adric83
Member
I can't speak to the 55 vs 45, as I just picked up the 55 and am about to develop a roll shot with it, but I can tell you that the aperture sliders for preview DOF will stay in place and then you can slide them back to "auto" when you want.
Swift1
Veteran
What camera are you wanting to use it on?
blue4130
Well-known
trip2015010_416 by Vance, on Flickr
trip2015010_406 by Vance, on Flickr
trip2015010_429 by Vance, on FlickrAll with the 105mm f2.4 on Fuji Pro160NS.
There were three 55mm lenses, the first with a huge front element and f/3.5 aperture. Both the later two 4/55mm had the rubber grenade-checkered focus rings, but the earlier (1979) had the lens ID info on the ring within the filter ring, while the latest one (1986) was styled a bit different with the lens info inscribed on the beveled front edge of the focus ring. Only 7 years apart, these two 55's have different optics, the earlier f/4 had 9 elements in 8 groups, while the recent one had 8 elements in 7 groups. This last one is reputed to be the best of the three. I've used both (but not the f/3.5) and honestly I don't detect any difference. The earlier one is 110 grams lighter and focuses to .4m while the later one goes down to .35m.
I like the 45mm as well, very nice lens, but it's getting into "21mm" territory (well, 22mm, 89° angle of view) where for me it has limited use. I have used it more on a Leica S2 where it pretends to be a 35-equivalent! Back to the big Pentax, the 55mm lenses give about the same angle of view as a 26 or 27mm on 135 format. Actually, the later 55 is the 1° wider one (78° vs 77°)!
There is no wider rectilinear lens for the P67 than the 45, as the 35 is a fisheye. The 45 does pick up flare when provoked, I think as a normal consequence of the wide field often including bright areas.
The stop-down sliders are spring-loaded in the open direction, and latch securely at the stop-down position for checking DoF, while easy to release at will. I have to use this feature all the time with these lenses on the big Leica as the adapter doesn't support auto diaphragm control... My biggest issue is that I may forget to set the catch for the shot, thus inadvertently wide open and overexposed.
Have fun with your selection, hard to be disappointed with these great lenses.
menos
Veteran
Thanks for the detailed info Doug!
I am interested in trying out either 45 or 55 because I find the 35/2.5 often way too for what I do with the Leica S2 and the 70 too long.
With 35mm my most used focal length is indeed 35mm, so I figured that either 45 or 55 might be a great match to the S2.
I would be interested in the latest manual focus versions of the P67 lenses only.
Is there a difference in how the 45/4 and 55/4 behave on a digital sensor wide open - is one better then the other (talking about optical issues that need correcting, one might have over the other).
F4 is my general aperture for walk around shots with the S2 and I would likely use these lenses mostly wide open (as of the lack of Auto aperture) and only stop down when shooting static subjects and permitting the light (rarely).
I find the stop down sliders on some Hasselblad V lenses finicky (too easy to disengage and sometimes hesitant to reengage), hence my asking - it seems the P67 lenses have a well designed aperture control then.
My feeling tells me the 45/4 is a great match as of size and weight (I favor compact, light primes on the S2) but the 55/4 would have a more useful focal length and people seem to give this lens a clear edge in performance - still undecided.
Any insight - maybe some photographs from either lens, preferably at wide apertures?
I am interested in trying out either 45 or 55 because I find the 35/2.5 often way too for what I do with the Leica S2 and the 70 too long.
With 35mm my most used focal length is indeed 35mm, so I figured that either 45 or 55 might be a great match to the S2.
I would be interested in the latest manual focus versions of the P67 lenses only.
Is there a difference in how the 45/4 and 55/4 behave on a digital sensor wide open - is one better then the other (talking about optical issues that need correcting, one might have over the other).
F4 is my general aperture for walk around shots with the S2 and I would likely use these lenses mostly wide open (as of the lack of Auto aperture) and only stop down when shooting static subjects and permitting the light (rarely).
I find the stop down sliders on some Hasselblad V lenses finicky (too easy to disengage and sometimes hesitant to reengage), hence my asking - it seems the P67 lenses have a well designed aperture control then.
My feeling tells me the 45/4 is a great match as of size and weight (I favor compact, light primes on the S2) but the 55/4 would have a more useful focal length and people seem to give this lens a clear edge in performance - still undecided.
Any insight - maybe some photographs from either lens, preferably at wide apertures?
Hi Dirk... in my RFF Gallery there are 5 shots with the 45mm Pentax67 on the S2 and 3 with the late 55mm. Use the Gallery's "Advanced Search" on the Gallery Search menu, from the drop-down lens list pick the specific Pentax lens, choose Leica Camera AG from the Camera Brand drop-down list, and type "Doug" in the Username box. None are shot wide open, the widest about f/5.6.
There is a very useful thread on Red Dot Forum that goes into much more detail, commentary, and large sizes with some crops. Their forum was migrated to different software a year or so back, so some photos don't display the same way they used to. Formerly one could post a full-scale TIFF and it would display in a convenient smaller view, and when you clicked on it it would open a new window at full scale for close examination. At this time those big shots display at their full scale and clicking opens the smaller view! Here's the URL to that Pentax67 lens thread...
http://www.reddotforum.com/forums/topic/pentax-67-lenses-on-the-s2/
I'm reminded that the 45mm showed a bit of red/green CAs and mild barrel distortion easily corrected in LR, and sharpness very good. My impression is that the late 55mm is sharper, really excellent. The 2.8/165 is also excellent while the smaller/lighter 4/165 LS is disappointing... maybe just my sample... it's ok, but not quite crisp. The 2.4/105 I would consider a "character lens" on the S2, interesting wide open but not up to the optical quality of Pentax's latest P67 lenses; the 2.8/90 is preferable IMO and the 4/100mm is outstanding.
If you're after a 35-ish angle of view on the S, the Pentax67 45mm will do it. The diagonal of the S sensor is right about 55mm, so a 55mm lens acts more like 43mm on the 135 format, a little longer than you might be looking for.
There is a very useful thread on Red Dot Forum that goes into much more detail, commentary, and large sizes with some crops. Their forum was migrated to different software a year or so back, so some photos don't display the same way they used to. Formerly one could post a full-scale TIFF and it would display in a convenient smaller view, and when you clicked on it it would open a new window at full scale for close examination. At this time those big shots display at their full scale and clicking opens the smaller view! Here's the URL to that Pentax67 lens thread...
http://www.reddotforum.com/forums/topic/pentax-67-lenses-on-the-s2/
I'm reminded that the 45mm showed a bit of red/green CAs and mild barrel distortion easily corrected in LR, and sharpness very good. My impression is that the late 55mm is sharper, really excellent. The 2.8/165 is also excellent while the smaller/lighter 4/165 LS is disappointing... maybe just my sample... it's ok, but not quite crisp. The 2.4/105 I would consider a "character lens" on the S2, interesting wide open but not up to the optical quality of Pentax's latest P67 lenses; the 2.8/90 is preferable IMO and the 4/100mm is outstanding.
If you're after a 35-ish angle of view on the S, the Pentax67 45mm will do it. The diagonal of the S sensor is right about 55mm, so a 55mm lens acts more like 43mm on the 135 format, a little longer than you might be looking for.
menos
Veteran
Hey Doug, thanks a lot for the detailed info - just was I was looking for!
I actually saw your thread on reddit some time ago already ;-)
I tend at the moment towards the 55mm but will give an experiment a try for a few weeks. There is this Carl Zeiss Vario zoom in Contax 645 mount sitting in storage I couldn't hear it screaming all along to try it out for a while locked to either 45 and 55mm.
Granted its huge and heavy but it surely will allow me to figure the focal length.
I am not interested in other focal lengths of Pentax glass (although I always wanted to compare a P67 400/4 against the Mamiya 645 300/2.8).
I actually saw your thread on reddit some time ago already ;-)
I tend at the moment towards the 55mm but will give an experiment a try for a few weeks. There is this Carl Zeiss Vario zoom in Contax 645 mount sitting in storage I couldn't hear it screaming all along to try it out for a while locked to either 45 and 55mm.
Granted its huge and heavy but it surely will allow me to figure the focal length.
I am not interested in other focal lengths of Pentax glass (although I always wanted to compare a P67 400/4 against the Mamiya 645 300/2.8).
Yes, that should be useful if you can locate the adapter; you may get spoiled though by the Contax 645 lens maintaining AF and auto-diaphragm operation! Well, now we're really drifting away from "Pentax 67 GAS"!
SQUARETIP
Member
Yes both pictures with the 300 lens are wide open at f/4. There are not so many good reviews about this lens, but personally I like it. Anyway the best one is the 105 at f2.4:
Again both at them wide open at F2.4 I just love this camera!
Hey Birbal, loving the images you're posting. I see you're also in the Uk, can I ask where you purchased your P67 from? I've been searching for a Pentax 67 with 105 lens for ages but uk prices are just too high for my budget.
Cheers
Alex
FujiLove
Well-known
Hi Alex, I had the same problem and ended up importing my P67 from Japan. If it's any consolation, the Japanese eBay sellers are generally excellent...and of course, the camera is worth the hassle.
SQUARETIP
Member
Hi there, thanks for the reply. Yes, I've seen some absolute mint examples on eBay from Japan, but can't seem to pluck up the courage and do it. I'm probably put off by the import tax and concerned by any hidden fees which might accur. Sounds like you had no problems?