Pentax 6x7 - 45mm vs 55mm

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Discounting the 55mm f/3.5 which is too large and heavy, I am looking at purchasing either a 45mm f/4 or a 55mm f/4 for my Pentax 6x7. It would work alongside the 105mm f/2.4. The lens will be used for documentary work, and not really for landscape or architectural scenes.

I like the 45mm because it is much smaller, lighter and is highly rated, but I fear it may be too wide with some hefty distortion to contend with. The 55mm f/4 on the other hand, is popular and well liked among the 6x7 community, the latest version is also highly rated.

I have seen some excellent work from both lenses and they are similarly priced, but I am still undecided... and I can't buy both! 😛
 
Thanks.

I don't shoot much 35mm but I find that a 50mm on my 20D is not wide enough and that a 16mm fisheye is far too wide.

I'm not really concerned whether the 55mm is wide enough because I am sure that it definitely is, it's more a case of whether the 45mm is too wide.

The 45mm just seems so tiny and lightweight... by 6x7 standards anyway.
 
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This the f/4 55mm. You get distortion with it, too, but if you keep it level (like the first shot) it works well for architectural work. I like my lens, and I did not get the 45 because of my fear of too much distortion. I have a 20mm for 35mm, and I find it hard to use.
 
I've owned the 45, 55 (latest version) and 105. Eventually I sold the 45. It was a fantastic lens, probably my favorite for landscapes.

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I sold it because I didn't use it enough, I had just bought the 55, I didn't like the way it made people look, and I needed the money for another camera. It's a great lens, and once you embrace the distortion it is completely useable for pretty much anything (but again, I didn't like it for people). The 55 hasn't seen much use from me yet so the selection of photos isn't as nice as the 45, but I like the lens a lot better. Image quality is equal, perhaps even greater than most of the Hasselblad 50's (except the one that has crazy floating elements, that might be a little bit better).

I'm only posting this large because the quality is ridiculous - probably the sharpest 20x24 print I've ever made.

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I'll post more after I develop all of my film from this summer. But I really like the 55/105 combo (and I'm thinking about adding a 75mm to the mix), I love the photos I made with the 45 but I really don't miss it.

There is certainly some size difference, but the 45 is still a lot to carry around (just not as much as the 105 or 55). Judging by your photos (which I always seem to randomly come across and like every time I see them!) I think you'll like the 55 a lot better.
 
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The 75 2.8 is what I've been using lately. Very nice. Sharp, like the OOF areas and the field of view is very familiar to me.

When you mention distortion, are you talking typical wide-angle rendering, or lens faults?

At any rate, I like the 55, but I have seen some great stuff done with the 45. I have to shoot more with the 55 to decide if I want to keep it or go wider. If you are getting a 55 make sure you buy the last version Pentax made as the optics were changed and it is considered the best.

I think the difference between them is that the 55 is a moderate wide angle so, to my eye, it sucks in a good deal of real estate but doesn't yet look "unnatural", whereas the 45 is into true wide angle territory and the rendering is going to look foreign to the human eye. In other words, it can start to look like an effect.
 
I have the 45, and both 4/55 versions, all great optically. It's hard to precisely compare angles of view between formats with different proportions... The P67's film gate diagonal is right about 90mm, so one could consider that the "natural" standard focal length for it. For 24x36, that diagonal is 43mm, so the "crop factor" is about 2.1 and the 45 with its 89° angle of view comes out like a 21.5 equivalent. I have recently used the 45 adapted to a Leica dSLR, where the crop factor makes it about equiv to a 35mm in angle of view. Pixel peeping reveals an impressively sharp lens with very minimal barrel distortion and just a bit of red/green CA.

It's surprising Pentax made two quite different 55mm f/4 lenses, the second coming only 7 years after the first. They're both excellent, with different optics (first 8 groups / 9 elements, second 7/8). The first has a 77° angle of view for a 27.2mm equivalency while the second has 78° and 26.7mm equiv. There may be somewhere a comparison discussion, but to me they're equally excellent. The difference in naming is minor: First SMC Pentax 6x7 and second SMC Pentax 67.

I find the 55 often useful, and the 45 much less often useful on the big Pentax. The earlier 55 was the first lens I added (new from Adorama) to the P6x7 + 105mm kit, no regrets there! 🙂
 
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FWIW.. I just received an email from KEH.. and no I'm not an employee at KEH...

They have reduced prices on these lenses by about $10 - $15 on the 45mm and 55mm. If you're thinking of buying one from them you may obviously save a couple of bucks.

It's not a huge deal but it probably helps offset some of the costs of the mailing. Good luck with which ever you choose.
 
Thank you for all the replies, I'm glad to hear that either way, both lenses are of such high quality that I can't really lose. I think though, considering the slightly unnatural distortion inherent to extra wide angle lenses, the 45mm may be too wide and that the 55mm is ideal for me. Because I will be taking photos of people I want to avoid any strange effects, as referenced by keytarjunkie.

I did look at the 75mm f/2.8 which sounds like a great lens, but too expensive right now, and I really want to have two very different lenses so the 105mm and 55mm seems like a sensible duo.

Most of the newer 67 versions of each lens are slightly lighter than the 6x7 equivalents, however according to this source the 67 55mm f/4 is heavier than the 6x7 55mm f/4. I wondered if that is a mistake, the newer version certainly looks lighter.

Jan: I wish I could get one from the States, there are so many more available to buy. Unfortunately the VAT and customs duty would make them expensive for me, here in the UK.
 
The newer 55 is about 1mm longer and 2mm larger in diameter, and I'll guess the extra 110g in weight is in the glass...

I love the 75mm f/2.8 Aspherical, probably my favorite for the system, as it renders beautifully and is also a very useful general focal length. One of the latest releases, very modern design. The only drawback I see is noticeable barrel distortion, but that seems a modern trend as well. 🙁 Some, including Sean Reid, point out that barrel distortion reduces the unpleasant effect on people in the corner of the frame... obviously at the expense of curving straight lines near the edges.
 
I have the 45. Love it. Some day I'll find an affordable last model of the 55. I say get both.

Straight lines? Distortion? Where? All with the 45.





You can even get a wide angle of view & shallow depth of field.

 
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keytarjunkie said:
Dan, thank you...your website has helped me out tremendously in the past!
Click to expand...
Indeed, I have used it a lot over the last week too. Thanks.

Venchka, those are some excellent interior shots and yes, distorted is certainly not a word that springs to mind. I suppose a lot of that is down to the photographer though. 🙂
 
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