Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: alifatemi on October 23, 2013, 05:18:23 am

Title: Focal plane or Leaf shutter
Post by: alifatemi on October 23, 2013, 05:18:23 am

Hi, in terms of absolute image quality and for one who does not need high flash synch speed, witch one has better quality; Focal plane or leaf shutter lens? tnx.

Title: Re: Focal plane or Leaf shutter
Post by: Paul2660 on October 23, 2013, 12:03:25 pm

Image quality, LS vs non-LS, optically the newer Phase One Schneider LS lenses are overall better, and about 3x or the cost.  This is glass.

Leaf Shutter vs Focal plane, to me is moot unless you need the higher flash sync, remember the DF+ or DF both will be firing both shutters, i.e. the focal plane in the camera body and the Leaf shutter in the lens.  So you still don't get rid of the possible mirror shake, which I always found a bit harsh on the DF or AFDIII especially when the camera was in the vertical mode.

If you look at the Digital D non LS vs. older Mamiya AF versions of the 35mm, 45mm, (not sure how many more there are that are non LS) the groups and elements are the same so basically re-badged.  The LS lenses are all new designs (except for the 28mm) which has the same number of elements and groups as the older 28mm.  (Phase One or Mamiya)

Still hoping to see a firmware update to the DF+ or DF that allows the focal plane shutter to be moved up and out of the way when using the leaf shutter lenses. 

Paul Caldwell

Title: Re: Focal plane or Leaf shutter
Post by: Doug Peterson on October 23, 2013, 01:09:19 pm

For my money the 150D is a smidge better than the 150LS on optical quality and is a half stop faster to boot.

Our test of the Schneider 28LS (https://digitaltransitions.com/blog/dt-testing/28mm-32mm-test) and Phase One 28D (https://digitaltransitions.com/blog/dt-testing/28mm-32mm-test) showed them to be difficult to distinguish between.

So it's not purely a matter of one line is "better" than the other.

But the 55/110/150/240 LS lenses are all really great lenses. The 110LS and 240LS especially which I'd put on the short list of best lenses I've ever worked with in any format.

Title: Re: Focal plane or Leaf shutter
Post by: Christopher Arnoldi on October 23, 2013, 02:52:24 pm

»But the 55/110/150/240 LS lenses are all really great lenses. The 110LS and 240LS especially which I'd put on the short list of best lenses I've ever worked with in any format.«

Don´t know what I should think about LS-lenses when I look at this MTF-curves.
https://www.captureintegration.com/schneider-ls-lens-mtf-charts-for-phase-one-mamiya
I own the 55 LS, the 80 LS and the 150 LS. They are not bad, but the best lenses I've ever worked with?