Mamiya 75-150 vs. 120mm macro

[jpjespersen]

Has anybody compared the sharpness of the Mamiya AFD 75-150mm zomm to the 120mm macro?
I am trying to decide which one to buy.  Obviously I would like to go for the 75-150 however if the 120mm is sharper then I would prefer this.
Thanks.

[amsp]

I would be extremely surprised if a zoom was sharper than a macro. I have the 120mm and it's SCARY sharp. They are two very different lenses though, with different uses, so it depends on what you need it for.

[canmiya]

imo, the macro is the sharper of the two lenses....but not by  much.  the 75-150 is simply a stellar lens and you can af--the macro is mf only.  the zoom is by far my favorite lens.  i rarely use the macro anymore unless i need a shooting distance closer than 3.5 feet

[Frank Doorhof]

The macro is wickedly sharp.
The 75-150 is VERY nice.
If you want however the best sharpness by the Macro.

[MichaelEzra]

Could anyone post 100% crops from 120 macro?

[jpjespersen]

I guess i will explain What i need the lens for. I shoot with a p45+. I hArdly ever shoot anything closer than 5 feet.  I do a lot of lanscape work, but more importantly i need a better lens than my 80 mm for my fine art reproduction work.  I will be shooting at a distance so that a 20x30" painting fills the frame.  Right now my 80 works great and i really enjoy the AF because the viewfinder sucks in the afdii.  But I could use a longer lens to get me further away from the art works.  The 120 sounds great, but not having af is a major downside for me.   I think i have decided to get the 75-150mm  i have heard great things about it, and giventhat it just came out this year i have confidence that it is extremely sharp and well designed.  Thanks for yourinputs.  And sorry about the typing, I'm on my iPhone.

[amsp]

You do know you have AF-assist with manual lenses on the AFD, right? For copy work like that I would use the macro, both for the sharpness and the zero distortion. As for a 100% crop, trust me, you don't need it, if that lens was any sharper you'd cut your eyes looking at the picture  

[jpjespersen]

I just purchased a 120mm macro off of ebay for 1200 dollars.  I decided that for the price this will do me great for my needs.
Thanks for the advice.

[amsp]

I'm sure it will serve you well. I just finished shooting a ton of products mostly using the 120mm and a P25, the result is stunning to say the least.

[mcfoto]

Hi
The 120 macro is a must. On jobs I had to always rent one since we had to do a close up or even a product shot. The macro is why we rented it then I finally bought one. It is sharp period. and for close up work MF is not an issue. I am very tempted on the 28 mm that is a beautiful lens!!

[jpjespersen]

First night with my new 120 macro.  Great Lens.  
http://jpjespersen.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post_31.html

[MichaelEzra]

First night with my new 120 macro.  Great Lens. 
http://jpjespersen.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post_31.html
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Great sample! Did you use tripod/mirror lockup/remote shutter release?

[jpjespersen]

Great sample! Did you use tripod/mirror lockup/remote shutter release?
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All of the above.  My Tripod was fully extended to shoot over an 8ft fence.  Had to use a ladder.

[markowich]

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