Suggestion on RZ67 lenses for digital use

[Mr. Rib]

Hi,

I found some info regarding the lenses for RZ system scattered here and there on LL forum, but it would be nice to have one topic to refer to with recommendations of Mamiya RZ lenses for digital use.
So the big questions is- which of Mamiya lenses stand their ground in large sensor world? I'm aware of different versions of the lenses, some experience with newer/older lenses shared here would be great. Has anyone used the APO lenses? What about portrait lenses? How about newer version of 140 macro, 110/2.8 in this regard? Any insight (based on practice/experience) and recommendation on ANY focal length lenses will be appreciated.

[ixpressraf]

All RZ lenses i have are stellar performers, my old 140 Macro RZ, my 150 is my most loved lens, the 110 2,8, the 50 and 65..... a perfect system.

[asf]

They're almost all good, but for the 50 and 65 you need the newer versions with floating elements, esp the 50 ULD as the old W is mush. The RB 75KL is exc as well. The 110 is better than the 90, and the 140 is stellar. If you can find a 127 it's a great lens too.

[Frank Doorhof]

All are indeed great.
Somehow I seem to be stuck however with the 180mm and 140mm macro and occasionally the 110mm f2.8

[derekkwong]

I am thinking to buy a wide angle lens for my up coming RZ, mainly for portrait and fashion purpose, with half/full look

KEH is selling 65mm ULD for $399 and 50mm W for $299

In concern of focal length after sensor crop, sharpness and distortion, which one should i get?

My back is Leaf A17, it should be almost 1.4x compare to 6x7 format

(RZ67 Pro, ae prism, 140 macro and 110 2.8 is on the way  )

[Mr. Rib]

Yep, I knew about ULD being significantly better performers than their older W versions. So far I have a 50 ULD, 140 Macro M/L-A and a 37 fisheye. I wanted something shorter/brighter for portrait work and I think it wil be a 110.

[rgmoore]

On the subject of RZ lenses - are there any portrait or beauty photographers who use the RZ soft focus lens? If I recall
correctly the lens has the focal length of 140mm and three discs which can be inserted for different level of softness. The effect is a soft image over a sharp one so there is plenty of detail with a controlled amount of glow. Reportedly this effect
could not be replicated by soft focus glass filters.

I have attempted some of the PS filters but have not acheved the look. Admittedly the whole soft focus notion may be against the grain in MFDB world where the preponderance of effort is to maximize detail.

But I remember studying academic Old Masters type of portrait painting at a small art school on the East Coast years ago and the instuctor's most frequent critique consisted of walking about the studio softening the edges of students' work with her index finger. She stressed that the eye simply cannot see all the edges and that a successful painting has just a few
sharp lines and most of the edges should be soft.

Back to photography .... if anyone has knowledge or experience on soft focus lenses for RZ, other platforms, or SW solutions, any information would be greatly appreciated.

Richard    

[RobertJ]

The soft focus lens for the RZ is the 180mm f/4 M D/L, and it only costs $339 in used, 'Like New' condition, including caps and the Disks.  So if that's your thing, then go for it!

http://www.keh.com/Product-Details/1/RZ069...30/RZ06/FE.aspx

[rgmoore]

T-1000, Thank you.

Richard

[billthecat]

Hi,

Is the 65mm a ULD? I can't a reference to that anywhere.

Bill

I am thinking to buy a wide angle lens for my up coming RZ, mainly for portrait and fashion purpose, with half/full look

KEH is selling 65mm ULD for $399 and 50mm W for $299

In concern of focal length after sensor crop, sharpness and distortion, which one should i get?

My back is Leaf A17, it should be almost 1.4x compare to 6x7 format

(RZ67 Pro, ae prism, 140 macro and 110 2.8 is on the way  )

[asf]

No, there is no 65 ULD

[derekkwong]

Hi,

Is the 65mm a ULD? I can't a reference to that anywhere.

Bill

EDITED:

oh yes, ULD stands for Ultra Low Dispersion
65mm has floating system only      

[Mr. Rib]

M/L-A tells you that the lens has a floating element. Floating element adjustment is used for focus correction on the edges. The workflow is:
1. you focus
2. when you are in focus, you get the reading from the bellows
3. You adjust the floating element ring to the distance read from the bellows
4. you adjust the focus (if you are slightly out of focus after adjustment made in point 3.)

[derekkwong]

M/L-A tells you that the lens has a floating element. Floating element adjustment is used for focus correction on the edges. The workflow is:
1. you focus
2. when you are in focus, you get the reading from the bellows
3. You adjust the floating element ring to the distance read from the bellows
4. you adjust the focus (if you are slightly out of focus after adjustment made in point 3.)

Rib, thanks for your explanation
I would like to ask does floating system help for shooting on DB? As you state it helps to correct PQ of the edges, however DB takes central part of image only

Back to the topic, since you having 50mm ULD and DB, do you recommend this combination for "full body look" pictures?
Example of the outcome i looking:
Image1
Image2

DK

[Mr. Rib]

I can tell only from what people say, because I don't have any experience with older versions of the lenses. Although you take only the central part of the image, the overall IQ is significantly better in case of M/L-A or ULD L lenses. You can say that floating element corrects the edges, but you say so because at the edges the difference is most significant. The floating element works all the way through the center of the image to the edges. Thus the anwser is yes- the L lenses help you even though you are using the central part of the image. I've seen some comparison  of 50 W and 50 ULD L (@ photo.net if I'm not mistaken) and the difference was HUGE throughout the whole image, being most significant at the edges.

As for your second question- well, to be honest the crop factor, even with a big sensor, is an issue here.. for my 50 and fisheye lens I'm thinking about getting a film magazine and a drum scanner. IF you want to know how your shots would look like and you can't test the lens yourself, I suggest you go to www.flickr.com, search for let's say "mamiya 50 uld" and then take some of the photos and crop them in PS according to your sensor size. But in general, wide angle with a ~1.5 crop  factor is a no no.

[TMARK]

65W lens is very sharp. The ml/a version is sharper, but again, only at the edges. I use the W lens for people because it's lighter than the ml/a and with people you never have the time to set the floating element anyway.