Which one? Hartblei 45mm super rotator or Mamiya 50mm F4 shift?

[stevebri]

I might be splitting hairs here or I be showing my ignorance but I'm not sure which one to use/buy/keep.

I have the 50mm F4 and it's great, light, sharp and 13mm of shift on a vertical and 16mm on a horizontal, not bad at all, has given me zero problems but......  There's always a but isn't there...?

Shooting buildings and interiors is always tight... you are almost always at maximum usable shift, always fighting for that extra foot of height etc... all part of the job.

The reasons I've not just gone out and bought the Hartblei are because of two areas...  firstly yes it's a 45mm so it's a tad wider but it only has 12mm of shift in any direction.  The tilt thing would be fun but not part of my job needs. Secondly the Hartblei is susceptible to quality control issues...  If you get a good one FAB if not...well..

Ultimately I'm asking is the extra width but 12mm shift really that much... and therefore worth it...  Or should I just buy a Cambo Wide DS and Mamiya/Phase One plate and rent those FAB  lenses...?  I get 40mm shift going upwards there...

Anyone with any thoughts or experiences please write them up...

Many thanks in advance...

Steve

[Peter Devos]

If you don't have a hartblei camera i would go for the Cambo Wide DS. Ever since i got my Hartbleicam with canon 17 and 24mm T/S lenses, aswel as the Hartblei/Zeiss 80mm I never used my cambo again. (Therefore i am selling it... 47mm/mamiya). The 50mm is to limited in use. the great thing about the cambo with 47mm is that in most cases you can sty a decent distance away from the object, showing it in a more natural way. If a 28mm is needed, one can simply stitch the image by making 2 or 4 images and put them easely together in photoshop.

[yaya]

You can also look at the Zork shift adapter for your 645 and a Rodenstock 40mm HR-W. I am not sure if the lens's flange focal length distance is big enough to focus at infinity but if you speak to Zork he should be able to advise you

[EinstStein]

If you are talking about the Hartblei based on Zeiss's glass, be aware the glass barely covers 6x6 circle. No room for MF movement. It's for 35mm only.
If you are talking about the original USSR glass. It's good for ..., urh, urh, well, should be good for something. Oh yeah, good for some creative work

[stevebri]

Yaya,

I initially didn't go down this route months ago, based on the adapter being 3 times the cost of the lens....

However, I think you've hit the nail right on the head...  looking at it again, I think it's the way forward, buying a 45mm super rotator is hit and miss... probably miss....
Going down the Cambo LF route is nice, but again, more kit, more investment etc....

The Zork idea falls into place now, 45mm and 55mm Pentax 67 lenses are fab and inexpensive now, with the Zork I get loads of shift... perfect..

Thanks,

Played with an IO 80 yet.....?

They look scarily good don't they...?

Steve

[Lacunapratum]

I found the Hartblei the least satisfactory, with significant loss of sharpness and vignetting off axis.  The Pentax 45mm with Zork adapter is excellent.  The Mamiya 50mm f/4 shift is also not bad.  I am using both the Hartblei and the 45mm Pentax/Zork on a P645II and I have a rare 50mm Mamiya for the Rolleiflex SL66.