Phase One Mount Lenses - Fast Test of 15 Lenses

[tochnia]

I decided to do some testing of my medium format lenses /Phase One Mount/ for my own use.

But I think it is much better to share it with broader audience.

Comments are welcome but don't bash too much as test was intended in first place for myself.

Full-size photos (including bokeh for each lens) can be seen on following page of my website: http://t-e-o.net/mamiya-645-and-phase-one-lens-test/ (right click on image and open in new  tab/window)


Here it is how I would rate lenses for center Sharpness and Bokeh:

 

Premier league:

Mamiya 120mm f4.0 D /Manual Focus/ – Sharpness: 10 Bokeh: 5 (D Version)

Mamiya 80mm f4.0 MF  – Sharpness: 10 Bokeh: 5 (C Version)

Schneider Kreuznach 80mm AF LS f/2.8 –  Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 6 (2 copies tested)

Mamiya 24mm f4.0 MF Fisheye –  Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 3 (C Version)

Zeiss /Hasselblad V/ 110mm f2.0 – Sharpness: 8 Bokeh: 9 (F Version)

Mamiya 110mm MF f2.8 – Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 6 (N Version) /not shown in photos/

 

Very Good:

Mamiya 80mm AF f2.8  –  Sharpness: 7 Bokeh: 7 (non D version, 2 copies tested)

Mamiya 80mm MF f1.9 –  Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 8 (N Version)

Mamiya 55mm AF f2.8 –   Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 5 (non D version)
 
Mamiya 45mm AF f2.8 –   Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 5 (non D version)

Mamiya 150mm MF f3.5 –   Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 6 (2 copies tested)

 

Good:

Mamiya 35mm AF f3.5  –  Sharpness: 5 Bokeh: 5 (non D version)

Mamiya 55-110mm AF f4.5  –  Sharpness: 5 Bokeh: 5

Mamiya 150mm AF f3.5 –   Sharpness: 5 Bokeh: 6 (non D version)

 

Poor:

Russian Lens 35KP 140mm MF f1.8 – Sharpness: 2 Bokeh: 10

Russian Arsat 30mm f3.5 Fisheye  – Sharpness: 1 Bokeh: 1

First center sharpness:

Center 100% crop of 200x200px for each lens:





Test was done with following conditions:

Camera: Phase One DF

Digital Back: Leaf Aptus 75

Tripod: Manfrotto 055XPROB with Manfrotto 222 head

Self Timer: 3 sec

Distance: 1 meter /only 55-110 was shot at 1.5 meters/

Settings: ISO50, Manual Mode

Speed: 1/50 for f4 lensess, 1/100 for f2.8 lenses and 1/200 for f2.0 lenses

Focus Mode: Autofocus lenses were tested only with autofocus /S mode/. Manual focus lenses were focused with focus confirmation on camera.

Test Target: Distance to from camera was 1meter and target have 3 lines with font sizes:1,2,3

All lenses were tested with 2 shoots, and from following lenses I have 2 copies each:

– Schneider Kreuznach 80mm LS f/2.8

– Mamiya 80mm AF f2.8

– Mamiya 150mm AF f3.5

All copies have given same result.

Full-size photos (including bokeh for each lens) can be seen on following page of my website: http://t-e-o.net/mamiya-645-and-phase-one-lens-test/ (right click on image and open in new  tab/window)

Teo
http://t-e-o.net

[tochnia]

And here are background defocus photos of most interesting portrait lenses:

Schneider Kreuznach 80mm AF LS f/2.8


http://t-e-o.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/LA75_009149_Zeiss-110mm-f2.0-1024x767.jpg


Zeiss /Hasselblad V/ 110mm f2.0

[BernardLanguillier]

Thanks.

What would be an example of a sharpness:10/bokeh:10 lens?

Cheers,
Bernard

[tochnia]

Bernard, I don't think that "sharpness:10/bokeh:10 lens" exist at all.

As usually for all systems, lenses with best bokeh are portrait lenses with extreme aperture /f1.9-f2.0 for Medium Format or f1.2-f1.4 for 35mm/.
But these are not so well corrected to have best sharpness and small aberrations.

On other side are well corrected lenses - usually Macro or APO ones but they don't have so good defocus or large aperture.

Exceptions could be lenses like 200mm f2.0 for 35mm or 300mm f2.8 for Medium format, but using them for portraits /and not only headshots/ is not so easy.

So we have to make choice between bokeh /like Zeiss 110mm f2.0/ or sharpness like 120mm Macro f4  

I was thinking to invest in Phase One 110mm f2.8 as portrait lens /as 80mm ones (1.9 and 2.8LS) didn't suit me well/, but Zeiss even it is manual focus lens have way better bokeh.

[eronald]

The Canon 200/1.8 has sharpness 10/Bokeh 10.

Edmund

Bernard, I don't think that "sharpness:10/bokeh:10 lens" exist at all.

As usually for all systems, lenses with best bokeh are portrait lenses with extreme aperture /f1.9-f2.0 for Medium Format or f1.2-f1.4 for 35mm/.
But these are not so well corrected to have best sharpness and small aberrations.

On other side are well corrected lenses - usually Macro or APO ones but they don't have so good defocus or large aperture.

Exceptions could be lenses like 200mm f2.0 for 35mm or 300mm f2.8 for Medium format, but using them for portraits /and not only headshots/ is not so easy.

So we have to make choice between bokeh /like Zeiss 110mm f2.0/ or sharpness like 120mm Macro f4  

I was thinking to invest in Phase One 110mm f2.8 as portrait lens /as 80mm ones (1.9 and 2.8LS) didn't suit me well/, but Zeiss even it is manual focus lens have way better bokeh.

[tochnia]

The Canon 200/1.8 has sharpness 10/Bokeh 10.

Nikkor and Canon 200mm f2.0 can also be categorized in same category too.

But this is offtopic, as my test was for medium format Phase One Mount Lenses

Lets add photo of crappy as sharpness lens, but with better bokeh than all other /under 300mm/ medium format lenses:

Russian Projector Lens 35KP 140mm MF f1.8 (shot at 0.7m due to currently use as fixed focus lens, I'm still waiting for focusing helicoid)

[synn]

Good test. Thanks for doing this.
I would rate the Mamiya 210 in the very good category too.

[ddolde]

I think its hard to know from your list exactly which version of a given lens you are testing.  Very few seem to have the "D" designation which would imply a not very recent version. Sample vacation also is an issue. So I can't take much of this seriously

[tochnia]

ddolde,

From lenses, tested D version is only 120mm 4.0 Macro.
Newest tested lens is Schneider Kreuznach 80mm AF LS f/2.8 (2 copies tested)

AF-D:  Schneider Kreuznach 80mm AF LS f/2.8, Macro 120/4.0 MF D
AF lenses /not D/ were: 150/3.5 AF (2 copies tested), 80/2.8 AF (2 copies tested), 55/2.8 AF, 45/2.8 AF, 35/3.5 AF, 55-110/4.5 AF
MF: 24/4.0, 30/3.5, 80/1.9, 80/4.0, 110/2.0, 110/2.8, 140/1.8, 150/3.5
Haven't test yet: 150/2.8 - too big minumum distance and 105-210/4.5AF as it didn't work with my current body

I have updated initial post with lens types.

The test was done generally for my purposes and I list it here to help people to have some information as Mamiya/Phase one lenses reviews and especially comparisons are not common on the internet.

For example, if I knew that 150/3.5AF is so weak at 3.5 I wouldn't have bought it.

If I find someone in London with good variety of newer /LS and D/ lenses and will, I'm ready to spend more time to expand these results.

[bpepz]

Glad someone is doing a test like this, however if you do another test, could you do one with a brighter image? It was very hard to see exactly what was going on in the pictures.

[chaosphere]

why are they all under exposed ??

[tochnia]

Unfortunately, I have to decide shutter values /and stick to them in M mode/ at beginning of test as there is only central metering with manual focus lenses which if used would have made big difference with different lens lengths.

Next time I will try to start with better exposure.