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Author Topic: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?  (Read 7027 times)

Brad P

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Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« on: November 29, 2017, 01:01:40 am »

I’m an X1D owner still waiting for the 120mm.  On order since May 5.  That should be a stellar lens per the specs, but I’m getting itchy trigger fingers after 6 months and two things about the specs bother me.  Foremost, it’s f3.5.  Secondly, it’s 1:2. 

Anyway, the folks at Hasselblad just upgraded the firmware to permit a fully electronic shutter, which opens up some possibilities.  I almost always shoot manual, so that’s not a biggie.  There are now seven different mounts for the camera from Kipon, and surely more will be coming.  For about the same price I can get a Leica M adapter ring and a used Leica M 120 f2.5 1:2.  Or a new one for a bit more.  Never shot it, but there is something mystical about Leica glass. Seriously thinking about that but thought I’d throw the question up here.  Any more lustworthy new or used MF Macro lenses out there?
« Last Edit: November 29, 2017, 01:20:20 am by Brad P »
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siddhaarta

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2017, 07:32:44 am »

The lens you are talking about is the Leica S Apo-Macro Summarit 120mm? This is indeed one of the best lenses I have ever used, both for macro and portrait or general landscape.

Pity, this will not work with Hasselblad X1D, because of lack of adapters and the electronic contacts for aperture.

I would recommend the Leica R Apo-Macro-Elmarit 100mm - f/2.8, which is easily available on the used market. One of the best macro lenses out there. The nice thing is that it covers enough image circle for the X1D diameter. I have it and use it with my Leica SL, but will try it also with my X1D. At the moment, I still don't have the adapter, but I was told, Novoflex and Kipon are working on an Leica R-X1D Adapter. You could already stack 2 Adapters: 1) Leica R to Leica M and 2) Leica M to X1D (Kipon), but I didn't try that.

The Leica R Apo-Macro also has the right compact form-factor for the X1D. It is fully manual, which I prefer for macro, but goes up to 1:2 only. For more (1:1) you would need to buy the additional Leica Elpro.

The Zeiss Makro Planar 100mm (f/2.0) could also be adapted. It is an excellent lens, but I have seen on some forums, that it vignettes a little bit on the Fuji GFX. also only 1:2.

« Last Edit: November 29, 2017, 07:59:06 am by siddhaarta »
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BAB

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2017, 08:44:02 am »

why not just get the HC 120mm its a killer lens internal focusing with Phocus makes stacking easy. Images are crisp. You can find used for 1500 your over thinking this project HUH!
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2017, 02:33:19 pm »

Hi,

It may be that the 120/4 macro for the Fuji GFX may be the best macro lens ever made.

Are you really needing large aperture on a macro lens? Same goes for 1:1. If you need it, it is a deal breaker. If you don't need it, why care?

The Zeiss 100/2 macro is known to have a lot of axial chroma at large apertures, if magenta/green fringing in out of focus areas matters to you, that lens may not be optimal. But, axial chroma oftens goes away at f/8 or so. Well, it is actually still there but masked by DoF and diffraction.

The 120/4 APO Macro for the Contax 645 may come to mind. That lens has a floating group that corrects field curvature for different focusing distances and it may have near apochromatic correction.

Best regards
Erik




I’m an X1D owner still waiting for the 120mm.  On order since May 5.  That should be a stellar lens per the specs, but I’m getting itchy trigger fingers after 6 months and two things about the specs bother me.  Foremost, it’s f3.5.  Secondly, it’s 1:2. 

Anyway, the folks at Hasselblad just upgraded the firmware to permit a fully electronic shutter, which opens up some possibilities.  I almost always shoot manual, so that’s not a biggie.  There are now seven different mounts for the camera from Kipon, and surely more will be coming.  For about the same price I can get a Leica M adapter ring and a used Leica M 120 f2.5 1:2.  Or a new one for a bit more.  Never shot it, but there is something mystical about Leica glass. Seriously thinking about that but thought I’d throw the question up here.  Any more lustworthy new or used MF Macro lenses out there?
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DougDolde

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2017, 08:05:32 pm »

Could be the Contax 645 120mm APO Makro Planar.
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Dustbak

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2017, 03:14:36 am »

Yes the Rodenstock is an excellent lens. IMO it's only flaw is that it is so good that diffraction is already starting to get visible at f8! at f11 it is really apparent.
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2017, 10:27:19 am »

Hi,

Diffraction is not a property of the lens but a property of light. The reason that you see diffraction effects at f/8 that the lens reaches optimum performance already at f/5.6.

Ideally, a lens would be diffraction limited at maximum aperture.

Actually, that is one of the reasons astronomers love large apertures. The key parameter of an astronomical telescope is it's diameter. Doubling the diameter of a telescope, it can detect stars 16x less bright. The reason is that the airy circle will have half the diameter due to half of the diffraction. So the image of the star will have half the diameter. That mean that the image projected will be four times brighter.

Twice the aperture diameter will be able to collect four times the light.

Four times more light and four times the point brightness means 16X the intensity!

Best regards
Erik

Yes the Rodenstock is an excellent lens. IMO it's only flaw is that it is so good that diffraction is already starting to get visible at f8! at f11 it is really apparent.
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madlantern

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2017, 02:53:48 pm »

No one cares for the XCD 120mm macro?
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chrismuc

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #10 on: December 27, 2017, 06:02:17 am »

The Canon EF 100f2.8 Macro L using the Steelring adapter works perfectly (AF, EXIF, auto aperture, IS) on the Fuji GFX. The image circle covers the larger sensor, the lens does 1.1.

Enclosed a handheld sample shot at f5.6.

(complete and a 100% crop)
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Bo_Dez

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Re: Most Lust Worthy Medium Format Macro Lens?
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2017, 07:26:42 am »

I think the "most lust worthy" Macro is the Leica 120mm.

But the Hasselblad HC 120mm and Contax 645 120mm are both excellent lenses too.
« Last Edit: January 09, 2018, 09:32:13 am by Bo_Dez »
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