Mamiya 80mm 2.8 vs 80mm 2.8 "D"? Which one?

[haring]

Is it worth spending extra $1000 on a "D" version of this lens? I heard that the D version is sharper and it has more contrast. Is it true?

I have been looking around on the net and so far I didn't find any comparison...

I would like to buy a AF 80mm lens for my camera. I have been using manual focus lenses so far and I am wasting a lot of film...

My camera doesn't operate with the 80mm LS version. So the LS is out of question.

Thanks!

[amsp]

I think you'll find that the biggest difference is in the build quality, the non-D is a fine performer but feels like a cheap plastic piece of shit to be quite frank. If you can live with that then go ahead and save yourself 1000$.

[haring]

That's all...? I will probably get the old one. better build quality is not worth $1000 if it is not accompanied with better image quality... Is there any other AF lens for 80mm?

[ondebanks]

I have been looking around on the net and so far I didn't find any comparison...

Then this comparison will help you:

http://www.pebbleplace.com/Personal/Mamiya_80mm_2.html

Ray

[ondebanks]

Is there any other AF lens for 80mm?

Yes, there's the Schneider 80/2.8 with leaf shutter.

[TMARK]

Get the cheap one.  They are really sharp and contrasty.  They do feel like a handful of plastic, straight from a Cracker Jacks box, but they work reall well.  from my experience the regular 80mm is very close in performance to the Zeiss Contax 80mm.  Other good "non-D" lenses:  the 55 is one of my favorite lenses on any system;  the 45mm is really, really great once stopped down to 8, even better at 11;  the 150 3.5 is very good, not as good as the 80 and 55, but good.  A little long for digital.  The 120 Macro is one of teh best of the bunch.

The old lenses are great and a bargain.  The Schneider lens, D variants etc, while better in absolute and relative terms, are not worth the premium over the old lenses unless you have the kind of revenue stream that can support it.  The one complaint I have is that you can't manually focus the lenses without switching the body to manual, or in the case of teh 150, slipping the colar back.  This always bothered me and I manual focused as a result.

[haring]

Unfortunately, I can't mount the LS on my Mamiya AFD III

[Steve Hendrix]

I have tested and compared 2 good copies of both the older AF version and the newer "D" Af version. They're very close in sharpness (similar to each other, but not nearly as identical to each other as the non D and D 120mm). The difference is the build quality (as has been noted) but also the chromatic aberrations are much more pronounced with the non D version. The coatings make a big difference. 

Of course, that doesn't mean it's a deal killer, this can be adjusted in post mostly. The way I see it, it's a bargain lens if you don't have an 80. Unless it's a completely new lens from scratch, it is hard to significantly improve on an existing design if it is already a sharp lens or - more to the point - if the measurements, the design, the materials, and the production of the lens has been optimizes as far as it can go. I suppose this would be the case even with an unsharp lens that had a newer version. For this lens, it's a very sharp lens even wide open - both versions - the build quality and the improved coatings are the primary difference in the newer D model.


Steve Hendrix

[haring]

I have tested and compared 2 good copies of both the older AF version and the newer "D" Af version. They're very close in sharpness (similar to each other, but not nearly as identical to each other as the non D and D 120mm). The difference is the build quality (as has been noted) but also the chromatic aberrations are much more pronounced with the non D version. The coatings make a big difference. 

Of course, that doesn't mean it's a deal killer, this can be adjusted in post mostly. The way I see it, it's a bargain lens if you don't have an 80. Unless it's a completely new lens from scratch, it is hard to significantly improve on an existing design if it is already a sharp lens or - more to the point - if the measurements, the design, the materials, and the production of the lens has been optimizes as far as it can go. I suppose this would be the case even with an unsharp lens that had a newer version. For this lens, it's a very sharp lens even wide open - both versions - the build quality and the improved coatings are the primary difference in the newer D model.


Steve Hendrix

Steve, thanks a LOT!

[BobDavid]

The Mamiya 55AF, 80AF, and 120 Macro lenses are really great. I bought all of mine on ebay at very reasonable prices over four years ago. They held up well with the CF39 MS back that I still use. I sold off the system a couple years back when I switched over to a Hasselblad H2F. I really miss the 55. I also had the 150AF f/3.5 which was good and a manual 35mm which was terribly soft along the edges.

[Jack Varney]

Ditto Bob David above. I have used the 55, 80 and 120 lenses purchased used for several years with a P45+ and 645AFD. My prints (25X22 largest) have acquitted themselves quite well.