50mm f4.5 for Bronica GS-1

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John Wiegerink

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Well, the PG 50mm I got from KEH passed the film test with flying colors. I couldn't pass KEH's big holiday discount and pulled the trigger. Or should I say, took a gamble. It was rated at "UGLY" and with the discount came out to a few pennies over $91.00. The condition was really great with no external marks and the glass was excellent. Only thing is it didn't come with caps so I just order some of the big auction. I have bought many items from KEH and only one came in the condition they rated it at. All the rest were much, much better than the rating. Some of the Japanese sellers on the big auction could and should take lessons from KEH.
 

craigclu

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John Wiegerink said:
. Some of the Japanese sellers on the big auction could and should take lessons from KEH.
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Yes.... A favorite of mine is having "mint" in the title and describe some lens hazing in the description. Actually, I've had good results on the items I've purchased from Japan and am amazed at how quickly things arrive. Have ordered on Saturday and in-hand on Tuesday!
 
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John Wiegerink

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Yes, they sure have an efficient postal system that's for sure. My experience with Japanese sellers is that it's either one way or the other. It's either extremely accurate or ten miles off. I bought a Mamiya 100mm f3.5 lens for the Press camera that was described as EXC++ that was full of fungus and some rear scratches. The real kicker was that I ask about the lenses glass condition before I bought it. Sellers reply was working perfectly. That should have been a clue, but I thought maybe his answer was a little bit of a language barrier type thing and went ahead with the purchase. What really got me was this was a camera dealer and not an individual I was dealing with. Something like this makes someone just a little gun shy.
 

abruzzi

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the thing I like about most Japanese sellers is they use this sort of template where they will say "shutter is working correctly" or "lens has no separation"

if you buy from ebay and shutter and glass condition isn't mentioned in the listing then if it doesn't work, or has some issue, then you're probably out of luck, and a return is more just "unsatisfied" than "misrepresented." But if there are factual claims in the listing--"lens has no fungus"--and the lens has fungus then your claim has more weight and you can argue the item was misrepresented in that ad.

Ignore the word "MINT" as that is an opinion and is meaningless. Look at all the factual statement because thats what they will be held to--if has a thin haze, but there are no scratches, fungus, separation, etc.. I wish USA sellers would use this template. Its one of the reasons that most of my eBay camera and lens purcahses are from Japanese sellers.


 

abruzzi

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I'll also add that I've had good and bad luck with KEH. Most people will recount that their BGN grade purchase was in near perfect condition, and I've had similar experiences sometimes. But they have to do that because you don't get to see what you're buying. So you feel your bargain item seems excellent you'll dismiss the light cleaning scratches on the rear element. But if they had called it excellent, you would be far more picky.

It doesn't always work that way. I ordered an excellent Gitzo tripod, when it arrived I'd have listed it as ugly. It had peeling stickers, was missing one of the rubber grips to turn a leg lock, and jut looked heavily worn. Unfortunately I ordered it a week before a trip so when it arrived it didn't have time to complain or return it, so I ended keeping it.
 

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Bringing this old thread back on track: I don't own my GS-1 long enough to really assess the lens-quality in depth. All I can say is, that I have yet to find anything wrong with them and this is from a former Hasselblad-user (untill 2012). My current kit only misses the late to the party 3.5/80 mm, the 200 mm where I'm currently discussing an offer and the elusive, only build to order 500mm. The others just kept popping up around me and I didn't resist. Based on my hands-on experience with the 150 mm and 250mm I would say that the 250mm is a beast in comparison, especially as I am using it with a metal screw-in hood. For a two-lens kit, I would choose the 65 and 150 mm. The 50 mm can get a bit unwieldy too because of its large diameter, especially when using filters. I use a 100 mm Cokin-System to keep the cost reasonable.

In a three-lens setup the 150 mm would be to short for my taste and the 250 mm too large to enjoy and a tad too long for many situations. I loved to use the 150 mm on the blad for landscapes, isolating interesting views. With the GS-1 I hope the 200 mm can do the same but in a smaller package than the 250 mm.
 
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abruzzi

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skahde said:
My current kit only misses the late to the party 3.5/80 mm,
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When I bought my GS-1, I still saw the 80s selling for normal prices, but pretty much as soon as I got my camera, the 80 started getting relisted for over $1k. So I satisfy myself with the 65 and the 100.
 
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John Wiegerink

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I now have the 50mm, 110mm Macro and the 150mm. I am very satisfied with the end results of each lens and have zero to complain about. I'm still unsure as to whether or not to pickup a 200mm and see whether I like it or the 150mm. Then cut to a three l3ens kit.
 

itsdoable

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I have the 4/150 and the 4.5/200. I did not pick up the 5.6/250 due to it's size, but probably should have when the prices were so low. The 4/65 and 4/150 make a compact kit, but I prefer the reach of the 4.5/200. The 4.5/50 is not much longer than the 4/65, it's just got a big front element (95mm filter!), and travels just as easily (compared to the rest of the kit), and I tend to use that more.
 

RalphLambrecht

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I find the 150 more versatilethan the 200 and would go for that.
 

abruzzi

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The PG 150mm lens is the smallest lens in the GS ecosystem. That alone is reason enough, if you’re building a lightweight kit. The 200mm is nice and not as large as I suspected. It’s nice to have, but I use the 150 far more often, just because I’m schlepping the camera and lenses, so every gram counts.
 

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I have them all other than the 80mm and 500mm. Personally, I think the 50mm and 250mm are the best of them.
 
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John Wiegerink

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Tony-S said:
I have them all other than the 80mm and 500mm. Personally, I think the 50mm and 250mm are the best of them.
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I really like my nifty-fifty-50mm. I might just pickup a 250mm and skip the 200mm since I already have the 150mm and like that. 250mm GS-1 lenses sell for dirt cheap too.
 

halfaman

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I like the 50 mm a lot. Not super sharp and contrasty like the Pentax 67 55 mm I was used to, but it is well corrected and the rendering is just beatiful like the other lenses I have (100 and 200 mm). I wish I would have started sooner with the Bronica...

 
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richyd

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I had the 50mm lens but didn't keep it as I found it very soft in the corners. I would be interested in others experiences, maybe mine was out of alignment. I find myself using the 65mm mostly.
 

halfaman

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richyd said:
I had the 50mm lens but didn't keep it as I found it very soft in the corners. I would be interested in others experiences, maybe mine was out of alignment. I find myself using the 65mm mostly.
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I guess it depends on the photograhper and type of photography. I have 40 mm of the Bronica SQ that you can find people arguing about corner softness but not me. For what I do and who I am as a photographer, both lenses are excellent.

I must say that I never look specifically to the corners of an image, but to the overall image. If the picture works as whole, it works regardless of how sharp are the corners (example on my previous post). They are sharp enough to make the picture pleasing for me
 

RalphLambrecht

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go for it it's a superb lens. I got it by accident in a way. Iordered a 150 from Calumet, and they didn't have that in stock. So, they sent the 180 as a replacement. Since I already hadanother 150, I kept the 180 and was never sorry about it. It's better for portraits, and optically, it's nothing short of stunning.
 
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John Wiegerink

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John Wiegerink said:
I really like my nifty-fifty-50mm. I might just pickup a 250mm and skip the 200mm since I already have the 150mm and like that. 250mm GS-1 lenses sell for dirt cheap too.
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After typing this comment about cheap 250mm PG lenses I thought I'd check the big auction. Well, a "new to me" 250mm PG lens is on its way from Japan. I found a near mint one (we'll see) from a seller with excellent feedback for $109.00 delivered to my door. Just couldn't pass that up and it comes with both front and rear caps to boot. Heck, a filter for my 2.8a Rolleiflex cost almost that much. The next purchase is going to be a couple more backs and then I'm good to go.

P.S. Don't tell my wife!
 
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John Wiegerink

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Suppose to be 2.8C Rolleiflex and not 2.8a. Not that it makes much difference.
 

Tony-S

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That’s quite a bargain. Your wife should be proud of you!

Here’s a portrait of my oldest daughter from several years ago using the 250mm. This was with a strobe into an umbrella. She’s now graduated college and living on her own. They sure grow up fast.

 
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John Wiegerink

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Tony,
No camera lens I use could have made a better portrait. I bet she has to carry a baseball bat to beat the boys off. They sure do grow up fast. I have eight grandkids and two great ones. The only problem with them growing up fast is it seems we grow old just a little faster.
I got the 250mm in the mailbox yesterday (a tip of the hat to the Japanese Postal Service) and it actually looks like it's never been used. I have my son and family coming to the cottage today and will try it out. He has three girls and will got some shots of them with it.
As far as the wife and cameras gear goes..............not her cup of tea at any bargain price. Now if it were a pair of shoes or a stinking purse it would be a different story.
 
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