I need a good wide angle lens (and the MF system that goes with it)

[Emil]

Hi.

What's the best wide angle lens in medium format?

I would love some assistance from the more experienced medium format users, to help me choose.

I may be going about this all backwards, but I'd hate to buy a camera and backs, and then find out that the only good wide angle (24mm-ish 35 equiv.) is terrible. Or even worse; insanely rare and expensive.

So what do you think? If it matters, I mainly shoot b/w, and can do any format (though I'm not really a fan of squares, but hey...)

What should I look for?

Thanks,
Emil

 

[2F/2F]

The Mamiya Press 50mm Biogon clone is a winner...though quite wide on 6x9.

 

[Sim2]

A couple of candidates -

Hasselblad SWC (38mm Biogon) or
Mamiya 67 - rangefinder camera but I have heard the wides are spectacular.

*other candidates do exist!

 

[Richard Wasserman]

43 & 50mm lenses for the Mamiya 7

38mm Biogon/Hasselblad SWC

I don't know that there is any single lens that is THE BEST, but these are certainly at the top. I'm sure there are other lenses and you'll hear about them soon.

 

[Sim2]

A couple of candidates -

Hasselblad SWC (38mm Biogon) or
Mamiya 67 - rangefinder camera but I have heard the wides are spectacular.

*other candidates do exist!

Ooops, meant the Mamiya 7 not the 67 (RB or RZ)! Thanks Richard Wasserman.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Some people might disagree but I like my 50mm for my RB67!

Jeff

 

[jamesgignac]

I agree with majority of the suggestions above and just wanted to mention that approaching your camera purchase in the 'lens first' frame of mind is basically something I learned to do through this forum - and I've picked up some lovely pieces of MF glass largely through suggestions (and even classified ads) offered through this site. Keep your current approach and I'm sure you'll be extremely pleased with whatever you end up with - and ask questions constantly!

 

[Greg Campbell]

Please define 'best.'

IMO, the real question is, "What sort of pictures you want to take?"
Buying the 'best' (presumably sharpest?) lens without a specific purpose in mind seems silly at best.

I don't know nearly enough about the various MF lenses in the wild to suggest anything specific, but FWIW, my 'best' wide camera/lens would be a 6x17 with a 72mm (or maybe a 90) lens. This will get you a gorgeous format and a cool 100 degrees of horizontal FOV. In this capacity the Schneider Super-Angulons get (AFAIK) good reviews, although there are obviously plenty of alternatives.

 

[Brett Surf NJ]

What does "best" mean?

Does a heavy-as-hell camera and lens make it not worth while?

If "best" means "widest", then you could try looking around and seeing if you can adapt lenses to a system. I heard about some 645 system that can use canon wide-angle t/s lenses...

 

[Brett Surf NJ]

I found the story I read a while back. I guess with this system you could just use a film back instead of the digital that the author is using.

http://luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/hartblei-cam.shtml

 

[keithwms]

The 43mm for Mamiya 7....

An article on David Hume Kennerly on Mamiya's website

...and...

Hume Kennerly's book. All images were taken with the Mamiya 7ii and the 43.

I shoot a 50 on a Mamiya 6; I like the squares. I sometimes wish the lens were a wee bit wider and for that reason I have contemplated the 43 various times, but in the end, my interests don't usually go so ultrawide. Anyway, the Mamiya RFs and lenses are simply incomparable... light, fairly compact systems that go for very reasonable prices.

They Mamiya RFs have only one drawback in my opinion: if you want to do portraiture, macro, or shallow depth-of-field work, they're just not well suited for that. But what they do, they do almost incomparably well.

Another system you might consider: the Fuji gsw690.

 

[Allen Friday]

I have the 43mm and the 50mm for the Mamiya 7 II. Great lenses. Are they the best in MF? I don't know. But I really like these lenses.

 

[sidearm613]

I love the 45 and 55mm lenses for the Pentax 67. The 75 f/2.8 is also stellar, if you can find it. It isn't all that wide, about 35mm in 35m terms, but sharp as all hell

 

[Emil]

Please define 'best.'

IMO, the real question is, "What sort of pictures you want to take?"
Buying the 'best' (presumably sharpest?) lens without a specific purpose in mind seems silly at best.

Well, to me anyway 'best' does not mean 'sharpest!' All lenses are sharp. I care much more about how nice the lens is to use, it's 'look' and very much how experienced users feel about it in general.

 

[ricksplace]

The Zeiss Flektogon 50/4 is known as the cadillac of wide med format lenses. I recommend the Pentacon Six as a body rather than the Kievs. You can get a brand new MC lens for about $300, single coated used for half that much. For ultra wide (It's really a full frame fish-eye), the 30/3.5 arsat can be purchased new for about $300.

 

[UKJohn]

Some people might disagree but I like my 50mm for my RB67!

Jeff

I would agree with Jeff the 50mm I use my RZ67 is beautiful, plenty wide enough, bright and nice and crisp!

John

 

[Jesper]

Another vote for the Hasselblad SWC.
Excellent quality and really fun to use.

 

[yurihuta]

I love my copy and I have not seen this lens mentioned:

SMC Pentax-FA 645 35mm F3.5AL [IF]

This is truly the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 of the medium format world, towering above its peers.

http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/pentax645_fa35mm.html

 

[herb]

wide MF lens

Emil, you should get your hands on the cameras first. The 6x6 are much lighter than the 6x7 or 6x9, but a lot depends on whether you are going to handhold or tripod.
I personally do not like the 6x17 format, prefer 6x12 and 6x9. But for hand hold I shoot a pentax 67.
Too many personal decisions to make a recommendation. Price for anything other than Hasselblad will be reasonable.

 

[ic-racer]

Per the OP, a "24mm view" will be like a 60mm on a 6x9 camera and 45mm on a 6x6.
I'd recommend a Zeiss 50mm on either a Rollie or Hassy.

 

[Pete H]

My favourite is the Zeiss 35 mm Distagon on a Contax 645.

 

[Q.G.]

Per the OP, a "24mm view" will be like a 60mm on a 6x9 camera and 45mm on a 6x6.
I'd recommend a Zeiss 50mm on either a Rollie or Hassy.

A 50 mm on 6x6 however is like a 32 mm on 35 mm format, i.e. not as wide as that "24 mm view".

The 35 mm on 6x4.5 is perhaps as wide as you get without going into fish-eye territory.

 

[keithwms]

Well, if we're talking 645 then the new mamiya 28mm f/4.5 asph. lens may be the very best offering out there. It has a ~100 degree field of view. And it is not a fisheye.

P.S. I see Hasselblad also has a 28mm, but it for digital only on the H3D, and it apparently does not have asph. correction.

 

[Changeling1]

Don't overlook the Zenzanon 50 mm. A superb piece of glass for the Bronica GS-1 where you can attach film backs for 6x7, 6x6, and 6.45.

 

[CBG]

My vote? The 45mm on P67....