Mamiya Rz67 “LA” series lenses?

Was at camera show this week and saw rz67 lenses 140 macro, and 65 wide angle, some had LA on the barrel markings of the lenses and were substantially more $$ was wondering what the difference is and is it worth a 25-30% premium for that specific lens? Is it a different optical formula?


Thanks for enlightening me on this.....

Harlequin

...maybe just a change of labelling but otherwise same lens. LOW dispersion, ANOMALOUS dispersion. The lenses 'history' is more important. Clear, no fungus, no dings, proper shutter function.

The ones with floating elements cost more and are longer.

The "L," "L-A," and "ULD L" lenses have floating elements which facilitate better corner-to-corner sharpness. These are different optical designs from their non-floating counterparts (which are usually labeled as "W" lenses). In total, there were four lenses manufactured for the RZ67 that had floating elements:

• 50 mm ULD L
• 65 mm L-A
• 75 mm L
• 140 mm M L-A.

Be aware that three of these focal lengths had earlier, non-floating element counterparts:

• 50mm W
• 65mm W
• 75mm W Short Barrel and 75mm W Shift

Interestingly, the 140mm M L-A had an earlier counterpart, too -- the 140mm W. This earlier version also had a floating element (as you can tell from the blue focusing ring). The later M L-A version is reportedly sharper, however. More info on these lenses can be found here:

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/splain-to-me-lucy-mamiya-floating-element-lens.44744/