Mamiya TLR - Best "normal" lens?

[Ulrik Christiansen]

My preference for an all round lens with my Mamiya C220 is also the 80mm f/2.8. Wider, it'll be the 50mm and longer I would choose the 180mm. But it's really subjective. I mostly shoots portraits on the streets and for that the 80mm is great while also being able to include some of the surroundings.

 

[Mark Crabtree]

My preference for an all round lens with my Mamiya C220 is also the 80mm f/2.8. Wider, it'll be the 50mm and longer I would choose the 180mm. But it's really subjective. I mostly shoots portraits on the streets and for that the 80mm is great while also being able to include some of the surroundings.

Ulrik, your pictures in the other thread are fantastic. I thought they might be the 105 or even 135 before reading this. Do you crop very much?
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/mamiya-c220-and-100-strangers-continuing.192814/

I'm curious which vintage of 80mm you use.

 

[xya]

The 80mm lens. End of discussion.

I would second the first answer to this thread. The 80mm F2.8 is fantastic. The Mamiyas are my workhorses since more than 50 years for B&W. Thus the coating isn't that important, any 80mm F2.8 would do. As I'm also into wide angles, I love the 55mm lens. Better than the 65mm in my opinion. The 80mm is even fine for portraits of people you're familiar with. For shy people I use the 180mm, a very good lens as well.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I would second the first answer to this thread. The 80mm F2.8 is fantastic. The Mamiyas are my workhorses since more than 50 years for B&W. Thus the coating isn't that important, any 80mm F2.8 would do. As I'm also into wide angles, I love the 55mm lens. Better than the 65mm in my opinion. The 80mm is even fine for portraits of people you're familiar with. For shy people I use the 180mm, a very good lens as well.

Like you, I found the 65mm lens too close to the 80mm lens and I prefer the 55mm & 80mm pairing to carry around. The 55mm, 80mm and 250mm make a nice group for traveling.

 

[flavio81]

Was the old 80 2.8 really a 4 element?

After the years i've had reading all sorts of documentation on this system plus forums, i can tell you that i never ever saw any suggestion that there was a 4-element 80/2.8. I've seen one very early brochure where there was a 3-element lens, i can't remember if it was the 135/3.5.

 

[Mark Crabtree]

After the years i've had reading all sorts of documentation on this system plus forums, i can tell you that i never ever saw any suggestion that there was a 4-element 80/2.8. I've seen one very early brochure where there was a 3-element lens, i can't remember if it was the 135/3.5.

That has been my understanding as well. Well known photography writer Jason Schneider is a fan of this lens and has mentioned it many times as a favorite.

 

[Ulrik Christiansen]

Ulrik, your pictures in the other thread are fantastic. I thought they might be the 105 or even 135 before reading this. Do you crop very much?
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/mamiya-c220-and-100-strangers-continuing.192814/

I'm curious which vintage of 80mm you use.

Thanks very much Mark. I don't crop unless I absolutely have to (like, cropping out some disturbing object I didn't notice), so I'll try my best to get the framing right. I use the blue dot 80mm lens, that is the only one I have tried of them. I think my dad bought the camera with that lens back in the 70ties. Though, I do have several of the other lens - couldn't help it when I really like this camera system

 

[McDiesel]

@Ulrik Christiansen love your work. please keep posting.

 

[Ulrik Christiansen]

@Ulrik Christiansen love your work. please keep posting.

Thank you kindly, McDiesel

 

[Mark Crabtree]

Thanks very much Mark. I don't crop unless I absolutely have to (like, cropping out some disturbing object I didn't notice), so I'll try my best to get the framing right. I use the blue dot 80mm lens, that is the only one I have tried of them. I think my dad bought the camera with that lens back in the 70ties. Though, I do have several of the other lens - couldn't help it when I really like this camera system

You do amazing things with the 80. I got a 135 a few years back thinking I would prefer that focal length for people but hardly use it.

 

[MattKing]

You do amazing things with the 80. I got a 135 a few years back thinking I would prefer that focal length for people but hardly use it.

I agree that Ulrik's work is great.
I think though that of the images linked to in his thread, only the first one might benefit from the longer focal length, due to how closely it is framed to the subject's face. That is "might", as in it would be interesting to try the alternative.
Otherwise, the 80mm is perfect for the environmental portraiture he does, particularly because of how well he clearly "sees" in that format.

 

[Mark Crabtree]

I agree that Ulrik's work is great.
I think though that of the images linked to in his thread, only the first one might benefit from the longer focal length, due to how closely it is framed to the subject's face. That is "might", as in it would be interesting to try the alternative.
Otherwise, the 80mm is perfect for the environmental portraiture he does, particularly because of how well he clearly "sees" in that format.

Tastes differ but the woman with umbrella was my favorite of the lot. I like the immediacy of the normal lens here. A tight head shot would be a different story, but this seems like an intimate but comfortable distance. A lot of people like a significantly longer lens for people shots, but you can easily lose that sense of intimacy. One writer I know mentioned thinking 85 or 90mm on 35 was too short and that surprised me. I always felt a 105 was kinda long, much as I love that lens on Nikons.

 

[MattKing]

I've settled on a 65mm and 135mm kit with my C330. The 65mm is a better "normal" lens for me, because I lean toward shorter focal lengths, and the 135mm is a great complement to it. And the kit and a bunch of accessories fit nicely in a relatively compact bag.

I think that the "lesson" that I would try to impart though is that while there is some variance in technical qualities, all of the regularly available choices for the Mamiya TLRs are quite good, so you should base any decision on your own preferences as to field of view, as well as condition.

Here is a self-portrait with me and my 135mm lens - photographed in this case using a 210mm on a Mamiya 645 Pro:

 

[justlikeswimming]

The f3.7 with Copal shutter is an odd duck. It does not really fit in with the rest of the lenses, and I have never been sure why it was produced (budget version, parts availability, or some odd import/export restriction). As I recall, I have only corresponded with one person who had/used

 

[justlikeswimming]

The f3.7 with Copal shutter is an odd duck. It does not really fit in with the rest of the lenses, and I have never been sure why it was produced (budget version, parts availability, or some odd import/export restriction). As I recall, I have only corresponded with one person who had/used one.

I have the 80mm f3.7, I've taken some pretty nice photos with it (haven't worked up the funds to get the other version). Plenty sharp, gives an older-fashioned look suited to some subjects. Really good with b&w film!

 

[flavio81]

I have the 80mm f3.7, I've taken some pretty nice photos with it (haven't worked up the funds to get the other version). Plenty sharp, gives an older-fashioned look suited to some subjects. Really good with b&w film!

Technically, a 80/3.7 lens with 4 elements could be computed to be really, really sharp, even better than a 80/2.8 with 5-elements, all else being equal. The much lower f3.7 speed enables better optimization.

 

[flavio81]

I've settled on a 65mm and 135mm kit with my C330. The 65mm is a better "normal" lens for me, because I lean toward shorter focal lengths,

I loved my 65/3.5, in fact it when I started slowly selling away my Mamiya TLR gear, that was the last thing I sold. I held to that 65/3.5 until the very end.

 

[Moose22]

I loved my 65/3.5, in fact it when I started slowly selling away my Mamiya TLR gear, that was the last thing I sold. I held to that 65/3.5 until the very end.

It's a really good lens.

And it works for Matt's style, as well. As I recall, he likes 35mm for a regular lens in 135. The 65mm in a square format feels like a 40mm lens on my 35mms. It's the wide end of normal, but with a square format the extra view at the sides is definitely not too much.

Though I can't really praise the 80mm blue dot I have enough. I love it, it's sharp, I love the quality of the images it produces. It is my main "normal" lens.

I use it more for the extra speed, though. I have the 65 80, and 135 and really like all of them. I could go 65/135 as a pair and be perfectly happy, and like the 65 most for street work in the sunshine.

 

[kl122002]

I am also second to 80mm/2.8. I have never seen any better Japanese TLR better than this one .
My second would be 55mm/4.5 , The only problem is it look dim in my C330 during the cloudy days.