Medium Format Lens Sizes

wentro · Feb 5, 2007

Hi, I just recently bought a Mamiya RB67 and am new to the Medium Format and I have a question.

Question: How do the lens sizes compare to 35mm format sizes. For instance I know that on my 35mm camera about how much the view angle is on a 18mm, 35mm, 100mm and what I can expect to get in the frame. What I don't know is how the view angles are on Medium Format compared to 35mm format. My RB67 came with a 90mm lens which is apparently equal to about somwhere around 40-50mm. Is there some formula to deterime how the lens compare so that when I buy another lens I know what to look for? For instance what would be the equivalant 35mm format lens to the RB67 50mm?

Hope some of this makes sense.

Thanks

Ron

AZLF · Feb 5, 2007

I think the 55mm would best compare to your 35mm. A 45mm would be closer to the 28mm and a 30mm in mf is a fisheye.

MattKing · Feb 5, 2007

The Mamiya website has information about all the current lenses:

http://www.mamiya.com/home.asp

The Mamiya site doesn't like Firefox - you need to use User Agent Switcher for IE.

Check under products, and the Mamiya RB67 Pro SD camera - then on to the right of the page for lenses.

Hope this helps.

Matt

DBP · Feb 5, 2007

The diagonal of a 6x7 frame is roughly twice that of a 35mm frame, so multiply by two for a rule of thumb. The aspect ratios are considerably different, however, so a 90mm (6x7) lens will not cover the same width as a 45mm would in 35mm, but will cover more height (assuming landscape format).

foto-z · Feb 5, 2007

Just compare angle of view rather than focal length. Then you will be able to find equivalent lenses in different formats.

Steve Smith · Feb 6, 2007

wentro said:
Hi, I just recently bought a Mamiya RB67 and am new to the Medium Format and I have a question.

Question: How do the lens sizes compare to 35mm format sizes.

Hello.

I have just bought an RB67 too and I agree with DBP that you should more or less double the 35mm size to get an equivalent for the 6x7 format.

My most used lens on the RB67 is the 50mm and this is similar to a 24mm lens on 35mm.

Steve.

wclavey · Feb 6, 2007

This link has a chart of lenses and, based on format, the relative equivalence to 35mm. I have used it for selecting LF lenses, but it also covers MF.

http://www.viewcamera.com/images/focalchart.gif

You need to view it full size if your browser automatically scales it down to fit the page...

Magnus W · Feb 6, 2007

This little "rule of thumb" was tought to me many years ago.
It's an approximation, but a remarkably good one.

First you memorise this lineup of lenses:

18, 28, 50, 85, 135, 200

For 6x4.5 and 6x6 move one step down.
i.e. a 50mm lens on 6x4.5 is ~28mm lens on 35mm.

For 6x7 double the 35mm focal length.

for 6x9 take two steps down.

For APS-sized image-capturing media you move one step up.

It doesn't give you the exact equivalenses, but it gives you the ballpark numbers.

-- MW

wentro · Feb 8, 2007

Thanks everyone for the help, that is the exact information that I was hoping for. That link to focalchart was perfect.

Thanks again

dancqu · Feb 8, 2007

wentro said:
Is there some formula to deterime how
the lens compare ...?
Thanks Ron

The equation is x = 2 times y. RB focal length is x and
y is 35mm focal length. To solve for y; y = x/2.
Two, 2, is the ratio of edge lengths of the two formats.
At least very nearly. Dan

harveyje · Feb 8, 2007

When Ihad my RB I had the 50mm and the 127mm. I felt that the 127 was slightly longer than normal compared to the 50 in 35mm - more like 60-65mm. The 50 0n the RB was wider than the 28 in 35mm, almost as wide as my 24mm

Medium Format Lens Sizes

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