Pentax 67 SMC 75mm F/2.8 - Are you shooting one of this?

[mindthemix]

I just added this lens to my kit and I'd love to hear your experience with this glass.

Thanks!

 

[schrollphoto]

Love it! Added it to my arsenal about a year ago and fell in love. It sees my "eye" and is wonderfully sharp.

 

[rwreich]

That is just exactly what I want...

 

[f/16]

75mm on 6X7 is slightly wide angle is it??

 

[mindthemix]

Love it! Added it to my arsenal about a year ago and fell in love. It sees my "eye" and is wonderfully sharp.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll post my keepers.

 

[mindthemix]

75mm on 6X7 is slightly wide angle is it??

Yes, it is something in between 41mm and 48mm, depending on the calculation

 

[SMBooth]

Mine the 4.5 but still a nice lens

 

[jwatts]

that thing is CLEAN!

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

These babes go for around $1,600 ~ $2,000 NIB from Japan. They are a good go-between from 55mm to 90mm; the focal length is about right with neither too wide nor too compressed.

 

[ggervais]

Actually it's equivalent to 38mm.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Well, what are we waiting for!?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/141021934164?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

[mindthemix]

These babes go for around $1,600 ~ $2,000 NIB from Japan. They are a good go-between from 55mm to 90mm; the focal length is about right with neither too wide nor too compressed.

I paid mine $900 (US dollars) in mint condition. I bought it as soon as I found it.

 

[destroya]

being new to the pentax 67 world, is there a reason why the 75 2.8 is so much more than the 90 and 105 2.8's?

 

[mindthemix]

being new to the pentax 67 world, is there a reason why the 75 2.8 is so much more than the 90 and 105 2.8's?

I bought this glass because of its minimum focusing distance (0.41 meters), sharpness at all apertures and the extra F/stop

 

[wildbill]

being new to the pentax 67 world, is there a reason why the 75 2.8 is so much more than the 90 and 105 2.8's?

Newest prime lens in the lineup. Sharp. Fast

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

being new to the pentax 67 world, is there a reason why the 75 2.8 is so much more than the 90 and 105 2.8's?

Aspheric lens element, though by modern lens manufacturing standards, not really a valid reason to jack up the price. There is concern a few Japanese dealers are gouging on price. Have known two examples to be shown for more than $2,000 — ridiculous.

The lens actually has its best performance at f4.

 

[Jos Segers]

Interesting because I use the lens very often. I was lucky to buy an almost new 67II, 165mm and 75mm as a set on the second hand market in the Netherlands for an exceptional low price. All items in new condition.
I am very impressed by the performance of the 75mm but would hesitate to use f4. To my understanding (Pentax 6x7) medium format lenses in general show optimal performance from f8 to f11? Is this lens in your opinion an exception? Are there any test reports available?

Jos.

 

[DanielStone]

Interesting because I use the lens very often. I was lucky to buy an almost new 67II, 165mm and 75mm as a set on the second hand market in the Netherlands for an exceptional low price. All items in new condition.
I am very impressed by the performance of the 75mm but would hesitate to use f4. To my understanding (Pentax 6x7) medium format lenses in general show optimal performance from f8 to f11? Is this lens in your opinion an exception? Are there any test reports available?

Jos.

Jos,

Do this:

Go out and take pictures. Take notes of corresponding photographs(f-stop, shutter speed, etc..)
When you find a photograph you want to make(I'd recommend using a tripod, just to keep the camera in the same position), find your exposure, and then close down(and moving shutter speed accordingly to keep the same exposure(1/4 @ f8 is the same as 1/15 @ f4, etc....)

Shoot from F2.8(wide open) down to F22/32, whatever the lens's smallest aperture is.
Move in full-stops, don't worry about 1/2f-stop movements.

Process said film(I'd shoot all 10 shots of the same thing, remember, KEEP NOTES!)

Scan/print said film, whichever way YOU do your post-processing workflow(analog or digitally).

Make your own comparisons. What works for joe-schmo in XYZ location might not work exactly the same for YOU in ZYX location, etc...

YOUR OWN EMPIRICAL DATA is CRUCIAL to YOU getting the most out of YOUR OWN equipment and film stock(s) of choice.

cheers,
Dan

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Interesting because I use the lens very often. I was lucky to buy an almost new 67II, 165mm and 75mm as a set on the second hand market in the Netherlands for an exceptional low price. All items in new condition.
I am very impressed by the performance of the 75mm but would hesitate to use f4. To my understanding (Pentax 6x7) medium format lenses in general show optimal performance from f8 to f11? Is this lens in your opinion an exception? Are there any test reports available?

Jos.

The AL in this lens will prove its worth when you are shooting at minimum aperture of f22; in a non-corrected lens, diffraction will introduce softness into the image caused by light bending past then refocusing onto the common point. In all lenses, blue and green wavelengths can be brought to a common point fairly easily, but not red. With AL elements, one or more concentrate all three wavelengths to the one point, resulting in much improved colour and definition. This is why you should not shoot at f22 or f32 with a 55 or 45mm lens! Most of the SMC Pentax (modern) lenses are well corrected for their purpose; the 75mm AL must obviously have been Pentax's Eureka moment in lens design, much more so than its 75mm shift lens.

I would be interested in seeing MTF charts of this and other lens characteristics by Pentax, but they are very scant in terms of web availability. Only hobbyists seem to have taken any effort to test them. The best evidence of performance is to speak to people who use the lens.

 

[mindthemix]

The AL in this lens will prove its worth when you are shooting at minimum aperture of f22; in a non-corrected lens, diffraction will introduce softness into the image caused by light bending past then refocusing onto the common point. In all lenses, blue and green wavelengths can be brought to a common point fairly easily, but not red. With AL elements, one or more concentrate all three wavelengths to the one point, resulting in much improved colour and definition. This is why you should not shoot at f22 or f32 with a 55 or 45mm lens! Most of the SMC Pentax (modern) lenses are well corrected for their purpose; the 75mm AL must obviously have been Pentax's Eureka moment in lens design, much more so than its 75mm shift lens.

I would be interested in seeing MTF charts of this and other lens characteristics by Pentax, but they are very scant in terms of web availability. Only hobbyists seem to have taken any effort to test them. The best evidence of performance is to speak to people who use the lens.

Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge!

 

[Jos Segers]

As I started using the Pentax 67 only a few years ago, after shooting with Pentax MX and LX cameras for some 30 years, I'm happy to hear about your experiences with these medium format lenses.

 

[Joachim_I]

I have been using this lens since it became available. It is one of my favourite Pentax 67 lenses (the others are 4/45mm and 4/300mm ED). It is exceptionally sharp and very useful for close-up work. You can reach a magnification of 1:2.8 with this lens without accessories. I am actually using this lens for close-up work in my avatar picture.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I have been using this lens since it became available. It is one of my favourite Pentax 67 lenses (the others are 4/45mm and 4/300mm ED). It is exceptionally sharp and very useful for close-up work. You can reach a magnification of 1:2.8 with this lens without accessories. I am actually using this lens for close-up work in my avatar picture.

Hmmm. How...convenient.
My accomplice will entertain you nearby while I make a beeline for the 75mm AL. Nothing like a bit of sharing and caring!

 

[Joachim_I]

As they say, only from my cold, dead hands, Gary

 

[Jos Segers]

Jos,

Do this:

Go out and take pictures. Take notes of corresponding photographs(f-stop, shutter speed, etc..)
When you find a photograph you want to make(I'd recommend using a tripod, just to keep the camera in the same position), find your exposure, and then close down(and moving shutter speed accordingly to keep the same exposure(1/4 @ f8 is the same as 1/15 @ f4, etc....)

Shoot from F2.8(wide open) down to F22/32, whatever the lens's smallest aperture is.
Move in full-stops, don't worry about 1/2f-stop movements.

Process said film(I'd shoot all 10 shots of the same thing, remember, KEEP NOTES!)

Scan/print said film, whichever way YOU do your post-processing workflow(analog or digitally).

Make your own comparisons. What works for joe-schmo in XYZ location might not work exactly the same for YOU in ZYX location, etc...

YOUR OWN EMPIRICAL DATA is CRUCIAL to YOU getting the most out of YOUR OWN equipment and film stock(s) of choice.

cheers,
Dan

Dan,

I followed your suggestion and carried out some basis testing, shooting a test chart at different apertures and found the following results.
At F2.8 sharpness is disappointing. It takes F8 for optimal performance (sharpness and micro contrast) while F5.6 is very satisfactory, being almost equal to F8. At F4 the image is blurred. I will repeat the test to be certain of that specific aperture and to expose at small apertures .

I used a Slik Pro 500DX tripod at its lowest position to prevent vibration, at my P67II I used mirror lock-up. Film was FP4+, semi stand developed in Rodinal 1+100 for 1 hour.

Jos.