Plaubel Makiflex Standard.

Dan Fromm · Dec 24, 2016

Thanks.

Nokton48 · Dec 28, 2016

Here's an interesting one. With the 150mm F5.6 Automatic Plaubel Schneider Symmar. It's a rare lens.
Something I wouldn't mind having myself Not affiliated with seller in any way............

http://www.ebay.com/itm/332070868703?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Nokton48 · Dec 29, 2016

Nice camera. Now gone. Only 32,000 actuations, barely broken in

EdSawyer · Jan 14, 2017

Did you see the pecoflex on ebay recently? Looked like a nice one

Nokton48 · Jan 15, 2017

EdSawyer said:
Did you see the pecoflex on ebay recently? Looked like a nice one

Yes I did. Was missing the front standard and bellows, so the owner put a helical on the 150mm Xenotar.
Somebody got a very nice rare camera! And it had the rare Makiflex Porro Finder on it

Nokton48 · Jan 15, 2017

DSC05656 by Nokton48, on Flickr

My bevy of Fuji GX680 lenses thus far, all converted to mechanical Plaubel Makiflex. I have not had time to work on these recently, but I did finish the 180 & 250 today. Haven't felt much like making pictures, recently. I need more Peco Jr recessed boards, I have -one- more coming all the way from Poland...... I waited two and a half months for more #1 Wista mounting plates to arrive from Singapore. Shipping snafu of some sort. The Peco Jr recessed boards can be rare and expensive. Still looking for the 180mm & 115mm F3.2 GX680 lenses (at low prices), & maybe some more wides, if they function properly on the Makiflex Standard. It's a bit of a craps shoot, no way to know for sure what issues will come up with these wide wide lenses.

coisasdavida · Jan 28, 2017

Having lots of fun reading through this entire thread today. Thanks a lot for keeping this log.
Nice that you ended having both classic and very modern glass lenses for your camera.
Hopefully I'll find a Makiflex in Brazil some day!

Nokton48 · Jan 28, 2017

Thanks coisasdavida

Today I found a 180mm F3.2 GX680 so there are only a few I now don't have.
This one is in Japan

If you are looking for the Automatic Makiflex, here is one to consider (no relation to seller!) at a decent
price Film back looks a little scruffy, that can easily be cleaned up

http://www.ebay.com/itm/192085102296?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I bought his Peco Jr recessed board and it was quick and easy

Nokton48 · Jan 28, 2017

Makiflex (Dealer in Poland) with Kodak Aero Ektar, and Petzval lenses. Very cool!

Makiflex Aero Ektar by Nokton48, on Flickr

Makiflex Aero Ektar 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Makiflex Petzval by Nokton48, on Flickr

Makiflex Petzval 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Nokton48 · Feb 3, 2017

OK.... Here we go......

This arrived today from Japan. The Fuji GX680 180mm F3.2 adapted to Plaubel Makiflex mount. Best of both worlds.
This will rival the Schneider Xenotar 150mm F2.8 in my book

DSC05662 by Nokton48, on Flickr

DSC05661 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Nokton48 · Feb 4, 2017

And here is the big 180mm F3.2 mounted on Auto Makiflex #2. A slightly recessed Peco Jr board works well with this lens, it is shown focused at infinity. Man the resolution is amazing. I can see the individual tree branches on the groundglass, on a target probably a mile away. Also the rear cell (large and very concave) does not strike the mirror, not even close. This I could not check when I was looking at one of these in a local store. That one was about $450 and this one is less than half of that. So I figure I have done well. Just need to put a new f/stop band on the shutter, and it is ready to use.

DSC05666 by Nokton48, on Flickr

EdSawyer · Feb 4, 2017

Do you think that would cover 4x5?

Nokton48 · Feb 4, 2017

I'll put it on one of my Normas and let you know

Nokton48 · Feb 4, 2017

OK, Yes at infinity wide open it barely covers the 4x5" format. Slide the standard over a tiny bit and you are at the edges of the circle.
Of course forward-focusing (and stopping down) will improve this to a degree
For closer shooting it covers with room to spare

Dan Fromm · Feb 4, 2017

Dan, nice shot that says nothing about coverage. There's no detail in the corners so it doesn't tell us how well the lens renders fine detail in the corners. And as posted the shot's aspect ratio isn't 4:5. You have to have cropped it.

Nokton48 · Feb 4, 2017

Dan,
That is not my photograph, I can't say the lens is clinically sharp out to the edges on 4x5"
Looking on the Norma ground glass it looked very high rez to my eye. Nothing more than that.
I could care less, I'm shooting 6x9cm Makiflex with this lens. Does it cover 4x5? Well, Yes it does in my considered opinion. Worth further trying out? Absolutely!

norphot · Feb 5, 2017

Nokton48 said:
Dan,
That is not my photograph, I can't say the lens is clinically sharp out to the edges on 4x5"
Looking on the Norma ground glass it looked very high rez to my eye. Nothing more than that.
I could care less, I'm shooting 6x9cm Makiflex with this lens
Does it cover 4x5? Well, Yes it does. Worth further trying out in my opinion? Absolutely!

Hi again. The photo is mine, but you seem to have misunderstood: it's from a 150mm Symmar-S MC 5.6 mounted on a Mamiya Press, using 6x9 rollfilm. The purpose was to illustrate the benefit of a multicoated vs. single coated lens. Here is the comparison I made using 4x5 film:

Nokton48 · Feb 5, 2017

Whoops yes I misunderstood. So I have deleted the photo. I think I will stick to Makiflex with this lens

moto-uno · Feb 5, 2017

^^ I'm guessing we're supposed to know which of these lens were single or multi coated ? Peter

EdSawyer · Feb 5, 2017

Nice , that 180/3.2 might be worth playing with on 4x5, perhaps, esp. For portraits. What size shutter is that? Any idea on the backfocus distance? I am tempted to find and try one on the arca reflex or a rb super-d.

Nokton48 · Feb 5, 2017

Ed,
It's a killer clinically sharp cult modern portrait lens. You can see every pore in the skin, eyelash, every thread in the material. I love that. These are not mine but see what I mean? Takes a #1 Seiko, I buy busted RB67 lenses and rip out the shutter blades, with needle nosed pliers. Just need the iris and shutter mount since it's focal plane. Then add homemade f/stop band them and that's it. Would work exceptionally well on a Graflex or Arca Swiss Reflex I would think. Not sure of back focus difference, but it works great in the Makiflex, which is a bit of a tight fit. More leeway with 4x5" Reflex I would think. Plenty of room for the mirror to swing, especially close up.

This is worth doing and is right up your alley.

Ring Leader by FredBGG, on Flickr

Maria Cabrerra 002 002 by FredBGG, on Flickr

norphot · Feb 5, 2017

EdSawyer said:
Nice , that 180/3.2 might be worth playing with on 4x5, perhaps, esp. For portraits. What size shutter is that? Any idea on the backfocus distance? I am tempted to find and try one on the arca reflex or a rb super-d.

The Fuji GX680 and Mamiya RZ67 lenses use the Seiko #1 shutter, which is slightly larger than a Copal/Compur #1. Here is my table of (approximate) flange focal distance, measured from the focusing rail on my Horseman, with (again approximate) coverage.

Mamiya RZ 90mm F3.5: 118mm (6x12 approx)
Mamiya RZ 180mm F4.5: 131mm (4x5)
Mamiya RZ 50mm F4.5: 148mm (6x9)
Mamiya RZ 65mm F4: 150mm (6x9)
Mamiya RZ 110mm F2.8: 151mm (6x12 approx)
Fujinon GX 180mm F3.2: 151mm (4x5 barely, with tiny bit of vignette, probably not relevant)
Fujinon GX 210mm F5.6: 174mm (4x5)

EdSawyer · Feb 6, 2017

Thanks for the info! I have some dead RZ67 lenses which might allow use of the shutter for a test at least. (Probably better to get an RB67 shutter though ultimately, since it's designed to be external vs. the electronic RZ67 shutters which are internal to the lens). I wonder if a larger shutter would make the lens faster (the 180/3.2)... e.g. if the shutter is the limiting factor. Dag thanks for the F-F distances, most appreciated. I have pretty much the whole stable of RZ67 lenses if there are any of those you need tests/data/specs on. (as far as coverage and F-F distance). It makes sense that the RZ lenses would all have approx. the same F-F distance since some are retrofocus and they all have to work on the same body. Nokton you are right, that lens does render very nicely, and with a lot of detail/contrast. Sometimes that is hard to get in the fast 4x5 lenses. The AE can be pretty good, if you get a nice one, the Xenotar of course usually tops the list as far as contrast/sharpness. The pentac I like a lot but it has some glow wide open, which is mostly gone @ f/4. (to be fair they all have a touch of glow wide open, xenotar the least probably, and pentac the most, of those 3).

I will let you know if I get one (180/3.2) and try it on 4x5. It sounds like it will be right on the edge of what might work as far as F-F distance. Most of the 4x5 reflexes seem to have a minimum focal length of about 190mm to clear the mirror (RB Super-D, Arca Reflex).

thanks!
-Ed

EdSawyer · Feb 6, 2017

is there any published cross-section diagrams of the Fuji GX lenses? I am curious what the lens formula is for the 180/3.2 and the others. 7 element / 5 group for the 180/3.2, probably some sort of gauss derivative I'd guess, or could be Xenotar-ish. (or even Aero Ektar-ish).

Nokton48 · Feb 6, 2017

I think I have all the GX680 literature, no pictures of the glass configuration. Yes seven elements in five groups.

DSC05667 by Nokton48, on Flickr

DSC05668 by Nokton48, on Flickr

You can see the glue on the threads, they are left-handed. This is a heavy lens; 36.3 ounces or 1030 grams That is a huge rear element To me it seems like a retro modern remake of a Xenotar, slightly longer and not as quick. This is good since we both have Xenotars 150mm F2.8 I'll bet it optically outperforms the Xenotar. And cheap as peanuts

All these Fujis are sealed, no way to take them apart. Elements seem to be glued in. Too bad as some of them are starting to fog inside. Surprises me they didn't care about that Throw them away I guess!

The Fujinon WS lenses 210mm and 250mm, also one of the 180mm lenses have the right Seiko shutter; Be careful to get the right one, there are several kinds!

Plaubel Makiflex Standard.

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency