Rolleiflex 6008 - 50mm f/2.8 - what's the point?

hankchinaski

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What is the point of a 50mm being f/2.8? Late evening hand-held photos? The Brenizer effect? I have the lens and am probably missing photo opportunities? I found the Zeiss 40mm pretty much interchangeable with it.

Schneider-Kreuznach AF Super-Angulon HFT 50mm F/2.8 PQS

Wide-angle prime lens. Announced: June 2005. Maximum format: Medium format 6x6. Mount: Rolleiflex SLX. Fast speed. Built-in leaf shutter. No focus mode selector. Heavy.
lens-db.com
 

MattKing

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A larger maximum aperture means that viewing, composing and focusing is a lot easier in low light. And the relatively shallow depth of field also helps with focusing.
 

Pieter12

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Even in bright light the extra stops help focusing and composition. The extra cost, weight and size are a trade-off you’ll have to decide for yourself.
 

Pieter12

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Unless you have a 6008AF, I don't even know if you can use that lens on a 6008i. It's an autofocus lens designed for the 6008AF and the Hy6. It does not have an adjusting ring for the diaphragm, you would have to use it in shutter-priority I guess.
 

ic-racer

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I got my 50/2.8 AFD first, before I got my Hy6 body. In the mean time I tried the lens on my 6008i. It seemed to work but it gave some error messages, so I don't recommend it. It is no good on the 6008AF either. I'd only use an AFD lens on a Hy6 body.

 

OAPOli

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There are a few f2.8 wides for the focal-plane shutter 645 SLRs. It's a technical achievement to see them on a leaf-shutter 6x6 lens with 1/1000s speed!
 

ic-racer

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Rollei allows one choose 50, 80 or 180 as one's 'Normal' lens without compromising aperture (they are all f2.8).

They did the same in the 1980s with the 35mm line. One could choose 35, 50 or 85mm lenses all f1.4. In my case, 35mm is 'Normal' so I chose that lens.
 
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