RZ67 65mm f4, L-A or no L-A?

[Grev]

Does anybody know if the optical quality of the Mamiya RZ67 65mm f/4 L-A lens is superior to the non L-A one?

 

[panastasia]

I have the RB67 Pro-SD with the newest KL lenses. The Shift L75mm f/4.5 S/L lens and L500mm f/6 APO/L lens are for exclusive use with the Pro-SD model.
Looking at the manufacturers lens list for my camera, I can see that the 65 thru 127 have the "L"; the 140 macro is M/L-A; the rest are as follows:
150 (L)
180 (L-A)
210 (APO/L)
250 (L-A)
250 (APO/L)
350 (APO/L)
360 (L)
All others (without the L) are the older optical designs called "C" lenses.
The "L" indicates a new (superior) optical design - identical to the RZ lenses; the "A" only appears on 3 of the longer telephotos. I can only guess what it means, probably something to do with the lens coating.

I hope this answerers your question.

 

[Vertigo]

The 65mm LA is an improvement over the prior version with the addition of a floating element. This design allows for improved corner resolution. The floating element can be set by matching the focal distance from the subject, e.g. if you focus the lens on a subject 10 feet away, you'd set the floating element at the same distance. Think of it as a secondary corner focusing device. You won't see a difference in the viewfinder, but you will on your enlargements. Mamiya used the same design to improve the 50mm ULD.

 

[2F/2F]

"Superior" in what way? It is quite a subjective term in terms of making pix. I doubt they would have made the lens if it was not in some way superior on paper, so I would say that yes, the LA is optically superior in at least one way, if not more.

The question I would really consider (especially if an amateur and on a budget) is whether or not anyone (including yourself, of course) can tell the difference in any situation for which you will use the lens...and if they can, why are they burying their noses in your prints hard enough to tell the difference instead of responding to the prints emotionally and thinking about what they might mean?

In short, it depends on your application and your viewers whether or not to splurge for the LA.

Personally, I find the RB 65mm more than adequate, so I am sure I would be thrilled by any RZ 65mm lens I could afford. If I had the money, I might just go for the LA.