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Old 3rd December 2019, 11:47 AM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Default 6x6 wideangle camera

I am always disappointed by the performance of my (ridiculously expensive) Hasselblad 50mm Distagon, even the later one in a Prontor. I acknowledge that the design of all SLR wideangle lenses is complicated by the requirement to allow for the swing of the mirror. But the asking price of the rangefinder Mamiya 6 or 7 with 50mm is even more fabulous (£1500...£2000). Are there affordable alternatives?
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Old 3rd December 2019, 12:23 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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You could look at the Bronica SQ series. There is a 50mm, both in the older S version, and the more recent PS. I think you could find a camera, back and lens for under £500. It’s the system I use. I would avoid the SQaM as the motor can eventually become troublesome. You would have to look at the spec for the two 50mm lenses to see whether they would meet your requirements. I’m happy with mine, the older S version, but I’ve never looked at how it measures up in terms of sharpness, contrast etc.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 01:17 PM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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I have used them all but if you are looking for 'the best bang for buck' and very quality a Mamiya C with a 55mm Sekor takes a lot of beating.

And it's a light combo to carry around too.

Neil.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 01:33 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B&W Neil View Post
I have used them all but if you are looking for 'the best bang for buck' and very quality a Mamiya C with a 55mm Sekor takes a lot of beating.

And it's a light combo to carry around too.

Neil.
+1

I have the C330 with the 55mm, and it is a very sharp lens with lovely tonality. The C220 is lighter and more basic, but perfectly capable. The 65mm is said to be even better, but I have not tried it. Very rugged cameras. I'm not a big fan of the ergonomics of the C-series, but some people think they're great...I just put up with it because the results are so good and the camera is so damned tough and versatile.

Prices on these are reasonable -- about the same as Bronica SQ in these parts.

Edit: a question comes to mind -- what is it about the Distagon that you don't like? It would help to know so that I might comment on whether Mamiya TLR wides may be more suitable.
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Last edited by Svend; 3rd December 2019 at 01:40 PM.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 01:48 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexmuir View Post
You could look at the Bronica SQ series. There is a 50mm, both in the older S version, and the more recent PS. I think you could find a camera, back and lens for under £500. It’s the system I use. I would avoid the SQaM as the motor can eventually become troublesome. You would have to look at the spec for the two 50mm lenses to see whether they would meet your requirements. I’m happy with mine, the older S version, but I’ve never looked at how it measures up in terms of sharpness, contrast etc.
Alex


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Some lens tests here: https://kievaholic.com/lenstests2.html

Bronica 50mm and the Distagon are included.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 02:11 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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The comparison of the Bronica 50 withe the other lenses is probably of no use in this test, as outlined by the author in his notes. Looking at the pictures alone, you would think it was either of very poor quality, or damaged. I have two of them, one of which is damaged, and they both produce better images than this test would suggest.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 02:35 PM
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JOReynolds .what do you mean by, disappointed by the performance of the lens ,i have always found mine sharp and precise ,it does take a few turns to focus ,but its not a fast action lens .I have loads of prints I have taken with mine I have a photograph on my gallery ,that is a average shot with this lens ,I know Hasselblad V are not the best camera to walk about with ,so when I want medium format to take out I use my Mamiya 645 autofocus cameras that are a lot lighter and very fast to use and a lot cheaper than £1500 to £2000 .but I suppose at the end of the day its personal preference ...
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Old 3rd December 2019, 02:42 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexmuir View Post
The comparison of the Bronica 50 withe the other lenses is probably of no use in this test, as outlined by the author in his notes. Looking at the pictures alone, you would think it was either of very poor quality, or damaged. I have two of them, one of which is damaged, and they both produce better images than this test would suggest.
Alex


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Good to know Alex. TBH I didn't pixel peep at the test images or read his notes. Thanks for pointing that out.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 03:25 PM
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I had a Bronica ETRSi for years and had the 40mm lens. I was very happy with it and had no problems with quality. Obviously edge sharpness suffered a bit at maximum and minimum apertures but it was only noticeable in really big (20x16in+) prints. I would expect the PS50 (6x6) lens to be at least as good if not better.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 03:50 PM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Originally Posted by Svend View Post
+1
Edit: a question comes to mind -- what is it about the Distagon that you don't like? It would help to know so that I might comment on whether Mamiya TLR wides may be more suitable.
I bought a Hasselblad 500CM kit, 50mm, 80mm, 150mm, about 9 years ago, when prices were at their lowest. The 50mm Distagon f/4 was in a Compur. The camera is used primarily for architectural detail, on a heavy 1960s tripod, mirror up, cable release, aperture f/11, exposure times 1/4 to 1 sec, Delta 100 film.
The negs, processed in Rodinal, are printed with a De Vere/Ilford 500 head and Componon (not 'S'). Enlarged to A3 (approx 8x), detail in the corners were noticeably degraded compared with similar features shot with the 80mm Planar f/2.8. I discussed this in these and other pages and the response was to invest in the later version (in a Prontor) with a floating element - effectively two focusing rings. There was an improvement but it's still not as sharp as the 80mm Planar, which is my reference.
I'm quite happy to focus manually, using a £10 B&Q laser distance measurer, so I don't need a reflex camera.

Last edited by JOReynolds; 3rd December 2019 at 03:54 PM.
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