Mamiya 645 lenses on the Sony
Printed From: Dyxum.com
Category: Equipment forums
Forum Name: Other mount lenses
Forum Description: Discussions for non alpha mount lenses
URL: https://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=96296
Printed Date: 17 July 2025 at 13:43
Topic: Mamiya 645 lenses on the Sony
Posted By: acemclynch
Subject: Mamiya 645 lenses on the Sony
Date Posted: 03 March 2013 at 19:49
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Anyone else shooting Mamiya 645 lenses on the Sony? I've found the 80mm f1.9 to be absolutely amazing! Focus peaking means it's not a problem shooting manual either. It comes out a little flat in Raw but a tad play about in lightroom the images comes up trumps.   ------------- www.andrew-lynch.co.uk |www.flickr.com/acemclynch Sony A99, Sony A900, Sony Nex 7 & C3, Mamiya RB67 Pro SD, Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Minolta 7, Minolta SRT101, Nikon F3 |
Replies:
Posted By: Photosopher
Date Posted: 03 March 2013 at 20:15
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Yes, the 80/1.9 is quite amazing... better 1/2 stop closed though. Right there the with Mino 85. The 55/2.8 is good for tilt/shift too, but not necessarily anything better than Mino 50/1.4 at 2.8. Astonishingly, the 150/2.8 APO is every bit as notable as the Mino 200/2.8 APO. I was very surprised to see that... and it works for T/S adapter too. Well made lenses that have the same styling as Minolta second generation MD... with the Yellow and White lettering, instead of Green and White. Actually feel as though they are part of the same system. I've not been too impressed with the Mammy wides though. But I've heard others rave about them. Could be some wild sample variations. I stick with the N's. The OOFA is very mature on the 80 and 150. Nice shots by the way. Oh and BTW... the 80/1.9, being 67mm filter ring, works perfectly with Sunpack DX12R ring flash. Much better than the Minolta 85. Although the Minolta can fit, the Mammy focus ring is way better to work a ringflash with. |
Posted By: gouldina
Date Posted: 03 March 2013 at 20:49
| Yeah they look really nice. I've been wondering about this myself. Wouldn't mind an 80 for my NEX-5. |
Posted By: Carl
Date Posted: 03 March 2013 at 23:01
| Mamiya made some superb lenses. Their apos were especially good. |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 04 March 2013 at 00:16
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Yes, I find the Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 A is superb. With my A77 and focus peaking, using its smooth focus ring is a pleasure. The Mamiya 645 300mm f5.6 ULD is also very good but in my tests not quite up there with the 150mm f2.8 I recommend the Fotodiox Pro 645 to Sony Alpha adapter. Beware that the newer Mamiya 645 "AF" lenses usually do not have an aperture ring, so you have no practical way of stopping the aperture down. P.S. I have just started exploring the Mamiya RB67 / RZ67 APO lenses which do not have a built-in focusing helicoid - but that is another thread another day.... All the best, Terry |
Posted By: acemclynch
Date Posted: 04 March 2013 at 12:49
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Can you mount the RB lenses on the sony??? ------------- www.andrew-lynch.co.uk |www.flickr.com/acemclynch Sony A99, Sony A900, Sony Nex 7 & C3, Mamiya RB67 Pro SD, Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Minolta 7, Minolta SRT101, Nikon F3 |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 05 March 2013 at 04:42
Hi, In principle and in test use, yes!  This is still a work in progress and I haven't deployed the epoxy glue yet, but I am in the process of constructing an adapter using: + the shell of an RB67 Extension Tube #1 45mm + a 25-55mm Chinese focusing helicoid from *bay (which has M52 female thread at front and M42 male thread at rear; + an M42 to Sony Alpha adapter. Hint #1: With a focusing helicoid starting at 25mm you have to position the helicoid a few mm into the back of the Extension Tube #1 shell to have infinity focus. Hint #2: If I started again I would probably look at using the shorter SB (Short Barrel) Lens Spacer (nominally RZ67 only??) at the front of the adapter rather than the Extension Tube #1. I have also noticed very recently on Amazon a new Fotodiox Pro Mamiya RB67 Adapter/Focusing Barrel listed for some of the dSLR brands (not Sony Alpha yet, AFAIK). All the best, Terry |
acemclynch wrote:Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 05 March 2013 at 04:46
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P.S. For me the two factors that make this effort really worthwhile are: + the high quality/reasonable price of the Mamiya RB67/RZ67 APO lenses; + focus peaking on the A77 and its relatives. All the best, Terry |
Posted By: Winwalloe
Date Posted: 05 March 2013 at 19:03
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acemclynch: both your portraits are excellent! photosopher/terryg: would you mind posting somewhere a few pictures using the mamiya 150 APO please? I'm quite curious as to know how it looks for portraits on a FF camera. ------------- http://guenolephilippe.fr - See my webpage! E-mount stuff, A-mount stuff, and µ43 stuff |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 06 March 2013 at 02:56
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Hi, Not FF, but here are two sample pics I took handheld with the A77 and Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 A at a local church Christmas Carols event. This was a twilight event, so the lighting in the first one was a mixture of the twilight and floodlights from the building. The second pic was nearly all from the floodlights. No flash used in either. Both photos are slightly cropped and lightly processed in Lightroom from Raw. In these conditions this is NOT a sharpness test for the lens, however I thought the lens' rendering appealing, the skin tonings good and realistic and the out of focus areas very smooth. I used this lens for nearly the whole event and enjoyed the results.  #1 Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 A on A77 at 400ISO f4 1/80 sec  #2 Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 A on A77 at 2000ISO f2.8 1/100 sec  All the best, Terry |
Posted By: Winwalloe
Date Posted: 06 March 2013 at 19:09
Which is exactly what we'd want from a portrait lens I think! Thanks for the input! (now... how long till I put one on order  )------------- http://guenolephilippe.fr - See my webpage! E-mount stuff, A-mount stuff, and µ43 stuff |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 06 March 2013 at 21:41
keh.com in the US has a Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 A in "EX" condition at a reasonable price at the moment!
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Posted By: Deepcore
Date Posted: 07 March 2013 at 17:52
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Was curious about thoughts about Mamiya "C" vs. "N" lenses. The "N" 150s I've seen are 3.5 and the "C" 150s I've seen are 2.8. Web browsing revealed N lenses supposedly have better coatings but are plastic. Since its on the Internet it must be true right? ------------- Practice makes more frustration |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 00:48
Hi, Mamiya sometimes indulged in a bit of alphabet soup. I don't claim to be a Mamiya 645 expert but will give you a summary of my understanding of things. Talking about the Mamiya 645 manual-focus lenses, which are the ones easily adaptable to Sony Alpha with the Fotodiox Pro adapter or equivalent adapter: + 645 N's are newer than 645 C's; + N's are reported to have better coatings for more contrast; Most people prefer N's for the better coatings; some people may prefer the lower contrast of C's for portrait work etc; + For some focal lengths, especially at the wide angle end, the N's are reported to have a revised/better optical formulation than the C's. The extent of these changes is debated. + N's will often still have a C on them as well, for example markings such as "MAMIYA-SEKOR C N" + N's are still mainly glass and metal and very solid ,although they do usually have some plastic for aperture ring and focus ring cover. N's are definitely not "plastic" overall. + Some of the relatively newer lenses do not have either N or C on them, for example my 150mm f2.8 is marked "Mamiya A" The A indicates the use of special glass such as anomalous dispersion glass and maybe that the lens is Apo-ish. + My personal 2 cents worth is that I have N's except where I have bought/want A's or APO's. In the case of the 300mm f5.6 I bought the best-rated version, which is labelled "C ULD N". + On your specific question, AFAIK in the Mamiya 645 150mm f3.5 there are both "C" and "N" versions. For the 645 mount I doubt that you saw a true 645 150mm f2.8 C - that may have been for one of the other Mamiya mounts. In Mamiya 645 mount I believe the 150mm f2.8 was normally labelled "Mamiya A" like mine. That is the lens which photosopher and I were raving about earlier. + This summary does not cover all the variations of the Mamiya 645 alphabet soup. Apologies in advance if my summary has offended any Mamiya 645 gurus out there. All the best, Terry |
Posted By: gaging
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 03:20
| If anyone is interested in buying Mamiya 645 lenses, I just listed six "N" and "A" lenses for sale http://www.dyxum.com/DFORUM/fs-usa-camera-and-many-quality-lenses_topic96420_post1148086.html#1148086 - here . |
Posted By: Deepcore
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 15:13
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Thanks Terry! My next "dumb" question for the room: I asked on a different thread and found out that the crop factor of my A55 would not give me a 500mm using a 80mm medium format lens (my exageration). But that the 1.5X is still a factor. My question is, since the 80mm medium format is the equivalent of a 50mm on a 35mm...does that mean that the 80mm on my A55 would be a 75mm (or a 120mm)? ------------- Practice makes more frustration |
Posted By: Winwalloe
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 15:37
Right now I'm pondering whether 110 or 150mm would be preferable for portrait. No idea on that  (also the bulk of the 150 scares me a bit, but the 110 doesn't look that tiny either) ------------- http://guenolephilippe.fr - See my webpage! E-mount stuff, A-mount stuff, and µ43 stuff |
Posted By: waldo_posth
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 15:40
Well, 80mm "medium" is not necessarily an equivalent for a 50mm FF lens on your Sony FF camera or 33mm on your APS-C Sony camera. If you shoot with a medium camera that produces negatives max. 6cm wide 80mm medium corresponds to 48mm FF (because FF means the senosor/negative is 3,6cm wide). If you use a medium format camera that produces negatives max. 9cm wide (like a 6x9cm Fuji GW 690) the 80mm will correspond to 32mm FF (therefore the standard lenses of these medium cameras are much longer). But if you have an APS-C camera all this is irrelevant, because you always take the nominal focal length (which is printed on the lens) and multiply it with 1,5. ------------- "Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." (Walker Evans) http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldo_posth/ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldo_posth/ |
Posted By: gouldina
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 16:01
I don't think so. The focal length is the focal length is the focal length. The thing that changes is the field of view. So as I understand it, an 80mm medium format lens on a FF camera would have exactly the same FOV as a 35mm 80mm lens on a FF camera but on a medium format camera it would be wider. |
Posted By: gaging
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 20:02
Correct. The focal length is the focal length. An 80mm medium format lens on a 35mm camera projects exactly the same image on the camera's film/sensor as any other 80mm lens on the same film/sensor. The same lens will have a wider FOV on a medium format camera because of the difference in film/sensor size, not because the focal length magically changes. This is exactly the same reason any given lens will have a different FOV on an APS-C camera and a FF camera. |
Posted By: Deepcore
Date Posted: 08 March 2013 at 23:43
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Thanks guys! This is really intriguing...something to consider adding to the arsenal. Always wanted to use medium format but like the instant feedback of digital capture. But also can't shell out the cost of medium format with digital capture either. Maybe when the kids are done with college. ------------- Practice makes more frustration |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 09 March 2013 at 02:28
Hi, The Mamiya 645 110mm f2.8 N is 60mm long and 390g while the Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 A is 107mm long and 740g. In each case you have to add about 18.8 mm for the adapter to Sony Alpha. I find the 150mm f2.8 A balances well with my A77. The 150mm f2.8 A is a sizable lens but it is also a great lens (at least for mine and photosopher's examples and other comments that I've read elsewhere). In the end it's your decision. All the best, Terry |
Posted By: Winwalloe
Date Posted: 10 March 2013 at 12:12
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The decision has been made, I ordered a 150/2.8 ! ------------- http://guenolephilippe.fr - See my webpage! E-mount stuff, A-mount stuff, and µ43 stuff |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 10 March 2013 at 21:14
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Posted By: acemclynch
Date Posted: 10 March 2013 at 21:41
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haha brilliant! Post pics to this thread when you test it :) ------------- www.andrew-lynch.co.uk |www.flickr.com/acemclynch Sony A99, Sony A900, Sony Nex 7 & C3, Mamiya RB67 Pro SD, Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Minolta 7, Minolta SRT101, Nikon F3 |
Posted By: glefebvre
Date Posted: 12 March 2013 at 23:22
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I just picked up the Fotodiox Pro adapter and I'm having some exposure issues with my A900. I'm shooting manually at 160 ISO and if I meter on a subject it also seem to over expose the image but if I meet and then adjust to about a -2EV, it's a decent exposure. Any tips on what is the best way to meter with these Mamiya lenses? I've got a 35, 45, 55, 80, 120 macro, 150, 200 APO and 300 and would like to make good use of them. ------------- A7R V A99m2 A7R A900 A77m2 7D 5D RX100m7 9 7 7xi 9000 XK X700x4 XE-7x2 XD-11 M645 Pro TLx2 & a boat load of lenses. |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 13 March 2013 at 02:43
Hi, You have a good collection of Mamiya 645 lenses there! I don't have any problems metering with my A77 using the following method: + have camera in A mode; + have lens wide open; + use camera dial to match the "requested aperture" to the maximum (widest) aperture that the camera assumes the lens has; with an unchipped adapter such as the Fotodiox Pro this aperture value is probably F1 or similar; [Actually this step used to be necessary on my Konica-Minolta 5D but on my A77 with firmware 1.06 and an unchipped adapter it doesn't seem necessary: the A77 just shows F-- for the aperture on the top LCD and F0.0 for the aperture on the EVF display] + focus the lens wide open; + change the lens to the shooting aperture (but don't change anything on the camera) + press shutter to take photo. P.S. If after using this process you still want to override the camera's metering occasionally, still stay in A mode and use +/- exposure compensation. P.P.S. With the A77's focus peaking I can usually simplify the process by focusing with the lens already stopped down to F4 or F5.6 I don't know whether that would be doable on the A900. All the best, Terry |
Posted By: glefebvre
Date Posted: 13 March 2013 at 17:11
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Thanks Terry, I'll give that a try. Gary ------------- A7R V A99m2 A7R A900 A77m2 7D 5D RX100m7 9 7 7xi 9000 XK X700x4 XE-7x2 XD-11 M645 Pro TLx2 & a boat load of lenses. |
Posted By: glefebvre
Date Posted: 13 March 2013 at 21:27
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Terry, I've tried what you have said and I'm getting some odd results. If I shoot wide open, it looks like it is a bit over exposed in matrix and center weighted mode and better in spot. If I stop the lens down about half way it looks pretty good in all metering modes and if I closed the lens down all the way, it is under exposed on all metering modes. What metering mode do you use? Gary ------------- A7R V A99m2 A7R A900 A77m2 7D 5D RX100m7 9 7 7xi 9000 XK X700x4 XE-7x2 XD-11 M645 Pro TLx2 & a boat load of lenses. |
Posted By: Deepcore
Date Posted: 17 March 2013 at 15:18
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First outing with Sony A55, Fotodiox adapter, and Mamiya 645 210 F4(it was cheap...couldn't resist...110 2.8 on the way) eating lunch with family on Redondo Beach CA. Some slight sharpening in PP (less on the Jag' because was able to focus peep) eyes not as good as they used to be so manual focusing on the moving sailboat wasn't as easy. Saw some purple fringing on the rails of the sailboat. Used Manual settings. Very overcast day. [IMG] http://www.flickr.com/photos/yogidabear_photography/8565518380/">  http://www.flickr.com/photos/yogidabear_photography/8565518380/ - Mamiya 210 031613 1 A SGND DSC07382 -1 by http://www.flickr.com/people/yogidabear_photography/ - Jonathan Yogore , on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG] http://www.flickr.com/photos/yogidabear_photography/8565518132/">  http://www.flickr.com/photos/yogidabear_photography/8565518132/ - Mamiya 210 031613 3 A SGND DSC07352 -1 by http://www.flickr.com/people/yogidabear_photography/ - Jonathan Yogore , on Flickr[/IMG] ------------- Practice makes more frustration |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 28 March 2013 at 02:07
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Hi Gary and everyone, Sorry for the very delayed reply. I think the good results you had with the mid-range apertures and with spot metering wide open indicate that the method is correct (namely, in summary, have camera in A mode and use camera dial to match the "requested aperture" to the maximum=widest aperture that the camera assumes the lens has). You do not want the camera to ever be thinking that it is going to tell the lens to stop down. Were your tests with wider angle or telephoto lenses or both? With your results wide open in matrix and centre-weighted mode being "a bit over-exposed" that may just be a quirk of the A900 exposure metering. I normally use matrix metering or centre-weighted with the A77 and don't have any issues. However the A77 meters on the main sensor and has 1200 metering zones so that may help compared with the A900's separate metering sensor (AFAIK) and only 40 zones. The otherwise excellent Fotodiox Pro adapter has no baffling, so wide-open there may be more light coming from angles that the A900's "system" was not designed for. With the smaller apertures (I assume you mean f/11, f/16 and so on) that may be beyond the exposure system's intended design at the other end. I haven't used my Mamiya lenses at those smaller apertures and couldn't replicate the problem in some short tests. All the best, Terry |
Posted By: Winwalloe
Date Posted: 05 April 2013 at 18:59
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I'm pleased to say I finally grabbed my 150/2.8! That was tedious and involved a failed transaction due to a delivery company not showing up for an agreed appointment. The copy I have is quite beautiful. How smooth is the focusing ring! The only surprise for me would be the aperture ring goes by full step rather than half steps. I don't think it matters much. The chinese-made adapter I got is fine as well. Hopefully I'll post a few shots this week-end. ------------- http://guenolephilippe.fr - See my webpage! E-mount stuff, A-mount stuff, and µ43 stuff |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 14 April 2013 at 05:26
+1
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Posted By: Winwalloe
Date Posted: 08 May 2013 at 20:16
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I had a week of vacation and used the 150/2.8 as my tele lens. Among other things it did confirm that focus peaking isn't reliable enough for critical focusing, the magnifying glass is much preferable. The lens is sharp indeed, no bad surprise there! The only actual issue I found was with flare (if it's the correct term ?). AFAIK that's something not uncommon with older lenses so I'll take that as part of its package. But it can occur easily when a bright light is somewhere close. It doesn't have to be as bright as the sun either. These are a few real life samples:        Here the flare got very obvious:  ------------- http://guenolephilippe.fr - See my webpage! E-mount stuff, A-mount stuff, and µ43 stuff |
Posted By: ifreedman
Date Posted: 08 May 2013 at 20:18
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Nice images. Thanks for sharing. ------------- A77ii, A6000 + various alpha, homemade and adapted lenses Articles: http://dyxum.com/dforum/topic94520.html - Tilt-Shift Lenses |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 09 May 2013 at 13:01
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Nice shots! I am wondering if the fairly diffuse "flare" in your fishmarket(?) photo could be light reflected from the walls of the adapter? There can be significantly more light exiting at the rear of that lens than for a normal 35mm-format lens. Even if the adapter has a "black" anodised finish or similar, the walls can reflect some amount of light. (i have seen this with some other lens/adapter combinations.) I would be tempted to try lining the inside walls of the adapter with some self-adhesive black flock material. One source for that is on *bay: the seller name is milly120786 and the item description is "Flock Light Trap Material Super Flat Black". I haven't seen that type of "flare" with my 150mm f2.8 although I probably haven't used it in a situation similar to your example. All the best, Terry |
Posted By: Winwalloe
Date Posted: 09 May 2013 at 13:56
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terryg: Thanks ! I'll try to recreate the flare issue to see about it. A defect from the adapter makes a lot of sense but I'm not 100% sure it's only it: I could avoid the flare sometimes by hiding the light source with my hand. OTOH the adapter looks prone to light spills, I taped a bit of gaffer tape right when I got it; maybe it's not enough a fix! In which case I'll see about the light blockers you mention. ------------- http://guenolephilippe.fr - See my webpage! E-mount stuff, A-mount stuff, and µ43 stuff |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 10 May 2013 at 05:11
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Another thought: The built-in hood on the Mamiya 150mm f2.8 is cute but it is also quite short. I also noticed today that sometimes the hood can tend to fall back a bit from its extended position when in use. I expect you would benefit from screwing a longer hood onto the 150mm's front thread. I will definitely be seeing what I have "in stock" or can get cheaply on *bay for that purpose. All the best, Terry |
Posted By: Norvass
Date Posted: 17 May 2013 at 08:37
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Hi Terry and all I have been following closely your various discussions. I don't have much experience of digital cameras but have taken the following actions. Purchased from the US the Pro Fotodiox Mount adaptor for M645 - Sony A DSLR, purchased two lenses from ebay in UK a Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 lens and Mamiya 645 80mm f2.8 lens. I am using the following specs on my A99. Keeping the lens in wideopen mode i.e f2.8, using a hood, A mode, ISO auto but have tried 100 and manually focused. In the number of pictures (indoor and outdoor) I take I get a rate close to 80% flare in both lenses. Have I brought a pair of elderly lenses that will never produce a decent picture? Maybe I need to try a fomulaic approach to get the results that I have seen on this site? ------------- A99; Sony AF20mm; Minolta 28-85mm; Minolta 70-210 f4; Minolta AF 5mm f1.4; Sony AF 50 f/2.8, Minolta AF28mm, Tamron 300mm f/5.6 Adaptall-2 |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 17 May 2013 at 12:03
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Hi Adrian, If you have good copies of the lenses then your Mamiya 645 150mm f2.8 should be an excellent sharp lens. The 150mm f2.8 is not an "elderly" lens. Your 80mm f2.8 should be at least "good" and maybe better than good. Does your 80mm f2.8 have both C and N included in its engraved ID? I am wondering if what you are describing may be over-exposure as much as or more than flare. Some thoughts: 1) Stay in A mode, but I recommend that you do NOT use Auto ISO. (The Auto ISO behaviour MAY be unpredictable in these scenarios). For now just select an ISO and stay with that, say ISO 200 or 400 for now. 2) When you are trying to take the photos with your a 99 and in A mode what camera "aperture value" is displaying on the top LCD or in the EVF? If this is showing a numerical "aperture value" then you need to dial the "aperture value" on the camera to be the widest aperture (that is the smallest number) that the camera will go to? (It could be down to f1.2 or even f1.) (I have an a77 so I am not sure of the exact a99 behaviour.) 3) Put the a99 into multi-segment metering mode for now, if it is not already there. With those three steps in place on your a99, if you are still having the problem can you post a few sample photos please, preferably taken away from direct sunlight. Also how deep are the hoods you are using with each of the lenses? All the best, Terry |
Posted By: Norvass
Date Posted: 17 May 2013 at 13:08
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Thanks Terry. I will have a go in a couple of hours. My aperture value on the top LCD usually says F - -. I have been using the lens in manual mode at f2.8 ------------- A99; Sony AF20mm; Minolta 28-85mm; Minolta 70-210 f4; Minolta AF 5mm f1.4; Sony AF 50 f/2.8, Minolta AF28mm, Tamron 300mm f/5.6 Adaptall-2 |
Posted By: darosa
Date Posted: 28 July 2013 at 23:45
| I just posted a http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/flowers-30_topic98803_post1196287.html#1196287 - few shots with the Mamiya 145/4.0 SF (Soft Focus). Interesting lens that I'm trying out atm. |
Posted By: terryg
Date Posted: 29 July 2013 at 03:53
Hi, I particularly like your #2 the "anise hyssop".  All the best, Terry |