50 mm vs 65 mm

<p>hi everybody,<br>

probably a question That has been asked already- thought I cannot find the answer...<br>

Been so long I want a mamiya 7 I think worldwide financial crisis (and mine ) is the right moment !<br>

If I ask which lens you guys would choose between the 50 mm and the 65 mm, you would answer : choose yourself !<br>

however, would you consider one to be better quality than the other ? I guess it's better to own a 65 mm if it's the only lens I own, but if someone tells me that 50 mm is much higher quality and has other advantages I would go for this one.<br>

This time the new digital dslr will wait ! I want a Mamiya 7 !</p>

<p>all the best for you on this new year - 9 in french also means New !</p>

<p>stan</p>

<p>If I was going to get a Mamiya 7 again, I just sold mine, I would get the 65mm and leave it at that. I had the 50mm and 80mm, which were awesome lenses, but I didn't like using an external finder for the 50mm lens.</p>

<p>Plus I use Mamiya Press cameras now and I'm finding the 65mm (even though it needs an external finder on the press cameras) to be perfect for me.</p>

<p>Forget the 7 and get a 6. It is better and easier. Also there is no question if 50 or 65mm - there is only a 50mm and no external finder anyway!</p>

<p>All of the Mamiya 7 lenses are terrific, so lens "quality" shouldn't be the determining issue. It comes down to how wide you want your "wide" lens to be.</p>

<p>For 6x7 format, the "normal" lens is about a 90mm. So the 50mm lens is about equivalent to a 28mm in 35mm format, while the 65 is about the same as a 35mm.</p>

<p>I have the 50-80-150 lens set for this camera and find it about ideal. I have the external finder and I leave it on most of the time. It attaches firmly and looks unlikely to fall off. You don't absolutely need it to use the 50, but it's helpful and not really obtrusive. Again, don't make the viewfinder the reason to reject the lens.</p>

 

<p>Using the 50mm without the finder is also a possibility. I do that sometimes, using the edge of the viewfinder as my "frames". Not much worse than general rangefinder accuracy.<br>

If you will have only one lens, 50mm would be a bit too wide for me. I have traveled with a Mamiya 6 (6x6 square) with only the 50mm, and while it was good it was sometimes (not often) frustratingly wide. Even the standard 75mm can be a bit wide at times. Then the jump to 150mm is too much.<br>

There's no right answer, of course!</p>

<p>If it is just one lens, then 65mm is a better choice. I used to have 43, 65, 80 and 150mm.</p>

<p>They're all high-quality lenses, so it will come down to your personal preferences regarding how wide you like to shoot. I do find that wide angles on 6x7 seem wider than those on 645 or 35mm, just because of the different aspect ratios. Given the choice of one lens (or better stated, a first lens), I'd opt for the 65. I now have all except the 200 (which I don't plan to purchase) for the Mamiya 7II, and I absolutely love the system. It has limitations, but the results when working within those limitations are outstanding (and fun).</p>

<p>I think I'd agree--if I had but one lens, I'd choose the 65.</p>

<p>The Mamiya 7 is the best all-around camera system I've ever owned.</p>

<p>For one lens, definately the 65mm. I use this as my main lens on the Mamiya 7II. The 50mm is too wide for everything but probably too close to 65mm. I use a 65mm/43mm combo personally (I like wide) and would imagine that if you want a 50mm then you would be better off with a 80mm/50mm combo but with the 50mm as your second lens.</p>

<p>Yes, but will you be satisfied with just one lens? If you buy the 65mm, then both the 50mm and the 80mm lenses might seem too close. (That's a problem many have wrestled with - check the archives). Yet the 80mm is the best lens for people. And the 50mm is, in my view, the best all-round wide lens (with an 84 degree angle of view, like that of a 24mm lens in the 35mm format). An advantage of the 50mm lens is that it offers more depth of field for each aperture, and too little depth of field is a common problem for the 6x7 format. As said above, much depends on the subject matter. A disadvantage of the 65mm lens is that it's much longer when mounted on the camera than either the 50mm lens or the 80mm lens. Minor factors to add: For what it's worth, the Popular Photography tests indicated the 50mm lens has higher resolution than the 65mm lens, and the focus grip on the 50mm lens is twice as wide as that of the 65mm! I find the viewfinder of both the 50mm and 43mm easy to use - and useful for steadying the camera against my forehead.</p>

<p>First, why don't you tell us how / for what you want to use the camera? It makes a big difference.</p>

<p>I don't have a Mamiya 7, but I've lusted after them for years, and done some research and thinking on the subject. <em>If you are only going to buy one lens</em>, to me the 65mm is the best choice, although the 80mm could be a good choice too. Contrary to what a previous poster said, assuming you print US-standard sizes (8x10, 11x14, 16x20), it (the 65mm) is equivalent to a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera, and the 50mm is more like a 22mm, which is IMO too wide for normal use / your only lens. Also, with the 65mm you don't need the external finder.</p>

<p>If you are going to buy two lenses, and are willing to carry them around, get an 80mm and a 50mm. That gives you, again for US-standard print sizes, the equivalent of 35mm and 22mm lenses. If you can add a third lens, the 150mm is about the equivalent of a 65mm lens on a 35mm camera.</p>

 

<p>I depends on what your preferred subject is. I have the M7II and use the 65mm as my standard objective. My subject is environmental portraits and for that the combo is perfect. An advantage is that with that combination you have a maximum use of the viewfinder. Sometimes I use the 43mm, I used to have the 150mm, which is hard to use, and the close focus distance is not good enough for hedshots.<br>

Ben</p>

<p>I'd get the 80mm. My Fuji MF camera has a 60 mm and you have to be careful because you can get some weird distortions if you are too close to your subject. The 80mm I had on my Mamiya 7 was better in that regard. Guess it depends on your style of shooting and what your subjects will be. I just think the 80mm would be more versatile.</p>

<p>Thank you ! thank you to all for your enthousiasm, your interest, there is a lot of interesting information in your answers !<img src="http://www.stanwolff.com/ownworld.html" alt="" /><br>

I've tried to insert a link to my website in order to show what kind of pics I'd like to make with the M7 : if this link is working you may have an idea of the kind of image. You may notice it's quite often wide angle.<br>

Keep on being passionated !</p>

<p>s</p><div></div>

<p>I think the issue is driven by what you intend to do in future. I would find it very frustrating to use a camera with just one fixed focal length lens. But if I did I'd find the 50mm too wide to use all the time I think, despite it being my favourite and most-used lens with this camera. </p>

<p>So, for me, if you plan to go with a single lens it would be the 65. As the first step in a series, I'd go for the 50, then 80 though I'm sure that others think the 65/43 is the right "wide" combination. </p>

<p>thank U David I think you've done a clever summary of the topic</p>