Mamiya 7 lenses in a digital future?

<p>I love my Mamiya 7s and film, but was just wondering if anyone can think of a digital application for the lenses. I know they would recess very close to a sensor. Has anyone heard of someone experimenting with adapting these lenses to something?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Very nice lenses. I have some too. However, linking them to something else would be a bit of a complicated job compared to, for example, SLR lenses. The other problem that I envisage is that the wide angle lenses, which are probably the best in the 7 range, are very close to the film which I expect would make them problematical for a digital sensor as the ray angle near the edges is quite steep compared, for example, to an SLR lens of the same focal length which has to be designed to be a larger distance from the film plane. </p>

<p>I am content to enjoy my 7 with film for as long as I can.</p>

The very wide angle lenses are going to be about normal length on the sort of digital cameras that might mount them at the moment; and the proximity to the sensor is a problem that is already being tackled by digital rangefinder and mirrorless cameras.

 

There is also the distinct possibility that these lenses' performance will be seen to be rather mediocre compared to that of lenses designed for the much smaller formats of the intended digital mounts.

<p>You could put these lenses on a view camera and fit a PhaseOne back on the other side. The downside is, you would need to use your hat as a shutter...</p>

<p>Or how about a digital present. Load the camera with new Portra 400, enjoy the full 6x7 frame advantage of those excellent optics, use the money you would need to dish out on improvisations, modifications, adaptors .. whatever, in stead on a good scanner, and come out tops without waiting for the future. There is no better time to use film than now.<br /> However, taking off from Jan's idea, you could do away with the hat, and front mount a <a href="http://www.packardshutter.com/">Packard shutter.</a> A little project of mine is do this for the shutterless G-Clarons I use for repro-quality large format photographs of paintings in the studio. I use shutterless lenses quite often, including Rodagon f4/80mm enlarger lens on Hasselblad bellows. It's managable in the studio with controlled lighting, but outdoors it's a job for the "Jan's hat trick" shutter. ;-)<br /> But where your original thoughts were going, I guess, is a Mamiya 7II type digital camera to utilise the existing lenses. It is not inconcievable that something could appear on the market. We have everything from Panasonic G1 digital cam with Leica M adaptors, to DaYi roll film holders for Graflock backs, an intersting aray of tricks and gadgets from Novoflex, Zörk and Wiese in Germany. Most things are possible in engineering terms, but as far as production is concerned, it all comes down to feasibility and economy of scale. > How many would want it enough to pay for it.<br /> I also go along with the thoughts of John Stockdale and Jean-Yves Mead. But I suppose there maybe something to envy of the owner of a Hassleblad Superwide, who can afford a hideously expensive digital back to capture at least a portion of the Biogon 38mm image. But it too, in my opinion at least, is a sad waste of the magic of that lens, which delivers it's best on full frame 56x56 mm.<br /> These ponderings are not entirely fruitless. I do it a lot myself, although usually with no more outcome than developing a better appreciation of what's in the camera bag. And that's not a bad thing. Once upon a time, there was a bunch of bearded geeks who wanted to build a new sort of computer, and were silly enough to call it an "Apple".</p>

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<p>We have everything from Panasonic G1 digital cam with Leica M adaptors, to DaYi roll film holders for Graflock backs, an intersting aray of tricks and gadgets from Novoflex, Zörk and Wiese in Germany. Most things are possible in engineering terms, but as far as production is concerned, it all comes down to feasibility and economy of scale. > How many would want it enough to pay for it.</p>

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<p>Indeed, Kevin. One of the more interesting things to appear recently was the RB/RZ lens adapter (with the essential focusing helix) to M645 mount. This is from Hartblei and is not cheap (Eur 750 + German VAT), but if someone had a good collection of those lenses, and a 645AFD-based digital setup, it would be interesting. Also because once you've adapted them to the M645, it's only a few tens more bucks for another ring to adapt them to whichever DSLR you fancy.</p>

<p>Obviously the Mamiya-7 lenses can't be adapted in this way; their flange registration distance and rear element clearance are both too short to adapt them to the M645 or other MF SLRs.</p>

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<p>But I suppose there maybe something to envy of the owner of a Hassleblad Superwide, who can afford a hideously expensive digital back to capture at least a portion of the Biogon 38mm image.</p>

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<p>New backs are hideously expensive, but for around 2k there are used digital options for the Hasselblad SWC, like the Kodak Pro Back Plus or PhaseOne H20. These don't have microlenses so they work fine, but the crop factor is a big 1.5x.</p>