Mamiya KL 150/3.5 for RB67 series--Reviews?

[gary_watson]

<p>Curious about this(now discontinued?)model and your appraisals of it as a short portrait lens. Have searched and found very few detailed reviews or impressions of its performance on the RB series cameras. Can grab a new one for very little but would like the PN jury's views first. As usual, thanks for any insights.</p>

[erie_patsellis]

<p>Personally, I wouldn't bother, the 150 SF is a great soft focus lens, but for sharper images, the 180C is really, really hard to beat.</p>

[bueh]

<p>The Mamiya-Sekor 150mm f/3.5 K/L is not a soft focus lens! It is a very, very good short telephoto that is a good deal faster than the front-heavy 180mm lens. If you need a short tele, this would be my first choice -- the more common 180mm is too heavy and slow in comparison and not that much longer.</p>

[greg_jones1]

<p>I have the RZ version of this lens, and can tell you it is razor sharp. One of the best, if not the best, lenses I own in medium format and I own Zeiss lenses for Hasselblad as well. I favor short telephotos so I love this lens. I think it would be excellent as a short portrait lens. I bought this lens for $250 and it is in like new condition. Prices are just ridiculously low on Mamiya RB/RZ lenses, especially this high quality optic. Buy it - you will not regret it.</p>

[desmond_kidman]

<p>I too can only comment on the RZ version. I find that lens to be somewhat sharper than the Zeiss 150, which is a good lens but not one of the very sharpest Zeiss (most folks find the 180 sharper). The 150 Mamiya is a great lens. Very sharp, high contrast, high resolution. I just did a test on Provia 100 film using the 250 apo, 210 apo, 150, and 110 RZ lenses. Under a microscope 2 things surprised me, that the 210 apo was sharper than the 250 apo and that the 150 was as impressive as the 110. </p>

<p>What I cannot say is if the RB 150 is the same, or if there were improvements along the way (such as coatings). You would have to research that. </p>

[gary_watson]

<p>All comments greatly appreciated. Bought the 150 and am now waiting for USPS tracking radar to show payment delivery and then reverse the process back to Canada. I'm guessing the KL/RZ lens are identical optically, the only difference being the shutters. Just bought into the Mamiya RB67 system with a NOS Pro S and 90/3.5. The 150 KL was NOS and went for very little--who could resist? The RZ version produces beautiful portraits and I'm hoping the KL's performance will be on par.</p>