Anyone with experience of Mamiya 645 AF 300mm f/4.5?

[graham_martin2]

<p>Having just acquired a Mamiya 645AFD I took it out for a trial run today and am waiting for the first set of prints. The longest lens I got was 150mm. I am thinking that the 300mm f/4.5 might be very good for street photography where I don't want to be too close to my subject. What experiences do any of you have with this lens? Is the AF about the same as with the shorter lenses? How is it for hand holding or is this strictly a tripod lens? Speaking of which does it come with a tripod mount? I've seen a picture of it and it looked like it had a tripod collar.</p>

<p>Is there a lens hood available? if so I would like to know the part number.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[g_k7]

<p>Graham,<br>

The 300 APO AF isn't that heavy for such a large lens, really. Parts of it are made of plastic. Contrast that with the 300mm APO f2.8 M645, which is an absolute beast.<br>

Both are internal-focus, which is nice.<br>

<br />The AF isn't super-fast, but this is medium format, screw-driven technology we're talking about here. It's likely more a function of the body variant you're using.<br>

<br />I can handhold the lens and camera for a little bit, but it's not preferred for any length of time. Speaking of length, it's a long assembly, the camera+lens, and I'm not sure you'd be very "stealthy" walking around with that stack, especially as the lens is putty white. 35mm format would give you much more reach with a smaller package, if "from a distance slice o' life" street photography is what you're after, just my two cents.<br>

<br />The tripod mount is included with the lens when bought new, but if used, may have been detached. The flip-out knob mechanism is dorky, in my opinion, but it works, and the knob is captive, if I recall correctly.<br>

The hood is integral to the lens body, it is of the sliding type.<br>

Lastly, camera/shutter vibrations can really affect this whole setup, when shot at slower speeds. I would hazard a guess...that below 1/125th to about 1 second, you really need to be careful as even with mirror lockup, my shots seemed to lack the clarity of faster or slower shutter speeds.<br>

It is pretty sharp, though.</p>

[graham_martin2]

<p>Thanks for the information, G.K. I have had time to do some research since my original post, and I agree with all of your points. Like most MF lenses, use of a tripod always is the better way to go. I recently acquired a manual focus 500mm f/5.6 lens. I am planning on using it next Monday for a Shuttle launch down at the Kennedy Space Center. Will be using a big tripod and a gimbal type head for that one!</p>

[g_k7]

<p>Graham,<br>

I have the 500mm f/5.6 and can say that I'm not all that fond of it, really. It's not that large nor heavy, but the color fringing is very very noticeable if you're used to modern IF mechanism and ED glass lenses.<br>

I've shot cityscapes with it more than a few times and was a little chagrined. Thankfully, it's not a particularly pricey lens on the used market, and I suspect that's what might have pulled you into the 500mm vortex as well.<br>

If you're shooting B+W I think you'll be quite happy with it.<br>

I will say, it's reasonably sharp. You might also consider a microprism collar focussing screen for your AFD, if you're going to be doing some manual focus work. Some of the lenses (APO for example) focus quite past infinity so those faraway captures you really have to pay attention. Hint: the screen comes with it's own tweezers, no need to order the $15 ones a website might suggest as an accessory. They are already in the box ;-)<br>

Ask me how I know...</p>

[graham_martin2]

<p>Okay, I'll bite. How do you know about the tweezers? I actually did buy the microprism Type C (with tweezers) which I recently bought from B&H. I just installed it last night. I'm going to mount up the 500mm on Saturday and get comfortable with it before heading out to KSC. For the shuttle launch I'll be shooting at f/8 with 400 speed film and focusing at infinity. I will be about 3 miles from the pad and so I am hoping for some good shots.</p>

[gregory_king1]

<p>Guys, is it worth the $80? Does it affect AF lens use? Can you leave it in, or do you swap it back out for "normal" use with AF lenses?</p>

<p>I have mostly AF lenses, but a smattering of MF ones like the 80mm 1.9 and 300mm 2.8, and would get a lot more use out of them if I could focus more precisely.</p>

<p>Otherwise, maybe I need to "downgrade" to the 300 4.5. ;-)</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>