Pentax 645 35mm or 45mm Wide-angle Lens.. ?

[phillip_p._dimor]

Hello all. I've searched through photo.net and the www looking for

opinions on both of these Pentax 645 wide-angle lenses and have come

up with very little.

 

I am interested in purchasing a used manual-focus wide-angle lens for

my Pentax 645 kit. I am very much into urban exploration; Abandoned

mental-institutions, state hospitals and mills.

 

My style of photography seems to levitate towards found objects and

their interaction within the environment. (does that sound too

pretentious?)

 

The 75mm f2.8 lens is outstanding, even wide-open and handheld.

Often times, I am with a friend who uses a digital camera.

If I stop to set my camera up on a tripod, he will wander away and

being lost inside an extremely large and abandoned state hospital is

NOT fun. For example, with Tri-X at EI1000 (developed in Acufine),

my typical handheld exposure is 1/30 to 1/125 at f2.8 to f5.6 .

I don't use a flash.

 

I've rounded it down to the 35mm f3.5 and the 45mm f2.8 .

 

Super-wide and one stop slower, or Very-wide and relatively fast?

Distortion/field curvature? Light-falloff on the edges?

Photodo has very little as far as MTF curves for both lenses..

 

Any opinions on either lens? Size and weight do not bother me so

much, neither does relative cost (used).

 

Thank you for any advice in advance, as there aren't many good pro

shops around here with both lenses in question for me to try out and

or rent. Thanks!

[phillip_p._dimor]

I guess I didn't look well enough. Or the google/photo.net search didn't pick this one up; http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0064bb

 

sorry for the wasted bandwith.

[raymond_valois]

Hi Phillip ...

 

I use the 645N and AF lenses. I have the AF 75mm, AF 45mm and the AF 80-160mm. I shoot weddings mostly and each lens has performed flawlessly for the last 4 years.

 

I can't speak from experience for the non-AF lenses but from what I've read and heard, they're all excellent performers.

 

Ray

[jimvanson]

I own the FA 45 f2.8. I've shot both of the 35's. Everything I shoot is handheld.<P>There is a big difference between the 35's and the 45. The 45 is easier to use where as the 35's can really produce dramatic results when you use them for near/far compositions.<P>As far as optical performance goes I think you'd be happy with either 35 or 45 as both are good lenses.<P>Consider buying from KEH as they have a 14 day return policy.

[jim_boltz]

Greetings! I echo the previous response that there's a huge difference, real and perceived, between the 45mm and the 35mm. I have both and have used the 35mm mainly for industrial applications where wide expanses of space like warehousing are involved. In such cases, make sure when composing to keep the viewfinder sides parallel with objects like columns and window frames to minimize distortion. From the information you provided, I'd be inclined to go with the 45mm, particularly if you're not using the tripod. Both lenses are extremely sharp, have good contrast, never disappoint, and are among the best values on the market.

[dmanthree]

If you decide to buy, don't ignore eBay. I've bought a few manual focus lenses for my Pentax there, and got some real bargains! For example, a 200mm f4 for $200. The lens is in great condition, too. I guess "digital hysteria" is driving the prices of all this great glass down, which is good for me.

 

I've seen more than a few 45mm manual focus lenses available there, as well.

[fast_primes]

IMHO, the key issue is the size of the jump from 75mm to 35mm! That's too large a gap for most photographers, being equivalent in 35mm terms to a 50mm to 21mm gap. Therefore, the 45mm makes much more sense as a companion lens to the 75mm. Also, keep in mind that mastering wide angles is not a trivial exercise. As for sharpness, if your first 45 (or 35) isn't sharp, just get another--lenses vary!

[phillip_p._dimor]

Thank you for all the responses! It is very much appreciated.

I have a feeling that the 45mm is calling my name, yet I will always wonder about the 35mm.. I do agree that going from 75mm to 35mm is quite a jump, especially for someone who has only used 'normal' focal-length lenses with 35mm and medium format cameras.

 

I think that I'm going to go with the 45mm lens. I'm sure that I won't be disappointed, other than not knowing what I'm missing out on by not having the 35mm lens!

 

Does anyone find the flip-up accessory eyepiece magnifier useful?

[rob_black1]

I've shot thousands of images on both the 35 and 45 manual focus lenses. Both lenses I would recommend without hesitation. The 35 has some complaints of being not as sharp as the rest of the manual focus lenses, but I would attribute this to either batch variations or crappy technique. My 35, when stopped down, shows excellent sharpness corner to corner and perfect color fidelity with the rest of the Pentax line. Get a good tripod and lens hood and don't worry about the quality of either lens.

 

Hope this helps

 

Rob

[willie_jan_bons2]

i have used the 35mm for some months now, very good results even towards the sun without flare circles. it has a very small minimum distance towards the object for close ups.

 

I like it very much when shooting landscapes or extreme photos. besides that i use a FA 75 2.8 and 120/4 macro. When possible i will get the FA 150 2.8.