calvin_lee

<p>I recently purchased a new Rokinor (Samyang) 85mm f/1.4 lens with a Nikon mount for about $250. This same lens is also sold under the Bower & Vivitar labels. Here are a couple of shots taken today with that lens on my D2x at f/2.2<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/10984280-lg.jpg" alt="" width="571" height="840" /><br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/10984271-lg.jpg" alt="" width="573" height="840" /></p>

<p>Send it to Focal Point (Colorado) for a repair. They will have to clean off the old balsam, then recement the elements back together. I can almost guarantee that the repair will be less costly than the value of the camera. They do excellent work & specialize in this sort of repair.<br>

<a href="http://www.focalpointlens.com/fp_intro.html">http://www.focalpointlens.com/fp_intro.html</a></p>

<p>Wow, glad to hear that. Krikor CLA'd my 2.8E a couple of years ago & installed a Maxwell screen. His work is top-notch and the turnaround time was less than a week.</p><div></div>

<p>Evan,<br>

Yes, I have the NAM-1 adapter as well. It's the reason I never had the urge to buy the 85mm f/1.4 N lens. Last week, I attended a wedding & shot 5 rolls of 220 with my Rollei 6006 & 5 rolls of 35mm with the N1. I think I was the only one there still using film.</p>

<p>I still have and shoot my Contax N1 & 645 cameras. As far as 35mm goes, the N lenses are some of the best I've ever used. Wish they had made f/2.8 zooms, as low-light indoor shooting really challenges the AF system. This is round 2 with Contax for me. I had both camera systems several years back, but sold them off when Kyocera made the announcement. After a few years of using Canon, now Nikon Digital SLR systems, I made the return to Contax a couple of years ago. So now, whenever I'm not shooting digi & want to put a roll of film through a camera, it is with a Contax or Rollei (N1, 645, 6006).</p>

<p>Rollei 6006. Just picked up a new battery pack for it last week.</p>

<p>I used to have the GA645Zi, and found the zoom lens on that camera to be very sharp. Here's one I took with that camera a few years back on Velvia. The rangefinder design makes for a great compact walkabout camera that can be hand-held to slower speeds without worry of mirror bounce.<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3197268-lg.jpg" alt="" width="607" height="825" /></p>

<p>Here's one I took with a chrome-barreled Hasselblad 250mm f/5.6 C Lens and Softar III.<br /><a href="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5614629-lg.jpg">http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5614629-lg.jpg</a></p>

<p>The Metz 45CL-4 was a popular flash model used with the 6003 back in the day. They can be found fairly cheap on the used market, now that digi has taken over the wedding industry. There is a smaller secondary flash built into the flash head. If you bounce the flash, you can turn on the smaller secondary flash for a little extra kick to light the eyes. There are newer & smaller hot-shoe models that will support the SCA 300 system like the Metz 54MZ-3 (system 3000), but you will need to buy a different SCA module (like the 3560) to mount it on the cameras's hot shoe. The SCA 356 module is designed for handle-mount flashes.</p>

<p>Contax 645.</p>

Yes, the Mamiya 645 leaf-shutter lenses were designed mainly for outdoor fill-flash use. Primarily for the wedding photographer industry before digital took over. The latest ones were the 55mm f/2.8 N, 80mm f/2.8 N, & 150mm f/3.8 N. From the earlier C series, there was the 70mm f/2.8 C L/S lens which I highly recommend. It is very sharp, even wide-open with nice bokeh. But because of its age, you need to make sure you find a good copy without any haze or fungus inside the lens elements. These lenses can be used either in focal plane shutter mode or using its leaf shutter from 1/30 sec. to 1/500 sec. The 70mm was a favorite of mine & I used to take it with me on all the time while on holiday. Here is one of my wife from our trip to the French Riviera.

 

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/8094406-md.jpg"></center>

There's one available on ebay right now. Item number 180281529664.

I have owned both cameras and can say that the N80 (F80) is significantly lighter than the F100. Though I don't think the F100 is all that heavy, the N80 feels like it weighs almost nothing compared to it. You should be able to pick one up in good condition for under $100.

Yes, the 110mm f/2.8 lens is one of the best lenses in the Mamiya 645 lineup.

All this talk about these old cameras makes me nostalgic. So much so, in fact, that I had to go & dig out the old camera brochures. A shame that these things are worth so little today. But I guess that's reality of the situation.

 

<center><img src="http://members.cox.net/leecw/NikonN8008sWeb.jpg"></center>

Eric, If you look through Nikon's history with regard to feature sets & build quality, you can see a clear path from N8008 -> N8008s -> N90 -> N90s -> F100. And N6006 -> N70 -> N80. Here's some interesting info on the N6006, N70 marketing/sales debacle from this site: http://www.mit.edu/~cai/nikon/N90sreview.html.

 

"After the N90s, two new cameras, the N50 and the N70, were introduced, signaling the end of the Nx00x series: the N50 replaces the N4004s, the N70 replaces the N6006, and the N90(s) replaces the N8008(s). In spring 1995, Nikon planned to discontinue the N6006 and dropped its price from $400 to $350. But later that year, the price came back to $400, indicating that Nikon had changed its mind. In irony, one year later, Nikon USA started to offer $35 rebate for the N50 during September to December of 1996, and dropped the price of the N70 by about $100. Later, the rebate was increased to $75 from January 1997, and extended to the N70, indicating that both cameras are going away. And N6006 stays and outlives its successor. "

I believe the N70 was meant to replace the N6006. The N90 was the N8008s replacement. Not sure what the original price of the N8008s was, but during the late 1990s', they were going for about $350-$400 in mint condition on ebay. That's when I bought mine, as the N90s bodies were still around $675 new. Looking at an issue of Popular Photography from Dec. 1996, there is a B&H ad with a (new) N6006 priced at $399.95. In their used section, they listed an N8008s in (9) condition for $599 & an N8008 in (9) condition for $500.

 

Times change. Last year, I bought another N8008s in mint condition for $70 on the auction site. And an N90s that looked like it had never been used before, for $115. Call me a dinosaur, but I still like film.

Mamiya 645E w/80mm f/2.8, 55mm f/2.8, & 150mm f/3.5 N lenses. Total cost for a mint outfit should be no more than $600. The 645E has an excellent built-in meter, aperture-priority exposure + manual exposure, a bright viewfinder, & an adjustable diopter. The camera with those 3 lenses is also fairly lightweight & will only require a PX28 battery, which should last you a few years.

I have a Contax 645 Kit and find it to be a superb walkaround outfit. The body w/standard lens is not really any heavier than my N1 w/24-85mm lens. One of the best things about it, as a walkaround camera, is the superb mirror damping. You can shoot this thing handheld at fairly low shutter speeds and still get very sharp pictures. I also have a Hasselblad 500c/m & Rollei 6008 and find that there are more vibrations associated with those cameras. The Rollei 6000 system, in particular, is a brick. Zeiss all the way, though.

I had the Canon 5D a couple of years ago. For portraits, it could probably replace your 500c/m at 16x20. For landscapes, I would say no. I still have my 500c/m, BTW.

Stephen, I've been seriously thinking about the CFV back for my 500c/m. And was wondering if it would be possible for you to post a landscape picture (the same scene) taken with the CFV back and the same shot taken with 50-100 ASA film in the A12. 100% crops of foliage would be ideal. I am already convinced that it would suffice for portraits, but was wondering how it would handle small fine detail. Thanks.

I have had the same experience with the 45mm C, Cs, & N. The 35mm lens is even softer on the edges. Here's one I took with the 45mm Cs:

 

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5187254-lg.jpg

 

And one I took with the 35mm C:

 

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5593487-lg.jpg

 

I agree that the 55mm lens is very sharp from corner-to-corner. Other Mamiya 645 lenses that I have found to be very sharp are the 70mm Leaf-Shutter & 110mm f/2.8.

$350 is a fair price for a 35mm N lens in mint condition. A 45mm N lens should fetch around $225-$250 for one in the same shape. Here's one I took with my Mamiya 45mm lens.

 

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5187254-lg.jpg

I have had both versions, N & C. I did not find much difference between either version, and found them both to be a little soft. However, for the price & field of view covered, they are pretty good buys. I would try to find an N version, just because they are newer and will potentially have fewer problems. Typical problems with the older lenses will be stiff focusing helicoids due to old, hardened grease, haze, & front element separation. That having been said, I still have my C version. Here's a pic I took with it last year.

 

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5593487-lg.jpg

Lots of distortion with the 37mm lens, and a bit soft in the corners. The 50mm is quite a bit sharper, assuming you get a good copy. Look for as recent a model as you can get. It is a very versatile lens. As for the fisheye, here is one I took with it:

 

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5604858-lg.jpg