Jump to content

jorge

PhotoNet Pro
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,991

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by jorge

    What type of lenses fit the Mamiya 645 1000s?

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    Hello, 645 experts!

     

    A good friend gave me an orphaned Mamiya 645 1000s with PD prism to place some

    Pentacon Six lenses (Carl Zeiss Jena and Arsat) that were themselves orphaned

    when the P6 camera gave the ghost, and I have gathering dust in my camera cabinet.

     

    The 1000s comes with an adapter for the P6 lenses but these can only be used in

    stop down model and are somewhat of a hassle to use. Seeing that manual focus

    Mamiya 645 lenses are at unbelievable low prices, I want to get some for the

    1000s, but I am at a loss as to what lenses can be used with this camera. A

    quick browse in KEH showed at least three or four types in the same focal length

    and aperture, some of them with no suffix, and others suffixed N, N/L, A N/L LS,

    S, LS, A, A M, M S, C, etc, etc...

     

    Can someone tell me which lenses will work with my camera and which won't? Also,

    is there an explanation to the Mamiya lens nomenclature somewhere?

     

    I've been searching the archives here and also the Mamiya website but cannot dig

    anything to give me a clue, although I did find the manual for the camera in PDF

    format, but it doesn't say what lenses are intended for it.

     

    Also, supposing I get a basic three lens set including a moderate WA, a normal

    and a portrait/landscape tele, say 45~55, 80 and 150~200, what should I look for

    and what are the dogs to avoid? The prices go from the ridiculously low to the

    outrageously high. I'm amazed that there are some 80's offered for less than $30.

     

    The camera is practically new and works beautifully. I'd hate not to put it to

    its full potential.

     

    Thanks in advance for your help.

    Instruction booklet

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    Marco,

    <br><br>

    You can download an instruction manual for the 645 Pro TL camera from the <a href="http://www.mamiya.com/">Mamiya site</a> in PDF format. It includes some references to the attachment and use of the FE401 AE prism.

    <br><br>

    <a href="http://www.mamiya.com/assets/pdfs/645/645_Pro_TL_v8.pdf">This is the link to the PDF manual for the camera</a>.

    <br><br>

    A comment; the Mamiya website doesn't like some browsers, specifically Firefox. I was going in circles for ages until I found that there's a link panel on the left side of the main page that simply doesn't display in Firefox. MSIE was OK.

    Rangefinder issue with M4-2

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Louis, I'm really far from the UK (in Mexico) but I just had my MP rangefinder adjusted --maybe I should say <i>repaired</i>- after a bad accident where I dropped it from a 7 meter height. This was done in the US by a friend of a friend and the cost of the job was US$75. This, while not necessarily akin to the prices in the UK, should give you an idea.

    <br><br>

    OTOH, I believe that RF adjustment, specially if it's only a small one was a DIY job up to the M6. Actually, I believe that even the MP can be adjusted by the user and that's the purpose of the screw bsides the frame illuminator window -for the vertical adjustment. The infinity and close focus adjustments are done -I believe- by means of the two flatheaded screws in the RF follower arm and roller, just inside the lens mount.

    <br><br>

    While I was writing the above paragraph I remembered where to look for the instructions, the <a href="http://nemeng.com/leica/034b.shtml">Andy Nemeth Leica FAQ</a>. Just click on the link for the instructions. It sounds very simple; I'd try it myself before spending any ££.

    Is it possible to convert M2 button rewind to lever rw?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Dear Fer,

     

    I'll be in Uruapan tomorrow. I'll explain there. Much easier to show you the camera than to try to write an explanation. Suffice to say that the button rewind type M2 was produced by Leica for a brief period and the design is faulty. They reverted to the classic lever rewind and have kept that design forever since (except the M8 of course, as it is digital).

     

    Thanks for the offer on the Loctite. I think I'll need a small drop of the lightest type but you're the engineer so I'll abide by your reco. Also, maybe you have in your shop a tool that helps me mount the assembly with sufficient torque so I can forget about it until the next service of the camera.

     

    You don't know this camera; I believe you're acquainted only with my MP and M6, but I'm talking about a wee skinny screw that goes on the center of a *rotating* shaft about 3mm in diameter that needs to be kept static while you torque the screw. The button itself is spring-loaded so if/when the screw becomes loose, the whole assembly will jump a couple of meters off the camera.

     

    See ya,

     

    --coco.

    Is it possible to convert M2 button rewind to lever rw?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Ken, many thanks for the heads up! Actually, being a car dealer, I was planning on asking the shop manager for advice. I believe we use some kind of cyanoacrilate that VW recommends, probably some Würth® stuff. I know from experience that it has a relatively low resistance to lateral (cut) force but very high to transversal (pull) force. <br><br>In any case, you are quite right, I want to go extremely easy with this stuff. I'd hate to lock the rewind function of the camera in either position forever! :-)

    Is it possible to convert M2 button rewind to lever rw?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Doug H.,

     

    I doubt that without specialized tools it would be an easy job to remove the advance lever without marring the retaining ring. Besides, the rubber gasket you mention might be, on one end, a simple o-ring that you may find in any hardware store or, on the other end, a dedicated part available only from dedicated Leica repair shops; hardly a typical DIY job. Certainly nothing I'd venture to tackle without a repair manual with good schematics and the proper tools.

     

    I'd suggest to go the safe ways, either DAG or Sherry Krauter.

    Is it possible to convert M2 button rewind to lever rw?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Just got a reply from DAG. He has the spare part so I'll be able to fix the camera as soon as MexPost pleases :-( OTOH, Don says that the conversion to lever is extremely difficult and the needed parts scarce so I'll be leaving this as is. What I'll do is make sure that the %$#&*~ button is truly tight next time and probably put a drop of locktite on it (I hope I won't freeze the rewind this way). The M4 takeup conversion is $145 and probably worth every penny, seeing that the QL kits go for $100 and are scarcer than commemorative Leicas.

    Is it possible to convert M2 button rewind to lever rw?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Ray, my MP is in transit from a rangefinder adjustment. The M6 is good but I need two bodies. I've wrote to DAG. Do you have Sherry K?s email?

     

    Rob, I've checked KEH, they have an M2R (lever, ST and M4 take-up spool) but they want "just" $1950 for it. I guess that's because of the collectability of this model. In any case, economicallywise your suggestion might be the best. I've failed to find a QL kit but eventually one will surface, in the meanwhile, I can find a good M2 with lever rewind for about $700. Nevertheless, I'll have to get that darned rewind button. I'm crossing my fingers to be able to find one.

    Is it possible to convert M2 button rewind to lever rw?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Today the rewind button assembly of my early M2 catapulted itself unnoticed by

    me while on the street. This is the second time it's happened to me and while

    I've already sent an inquiry for the part to DAG <crossing fingers>, what I'd

    really like to do is convert this camera to lever rewind and at the same time

    get a M4 style film take-up spool.

     

    Does anyone know if this is feasible?

     

    This camera is an excellent shooter, just had a CLA and is very well cared

    for. Actually I feel more comfortable with it than with my MP or M6. Thus, I'd

    like to keep it as useable as possible.

     

    Thanks for any feedback.

    Which would you get, M3 or M6 and why ?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    I find strange that only one mentioned the M2 as a viable alternative. The M2's are in many aspects much more convenient than the M3's and are easy to find in good condition.

     

    The M2 plusses over the M3:

     

    1. 35mm frame. You will eventually want one; not for nothing it has become the most popular length for Leicas. The googled 35's are expensive and not very good. The view through the googles is dismal and using an external finder is, to put it in mild words, a PITA.

     

    2. The cleanest finder ever. The M6 finder, tho convenient can at times be confusing, specially the middle 50/75 pair. Besides, the M6 frames have "conservative" views, meaning that they cut a good portion of the infinity view to allow for close-up framing. A trade-off.

     

    3. Can be retrofitted with an M4 pick-up spool. The M3 can't (you have to pull the take up spool to reset the film counter).

     

    4. Not at all lower in quality to the M3. Probably don't have the complex assembly of the former but they hold as well as the best. My Button Rewind M2 is turning fifty and works as well or better than my Wetzlar M6 or my MP. Simple to work on.

     

    5. You don't really need that M3 135mm frame. Who shoots teles with RF's anyway?

     

    My vote, get a Lever Rewind M2. Cheaper than an M3 by 30% or more and all the Leica you'll ever need. (Meter? Get a $200 VC Meter II. Superb).

     

    Good luck with your choice.

    Wait for the summicron or get a Voigt?

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Get a used CV Ultron Aspherical 35/1.7. For all purposes every bit as good as the Summicron 35/2 pre-ASPH (4th gen) and at 1/3 or less the price of the former --I've seen them for as low as $190.

     

    Don't get for any reason the old model CV Color-Skopar 35/2.5 in any of the two configurations (Classic or Pancake), they are shabbily built. OTOH, I've heard very good comments on the CV Color Skopar P-II, both in build as optically.

     

    I used a Color Skopar Classic 35/2.5 with my Leica IIIf for some time. Optically it was quite good, and probably the most comma-free lens I've ever used. Also adequately resistant to flare and with a flat field. It, however, practically came apart all by himself after some two years of not too hard use so I cannot recommend their build quality.

     

    I'm still undecided if I really need a 35 for my LTM cameras. In that case it will have to be the Ultron, practically the only option for LTM cameras. As of now, I have for my LTM cameras an old uncoated Elmar 5cm f/3,5 that gives very "romantic" pics. :-)

    50mm voigtlander

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    PS, let me state that I have quite a few 50's to compare the Color Skopar 50 with, and I don't find it lacking: among others, a pre-asph Summicron, a Nokton, a Zeiss Ikon Tessar f/3.5, a Schneider Xenon f/2, a Nikkor AiS 1.4 and a 1.8, a Super Takumar 1.4 and a Super-Multi-Coated (not SMC) Takumar 1.4. You may say I'm a 50's fan... :-)

    50mm voigtlander

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    David, it is possible that the CV 50/2.5 has an erratic quality control and you really have a lemon.

     

    I have one in chrome and it is quite good optically. I don't go shooting resolution targets with the camera tied to an anvil but my 11x14's are sharp and with lots of fine detail, as well as my 5400 ppi film scans. I must explain also that I seldom shoot fine grained film and that most of my leica use is with B&W ISO400 film. When I feel the urge to shoot color I grab a digital.

     

    On the other hand, compared to the Nokton, the Color Skopar 50 does show a more "round" look (is it unsharpness?) but much better "atmosphere". I'm sorry for the untechnical descriptions but, put in other words, the Color Skopar is more akin to an old Summicron 50 than to a present generation one.

     

    In any case, if Lucas wants *sharp* and contrasty, I guess the new CV 50/2 Heliar at $549 is an extremely good buy. I don't have one but Pop Photo raved about it, or, in any case, the Nokton 50/1.5 is a superb performer and also very well built, just suffering from horrible bokeh.

    Junk, dump, trash, refuse, etc...

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    Sergio wrote: <i>>>These images are pure trash<<</i>

    <br><br>

    When one makes that kind of statement, it goes better if substantiated with a portfolio to show. I looked your's up... couldn't find but technical posts. Hmmm, well, I guess some people just like the mechanical features of cameras; who said they had to be used, anyway?<br><br>

    <b>Alternative reply:</b>

    <br><br>

    <i>>>These images are pure trash<<</i>

    That's what the thread title says, no?<br><br>

    BTW, I omitted "<u>garbage</u>". Too many words for something that in my language has just one term: "basura".

×
×
  • Create New...