kenny_chiu1

In your case, save your money and buy a Pentax lens. The adapter

seems very expesive if you want to fit Kiev/p-six lenses to your Pentax 645 body.

In general, uncoated lenses are good for available light and flash

photograph. The flare will show if you shot your subjects in shadow

or indoor and has a strong back light.

I second the TLR approach. TLR is good for general photograph for human being. If you will use flash a lot, TLR is your choice. For

dynamic subjects or in dim light condition, I always prefocus and use

the 'sport' view finder to shoot when using my Rolleiflex TLR. 6x6

format is also good if you are going to do your own darkroom works.

good luck.

I have used the Kiev 30/3.5 lens for 1 year. My lese is marked 'Arsat'(as I remember). May be Kiev renamed some of their lenses in recent years. I bought it in USA with much higher price. It is a good lens and it is the only reason that I still use my Kiev 60. The

lens has a metal body (may be for all Kiev lenses). Easy to focus (not too tight or loose). The lens came with a balck nylon case and

4 small filters (back mount) for B&W. May be no color correction filters avilable. The lens is NOT mulicoated. Flare control is OK to good. I have shot the winter sun (60 deg. above horizon) in a partial cloudy day. No ghosting and the flare just not noticeable. The flare shows if you have bright sky and next to it is a dark object like woods or black hair but I don't see that is a problem.

Over all it is good lens. I have more pictures on the wall taken with this lens than that by all other lenses combined. The biggest

problem of this lens is not the lens itself but the camera. My Kiev 60 camera do not have MLU. It will bulr my image at lower speed. The flash with this lens is also good. Probably a single flash cannot cover the angle of coverage of this lens. Using this lens is fun and you will see a 'different' world. Good luck.

Hand held TLR is easy for portrait. I alway use the largest aperture

and 400 asa film and get the highest speed I could get (the strap is

useful to stable your camera). For other subject if the DOF is important you may blur the foreground and get the highest shutter speed as possible. In the final print just cropping the unwanted foreground. Also knee and WL finder is good combination to stable your camera.

I have no comment on Exakta camera and lenses. When you doing medium format, you need a camera with mirror lockup or no mirror in the taken

lens path like a TLR camera. A good used Rolleiflex TLR will not disappoint you.

I have read an article regarding lens light fall off (vignetting) on internet. The author says that retrofocus lens design will reduce the lens vignetting. Almost all wide angle lenses for SLR medium format camera have retrofocus lens design, and non-retrofocus for

range finder cameras.

I would like to know the improvements of EXAKTA 66 model III from mdel II. Does anybody use this camera? Does it has mirror lockup?

How is lens quality of Schneider(Kreuznach) lens? Thanks in advance.