Best 645 zoom?

steve perry · 12-05-2010, 07:48 AM

OK, I'm starting to see a 645D in my future. I'd like to get a zoom for it, and I might start getting lenses while I wait for the camera to become available.

So, my question is this - which of the 645 zooms is the sharpest, best regarded lens? I don't mind having some primes in the mix, but the more spaces I can fill in with zooms, the better.

**yurihuta** · 12-05-2010, 10:28 AM

1. FA 45-85mm wonderful lens
2. FA 80-160mm also a wonderful lens
These are the two that I have the most experience with and highly recomend.

Smolk · 12-05-2010, 06:34 PM

I have the FA 45-85 mm too and it's a very very good lens. Heavy though—it's glass and metal. AF works great, sharpness is excellent, so are colours. I believe the A version is optically identical. It might be an attractive option, but you'll need to locate the hood and I'm not sure how A-zooms work on the 645D. If it is similar to M-zooms on the APS-C cameras, that's not so convenient. But then again, there's no shake reduction on the 645D, so perhaps less need for the camera to know exactly what focal length is mounted.
I do not have any experience with the other zooms.

ndevlin · 12-06-2010, 08:04 AM

Both of the zooms you mention are good lenses. The 45-85mm is very good on the wider end. (It was every bit as good as a Phasemiya fixed 45mm in our little test.) At 80mm it is fine, but slightly weaker than the 75mm or the 80-160mm.

The 80-160 is also good. My original one has a mechanical problem. I now own Yuri's used one as well, and it performs very nicely.

The 55-110 is a sleeper, imho. It's like half the weight of the 45-85. Not as flexible a range and slower (and really needs to be stoped down a bit), but it hardly weighs more than a 35mm kit-lens.

"A" zooms would work just fine. The only problem is focussing. It's harder than you think.

btw, I spent most of my day yesterday running every lens I own through the Lens Align and trying to use the Fine Focus adjustment to set them right. All required some adjustment, some a LOT. Different versions of the same lens take different adjustments. None of this is surprising, and is the same for most other systems as well, btw. But ti does suggest one needs to careful test and calibrate your system.

- N.

**blackcloudbrew** · 12-06-2010, 09:01 AM

Originally posted by ndevlin

...
btw, I spent most of my day yesterday running every lens I own through the Lens Align and trying to use the Fine Focus adjustment to set them right. All required some adjustment, some a LOT. Different versions of the same lens take different adjustments. None of this is surprising, and is the same for most other systems as well, btw. But ti does suggest one needs to careful test and calibrate your system.

- N.

By this you mean your 645 lenses. Were you aligning them on a 645D? If not could you explain a bit more on this?

TIA

ndevlin · 12-06-2010, 09:46 AM

Yes, the 645 FA lenses. The best explanation going is here:

Luminous landscape

The Fine Focus adjustment on the 645D (and the K series cameras and many other systems) is meant to provide a way to rectify the system mis-alignments described in the article.

The LensAlign is just a handy device fro doing this.

Let me nkow if this answers your questions.

- N.

**blackcloudbrew** · 12-06-2010, 10:04 AM

Yes that answers my question. Thanks.

12-05-2010, 07:48 AM	#1
steve perry New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 9	Best 645 zoom? OK, I'm starting to see a 645D in my future. I'd like to get a zoom for it, and I might start getting lenses while I wait for the camera to become available. So, my question is this - which of the 645 zooms is the sharpest, best regarded lens? I don't mind having some primes in the mix, but the more spaces I can fill in with zooms, the better.

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12-05-2010, 10:28 AM	#2
yurihuta Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Washington DC, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 632	1. FA 45-85mm wonderful lens 2. FA 80-160mm also a wonderful lens These are the two that I have the most experience with and highly recomend.

12-05-2010, 06:34 PM	#3
Smolk Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Eerbeek Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,857	I have the FA 45-85 mm too and it's a very very good lens. Heavy though—it's glass and metal. AF works great, sharpness is excellent, so are colours. I believe the A version is optically identical. It might be an attractive option, but you'll need to locate the hood and I'm not sure how A-zooms work on the 645D. If it is similar to M-zooms on the APS-C cameras, that's not so convenient. But then again, there's no shake reduction on the 645D, so perhaps less need for the camera to know exactly what focal length is mounted. I do not have any experience with the other zooms.

12-06-2010, 08:04 AM	#4
ndevlin Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 132	Both of the zooms you mention are good lenses. The 45-85mm is very good on the wider end. (It was every bit as good as a Phasemiya fixed 45mm in our little test.) At 80mm it is fine, but slightly weaker than the 75mm or the 80-160mm. The 80-160 is also good. My original one has a mechanical problem. I now own Yuri's used one as well, and it performs very nicely. The 55-110 is a sleeper, imho. It's like half the weight of the 45-85. Not as flexible a range and slower (and really needs to be stoped down a bit), but it hardly weighs more than a 35mm kit-lens. "A" zooms would work just fine. The only problem is focussing. It's harder than you think. btw, I spent most of my day yesterday running every lens I own through the Lens Align and trying to use the Fine Focus adjustment to set them right. All required some adjustment, some a LOT. Different versions of the same lens take different adjustments. None of this is surprising, and is the same for most other systems as well, btw. But ti does suggest one needs to careful test and calibrate your system. - N.

12-06-2010, 09:01 AM	#5
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	Originally posted by ndevlin ... btw, I spent most of my day yesterday running every lens I own through the Lens Align and trying to use the Fine Focus adjustment to set them right. All required some adjustment, some a LOT. Different versions of the same lens take different adjustments. None of this is surprising, and is the same for most other systems as well, btw. But ti does suggest one needs to careful test and calibrate your system. - N. By this you mean your 645 lenses. Were you aligning them on a 645D? If not could you explain a bit more on this? TIA

12-06-2010, 09:46 AM	#6
ndevlin Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 132	Yes, the 645 FA lenses. The best explanation going is here: Luminous landscape The Fine Focus adjustment on the 645D (and the K series cameras and many other systems) is meant to provide a way to rectify the system mis-alignments described in the article. The LensAlign is just a handy device fro doing this. Let me nkow if this answers your questions. - N.

12-06-2010, 10:04 AM	#7
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	Yes that answers my question. Thanks.

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