[MDR Foto]

Titale says it all, I'm a portrait photographer and I'm wondering if the 90mm is worth the mone? Is the performance a significant step up from the 120mm?

Thanks in advance

[Adam]

You get stabilization, an extra stop of light, and a closer working distance. The former shouldn't matter too much for serious macro work, but it does make hand-holding feasible.

In terms of image quality the 120mm definitely still holds its ground...

[BrunoL]

I own both the 645 90mm f2.8 and the 645 120mm f4. I asked myself the same question before buying the 90mm.

Aside from the extra stop of light, stabilization, and weather sealing, what stands out for me is the image quality (colour rendition/accuracy, micro contrast, sharpness, etc) of the 90mm. It is the best lens for resolving the outstanding 645Z sensor. I also own the 28-45mm and the 55mm, and the 90mm is the best of the three.

I also own the Zeiss Otus lenses (which I use on the D800E), and the 645 90mm f2.8 is the closest you can get to Otus quality in the Pentax system.

The 645 90mm is expensive and heavy though (which isn't an issue if you do studio work). If you own a 645D/Z and don't intend to jump ship, bite the bullet and see the purchase as a long-term investment.

That said, maybe try renting it first to see if the difference is really worth the extra $$$.

[zobeleye]

I have not tried it, but have the 120, new 55, new 35, both zooms, old 75 and tested the 28-45.
still on the edge about the 90.
on the lensdatabase, one guy is annoyed about the noise of the IS.
can you confirm that ?

[BostonUKshooter]

Titale says it all, I'm a portrait photographer and I'm wondering if the 90mm is worth the mone? Is the performance a significant step up from the 120mm?

Thanks in advance

The 90mm is an amazing lens....others already said it , but it's Otus standard , and IMHO not far off Phase One.....

[CarlG]

You know, you can never have too many lenses...

[gavincato]

i found the 120 to have very harsh bokeh at distance.

I don't own the 90 but have used it. It's pretty clear the 90 is the better all round performer. I suspect the 120 would outdo it in resolving power up very close, but is that really needed for portraits?

The 90 would already pull in so much detail you'd probably be softening head shots later on anyway.

[Gerd]

I should think about what you want to photograph with it?

The 90mm has an imaging scale of 1: 2 and a working distance of ~ 42mm.

The 120mm has an imaging scale of 1: 1 and a working distance of ~ 39mm.

I also have both lenses. In the macro area or in the product photography in the studio, with appropriate light, I very rarely need a min. Aperture of 2.8. The 90mm is the better allrounder.

Greeting Gerd

[zobeleye]

About the sound of the stabilizer...
anybody ???

[Ristretto]

The 90mm is superb: Sharpness, microcontrast, image quality at 2.8 etc.

And no issues with noise of IS for me so far

[Bob L]

Mine's no noisier than any of my Canon IS lenses and quieter than most of them.

Bob

[2351HD]

I found the IS on mine to be useless and used the lens without it on, getting better results.

I have since sold it and use an FA 80-160 at the same focal length for landscape work and the results are largely similar when stopped down.

Bring on a new 90-180mm lens please Pentax??????

[Pioneer]

I use the 645D. If I upgrade to the Z I may change my mind on some of this.

I own the 120 and have found it to be an excellent lens. I do very little true macro but what little I do is done off of a tripod, and often with lights. My 120 is very hard to beat and I have no need for any image stabilization.

For portrait work I prefer the 150. It is more than sharp enough, sometimes it is too sharp. Again, a lot of the work I do with this lens is also off of a tripod so it is very competent and shake reduction is not an issue.

I rented the 90 for a week, and I do like it...a lot. But I cannot justify the cost at this point. If I absolutely had to have the additional resolution for a specific shot then I would rent it, but I wouldn't use it all the time anyway so not owning it is not a problem.

As someone else has said, evaluate the work you are currently doing, how big you have to print or how much you have to crop, and then rent it to determine if it provides value for you.

For my workflow the value wasn't there. Since I have no plans to upgrade to the Z anytime soon I decided I had better things to spend that money on. YMMV

[rfkiii]

I can't speak to a comparison, but the IQ of a copy of the legacy 120 I bought off eBay from a Japanese dealer is passable but does not match up IQ-wise with the newly released 645 lenses I own, the 28-45 & 55. I would expect the same quality out of the 90mm although this isn't a focal length I would use enough to get 3-4 grand worth of use out of. I use my Canon 5DsR for macro anyway, macro accounting for about 10 per cent of my total output.

[672]

the 90mm lets me shoot further into the darkness...... plus all the great stuff listed by others above.