[Edmunds]

I find the 45-85mm and 80-160mm zooms to be too heavy.


I use the FA 35mm and FA 75mm, and sometimes add the FA 150mm.

[Kristian Wolfe]

Does anyone know if I can use the SMC Pentax-D FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL on my Pentax 645NII? It looks like the 55mm F2.8 AL lens doesn't have an aperture ring and was made for digital 645 bodies. If I somehow can use this lens on my 645NII, how would i control the aperture and focus? Also, very important, would I be able to use this lens in BULB mode? (I ask because I shoot a lot of night photography with long exposures.)

Much appreciated, as always,

Kris

[Edmunds]

Does anyone know if I can use the SMC Pentax-D FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL on my Pentax 645NII? It looks like the 55mm F2.8 AL lens doesn't have an aperture ring and was made for digital 645 bodies. If I somehow can use this lens on my 645NII, how would i control the aperture and focus? Also, very important, would I be able to use this lens in BULB mode? (I ask because I shoot a lot of night photography with long exposures.)

Much appreciated, as always,

Kris

You can mount it, but its unusable. There is no aperture control.

One of my biggest disappointments with Pentax 645 was how incompatible the digital and analog systems were. Even though its the same mount, due to the crop factor and lack of aperture rings they ended up being two different standalone systems for me.

[Denver]

Hi
I find that I use the 45-85 the most, then the 80-160. I have the 35A, 150-300FA, and 400FA. I like them all but the first two listed are my workhorse lenses. I use them on my Nii and Z and am always pleased with the results even when shooting Infrared.

Herb

[Kristian Wolfe]

I have the FA 45-85mm F4.5, the FA 80-160mm F4.5, and the FA 75mm F2.8. I wanted to use the FA 75mm F2.8 as a walk around lens, but the focal length is too telephoto for me.

That's why I so wanted to get the Pentax-D FA 55mm F2.8 AL for my 645NII. Someone mentioned in another thread that DFA 55mm F2.8 AL would work with my 645NII - SMC Pentax-D FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW on 645 Film Bodies - PentaxForums.com - but Edmunds above said that there's no real way I can use it with my 645NII. I'm really, really disappointed if that's the case. Here's what the description of the DFA 55mm F2.8 AL says:

"The lens covers the full 645 format and can thus be used on 645 film cameras as well as on 645 digital cameras.

The lens has a built-in motor (SDM) for the autofocus function. On a 645 film camera the lens can be used in manual focus mode only, and only in P and Tv exposure modes due to the lack of an aperture ring."

I assume this means this lens will work only on the original Pentax 645 film camera only?

I do, however, have my SMC 67 prime lenses that I apparently can adapt - 45mm F4, 55mm F4, 105mm F2.4 - but I'm not sure if they would be better than the FA 45-85mm F4/FA 80-16mm F4 zooms that I have for my 645NII.

Can anyone chime in on this? Should I just adapt my SMC 67 55mm F/4 to my 645NII, or should I be looking at the Pentax-A 645 55mm F2.8? Lens sharpness would definitely be a priority here.

Many thanks to you guys ahead of time!

[asahijock]

You should get a newer DFA 55 mm f/2.8 AL instead of the older A 55 mm f/2.8. The A lens is far from being bad but the new DFA is superior in resolution and color rendition, plus it has Auto-focus.

DFA 55 mm f/2.8 AL

A 55 mm f/2.8

According to my understanding of the lens reviews it looks as if the DFA with its in-built lens focus will not autofocus on the P645N or NII Am I correct in this and what other limitations does the DFA 55 have in terms of its use on a P645N or NII?

Thanks

asahijock

[TDvN57]

Any reason you would not consider the FA 45mm as an alternative?

[RICHARD L.]

Should I be looking at the Pentax-A 645 55mm F2.8?

The older 645 A 55mm f/2.8 is really inexpensive and is quite sharp but I found my copy lacked "detail-gathering ability" for infinity compositions. However it is amazingly good for mid-distance subjects, has high contrast and renders beautiful colors. It is light and produces a bright viewfinder image, making it easy to focus. Pay a little more maybe but get a "like-new" copy if you can, as some of those offered used on eBay have seen better days.

f/11 is the optimim aperture.


---------- Post added 02-01-23 at 03:23 PM ----------

If you already have a P67 55 mm f/4, then you know it is one of the best lenses available for medium-format Pentax cameras. The genuine Pentax "67 to 645" adapter permits autoexposure in Av mode but focusing may be a little harder (f/4). It can be used practically at any aperture opening and the pictures it produces on the 645 format have no equal. The adapter will cost between 150 to 200 US dollars, about the same cost as a used 645 A 55mm f/2.8.

the P67 55 mm f/4 is a "über lens".

[Kristian Wolfe]

The older 645 A 55mm f/2.8 is really inexpensive and is quite sharp but I found my copy lacked "detail-gathering ability" for infinity compositions. However it is amazingly good for mid-distance subjects, has high contrast and renders beautiful colors. It is light and produces a bright viewfinder image, making it easy to focus. Pay a little more maybe but get a "like-new" copy if you can, as some of those offered used on eBay have seen better days.

f/11 is the optimim aperture.


---------- Post added 02-01-23 at 03:23 PM ----------

If you already have a P67 55 mm f/4, then you know it is one of the best lenses available for medium-format Pentax cameras. The genuine Pentax "67 to 645" adapter permits autoexposure in Av mode but focusing may be a little harder (f/4). It can be used practically at any aperture opening and the pictures it produces on the 645 format have no equal. The adapter will cost between 150 to 200 US dollars, about the same cost as a used 645 A 55mm f/2.8.

the P67 55 mm f/4 is a "über lens".

Since I apparently can't use the DFA 55mm F2.8 AL on my 645NII using bulb mode, which is incredibly dissappointing as I do a lot of long-exposure night photography a la Todd Hido, I guess the questions now become:

-Should I just make do with my P645 FA 45-85mm F4.5 that I already own? (It's an autofocus zoom, so I don't know how sharp this lens compares to the two prime 55mm lenses mentioned below.)
-Should I purchase the P645-A 55mm F2.8 as it's lighter and a few stops brighter? (Being an older lens, I honestly don't know how this stacks up against the newer FA 45-85mm F4.5 or the SMC P67 55mm F4 in terms of sharpness.)
-Or should I get a genuine, newish P67 to P645 Adapter like Richard L. mentioned above and attach my SMC P67 55mm F4 to my 645NII, particularly if my SMC P67 55mm F4 is the sharpest of these 3 lenses?

Without sounding like I'm overthinking it (which I likely am), basically what I'm asking you more experienced shooters is which of these lenses will be most useful as a walk-around lens and has the ability to render maximum edge-to-edge sharpness for late-in-the-day/night photography (which I always shoot using a tripod)? 55mm is my preferred focal length for 645 film, by far, so a 55mm lens would stay attached for 75% of my photographs. I just have to pick the right one!

Thank you guys for the help and suggestions!

[TDvN57]

Since I apparently can't use the DFA 55mm F2.8 AL on my 645NII using bulb mode, which is incredibly dissappointing as I do a lot of long-exposure night photography a la Todd Hido, I guess the questions now become:

-Should I just make do with my P645 FA 45-85mm F4.5 that I already own? (It's an autofocus zoom, so I don't know how sharp this lens compares to the two prime 55mm lenses mentioned below.)
-Should I purchase the P645-A 55mm F2.8 as it's lighter and a few stops brighter? (Being an older lens, I honestly don't know how this stacks up against the newer FA 45-85mm F4.5 or the SMC P67 55mm F4 in terms of sharpness.)
-Or should I get a genuine, newish P67 to P645 Adapter like Richard L. mentioned above and attach my SMC P67 55mm F4 to my 645NII, particularly if my SMC P67 55mm F4 is the sharpest of these 3 lenses?

Without sounding like I'm overthinking it (which I likely am), basically what I'm asking you more experienced shooters is which of these lenses will be most useful as a walk-around lens and has the ability to render maximum edge-to-edge sharpness for late-in-the-day/night photography (which I always shoot using a tripod)? 55mm is my preferred focal length for 645 film, by far, so a 55mm lens would stay attached for 75% of my photographs. I just have to pick the right one!

Thank you guys for the help and suggestions!

In my understanding the DFA lenses should work on the Nii except for focus. It would be a mis-match because you pay a lot of extra money for the DFA lens with water proofing and some with shake reduction, and mount it on a non-weather proof camera (Nii).

Honestly, I think all of the lenses mentioned so far will give you great results. The definition of what is "sharp" for the practical photographer is a very wide deifnition. For the pixel peeper it can never be good enough, and for the few that has the expertise and the equipment to do a technical evaluation of a lens, it is a clinical result.

If I may make a suggestion, it would be to redirect your desire for perfection into the other aspects of creating a great picture. The sharpness will come by itself if you start with an inherently great system, and you desitre the perfect elements of a great picture. Wasn't it Ansel Adams that said something about sharp but bad pictures versus great but not so sharp pictures?

[RICHARD L.]

Should I just make do with my P645 FA 45-85mm F4.5 that I already own?

Since you already own this FA 45-85 mm f/4.5 zoom, start taking pictures with it and stop anguishing over the situation.

Using a solid tripod (to avoid shake) and middle apertures (around f/8 to f/16), you should be able to produce great images.

Worry about acquiring new lenses only when you know what your present lenses can and can't do.

Best Regards


P.S. The P67 55 mm f/4 is not a "walk around" lens. It is big (stout) and must be respected as the superior optics it is when used properly.

[kaseki]

... Wasn't it Ansel Adams that said something about sharp but bad pictures versus great but not so sharp pictures?

I believe the quote was "There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept" [taken from someone's signature here, I think, and mounted where I can see it daily].

[RICHARD L.]

I don't think the 645 A 55 mm f/2.8 can take better "LANDSCAPE" images than either the 645 FA 45-85 mm f/4.5 or the P67 55 mm f/4 late model (combining good light, critical focus, solid support and middle apertures). First learn how to use your 645 FA zoom, then get a '67 to 645' adapter (just my suggestion).

Regards

[Ed Hurst]

Since I apparently can't use the DFA 55mm F2.8 AL on my 645NII using bulb mode, which is incredibly dissappointing as I do a lot of long-exposure night photography a la Todd Hido, I guess the questions now become:

-Should I just make do with my P645 FA 45-85mm F4.5 that I already own? (It's an autofocus zoom, so I don't know how sharp this lens compares to the two prime 55mm lenses mentioned below.)
-Should I purchase the P645-A 55mm F2.8 as it's lighter and a few stops brighter? (Being an older lens, I honestly don't know how this stacks up against the newer FA 45-85mm F4.5 or the SMC P67 55mm F4 in terms of sharpness.)
-Or should I get a genuine, newish P67 to P645 Adapter like Richard L. mentioned above and attach my SMC P67 55mm F4 to my 645NII, particularly if my SMC P67 55mm F4 is the sharpest of these 3 lenses?

Without sounding like I'm overthinking it (which I likely am), basically what I'm asking you more experienced shooters is which of these lenses will be most useful as a walk-around lens and has the ability to render maximum edge-to-edge sharpness for late-in-the-day/night photography (which I always shoot using a tripod)? 55mm is my preferred focal length for 645 film, by far, so a 55mm lens would stay attached for 75% of my photographs. I just have to pick the right one!

Thank you guys for the help and suggestions!

I think the zoom you already own is a good walkaround lens. For those times when you want maximum resolution, I'd get the late model 67 55mm f4 (assuming you cannot use the DFA properly for some reason). I have found the late 67 55mm and the DFA 55mm to be equally good, though in different ways. The 67 is slightly superior in rendering distant detail and the DFA at close to mid-range detail. The DFA is faster and smaller. But really, it's nitpicking; both of these 55's are first rate and will beat the 45-85 zoom in a pixel peeping contest. That said, at 55mm the zoom is good too (less so at the long end).

I'd discount the 55 A lens.

I would be interested to know for sure why the DFA can't be used on the 645NII for long exposures. I had thought it was only the autofocus that you lose. Is it something to do with not being able to set the aperture on the body in Bulb mode?

[Kristian Wolfe]

All good points by Richard, Theuns, and Ed. I knew that I'm essentially overthinking it. All the above mentioned lenses - the P645 FA 45-85mm F4.5, the P67 55mm F/4 (latest version), and even the P645-A 55mm F2.8 - will give me great results, I'm sure. As much as I might sound like a pixel peeper, I'm not, otherwise I'd just shoot digital.

Regarding what Ed said, I'd like to also definitively know that I can't use the DFA 55mm AL for long exposures, but probably because I've wanted this lens for so long for my 645NII that I'm holding out some sliver of hope that it's somehow possible to do long exposures in Bulb mode yet still have control over the aperture. Nonetheless, as I understand it and was pointed out to me in the DFA 55mm AL lens description on this forum, the only modes you can use with this lens on a 645 film body is P (Auto) or Tv (Shutter Priority), on top of being manual focus only. I can live with all of that, but I can't live without being able to adjust the aperture in Bulb mode. I suspect, yet can't prove, that if one tried to use Bulb mode with the DFA 55mm AL on their 645 film body, the aperture would just be stuck at F2.8... Does anyone know?

Considering that I've used my FA 45-85mm for about two years now, I have a pretty good handle of it and understanding of what it can and can't do. What it can't do well for me is serve as a good walk around lens, like the FA 75mm F2.8 can. The P645NII with the FA 45-85mm is like a 'Pentax 67 with a 55-100mm Lite,' which means that it's still too heavy to comfortably run-and-gun and use as a walk around for any extended period of time like I can with the FA 75mm attached, which I can walk around all day with. While I love using the FA 75mm (about a 50mm equivalent in 35mm), it's definitely a bit too long for me as a walk around. My ideal focal length has always been 55mm (aproximately 34mm on 35mm full-frame cameras) and, according to the typed out data on the film negatives I've had processed after using the FA 45-85mm (thanks P645NII!), it seems that I almost exclusively use only the 55mm focal length, which is why I was so keen on getting the DFA 55mm AL.

Since I've had the SMC P67 55mm F4 (late model) for 3 years now and don't really use it as often on my Pentax 67II (I have the 55-100mm on it), it probably makes far more sense for me to just get the P67-to-P645 adapter and use said P67 55mm F/4 lens as both a walk around lens as well as a night photography lens. I suppose I can probably get away with shooting the P67 55mm F4 lens wide open on my P645NII without worrying about fuzzy corners as I'd be getting the center crop of the 6x7 image circle, or rather the "sweet spot."