The Sekor C 24mm f/4 Fisheye for Mamiya 645 is undoubtedly one of the rarities in the system’s vast lens spectrum. In this article, I would like to share some details and photos of the lens.
There are only two fisheye lenses from Mamiya, the 24mm for the 645 series and the 37mm for the RB67/RZ67. While the latter can still be found in double-digit numbers on eBay, the 24mm is sometimes not available worldwide on eBay at all.
If you search for sample images or even experience reports, they are few and far between, so here are a few to start with. Almost all photos are from a friend of mine; you can find more images on his Instagram!
The lens, together with an M645, still fits well in the hand, although it becomes somewhat unwieldy on the larger Super/Pro bodies. While you rarely hang an M645 around your neck, doing so with the fisheye is absolutely uncomfortable due to the large front element. I usually carried it in a shoulder camera bag.
If you want to use the lens on a PhaseOne XF body, some metal behind the bayonet must be removed using a Dremel.
The look, with a 180° angle of view and a full-frame equivalent of 15mm, is typically fisheye. A lens to which the photographer must adapt; I think the images here speak for themselves. Even at f/4, the lens is only slightly soft in the corners; when stopped down, even the outermost corners become razor-sharp. Due to the lack of a lens hood, you can see some flares in some photos.
Versions
The lens offers four built-in filters; you must choose one of them – photographing without a filter is not possible. There are at least two versions of the lens, which differ in the selection of built-in filters.
I have seen serial numbers from 10289 to 13295 so far. The following table is therefore not complete.
| Version 1 Serial No. 10289-11160 |
Version 2 12199-13295 |
|---|---|
| SL-1B LB-A Y48 O56 |
SL-1B LB-A LB-B UV |
Alternative
Price and availability will probably deter most, but there is a comparatively cheaper alternative – the Arsat/Zodiac 30mm for the Pentacon 6. With the help of an inexpensive P6-Mamiya adapter, the lens can be used on any M645.
The lens is built for 6×6, but also has a full-frame equivalent of 15mm, with a maximum aperture of f/3.5, it is also similarly fast. The Zodiac/Zodiak is somewhat older with a single coating, while the Arsat has a multicoating.
0 Comments