50 Years Old and This Lens Still Wins | Mamiya 80mm f/1.9

Описание: This lens is almost 50 years old — and it can still embarrass modern glass that costs five times as much.

The Mamiya Sekor 80mm f/1.9 is the fastest production medium format lens ever made, and yet you almost never see anyone actually using it. People talk about it online, romanticize it, mythologize it — but very few photographers put it to work in real-world conditions.

So that’s exactly what we’re doing here.

In this video, I take the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 out of the realm of vintage gear mythology and into actual use — including low-light concert photography, wide-open shooting, and modern adaptation — to answer one simple question:

Is this lens still worth chasing in 2026, or is it just nostalgia?

On the Mamiya 645 system, an f/1.9 aperture behaves more like an f/1.1–f/1.2 lens in 35mm terms, but with a much smoother and more natural focus falloff. That alone makes this lens unusual — but it’s the way it behaves in practice that makes it special.

Bands Featured in this Video:

1. Letters to Cleo
2. Ruby Rose Fox

In this video, I cover:

• What actually makes the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 special (beyond specs)
• How it performs wide open — the only reason to buy it today
• Who this lens is for… and who should absolutely skip it
• Medium format film vs medium format digital (Fuji GFX, Hasselblad X)
• Why this lens breaks almost every “rule” of medium format photography

This is not a casual purchase.
It’s not cheap.
And it’s definitely not for everyone.

But if you shoot medium format film, or you’re interested in adapting character-driven lenses to modern cameras, this lens might be one of the most interesting tools you can own.

All images shown in this video were shot on real film stocks including Kodak Portra 160, 400, 800, Kodak Tri-X, Ilford HP5+, and Fuji 400H — often pushed hard and shot wide open when used in low light.

If you enjoy deep-dive photography content, real-world lens testing, and gear discussions that go beyond spec sheets, you’re in the right place.

Thanks for watching The Photo Files.

— Roger
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://www.metcalfphotography.com

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – A 50-Year-Old Lens That Embarrasses Modern Glass
00:21 – Why This Lens Is Still Controversial in 2026
00:40 – What This Video Will Answer
01:11 – What Is the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9?
01:55 – Why This Lens Exists (f/1.9 on Medium Format)
02:27 – Breaking the “Rules” of Medium Format
02:54 – Build Quality & Physical Design
03:44 – Standard Lens, Ultra-Fast Character
04:09 – Specs That Actually Matter
05:19 – Focusing Reality at f/1.9
05:32 – Why I Use This Lens for Concert Photography
06:13 – Low-Light Action & Anticipating Moments
07:12 – Image Quality & Wide-Open Performance
08:11 – Distortion, Rendering & Natural Look
08:46 – Native Use on the Mamiya 645
09:28 – Adapting to Medium Format Digital (Fuji GFX)
10:38 – Why Full-Frame Digital Is a Pass
10:43 – Final Verdict: Who Should Buy This Lens