40mm CF, PME45

[Jon Paul]

Hello All: I have just bought a PME45 meter prism in ex- cond and a 40mm CF with very slight rubbing on the distance scale and a few tiny coating marks on the rear element, otherwise EX-.

I have 503CX, ELX, and 205TCC. Most use of the 40mm will be on a Contax 645 with Phase One back and Hasselblad adapter. Some of my shooting is scenic mountain landscapes and some museum documentation in tight spaces.

Questions: 40mm:

Does anyone have experience with Zeiss 40mm CF?

The 40mm has 93mm clear filter and ring but no shade. The dedicated shade for this lens is not common and even the proshade needs a rare 93mm adapter. Is either one good/optional/necessary? Do most of you shoot with or without a front filter for protection? My filter philosophy is less is more and do not use them unless really necessary.

PME45: Even though its supposed to be the best prism for eyeglass users, and I have adjusted the diopter correction, it still does not give me a sharp focus with glasses. As I have 3..5 diopter nearsighted plus astigmatism, I must wear the glasses. Any comment or advise?

With Kind Regards,

Jon Paul
Crypto-Museum

 

[jerry]

Hello Jon,

I have a Hasselblad 501CM with the PM45 prism, I do have glasses as well, and I have the 40mm CF. I do not use a shade nor a filter on the 40mm because they are too expensive and difficult to get. My use would only be for protection. It is a really wonderful lens with only one drawback: it is heavy! Quality is excellent even when photographing against the sun: this image is about a quarter of the whole negative: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55378282@N05/7655692642/in/set-72157630773507856
As far as the prism is concerned: To adjust the dioptr seting you should have the lens set at infinity, relax your eye (while wearing the glasses) and adjust it until the screen is in focus. This works for me, I do hope it works for you as well!

Kind regards,

Jerry

 

[jeryharwood]

Hello All: I have just bought a PME45 meter prism in ex- cond and a 40mm CF with very slight rubbing on the distance scale and a few tiny coating marks on the rear element, otherwise EX-.

I have 503CX, ELX, and 205TCC. Most use of the 40mm will be on a Contax 645 with Phase One back and Hasselblad adapter. Some of my shooting is scenic mountain landscapes and some museum documentation in tight spaces.

Questions: 40mm:

Does anyone have experience with Zeiss 40mm CF?

The 40mm has 93mm clear filter and ring but no shade. The dedicated shade for this lens is not common and even the proshade needs a rare 93mm adapter. Is either one good/optional/necessary? Do most of you shoot with or without a front filter for protection? My filter philosophy is less is more and do not use them unless really necessary.

PME45: Even though its supposed to be the best prism for eyeglass users, and I have adjusted the diopter correction, it still does not give me a sharp focus with glasses. As I have 3..5 diopter nearsighted plus astigmatism, I must wear the glasses. Any comment or advise?

With Kind Regards,

Jon Paul
Crypto-Museum

 

[jeryharwood]

I have the 40mm CFE; you do not need a hood for this lens, it is built in.
as far as the PME45 goes, this is the best prism you can get- but if you have problems re glasses, you really need to revert to the waist level finder. Hope this helps somewhat