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60mm f/3.5 Distagon C T* - what's it for?

T

TwoTon

New Member
Hi everyone,

among the HB gear my Dad recently gave me is a very nice 60mm f/3.5 Distagon C T* lens, which baffles me a bit, as I can't seem to make out what it's for. Since I can't use film (too expensive where I live) and am still saving for a digiback for the ELM/500, I'm putting the lenses to use via a Zörkendörfer adapter for my Pentax K10D. This afternoon I took the lens (and the Pentax) around for a test run and discovered the following two facts:

1. It works fantastic as a macro lens. Buffed up with about eight inches worth of extension tubes, I'm able to take pix similar to these (ca. 1:1.5 magnification). Without the tubes, it's an excellent close-up lens for flowers, large insects, small reptiles and the like.

2. However, using it as a "standard" 60 mm lens for street/landscape pix doesn't really seem to work: the frame is rather narrow, like on a tele lens. I would imagine it's nice for portraits, though.

I've tried to gather info about this lens from the Net, but can't really find anything but Ebay sites. From what I've read, would seem that it was designed as a wide angle lens, but of course, I can't see this on my 35mm DSLR with a 1.6 crop factor.

Can anybody enlighten me about the original purpose of this beast?

Thanks very much in advance!

Hans
 
Well, that's what I'm wondering. I took this pic this afternoon, from about a half a meter distance. Nice enough, to be sure, but no wide angle to be seen :)
 
During my first 10 years of Hasselblad user, I had only a 60mm and a 150mm. 80% of pictures were done with this light 60mm.
Particulary efficient lens for normal use.

I still have this lens. Even if now I use FE 50 and 110 mm lens for 90% of my pictures
 
In 6X6 the 60 mm is a medium wide angle lens.
It compares to 35 mm in 35 mm film cameras.

Your Pentax has a crop factor of 1.6 compared with 35 mm film cameras.
On top of that the 60 mm also has about 1.6 against 35 mm cameras.

That makes the effective focal length for the Pentax K10D about 150 mm related to 35 mm film cameras.
Add to that the possible extension effect of the Zörkendorfer adapter.
 
Hi everyone,

thanks for the help and the meticulous explanations! So on my Pentax this lens has the actual efficiency of a 150 mm lens? That would explain the narrow image area, I guess, and also the excellent macro results. Well, I certainly ain't complainin': I have a greenhouse full of carnivorous plants, and this lens works just perfect for close-ups of trap leaves and insect-infested pitchers.

Your Pentax has a crop factor of 1.6 compared with 35 mm film cameras. On top of that the 60 mm also has about 1.6 against 35 mm cameras.
Click to expand...
Does this last sentence mean there is another general resizing/crop factor that results from the coupling of MF lenses with a non-Full Sensor DSLR camera?

That makes the effective focal length for the Pentax K10D about 150 mm related to 35 mm film cameras.
Click to expand...
And based on all this, what would be the effective focal length of a 500mm Tele Tessar when coupled with the Pentax? 800 mm, or more? And what about the Sonnar f/5.6 250 mm Superachromat? Is there a general formula?

Thanks very much again in advance!

Hans
 
Because the crop factor is about the same going from 6X6 to 35 mm film and from 35 mm film to the sensor of the Pentax K10D this is a confusing matter.

Any 6x6 lens will be 1.6 times longer fitted to a 35 mm film camera or to a 35 mm based DSLR with a full size sensor.

Going from 35 mm film to the K10D or any similar Pentax camera like the K20D or the K200D the same crop factor applies again.

This means a 500 mm Tele Tessar will be a 1250 mm lens at any Pentax digital camera with the current size sensor.
Hand held photography is not an option any more even using the image stabilizer some Pentax digital bodies have.
 
Again, thanks very much for your insights, Paul! Good grief, 1250 mm...that's exactly what I need for bird photography (read: complete overkill in any other situation). Normally, I wouldn't dream of handholding that monster. But I've also inherited a gunstock for the TT, so I guess it's time to give up coffee in order to steady my hands for the tasks ahead :)

Thanks again!

Hans
 
I don't think that I agree with some of the focal length equivalence calculations here. In my understanding, a 500 mm (or 60 mm) medium format lens is still a 500 mm (60 mm) lens when mounted on a 35 mm camera. Granted it is a very big 500(60) lens, with an unnecessarily large image circle, most of it unused, but it is still a 500(60) mm lens. Apply the 1.6 crop factor for the reduced size of the digital sensor, and you end up with an 800 mm (96 mm) 35mm focal length equivalent lens. On medium format film, the same lenses are approximately 300 (35) mm 35mm equivalent lenses.
 
polypal said:
In 6X6 the 60 mm is a medium wide angle lens.
It compares to 35 mm in 35 mm film cameras.

Your Pentax has a crop factor of 1.6 compared with 35 mm film cameras.
On top of that the 60 mm also has about 1.6 against 35 mm cameras.

That makes the effective focal length for the Pentax K10D about 150 mm related to 35 mm film cameras.
Add to that the possible extension effect of the Zörkendorfer adapter.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree with arjuna that this is to over-complicate the explanation. That is: the Hasselblad 60mm is still a 60mm lens on the Pentax. So if your ordinary digi-zoom lens is set to 60mm it will still be the same focal length.
So a 500mm Tele-Tessar will not "become" a 1250mm lens, it's still a 500mm, whichever camera it's adapted to. (On a Hasselblad with 6x6 film, the results from the 500mm would be a shot with some similarities to about a 200mm lens on the Pentax, which is what polypal also says.)

//Björn
 
60mm is a great general lens to use at weddings, you sometimes have to cram people together in some group shot with an 80mm and that little bit of extra width is ideal
 
Distagon 60

Try to fit lenses into a plan that makes sense together:

40/60/100/150 mm or 40/50/80/120/150 unless of course you are prepared to buy the lot and drag all of them along.

Consider the 100 as a standard lens in stead of the 80.
The 100mm Planar is an exceptional lens that deserves more attention.
Ultra low distortion with high resolution make this a favourite of many Hasselblad users.
The 100 mm exists in virtually unchanged form from first C lenses made in the sixties till the latest CFi.
 
Thanks very much for all the excellent thoughts, guys - you're truly a fabulously helpful bunch! I've now started using the 500mm TT on the Pentax, and it delivers a degree of magnification similar to an 800mm lens for 35mm format. All these lenses are exceptional in sharpness and color representation, and the hassle of dragging the around and having to work in full manual mode all the time is well worth it.....but you knew that already, I guess :)

Cheerio!

Hans
 
So far I used my Hasselblad lenses stopped down with excllent results.
At full aperture the camera offers focus confirmation with any lens as a bonus.
The Pentax does not stop to impress me wth all its facilities.
I have used the 120 S-Planar and the 80 mm lens.
Longer lenses will have to wait till the wheather allows for better shooting.
Low light levels do not encourage the use of slow lenses outdoors.

I had a Hasselblad foot made for the Pentax so I can use a Hasselblad quick coupling to mount the camera.
A good investment that is a pleasure to use.

Paul
 
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