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5 Fast Aperture Medium Format Lenses You’ll Envy

Chris Gampat
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08/11/2017
3 Mins read
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Last Updated on 08/11/2017 by Chris Gampat

Image by YJ-Lee

Lots of photographers love talking about medium format cameras, but there isn't as much talk about the lenses. As every photographer knows, a lens is the heart of a camera system and this is as important with medium format cameras as it is with 35mm, APS-C or even Micro Four Thirds cameras. Due to the significantly shallower depth of field at any given aperture, the capabilities of each lens is important when it comes to creating images you simply can't get with the 35mm small format (or full frame, for many of you).

If you're looking for some super fast medium format lenses, here's a list you absolutely need to check out.

Pentax 105mm f2.4 (Pentax 67 format)

Image by Joe Valtierra

The Pentax 67 camera system is legendary to many photographers. It's a 67 format camera system that was designed to be handheld by studio and fashion photographers. If you're considering something with a very shallow depth of field, the Pentax 105mm f2.4 is what you want. With the equivalent 35mm field of view of being approximately 52mm f1.2, you've got an incredibly shallow depth of field.

Additionally, these are some of Pentax's best lenses with gorgeous bokeh.

Buy Now: eBay

Hasselblad 110mm f2 (Hasselblad 200 series Square format)

Image by Oboist

The Hasselblad 110mm f2 has an equivalency to a 60mm f1.1 when you convert it to 35mm full frame options. The really cool thing is that you use it with the 200 series Hasselblad cameras which shoot in the 6×6 square format. The system has an entire line of awesome lenses in addition to some of the best ergonomics of any medium format SLR camera ever made.

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Fujifilm 90mm f3.5 (Fujifilm GW690III)

Perhaps my personal favorite camera on this list is the Fujifilm GW690 III variant with the 90mm f3.5. With the near equivalent of an f1.2 35mm lens, this camera is fantastic for a variety of subjects. I've shot loads of portraits with it, landscapes, street photography, etc. These cameras aren't the best built options due to having a lot of plastic, but at the same time they're also not cheaply built. If you're a Fujifilm X series fan, you'll honestly love this camera.

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Mamiya 80mm f1.9 (645 format)

Image by Han Cheng Yeh

The Mamiya 645 camera system has a number of different cameras and lenses out there; but the most legendary lens could arguably be the company's 80mm f1.9. You see, that's the fastest 645 medium format lens ever made and to this day, there still hasn't been anything made with a faster aperture. This lens was designed for reportage, portraiture, fashion, weddings, etc. Essentially, it's for photographers who shoot a whole lot of natural light.

Oddly enough, it isn't really that expensive either.

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Contax 80mm f2 (Contax 645)

Image by J

I'm putting Contax on here mostly because I'm sure most folks will probably call for my head to be on a platter if I don't. You see, the Contax 645 medium format system is used even today due to how fantastic it is. It can take digital backs and has some of the best lenses on the market. The system is made by Zeiss–and that should be enough to convince you of how great it is.

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aperture Bokeh contax 80mm f2 fujifilm 90mm f3.5 hasselblad Hasselblad 110mm f2 lenses mamiya 80mm f1.9 medium format pentax pentax 105mm f2.4
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.