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The Lorely. Mamiya645 80mm ~f5 - 1/60s. HocusPocusWhereTF is my focus?

184 points · submitted Aug 2026 by u/JaschaE · Troubleshooting - Photos

I am used to the Mamiya lens being SHARP. In the second image, you can see some 90s sitcom dream-sequence kind of focus.
Yeah, you can see single hairs, and there is nothing sharper anywhere in frame, so at least I didn't mess up the focus. This time.
Is it just the shooting somewhat into the sun?
Film was some Fuji RVP100 that I found in the back of my fridge, apparently best before 2017, time flies.

35 comments · 96% upvoted · source · other discussions

comments

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I-am-Mihnea 26 points · Aug 2026

Was it humid out? Did you drive to the location with AC on in the car? Is the lens mounted correctly? Is the lens housing tight without wobbles? Front element clean? These are the first things that popped into my head.

JaschaE [OP] 7 points · Aug 2026

Given I was knee deep in that same basin she was in...we can assume quite high humidity. But I understand you ask for a chance of the lens fogging up with condensation: Nah, both me and the camera had plenty of time to get up to temperature. Also, not sure if AC was working on the bus, kinda doubtful though.
No mechanical issues or unusually dirty lens either :/

I-am-Mihnea 4 points · Aug 2026

I’ve also gotten similar condensation on the lens from hiking to a location. The sweat + body heat created a haze filter. Anyway, for your situation, the hazy glow leads me to believe some sort of similar situation happened here. Either from high humidity or mist steadily building up on the front element.

Shandriel 13 points · Aug 2026 · Leica R5+R7, Nikon F5, Fujica ST-901, Mamiya M645, Yashica A TLR

that's classic loss of contrast through flaring, imho. 

Gergo7633 1 points · Aug 2026

This was my best guess too. I also have the 2.8 N and the 2.8 N/L in 80mm. Those lenses are sharp.

florian-sdr 9 points · Aug 2026 · Pentax / Nikon

The focus point was distracted by the sirens

https://giphy.com/gifs/ylMie1nATTZS8qnrrR

incidencematrix 5 points · Aug 2026

Compare with other shots with this lens, on this roll, etc. Track down where the issue crops up. No focus anywhere often means you have a camera motion issue, though setting the focal point closer than anything in the frame can do that. I have also seen effects like that from old, hazy lenses, but presumably you'd know about that already. In any event, you need to do the detective work, because only you have the necessary evidence. Check each element until you isolate the problem.

cptrios 7 points · Aug 2026

I can’t be the only one who thinks this a good shot and likes the ‘look,’ right? It’s straight out of an 80s fantasy movie.

JaschaE [OP] 4 points · Aug 2026

Thanks! I am not actually complaining either, it fits the motive quite nicely. It's just unexpected, and as I dislike being surprised by what my film does, even if it's a nice surprise, I wanted to figure out what happened.

Dima_135 3 points · Aug 2026

Hey, I have a counter question. What kind of scan is this? What kind of miracle film is this? The scale of crop you showing in the second image is pretty large, right ? And 645 is an awesome format, but it's still far from 8x10". Why don't I see any noise or grain or anything? I mean, I'm a peasant who only shot on amateur negative film, but I should be able to see at least something with scale like that, right? Maybe the lack of sharpness and the lack of grain in this case are somehow related?

JaschaE [OP] 3 points · Aug 2026

https://preview.redd.it/mh6ea579q5ih1.jpeg?width=1572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52782e7d9a602d05cb97c87170b1d8c6935e2a55

- Flatbed Scan with a Canon CanoScan9000F MkII ...BBQ or whatever Canon adds to their product names...
- Fuji RVP100. according to the edge markings. Which is a slide film. Can't tell you more, it chilled in my fridge since I got it as a gift, and it was chosen based on "I kinda wanna do this in color."
-The above is the kind of noise I get with HP5, which is a 400iso film

vipEmpire 2 points · Aug 2026 · Nikon

Have you shot slide film before? Compared to color negative film the grain is significantly finer, which also means the apparent sharpness won't be as high. (This is inherent to the E-6 developing process, slide film cross-processed in C-41 will give the same sharpness as any other C-41 film, and vice versa)

But yes, comparing to an unsharpened scan of BW, the BW will have lots more apparent sharpness because of the larger grain and contrast between said grain.

JaschaE [OP] 1 points · Aug 2026

Rarely, makes sense, the intended presentation being (quite large) projection.

Fotopiggie 3 points · Aug 2026

I also believe this is a scanning issue. The grains of the film should be properly resolved and visible. While I don't expect it to be tack sharp from a flatbed scanner, there should still be some visibility. A bit of an unsharp mask would greatly improve the image. However, that's not the case right now.

2und2sind4 1 points · Aug 2026

You think the scanner might have missed focus? Otherwise the grain would be visible

heinyhobbit 3 points · Aug 2026

I am but a novice myself, but the first photo looks like it belongs on a two page spread within a 90s fashion magazine. Beautiful photo

JaschaE [OP] 2 points · Aug 2026

Thank you^^

Karl_Verdun 2 points · Aug 2026

How does the transparency look when examining directly with a loupe? This just looks like a poor quality scan to me.

MortgageStraight666 2 points · Aug 2026

Beautiful ahh bloom

jagoedho 1 points · Aug 2026 · Camera Revival / Professional Repair Technician

What Mamiya 645. There are so many versions...

SlenderSmurf 1 points · Aug 2026

That's bloom not missed focus. Also you are pixel peeping, the lady is sharp. I would say motion blur could also be a problem at 80 mm 1/60. Should aim for at least 1/160

JaschaE [OP] 0 points · Aug 2026

Admittedly I am, but I like CONTRAST, stopping just short of using film for document reproduction XD
Holding that little cube still at 1/60 isn't all that hard, I've done it with 180mm
Tell that to the person who decided to make 1/60 the sync speed of the camera ;)

SlenderSmurf 2 points · Aug 2026

Ok with flash it definitely isn't motion blur. That's a key detail you left out. Lens must be hazy. Bright objects in a dim scene are always more bloomy

JaschaE [OP] 1 points · Aug 2026

The flash is just a fill for her. everything else is 14:00 SUN

NoisyNinkyNonk 2 points · Aug 2026

Definitely edit to mention flash

Signal_Photograph_66 1 points · Aug 2026

What basin is this?

JaschaE [OP] 2 points · Aug 2026

Berlin Victoriapark. It's an artificial waterfall from 1870 (or something). Props to the old timey landscapers.

Signal_Photograph_66 1 points · Aug 2026

Thank you!

CholentSoup 1 points · Aug 2026

Check your lens in bright light. Rear element too.

Disastrous_Store_767 1 points · Aug 2026 · Canon EOS 1V, Mamiya 7, Olympus 35 SP

How did you scan these? could be focus on the negatives themselves.

Thin_Combination_796 1 points · 6d ago

Hey! What is your flash setup here? fucking beautiful shot

JaschaE [OP] 1 points · 6d ago

Single, radio-activated speedlight (Yongnuo) about 3-4m from the model pretty much next to camera

analogue_flower 1 points · Aug 2026

I'm guessing camera shake because there's no real focus anywhere.

JaschaE [OP] 1 points · Aug 2026

I have messed up that way before, and if the halo-ish effect had a direction to it, I wouldn't even question what went wrong.