In March 2022 Hermann wrote to me from Vienna:

Here is the reply that I sent him:

Let us now look in more detail at that option of using Pentacon Six lenses on digital cameras.  The development of mirrorless digital cameras with interchangeable lenses makes using Pentacon Six lenses and even lenses from 35mm SLR cameras easy: there is almost always enough space for an adapter between the back of the lens and the camera.

Two “no name” lens adapters for Sony E mount cameras: on the left, for M42 lenses, on the right for lenses with the Pentacon Six mount [M42-P6_Sony_E.jpg]

On this camera I have covered over the manufacturer’s name to prevent it from being reflected on the subject in close-up and macro photographs.

A Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm Tessar lens in M42 mount for Praktica cameras on a Sony “Full Frame” camera. This lens gives superb results and is regularly used for “product shots” on this website. [50mmT_Sony_E.jpg]

A Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm Biometar lens in Pentacon Six mount on a Sony “Full Frame” camera On the 24 × 36mm format, this lens is ideal for portraits, but also has many other uses.  Its quality is well known from its use taking pictures on the Pentacon Six. [80mmBm_Sony_E.jpg]

• the Fujifilm GFX 50R, the design of which is inspired by rangefinder cameras
• the Fujifilm GFX 50S, the design of which is inspired by SLR cameras, therefore with a viewfinder of approximately pentaprism shape (although it is electronic and does not contain a pentaprism).  These two cameras generate images that are approximately 51 Megapixels in size.
  
• the Fujifilm GFX 50S II, which is a newer version of the above camera
• the Fujifilm GFX 100S has a built-in vertical grip and generates images that are approximately 102 Megapixels in size
• the Fujifilm GFX 100S II, which is a newer version of the above camera, without the vertical grip and somewhat smaller, partly due to the use of smaller batteries.
  

Hartblei Cameras .
[pentasix01.jpg]		The name Hartblei will probably be well known to visitors to this website.  About the turn of the century, this name appeared on cameras that were highly upgraded versions of the Kiev 60 and Kiev 88 cameras. As reported here, Wiese Fototechnik in Hamburg, Germany, worked closely with Hartblei for a number of years and sold Hartblei products re-badged under the Wiese or “Pentasix” name. The camera shown here is a much-improved Kiev 60: Flocking (see here) has been added to the back of the mirror plate and the bottom of the camera throat, to eliminate the infamous reflections that sometimes ruin pictures taken with an unmodified Kiev 60. A mirror pre-release has been added, and using this is simpler and faster than the option offered for the Pentacon Six and the Exakta 66 Mk III (see here).  What is more, a lever has been added, to bring the mirror back down without firing and cocking the shutter, if circumstances change. A new focussing screen has been installed, incorporating split-image “rangefinder” wedges. Finally, a cosmetic improvement: the top and bottom plates of the camera, which are normally chrome, have been painted black. You can see more about this camera here.

Hartblei Lenses
Then Hartblei produced a series of lenses in Pentacon Six mount, based on Kiev Arsenal lenses for the Kiev 60, but with vastly-improved barrels, multi-coating and silky-smooth lubrication.  For reports on some of these lenses, see the links on the data page on Pentacon Six lenses, here. Click on the image to the right to see it larger.		The Hartblei 45mm Super-Rotator Shift-Tilt lens [c370_31a_s.jpg]

Hartblei make simple but strong adapters to enable Pentacon Six lenses to be used on Fujifilm GFX cameras.  The results should be superb, as Pentacon Six lenses are designed to cover a larger format than the Fujifilm GFX 43.8 × 32.9mm sensor. What is perhaps surprising is that Hartblei also also make an adapter for mounting M42 lenses onto the Fujifilm GFX cameras.  This may be unexpected, as M42 lenses are not designed to cover the size of the GFX sensor.  However, some of them do cover it.  In fact quite a few lenses for 35mm SLR cameras perform excellently on the Fujifilm GFX cameras.  Quite a few, but not all, so it is advisable to do some tests before using a given 35mm camera lens on the GFX.  One needs to check especially for vignetting (darkening of the corners) and resolution outside the original intended area of 24mm × 36mmm. Generally, wide angle lenses are not good at covering the larger sensor size, but lenses for 35mm cameras that I have tested with a focal length from about 100mm on have performed extremely well on the GFX.

On the left, an adapter to use M42 lenses and on the right to use Pentacon Six lenses on the Fujifilm “Medium Format” GFX digital cameras [M42_P6_GFX.jpg]

	Here we see a 135mm Zeiss f/3.5 Sonnar lens – the best of all the M42 lenses that I tested!  It could be a great portrait lens on this camera, and it is small and light-weight. [135CZ_on_GFX_s.jpg]		Here we see the Schneider-Kreuznach 28mm Super-Angulon shift lens.  Even though it is a wideangle lens, its greater image circle means that it does cover the GFX sensor (unshifted). [28mm_Super_Ang_s.jpg]
	Click on the above two images to see them larger.

	The Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm Biometar lens in Pentacon Six mount on the Fujifilm GFX 50S, via the Hartblei adapter [80Bm_GFX_01_s.jpg]		The 120mm Vega lens from Arsenal is very good on the Fuji GFX camera. [120Vega_GFX_01_s.jpg]
Click on the above two images to see them larger.

	The Hartblei Shift adapter for Pentacon Six lenses on Fuji GFX cameras provides 12mm of shift, and as the mount can be rotated through 360°, the shift can be in any direction.	[P6_Shift_GFX_01_s.jpg]		The Hartblei Tilt Adapter for Pentacon Six lenses on Fuji GFX cameras provides up to 8° of tilt, and as the mount can be rotated through 360°, the tilt can be in any direction, to increase depth of field, or, used in the opposite direction, to reduce it if required.	[P6_Tilt_GFX_01_s.jpg]
	Click on the above two images to see them larger.

	50mm Flektogon, here fully shifted up The results with this combination are SUPERB. By shooting with the adapter shifted in various directions, and stitching the images together, one is able to obtain coverage equal to a lens of approximately 32mm, and the resolution of the composite picture is massive. (See below.) [50mm_Flek_shift_s.jpg] For more on shift lenses see here and links from here.		180mm Sonnar, here fully tilted down Again, both the cover and the resolution are FANTASTIC, which will come as no surprise to those who have used this lens. It also performs faultlessly on the shift adapter, fully covering the sensor even at maximum tilt. [180mm_S_tilt_s.jpg] For more on tilt lenses see here and links from here.
Click on the above two images to see them larger. There is also a Hartblei Parallax-Free Shift Adapter for mounting Pentacon Six mount lenses onto Fujifilm GFX camera bodies.  What advantage does this offer?  Shift images are generally better taken using a tripod.  If various images are to be taken, perhaps with the shift in different directions, for subsequent stitching together, using a tripod is virtually essential. For the regular shift adapter, shown above, the adapter’s tripod mount is at the back of the adapter, behind the shift mechanism.  With the camera-adapter-lens combination mounted on a tripod via the adapter, the camera will not move, and the lens can be shifted up and down (or in any other direction!) in front of it. With the parallax-free shift adapter, shown below, the adapter’s tripod mount is at the front of the adapter, in front of the shift mechanism.  With the camera-adapter-lens combination mounted on a tripod via the adapter, the lens will not move, and the camera can be shifted up and down (or in any other direction!) behind it. Why is this important?  If your image contains components that are much nearer to you than the background, as you move the lens, those components will appear to move in relation to the background, so they will obscure different parts of the background.  This will usually cause problems with stitching.  If the lens is not moved, but the camera is moved behind it, those components will be in the same position in relation to the background.  See a further explanation here. (Look for  “Parallax-Free Mount”.) Here are some pictures of the Hartblei Parallax-Free Shift Adapter for using Pentacon Six lenses on Fujifilm GFX cameras. Like the Hartblei Shift adapter for Pentacon Six lenses on Fuji GFX cameras shown above, the parallax-free version provides 12mm of shift, and as the mount can be rotated through 360°, the shift can be in any direction. There is a second connection tab behind the one used here for the tripod mount.  It could be shortened by removing the bottom extension. [P6_plx-f_01_s.jpg]    Here we see the 50mm Flektogon mounted onto the Hartblei Parallax-Free shift adapter, fully shifted up, with a Fujifilm GFX 100S camera mounted onto the back of the adapter.  Or, more exactly, it is the camera that is fully shifted down.  (The camera in this picture is protected by a Silicone Camera Case, which stretches over the body.) [P6_plx-f_02_s.jpg] Here is a slightly different view of the same camera-adapter-lens combination.  There are 3 short chrome levers at 120° from each other round the shift mechanism, two of them visible in this image.  They are used to activate the shift mechanism. The longer chrome lever locks the rotatable shift mechanism in the desired position.    [P6_plx-f_03_s.jpg] Click on the above three images to see them larger.

For the results of my initial tests of using Pentacon Six and M42 mount lenses on the Fujifilm GFX 50S, see here.

For more information on the covering potential of lenses (their “image circle”), see here.

Hartblei Mamiya 67 lens Adapter to Pentacon Six Bellows, with an Adapter for Fujifilm GFX cameras

This adapter set consists of two rings: a Mamiya RZ67 lens mount to the front of the Pentacon Six bellows a Pentacon Six lens mount to the Fujifilm GFX camera, on the back of the Pentacon Six bellows. Using these two adapter rings on Pentacon Six bellows permits infinity focus for Mamiya RZ67 lenses on the Fujifilm GFX – but not on the Pentacon Six, as the combination of the Pentacon Six bellows and the two adapter rings is longer than the available space in front of the Pentacon Six camera (the flange register distance of the RB/RZ 67 lens).  Nearly all of the RZ67 lenses do not have their own focussing mechanism, using instead bellows that are built into the camera.  With these adapter rings from Hartblei on the Pentacon Six bellows, a very wide focussing range is possible on the GFX camera. The minimum extension of the Pentacon Six bellows is 19mm, as described here.  To achieve infinity focus with the RZ67 lens, the bellows are extended by three millimetres, making a total extension for infinity focus of 22mm, plus the length of the two Hartblei adapter rings. This image was captured on my phone.  The poor quality is immediately obvious, even when reproduced small on this website.  Nevertheless, those who are curious can see a larger copy by clicking on the image.

[75_P6bell_GFX_01_s.jpg]

The apparent difference between the position of the camera viewfinder in this image and in the preceding one is due to the fact that here I have added the Fuji Viewfinder Tilt Adapter between the top of the camera and the viewfinder.  This enables the viewfinder to be raised up to 90° in relation to the camera (effectively, an electronic angle finder), as well as to be swivelled to the left and to the right to permit easier viewing when standing behind the camera is either not possible or is not desirable (perhaps to avoid casting a shadow onto the subject, for instance, in macro work). For an introduction to this system, see here.

The combination of Mamiya RZ67 75mm lens, Hartblei focussing and shift adapter, Fotga Follow Focus system and Fujifilm GFX camera This is clearly designed to be used mounted on a tripod. [Hartblei_set_08_s.jpg] Click on the above image to see it larger.

Where can I buy Hartblei gear?
[hartbleilens_s.jpg]		The genius behind Hartblei is Sergey Naumenko, a highly-skilled engineer, to judge from the equipment that he designs and manufactures. His eBay seller name is “hartbleilens”. His website is https://hartbleilens.com/ Click on the “business card” on the left to see it a little larger.

• Processor: 2.5 GHz 28-core Intel Xeon W
  
• RAM Memory: 512GB 2933 MHz DDR4
• Graphics card: AMD Radeon Pro Vega II with 32 GB memory