Focal lengths with Pentacon Six

The Pentacon Six System
by TRA

I want a 20mm lens for my Pentacon Six.
Where can I find one?

You will not find a 20mm lens for a medium format camera. Bear in mind that as the film gate is so much larger than with 35mm cameras, it is necessary to adjust the relationship between focal lengths and angles of view.

A simple comparison is not easy, as a 6 × 6 (2¼" square) frame is square, while a 35mm frame is not. However, a rough calculation is that if you halve the focal length of a medium format lens, and add a bit, you'll get to an approximate equivalent of the 35mm camera lens with the same angle of view.

So an 80mm standard lens on a 6 × 6 camera will roughly equal the angle of view of a 43mm lens on a 35mm camera.
Here are some other approximate comparisons.

6 × 6 camera	35mm equivalent
65mm	35mm
50mm	28mm
45mm	24mm
40mm	21mm

However, you are extremely unlikely to find a 40mm lens in the Kiev 60 / Pentacon Six mount. Very few were ever made, and I have never seen a finished 40mm lens in this mount (other than the one that I finished! – click here to find out more). In fact, I bought a Hasselblad only because it came with a 40mm Distagon lens, which you can see in the lens test section of this website.

Nevertheless, the 45mm Arsenal Mir lens is not difficult to find and is generally very good, especially when stopped down. It is also a lot smaller than the 50mm Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon lens (which is actually a better lens). Make sure that you get the Mir in the right mount, as it is also available in the Salyut/Kiev 88 mount, which will not fit the Kiev 60.

For more information on the Mir 45mm lens, click here.

For more details on 6×6/35mm comparisons, click here.

To go back to the Frequently-asked Questions front page, click here.

To contact me, click here.

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