In the high resolution image, you can see every single pour of the Monstera leaf. Originally, this image is made up of two images stitched together. But each part has been manually focus stacked. And then put together into the final image. A slight AI sharpening has been applied - chiseling out even the finest details - where you can see the pours very clearly.

What a delight to work like this. It feels so experimental. Like a journey with inspiration, trial and errors - while you learn along the way. I couldn't be happier.

The Pentax 645 MACRO lens performs very solid !

In the end, after a long time, several trial and errors - it was a wise choice to choose the 645 Pentax FA 120mm Macro lens for the Fujifilm GFX camera system. It just performs solid. It isn't best in test. Instead it is just very good, very solidly performing. Then you fine tune the finest details with some AI sharpening, and get amazing results.

In the final photo, that isn't really so much visible anyway. But enough to give this truly sharp impression when you zoom into the above diary photo.

Lovely !

I am very happy.

Not to mention being able to scan any 120 film negative, with excellent results. That was after all the ultimate goal in my quest to find a good macro lens for making digital negatives from my many 6x6 and 6x7 negatives.

Monday

On Monday, I receive the Pentax 645 FA 150-300/5.6 IF ED zoom lens. It was not a necessary lens for me really - but given its extremely low price compared to other mediumformat lenses - i thought why not testing it. After all, the Pentax 645 lenses are bit smaller compared to the Pentax 67 lenses. I already have a highly corrected Pentax 67 300mm ƒ4 lens.

Sometimes a Zoom can be neat to have, given that the Pentax 645 150-300 zoom has ED lens elements - it should perform solidly. Yes, I know - it is a very long lens. I may look for a special lens tripod adapter if possible. Will see about it later.

I still thought the Pentax 645 route is better than going Pentax 6x7 lenses, when you are into the longer ones. The 90-180 mm zoom lens for Pentax 67 is pretty expensive (relatively seen), while the Pentax 645 equivalent (80-160 mm ƒ4.5) is far more attractive priced.

The latter performs solidly, in particularly when stopped down. It is a bit weaker on the longer end when used wide open yes - - but once you stop it down to ƒ8 or ƒ11, it performs solidly. With a slight AI sharpening, it turns into a real gem. Yrs, it does have chromatic aberrations in details that appear against a bright sky - but that too can be adjusted/addressed in post.

It is almost strange when you think about it.

That mediumformat lenses which once cost between 1,2 even 3000 € or more back in the days of film - now cost something like 20x times lower.

Many Mamiya RZ67 lenses you get for a fraction of their original prices. The 210 APO lens is ridiculously good priced - for a stellar optical performance which is outstanding. Yeah, those lenses simply are not easy to adapt on digital cameras. I get that, and made that experience.

I personally can use them today... and I am glad I did it. Most Mamiya RZ67 are optically DAMN good ! Better then most Hasselblad 6x6 and Pentax 67 lenses, actually. Mamiya was an intriguing company. Not only did they amazing lenses, but they even mixed their own glass formulas ! Not many did that.

There are of course some hyped exceptions (with vintage lenses in general), where the prices instead gone up to astronomical levels. But - for most of the time, there are still many treasures available for very low prices.

Speaking about the Monstera Plant

That little plant has turned into such an amazing tree today in 2025. I think i bought it back in 2017 or 2018 at Hemköp at Gullmarsplan in Stockholm. There are periods, where the placement was not optimal for the Monstera plant, and it started to show stressed conditions, yellowing leafs etc. After another placement, it got even worse. That was when Paola, Sal's daughter was here. We placed it the Monstera into a too dark spot.

Now it is located in the other room, and it literally flourishes. I spray it every day - and learned how to treat it in terms of when to water it. It doesn't like to be wet all the time. Instead you let it dry out, and then you water it richly. It loves morning sun, but not direct sun all the time.

Once we put it during winter into the other room - it started to thrive big times and now, that the light levels are much higher - it simply loves that. We didn't add any extra Monstera offshoots. It did this growth all by itself. Plus a lot of simple, basic maintenance love.

It appears to be appreciated.