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Archive 2013 · Contax 645

  
 
zhangyue
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Contax 645


I bought my first MF set without research. It turns out the Hasselblad 500C/M does not suit my need. I can't reliable focus use WLVF. I can't use it for kids, or capture the moment.

Now, with hope of re-enter MF film. I wonder will Contax 645 better? at least it is more like shoot DSLR from what I see.

Now, I have some question about it:
1. Is it reliable? can I still found place service it if anything go wrong?
2. Am I able to buy its battery etc.. now
3. How about MF, is it good for it? do I need special screen? is it still available?
4. About Lens, can they be full manual? is AF on body or lens? How about aperture?
5. Which lens is recommended? 80f2 looks awesome. what else?

I'd like to hear your thought about it. No need to address all my question, but any experience/thought will be helpful. any discuss about this camera will be helpful as well.

Thanks.






May 04, 2013 at 01:02 AM
sirimiri
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Contax 645


Here's what I had to say about the Contax 645 in 2011.

1. Yes, I found it reliable. Nothing ever broke so I did not need to avail myself of Tocad America's service for the Contax 645 system.
2. Yes, you can buy 2CR5 lithiums now, and presumably in the future. Enough devices from the '80s and '90s used that battery format that I don't think you'll be left in a lurch anytime soon.
3. It's pretty good for manual focus but of course all things are relative and everybody's abilities/confidence ($ per shot) and eyesight vary. If you want a split-image screen you need to look for the (pricey) MFS-1. There may be other vendors (Maxwell) that will make or modify screens for you. I don't know.
4. Yes, the lenses have full-time manual focussing, because of the clutch mechanism. Beware of a lens with a slipping clutch, as sometimes the manual focus ring will turn instead! The autofocus motors are in the lenses themselves, as are the aperture steppers. Basically, the mount looks like Canon EF on steroids.
5. The 80mm has lot of character wide open. The 140 is a very good portrait lens, and the 120mm APO macro is one of the best five lenses I think I've ever used.
Lastly, the 55mm is a nice, smaller lens.

Caveat: beware the pricey hoods!



May 04, 2013 at 01:57 AM
carstenw
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Contax 645


The 35mm is also great, the medium format version of the 21 Distagon! The AF is accurate, but slow and not that advanced. I recently sold some of my system and I still feel regret (although I wasn't using it, since I prefer the larger negatives of 6x6 and 6x7). Such a nice system.

I wouldn't say that manual focus is any easier than with a Hasselblad and Acute Matte screen, however.



May 04, 2013 at 02:36 AM
zhangyue
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Contax 645


sirimiri, appreciate your post, very detail and helpful
Can I set aperture manually? (since you mention EF)

Carstenw, manual focus no better than Hassy is really a bad news for me, however, if I can hold it like DSLR and assume it will be much lighter than Hassy, would it be easier? How about stock screen, what kind of DOF I should expect?




May 04, 2013 at 02:51 AM
carstenw
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Contax 645


I don't have it any more, so I am not sure. Maybe f/2.8-f/4? It is hard to compare this to 135 format cameras. It is darker than the Acute Matte screen, but possibly the prism helps you to focus. I was considering a Maxwell screen when I owned it. The Contax 645 is about the same size and weight as a Hasselblad. If you want something much lighter and easier to focus, maybe a Mamiya 6 or 7?

http://500px.com/CarstenW/stories/21545/medium-format-film-cameras



May 04, 2013 at 03:18 AM
zhangyue
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Contax 645


But Mamiya has no Zeiss lens


May 04, 2013 at 03:43 AM
edwardkaraa
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Contax 645


zhangyue wrote:
But Mamiya has no Zeiss lens


And while optically excellent, the lenses are poorly made with a lot of QC issues, and not exactly the most luminous apertures.



May 04, 2013 at 04:20 AM
thminhduc
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Contax 645


2/ It's much easier if you buy the battery grip so you can use normal AA batteries.
3/ People seem to suggest using Maxwell screen



May 04, 2013 at 08:22 AM
zhangyue
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Contax 645


edwardkaraa wrote:
And while optically excellent, the lenses are poorly made with a lot of QC issues, and not exactly the most luminous apertures.


I hope you were talking Mamiya but not contax. Just want confirm



May 04, 2013 at 08:25 AM
zhangyue
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Contax 645


thminhduc wrote:
2/ It's much easier if you buy the battery grip so you can use normal AA batteries.
3/ People seem to suggest using Maxwell screen

I doubt I want further increase the size/weight even it offer me Battery advantage as long as I can still buy original batteries.



May 04, 2013 at 08:27 AM
ktan7
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Contax 645


I just bought the con tax 645. Amazing system!


May 04, 2013 at 11:03 AM
corposant
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Contax 645


If you want to use technology that was cutting edge 20 years ago... the C645 is for you. I used sirimiri's a couple months ago and after an hour I got tired of carrying it around.

zhangyue wrote:
But Mamiya has no Zeiss lens


Mamiya's lenses are really amazing. For somebody who is a well-practiced rangefinder user, you might want to consider their rangefinders.

I think if capturing your kids is a big priority, none of these systems are going to really work well for you as a digital camera with a modern AF system.



May 04, 2013 at 01:30 PM
zhangyue
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Contax 645


corposant wrote:
If you want to use technology that was cutting edge 20 years ago... the C645 is for you. I used sirimiri's a couple months ago and after an hour I got tired of carrying it around.

Mamiya's lenses are really amazing. For somebody who is a well-practiced rangefinder user, you might want to consider their rangefinders.

I think if capturing your kids is a big priority, none of these systems are going to really work well for you as a digital camera with a modern AF system.


I used Nikon with MF lens and leica RF. general speaking, I don't feel I was limited by MF. If C645 can give me similar experience like D700 with bigger, brighter VF, i will be sold.

Thanks for all your thoughts, I know each person has different view on the same thing, but any comments will help generate my own conclusion.

Hasselblad definitly is not a system I want for my shooting habit.



May 04, 2013 at 02:22 PM
edwardkaraa
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Contax 645


zhangyue wrote:
I hope you were talking Mamiya but not contax. Just want confirm


Confirmed



May 04, 2013 at 02:43 PM
philip_pj
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Contax 645


info: http://photo.net/equipment/contax/645

It's the one MF SLR I wish I had been able to use.



May 04, 2013 at 06:28 PM
brucemuir
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Contax 645


I use 500 c/m and C645
Yes the C645 is easier to focus out of the gate but the 500 c/m only takes a bit of experience to get quick with one.
Shooting kids? Corposant says it correctly
"I think if capturing your kids is a big priority, none of these systems are going to really work well for you as a digital camera with a modern AF system. "

When they get a bit older you can whip out the MF film camera.



May 04, 2013 at 06:45 PM
sirimiri
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Contax 645


corposant wrote:
Mamiya's lenses are really amazing.


I agree, I don't know how people might malign the Mayima lineup of primes as they make stellar lenses. I've used a bunch of them and the only real "meh" one was the M645 500 f/5.6 and the worse thing that could be said of that lens was the chromatic aberration. It's not an "ED" or "APO" lens so it can be expected.

And without exception, I've found that Mamiya lenses offer a very uniform color palette from one optic to the other.

(and their APO loupes are, to borrow a word form Corposant - amazing)



May 04, 2013 at 11:32 PM
luminosity
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Contax 645


zhangyue wrote:
But Mamiya has no Zeiss lens


That means nothing. The 80/4 is an incredible lens, as good as any lens in existence when it comes to sharpness. The other lenses are up to the same standard (though I think the 80/4 is somehow at the top of the heap, if only by a small margin).

http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/MF_testing.html



May 05, 2013 at 12:46 AM
briantho
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Contax 645


sirimiri wrote:
I agree, I don't know how people might malign the Mayima lineup of primes as they make stellar lenses. I've used a bunch of them and the only real "meh" one was the M645 500 f/5.6 and the worse thing that could be said of that lens was the chromatic aberration. It's not an "ED" or "APO" lens so it can be expected.

And without exception, I've found that Mamiya lenses offer a very uniform color palette from one optic to the other.

(and their APO loupes are, to borrow a word form Corposant - amazing)


I think Corposant was talking about the Mamiya 7 lenses, not the M645 lenses, which are inferior.

luminosity wrote:
That means nothing. The 80/4 is an incredible lens, as good as any lens in existence when it comes to sharpness. The other lenses are up to the same standard (though I think the 80/4 is somehow at the top of the heap, if only by a small margin).

http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/MF_testing.html


Yeah, but the Contax Zeiss 80mm is an f2 lens, and that gives you a range of possibilities which the Mamiya 80/4 can't compete with. Also, even if the Mamiya is sharp, if you want Zeiss character, the Mamiya isn't an option.

Worth mentioning is that the Contax 645 can also use Hasselblad Zeiss lenses using an adapter.



May 05, 2013 at 09:22 AM
zhangyue
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Contax 645


briantho wrote:
I think Corposant was talking about the Mamiya 7 lenses, not the M645 lenses, which are inferior.

Yeah, but the Contax Zeiss 80mm is an f2 lens, and that gives you a range of possibilities which the Mamiya 80/4 can't compete with. Also, even if the Mamiya is sharp, if you want the Zeiss character, the Mamiya isn't an option.



You beat me for both.
Exact my thought, though I am not very familiar Mamiya RF family.
I can't think of what I can do with 80f4 lens, the FF f2.8 equivalent aperture is too slow.

However, I have decided hold the purchase to careful think do I want and how often I want shoot MF film or I will hold cash wait for right price

As for shoot for kid, I have seen some Flickr C645 kids photos, they are some of best I ever seen. I never see hasselblad produce similar nonsetup portrait. So, I still believe if the camera can handle similar as DSLR, it has potential to produce better image/look with 80f2 lens, that lens is big part of reason to go into contax645.

I will take a look of Mamiya as well, it has 80f1.9 lens. Any comment on it TBH, I know very little on these thing.



May 05, 2013 at 09:37 AM
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