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Archive 2014 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression

  
 
sxgva
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p.1 #1 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


As discussed in the APO-MAKRO-PLANAR 4/120 thread (https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1220534), I purchased a Contax 645 to EF adapter with Exif, AF, AF adjustment functions. The adapter arrived this morning, and I played with it for half an hour.

Logistics:
Excellent communication and very fast shipping.
The vendor is very responsive to questions and kept me updated with my order status. He shipped the adapter Monday evening in Nanjing, China, and it was delivered to me in Fairfax, Virginia Friday morning. As promised, it is the black version. Came with a Canon rear cap.

Build Quality:
Very solidly built. Turns are smooth and clicks are solid. Mounting the adapter to camera is easy and smooth; mounting lenses to the adapter is also smooth.

My only complaint is the lens release lever. It wiggles and doesn't always keep itself straight when pressed. As a result, pressing the lever does not always depress the spring to release the lens. I need to press the far end (away from the camera) to ensure that I can move the entire lever properly to release the lens. This is a little annoying initially, but manageable after a few minutes use.

Operations:
I only had time to test mounting 3 lenses, 140mm, 120mm, and 80mm lenses and 5D III camera. Overall this adapter operates as expected.

There is no instruction manual in the package. There is some instruction on this site:
http://forum.xitek.com/thread-1183951-1-1-1.html in Chinese. The vendor is currently working on having an English manual. It is indicated in the above website that the adapter does not work with 1.4X III, or older film cameras like EOS 3. These seem to be the only exceptions to date.

Exif: Lens length, aperture value, exposure time value are captured correctly in the Exif information, as shown up in LR5. Somes the lens name doesn't show up correctly. While this is not ideal, it does not matter much to me, as I can still tell which lens is used from the length.

I had a glitch when changing lenses with the camera powered on and adapter on the camera. I unmounted 140mm lens, and when I mounted 120mm macro, it didn't seem to recognize the lens. I tried to re-mount the lens, same thing. I tried to re-mount the adapter, same thing. I powered off the camera and turned it back on, same thing. I then powered off the camera, removed the battery, put the battery back in, powered on the camera, and it worked. The adapter seems to power itself directly from the camera battery. As a result, even if you turn off the camera, it still doesn't cut the power to the adapter. You need to remove the battery to completely "reboot" the adapter. When I changed lenses later (120 to 80, then 120, then 140), it worked fine. It was only a one time glitch.

AF: Overall AF is speedy and accurate. AF speed is not as fast as a native EF lens, which is expected. But it is better than that of Metabones EF-NEX, if you have used it as a reference point. It's more like using a Sigma lens, which is more than acceptable. Also, using the central focus point gave me faster speed then using other points. This is expected as well.

Focus is accurate on my 140mm lens. The 120mm macro is manual focus, and the adapter provides accurate confirmation beep. My 80mm shows slight front focus wide open (focus closer to camera than anticipated). I will need to adjust it a little, and report back on how AF adjustment works.

I will post some pictures later when I have time. But keep in mind that I was hand holding the camera, and pictures were taken indoors, so it was not a "scientific" testing. It's only to see how well the adapter works.

Overall, this is an excellent adapter that functions as it should. Given the lack of other approaches, I would recommend this adapter if you want to use Contax 645 lenses on Canon bodies.

The vendor is working on a Nikon adapter as well, which should be available in a couple of months. From this video

it seems to be working just fine on a Nikon body.

Please let me know if you have certain things you want me to test, and I'd be happy to report back when I get a chance.


Edited on Apr 21, 2014 at 08:27 AM · View previous versions



Apr 18, 2014 at 11:54 AM
adamdewilde
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p.1 #2 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Seems as if it focuses as fast on the Nikon as it does on the Contax..
Do you have a link to some images taken with the 80/2 by chance?




Apr 18, 2014 at 08:29 PM
sxgva
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p.1 #3 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Some additional observation:

RE: wrong lens name: Occasionally, while lens length is always captured correctly in Exif, lens name still shows the last lens mounted. To prevent this, always turn off the camera and un-mount the lens with adapter. Then, re-mount adapter with lens back onto camera. This is like a "reboot". I did this and lens always showed correct name and length afterwards.

Another observation is that, when a lens is used on adapter for the first time, there might be some glitches like I described earlier. Afterwards, when the lens is "registered" with the adapter, switching lenses never created any issue. The adapter recognized the lens right away and the correct max aperture value showed up.

RE: focus adjustment: Bottom line first -- it works. I adjusted focus of my 80mm. See results below. Again, this is nothing scientific. I didn't mount the camera onto a tripod, and the purpose is just to provide proof of concept to show it can be done, and I'm happy to say that it generated good results. The process to micro adjust the focus, as described in the Chinese website, may sound overwhelming at first. But after doing it a couple of times, it is quick to get the hang of it, and it is really not compliated at all. It's a time-consuming trial and error. Sometimes I was not sure whether or not a new number I entered would actually overwrite the previous number setting. A good practice that I found, in my limited time of testing, is to always erase the previous number setting before entering a new one. Also, power off camera and un-mount adapter with lens each time an old setting is erased, and a new setting is entered. This "reboot" really eliminates uncertainties in this tedious exercise, and I found it very helpful.





80mm before adjustment. Focus was on E in BUSINESS.







80mm after adjustment. Focus was on E in BUSINESS.







Example of wrong lens name. This is rare and can be prevented.







120mm focus is right on. Focus was on E in BUSINESS.



Edited on Apr 21, 2014 at 08:26 AM · View previous versions



Apr 18, 2014 at 08:56 PM
sxgva
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p.1 #4 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


adamdewilde wrote:
Seems as if it focuses as fast on the Nikon as it does on the Contax..
Do you have a link to some images taken with the 80/2 by chance?



Not yet. For now I'm just posting some testing shots.

Not sure if I have time to take some sample shots this weekend, but I will report back when I have more real life images.



Apr 18, 2014 at 08:58 PM
sxgva
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p.1 #5 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Images of the adapter itself and on my Canon 5D3. It looks very good.






















Apr 18, 2014 at 09:01 PM
sxgva
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p.1 #6 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


A couple of shots to show focus accuracy using the adapter. 140mm was auto focus, and 120 was manual focus. These are unedited RAW images.

After edition in LR5, images will look much sharper, more than acceptable to my eyes.





140mm unedited RAW. Focus was on the right eye of the dog.







140mm unedited RAW. Full size of the focus point.







120mm unedited RAW. Focus was on the right eye of the monk.







120mm unedited RAW. Full size of the focus point.




Apr 18, 2014 at 09:08 PM
briantho
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p.1 #7 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Are there any reports of this adapter working on the A7/R using a smart EF adapter?


Apr 19, 2014 at 07:07 AM
sxgva
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p.1 #8 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Using this adapter on A7/R: not very exciting.

I tried using this adapter on A7/r with Metabones III, and I'm afraid to say that it's quite limited. There is no AF, no aperture control, and no lens information in Exif. You have to use this adapter with lens wide open, and even that is iffy.

The first lens I tried was 45/2.8. As soon as the adapter and lens were mounted, the lens aperture blades closed to the smallest. This is not a good sign. In A mode I was able to control aperture from camera, but that didn't do any good because, with aperture closed, metering was way off. I ended up getting almost pure white pictures. Not sure if there is any Exif in these pictures -- I deleted them immediately in camera.

Then I mounted 120/4 macro. There was no aperture control, and the lens remained wide open. Metering was good and I was able to use it normally in A mode. No Exif.

Then I mounted other lenses -- 140, 80 and 35. All worked like 120mm. You have to use the lens wide open. There is no aperture control, no AF, and no Exif.

Then I mounted 45/2.8 to Canon to open its aperture, before mounting it again back on A7r. To my surprise, it worked like the others. There seemed to be some memory with the adapter.

I then tried to exchange lenses after turning off the camera and pulling out the battery, and it didn't seem to help. At some point, 35mm closed its aperture when mounted, and it happened to 140mm as well.

Observations:
1. When the lens closes its aperture when mounted, it cannot be used, even though there is AF control from camera.
2. 120/4 macro is definitely usable with lens wide open, without AF or Exif.
3. Other lenses are also usable wide open, but somehow some lenses may still close aperture, in which case you can mount the lens to a Canon body and the aperture reopens. Not sure what's causing the lens aperture to close. Mounting 120/4 seems to give the next mounted lens a better chance to work w/o closing its aperture.
4. The eletronic circuits do not seem to communicate well between this adapter with Metabones EF-NEX III. Maybe the vendor can tweak the firmware in the future. But as of now, if you are thinking of using this adapter on A7/r, you will be disappointed. It is designed for the Canon body, not A7/r. It still has great performance when used on a Canon body.

Edited on Apr 19, 2014 at 05:47 PM · View previous versions



Apr 19, 2014 at 12:44 PM
briantho
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p.1 #9 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Thanks for the info. I hope there will be an A7/R option available in the future.


Apr 19, 2014 at 04:52 PM
sxgva
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p.1 #10 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


taken with 80/2 at f/2.8:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/14011290091_b1fcd4fe6f_b.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5026/13991359416_35a701e743_b.jpg



Apr 25, 2014 at 11:06 PM
sxgva
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p.1 #11 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Exciting update:

The vendor released v.2 of this adapter, adding compatibility with Metabones adapter that you can mount on Sony A7/r. I sent my apdater back to the vendor for a free firmware update, and it came back half an hour ago.

Now I can use Contax 645 lenses on Sony A7/r.

Focusing is slow, similar to other Canon EF lenses on A7/r, but fairly accurate.

My set up is: Contax 645 lens -- JAS Contax 645/EF adapter v2 --Metabones v3 EF-E Mount adapter -- Sony A7r. I will do more testing with this combo later and post an update with pictures.

Also exciting: The vendor came up with a Contax 645 to Nikon adapter. For the 5 minutes I played with it, it's just like using a native Nikon lens. Focus is very fast and accurate on my D800E. I will start a separate post later when I test it more.







Oct 27, 2014 at 01:40 PM
pftomo
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p.1 #12 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Please do! I have been very curious as to how the look of the Contax 645 lenses on a D800 would look. If you have the 80mm f2 and can post some samples that would be much appreciated!


Oct 27, 2014 at 01:42 PM
Mescalamba
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p.1 #13 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Since it should use variant of Sigma software inside (which is reverse engineered Canon EF system), it shouldnt be that hard to adapt it to almost anything. As long as they can reverse engineer rest of the mounts.

Nice to know there is another option, apart from having 645 adapter modded to Canon EF.



Oct 27, 2014 at 03:41 PM
wallpapervikin
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p.1 #14 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Hi sxgva,
Thanks so much for the update! I was looking at one of these a little while back and have been in contact with the seller but was put off by the fact that it would not work with a Metabones adapter.. I only have a Sony A7R with a mix of third party lenses..

So I am mainly interested to know if when setting the aperture, there is some way to remove the Contax 645 lens and have the last remaining aperture remain set on the lens?

I have the Chiek GX680 conversion camera

http://chiek.co.kr/list/zboard.php?id=6807

and I use a similar technique with my Canon Eos TS-E lenses on it (due to a similar issue with electronic communication of aperture). e.g Attach Canon 24mm TS-E to Metabones V3, set aperture to f11, twist off lens and the aperture remains, attach to Chiek GX680 camera..

I think by memory you need to hold down the little button thingy on the Metabones as you attach it..

Anyway, I was hoping you may be able to confirm for me whether this is possible with the Contax 645/Metabones/Sony A7R combination?

O.K, thanks so much for your time!




Oct 27, 2014 at 10:52 PM
sxgva
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p.1 #15 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


I've heard about this technique but never tried it myself. Too much trouble.

What I can confirm is that V2 of this adapter allows you to set aperture values on the A7/r camera. It works with metabones adapter now, very much like using a Canon EF lens on A7/r, except that you need two adapters.



Oct 28, 2014 at 07:26 PM
sirimiri
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p.1 #16 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Everybody should have the pleasure of using the 120 APO at some time, it's an absolute jewel of a lens.


Oct 28, 2014 at 08:20 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #17 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


sirimiri wrote:
Everybody should have the pleasure of using the 120 APO at some time, it's an absolute jewel of a lens.


I agree- and it's about the same price as first-party non-APO lenses. When's this adapter hitting the market?



Oct 28, 2014 at 08:32 PM
wallpapervikin
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p.1 #18 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Hi sxgva,
Thanks for the reply back, much appreciated.. with regards to the aperture preset method, it is not really that big a deal, guess it depends on what you are used to really

Is there any way at all that you are able to check this technique for me by any chance?

The technique with a Canon lens is to attach a lens whilst holding the small button down on the Metabones V3, set the aperture to f16, then remove the lens (aperture should remain stopped down).

Am very interested in purchasing one of these, so would be amazing if you were somehow able to clear this up for me..

Thanks so much, much appreciated!




Oct 28, 2014 at 11:30 PM
williamcarter
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p.1 #19 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression




sxgva wrote[/]

Also exciting: The vendor came up with a Contax 645 to Nikon adapter. For the 5 minutes I played with it, it's just like using a native Nikon lens. Focus is very fast and accurate on my D800E. I will start a separate post later when I test it more.


Is there some information somewhere (other than that youtube video) about this Nikon adapter? Such as information regarding when it will be available and how/where one can purchase it?



Oct 29, 2014 at 08:42 AM
wallpapervikin
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p.1 #20 · Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression


Yep, his email is

[email protected]

He is extremely prompt at replying back to you, so you should hear back from him in a day or so..

This was his reply back to me regarding the Canon Eos adapter

" Only one is left in stock, price is the same as past, but you forget to add Paypal transaction fee, so the total is USD 835 ( 799 * 1.045), can be shipped out 48 hours after payment clear. "

So looks like you can pay with Paypal which is some peace of mind I guess..




Oct 29, 2014 at 07:39 PM
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