Contax 645 AF

Review Date
January 19, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.90 of 5, 10 votes

Reviewed by
markophoto1 , Professional

Price Paid
$5000.00 at 2nd hand for system

Photography Experience
11-20 years , People

Summary
This camera, while a tad heavy, is very easily handlable and hand-holdable. I handle this one almost as easily as my 35mm SLR system (those being Canon EOS for AF purposes and a Contax RTS III as my MF SLR). And that's the purpose. To me, the 645 format is a med format roll film system that can be hand-held and shot much like you would 35mm. In this regard, the Contax 645 is wonderful.

In my opinion, the single most important aspect of a camera is its viewing system. The Contax 645 is excellent. The standard prism finder gives a big bright image with the nice fast Zeiss glass that predominates the system. With the 80mm f/2 mounted, the view is exceptional. With any of the f/2.8-f/4 lenses, downgrade that to somewhere between very good and ecxcellent. Among medium format systems only the Hasselblad H1 is marginally better, and the Pentax 6x7 with is slightly better than that in this regard. My preferred configuration is with the split range/microprism collar finder. Focuses fast and surely, nice and bright, you can truly "feel" the subject and the light on the subject and a sense of "presence" that's a function both of the excellent prism finder and focusing screen as well as the superlative lenses.

Which brings up the other point. The lenses of this camera are second to none. The Zeiss lens line on this camera, in my opinion is superior to that of the Hasselblad V system. Faster, for one thing. And though it's a bit more limited, there's not a lens in the system that is not at least as good as its Hassy equivalent.

There is some controversy as to its AF performance. That's not a major consideration for me, but as little as I use it it's fine. Not quite Canon EOS, but fine. And this IS a med format system, not an electronic-heavy 35mm system after all...

Metering system is very accurate and easy to use. I do particularly like the TTL pre-flash meter system, a hold-over from the RTS III, when using a ringflash. The LCD display in the viewfinder in general is very easy to read.

Build quality is very solid and durable. Balance, heft, feel is quite ergonomic, and even better with the battery grip. All controls are laid out logically. Part of my preference of the Contax to the Hassy H1 is that it's an old-school knobs and dials layout as opposed to a Nikon/Canon style LCDs and wheels modal control layout. The only critique I have over the handling of the camera is Contax's over-enthusiasm with safeties when it comes to camera backs, something that's a hold-over from their 35mm systems. I appreciate the need to make sure that a back stays on until you want to take it off, but changing backs is a true pain in the rear, very difficult to accomplish with one hand. Changing film inserts is easy enough, but changing backs is a pain. Hence Contax users will probably end up collecting film inserts rather than backs. Oh, and the neck strap gets in the way of the darkslide insert. Another minor annoyance.

Much is written about the battery-eating properties of this camera. Being that I rarely use the AF, and when I do it's almost always the push-button AF assist (another nice touch) only periodically, my batteries last a heck of a lot longer than most report. I recently had a 26 roll shoot of 220 format all on the same 2CR5 battery, with a few rolls extra to spare before I changed batteries.

Strengths
An excellent hand-holdable med format system, built to work intuitively the way I like to work, very high quality solid build, with an excellent viewing system and outstanding lenses.

Weaknesses
A bit heavier than the H1, with slower AF than the H1, lots of people report heavy battery consumption with AF use, a few wonky details such as backs difficult to remove, etc. Expensive, but not so over-priced as the H1 system.

Similar Products Used
Hasselblad H1, Mamiya 645 AF, Hasselblad V system, Pentax 67, Mamiya 67 RB and RZ, Canon and Nikon AF SLRs.

Customer Service
Not yet needed.

Review Date
August 24, 2004

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by
kaiserC645AF , Professional

Price Paid
$7000.00 at various

Photography Experience
21+ years , Other

Summary
Must say I enjoyed reading the other reviews before posting my own here.
With a wide and varied background in photography I've been all over the World shooting all kinds of things, with all kinds of cameras.
I could go on at great length about the many types and styles of cameras that have flowed through my hands, and even regale you with how I get paid the big bucks now for my work- but I'll save you the trudge.
Allow me to describe my first shoot with the fantastic Contax 645AF instead.
*FWIW I'd been shooting for the prior 10+ years with the Pentax 645- then I got the Contax rig.

I was hanging out the side of a TwinStar helicopter, my 'monkey suit' keeping me strapped securely to anchors but free enough to extend to the end of the bunji elastic.
We're hovering over Victoria Falls at about 750 feet, during the heaviest flow it has had in 20 something years.
I can feel the spray on my face at that distance.
Somewhere amidst the frequent lens and film back changes I realized this Contax was nearly perfectly designed.
Everything FIT, and tactile response from the controls and levers transmitted to me in absolute unison for my productivity.
Granted, at that altitude I wasn't focusing much, but I was busy with lens and film changes.
Nothing went awry, nothing was dropped or lost, no juggling and futzing- I'd make the change and go right to shooting again.
It was magic.
My assistant (doing reloads on the seat behind me) got on the horn (intercom) and asked if anyone else heard laughter as she did.
It was me. Chuckling to myself over the roar of the two turbines and three rotor blades, as well the tremendous waterfall below.
I was happier than a pig in .... well, you know the saying.

Of course, that may not impress anyone- it's pure anecdotal as compared to literal or scientific testimony.
Let me say this then; that was four years ago, nearly the first time I ran any film through the Contax.
In between I've done a lot of work with it- and had my fair share of success (in publishing my shots, getting paid for them, and having work in shows = some kind of measuring stick that that represents.)

It's a big camera, so it's not too discreet (easily noticed as being a camera by the average onlooker, and usually not 'just' a camera either).
However, it's very quiet too (for a flop down mirrored motordriving noisemaker).
I call it silky smooth. Maybe as noisy as a butterfly fart.

Yet, I've been able to shoot in remote temples in the Himalaya without disturbing the monks as they chanted (truth be known, they can get a little loud anyway.)
Street shooting is a joy for me- and this Contax has rewarded me time and time again with fabulous results.
I use the truly outstanding 35mm T* quite a bit, followed closely by the 120 Makro.
[The 120 Makro is NOT autofocus. Amazing thing about it- aside from it being so sharp- is you can rack from a 1:1 ratio out to a pleasant portrait taking lens very easily. A few turns and you've moved from focusing on eyelashes to a great head shot.]

It's all about the lenses of course.
The T* are the best out there.
They produce the kind of images that drop your jaw and pull you into them.
A cut and paged set of transparencies lying atop a light table will glow with an otherworld embodiment which just takes your breath away.
It never fails.

Color, contrast, bokeh- it's all there, and then some. Zeiss glass just has it's own, unique quality and preformance. [I swear I can pick photos out from a lineup which were taken with Zeiss lenses- they are just that outstanding!]

Handling the body and it's various parts and pieces (save one niggling thing- mentioned in 'weaknesses') is fluid and responsive.
I could go on at length about how everything is where it should be, and you get this 'talk back' effect from maneuvering around the mechanism 'in the blind' (where you do something without looking at it in the process).
There's no second guessing- so you are POSITIVE in your actions.
With that headache gone you can concentrate on the art part- doing the best photography you can.

I had an Art Director of some report comment to one of my assistants that I 'really knew my way around that camera' as he watched me go through the paces doing his shoot.
I do the gig in an hour, when he scheduled three.
I tell him we got it, not to worry- it's cool.
He's chagrined, winces at me, "Are you sure?"
(I can see he's crestfallen, looking for new work when this promo crashes on him.)
"Really. It's in the can. You'll love it, and so will the client."

I'm at the airport the next day, headed off to another gig, my cell phone rings.
It's the Art Director. He's almost crying on the phone... "Please forgive me. I never doubted you. These are GORGEOUS SHOTS. Oh-mi-God! Worth every penny. Thank you, thank you..."

You get the picture.

Half the fun is knowing the camera sings for me. And that, my friends, is very hard to quantify if one is prone to being satisfied with coming up short from time to time.

Strengths
Magical human interface. It just CLICKS.
Multi mode control in a widely varied set of performance characteristics.
Outstanding metering.
TTL to die for (when coupled with the TLA 360).
Interchangable backs a real boon! Don't know how I ever lived without it before (well, carrying two bodies was the norm before!)
I GET TEN TO TWELVE ROLLS PER BATTERY- so I don't know what them other folks was complaining about. Maybe I don't slop around with the AF as much?
ZEISS GLASS IS THE BEST EVER.
They're gonna bury me with this camera, I swear - it's that good!`

Weaknesses
The strap lug on the left side sometimes gets in the way of the dark slide. Dang it.

Similar Products Used
Pentax 645
Hassy
Bronica
Mamiya
etc.

Customer Service
ain't never had to indulge them yet but I'm sure they're great too.

Review Date
June 18, 2004

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.75 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by
ARGPhotographic , Professional

Price Paid
$1250.00 at Hong Kong

Photography Experience
21+ years , Outdoor

Summary
This Camera, and more importantly the lenses, is superb.

The actual body is very light and ergonomically good, with everything you need close at hand. People have mentioned that the body looks cheap and easily breakable, due to it being plastic. But this is no ordinary plastice. The camera is made from a combination of Polycarbonate and a carbon fibre composite, making it extremely strong and durable. It would easily outlive other heavier metal based cameras when dropped from a height.

Some of the better features of the camera body are the pre flash metering (although I have found that it has a tendency to under expose), Film data imprinting (saves me having to record every shot I make in a little book), quick autofocus in manual mode, and of course the ability to stick the beautiful Zeiss optics on the front.

This camera will give you everything you need and just a little bit more to aid in your picture taking. Granted the autofocus is a bit slow, but it is ungodly accurate, and to be honest I can't see a situation where you would need super fast autofocus with this type of camera. If you do, get yourself a Canon Eos 3. The metering is excellent as with all Contax cameras I have used.

A couple of things that I have found that have been misrepresented somewhat in previous reviews are the battery life and the idea that you cant adjust your aperture ring in half stops. The battery life is not great, but we are talking about autofocussing a zeiss lens and they are not renowned for being the lightest of lenses. I have found that I do not use the camera in autofocus mode, but use the manual autofocus button when required. This has allowed me to push anywhere between 10 and 20 rolls through before the battery starts to go. As for not being able to set the aperture by a half stop, this is something us manual camera users have been doing for years. Quite simply turn the aperture ring to half way between the desired aperture settings. Granted there is no notch but the aperture ring is tight and it will remain in position, and it will give you a half stop adjustment. You can also do 1/3 stop adjustments as well.

All that said and done, this camera far outshines, the Bronica, Mamiya and Pentax and in the most part it is down to one thing. The lenses. I realise they are expensive, heavy and sometimes cumbersome (Vario 45-90), but they really are out of this world. The standard 80mm that usually comes with the pack is incredible, especially for weddings. If you have never used Zeiss T lenses then you will notice the difference immediately.

If you've got the money, buy it now.

Strengths
Lenses, Superstrong light weight body, manual autofocus, metering.

Weaknesses
The standard focussing screen is a little dark, but certainly usable.
Can be expensive. Take a little time to hunt down a bargin.

Similar Products Used
Bronica ETRSi
Mamiya 645
Pentax 645
Fuji 645

Customer Service
I have had very little contact with them and they did need chasing. I use independant servicers.

Review Date
September 28, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by
Paul Navas , Professional , from Atlanta, Ga

Price Paid
$2400.00 at Jim Kuehl & Co

Photography Experience
6-10 years , People

Summary
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT CAMERA, TO ME FOR THE TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY WHICH IS WEDDINGS THE AUTO FUCUS WORKS GREAT. EVEN WHEN I HAVE DARK LIGHT I USUALLY TURN ON THE MODELING LIGHT ON MY QUANTUM X2D AND FOCUS DEAD ON. BATTERY CONSUMPTION IS NOT AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. A BIT PRICY, BUT YOUR TALIKING ABOUT A MEDIUM FORMAT CAMERA WITH AUTO FOCUS LENSES WITH ZEISS GLASS. THE CAMERA ALSO FEELS GOOD IN YOUR HAND AND WITH THE GRIP ITS EVEN BETTER. THE LENSES ARE EXCELLENT I HAVE THE 55, 80,120 MAKRO. CONTRAST AND SATURATION ARE EXCELLENT. I HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH THE CAMERA.

Strengths
ZEISS GLASS
EXCELLENT METERING
MANUAL FOCUS CAPABILITY IN AUTO FOCUS

Weaknesses
NO HALF STOPS
SYNC SPEED NOT HIGHER 125TH.
AUTO SHUT DOWN

Similar Products Used
HASSELBLAD 503CW

Customer Service
ONLY USED ONCE WITH MY G-2 AND SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT. TECH GUYS ARE GREAT TO TALK TO FOR ANY QUESTIONS.

Review Date
June 2, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.14 of 5, 7 votes

Reviewed by
Derek , Intermediate , from Seoul

Price Paid
$0.00

Photography Experience
2-5 years

Summary
Love this camera. I was using a Hasselblad 500c/m which I also really enjoyed, but found getting any shots of my one year old daughter with that thing was nearly impossible. While the autofocus of the 645 is not super fast, it is a whole lot faster for me than focusing the Hasselblad manually, and it is much easier to handhold. I have been able to get a number of perfectly focused shots of my daughter at 2.8 (I have only the 80 mm lens), something I was not able to do with the Hasselblad. The lens is very sharp, great color and contrast. Build quality is also great, especially the lenses.

Strengths
Great lenses
Build quality
Easy to handhold
Like the way the controls are laid out
Also, like the use of dials, levers,... rather than LCD screen (Don't like those too much for some reason)

Weaknesses
Batteries drain fast
Auto shut off feature is mildly annoying on occasion, but doesn't really bother me much.

Similar Products Used
Hasselblad 500c/m

Customer Service
Don't know