john_coan

Gil,

Sorry you don't like your Contax. Are you going to be selling off any accessories? I've been looking for a good used AF telephoto for the 645. The price of Contax/Zeiss lenses is my only complaint. I have been using Zeiss Jena glass with an adaptor but autofocus would be nice to have.

John

I didn't have a lot of money, so I took an alternative approach and bought a Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon multicoated 50/4. They are about $325 for an excellent specimin. Adaptors for the Pentacon Six mount are $200 from Zoerkendoerfer. Once you have the adaptor you can then use all the other CZJ lenses too (such as the excellent Sonnar 180/2.8) and in addition, the dirt cheap but pretty darn good Ukranian lenses for the Kiev 60. No autofocus, and stop down metering ... but for landscapes this shouldn't be a problem. I've been generally pleased, and for the money, they cannot be beat. (Especially a bargain is the Kiev 30/3.5 fisheye for less than $200 brand new with filters and case.)

Following up on my previous post .... I did purchase a quantity of ten 2cr5 batteries on ebay for five bucks each. As an amateur, these are perfect for me. They don't self discharge, have a 5-10 year shelf life, are very small and light, and quick to change. I use the "button" AF mode... it only focuses when I press the button, then I can fine tune manually if I want. And subsequent frames don't require another AF cycle.

 

By the way, I have received the new Zoerkendoerfer lens adaptor and it is great. The Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180 and Flektogon 50 work just fine, *even in aperture priority automation mode*. And the focus confirmation indicator also works. What I do is focus wide open, then stop down to taking aperture. As you stop down you can see the shutter speed change in the viewfinder display. Considering these lenses are pretty darn good and dirt cheap, this is way cool.

I have a 645 too for about six months and I'll chime in. I don't find the film magazine loading to be very difficult. I like the fact that if you use Fuji film it sets your ISO for you too.

 

Yes, regarding the variety of lenses you can mount. In addition to Hassy lenses, the German firm of Zoerdendoerfer has just come out with a precision machined adaptor for the Pentacon Six/Kiev 60 series of lenses. I have one. So far, I've tried the CZJ Sonnar 180/2.8, the CZJ Flektogon 50/4, and the Arsat 30/3.5 fisheye. They all mounted and focused well. The camera's focus confirmation works, as does (drum roll, please) aperture preferred automation. These Pentacon lenses are dirt cheap, and of very good quality if you get the latter multicoated ones. I paid $350 and $300 for the Sonnar and Flektogon, respectively, and $180 for the Arsat fisheye. All three of these were thus half the cost of one new CZ AF lens. Until I really need AF with the non-80 lenses, I think I will be a happy camper.

Just FYI, Kyocera has announced a new series of leaf shutter Carl Zeiss lenses for the 645 which will flash sync at their top speed. Of course, they will be more expensive but worth it if you are using high speed film outdoors. It will be interesting to see how the camera electronics handle it --- normally when you turn on a dedicated flash (like Contax or Metz with 3801 module) the shutter speed is set to 1/60 (which is odd because the "x" mode on the camera is 1/90; and it will sync to 1/125 with most all flashes.) I wonder if the top speed of the leaf shutter lenses will be 1/500 or 1/1000 like some of the CZ Rollei lenses?

I don't know the answer. I bought into the Contax over the Rollei mainly because it was AF. If Rollei comes out with autofocus I might switch. I love the Contax, don't get me wrong, but I think I prefer the square format negative. I got used to the format using Rolleiflex TLR cameras. The Contax is one fine piece of machinery though. And it's very convenient to have 32 exposures on a roll of 220.

I have a Contax. Don't know about Mamiya but I understand it is a fine camera too. The Contax does have some features that the Mamiya doesn't have such as TTL pre-flash metering and interchangable viewfinders. A waist level finder (perserving spot metering) is currently available, and rumor has it that a 45 degree finder is due to be announced. Other rumored products are a line on in-shutter lenses going to 1/1000 with flash sync at all speeds, and some zooms.

I love my Contax, by the way

This model battery seems to be bringing about $5 each on ebay in quantities of five. In my opinion that makes the price reasonable. Because the shelf life is so long, and the size and weight so minimal -- it is economical to just stock up.

I cannot answer regarding non-AF use since I only have the AF Planar lens now. I plan on getting some Ukranian lenses when the adaptor is ready which will be MF with focus confirmation (still useful for middle age eyesight).

 

However, I find I get 15-20 rolls on one 2CR5 -- mixed 120 and 220. I plan on stocking up on these lithium batteries. The shelf life on lithium batteries is extremely long -- about five years. They are very small and light weight. I take them out of their wrappers and keep them in the camera bag stacked. One could also put a piece of tape over the terminals and keep them loose. Other than the cost, they are a very effective solution for a camera that uses electricity for all functions. (And if I want a camera that doesn't use batteries, I have my Rolleiflex TLR :-) )

 

I am surprised at the low yeild of AA alkalines. I was thinking about getting the adaptor but this wouldn't be acceptable. I think it just goes to show how much current can be packed into a small 2CR5. I would think the main use of the AA adaptor would be for the ergonomic features, or if you found yourself in a rural area that did not have lithium batteries available. AA's are pretty much everywhere.

One thing I forget regarding number one, above. Pre-flash does not work in Tv mode at all. This was confirmed by two helpful forum members who tried it on their cameras.

 

Anyone else with information regarding this topic, I would love to hear from. Opinions, how you use flash with the Contax 645, etc.

 

Also, I found out that the Contax off camera flash cable has only 3 pins, so all the information is not transmitted. However, the Metz unit puts the TLA adaptor itself on the camera, and thus preserves all functions when using off camera flash.

A 180/2.8 lens in shutter would be great. I hate to think about the price point though! Any idea what street prices on the new lenses might shake out to?

I had a number of questions regarding the finer points of using TTL

flash with the Contax 645. Last week I spoke with Kyocera technical

support and got some answers which I thought might be helpful to the

group. I have a Metz flash but its SCA 3801 adaptor module emulates a

Contax TLA

360. The information should be valid for both flash units.

 

1. The pre-flash lever fires the flash sometimes but not at other

times. Its

operation is inconsistent. Answer: This could be caused by the

electronics

getting confused. If you find yourself in this condition, turn off

both camera

and flash. Turn them back on and see if the pre flash function starts

operation

working again.

 

2. Can the camera's compensation dial be used for altering fill flash

ratios

after locking in an ambient exposure value (instead of using the

compensation

switch on the flash unit itself.)? Answer: Yes. The on-camera

compensation dial

works by changing the camera's stored value of the ISO rating of the

film. Thus,

one can leave the compensation on his TTL flash at zero. Lock in an

ambient

exposure reading using the AE lock lever. Then, dial in the amount of

fill flash

compensation you want *on the camera*. The ambient exposure will be

retained at

the previously established EV, but the fill flash will be computed on

the "new"

ISO rating and thus be lower or higher. (This is good news because

now all

controls for ratioing fill flash are on the camera body. You can

leave the flash

controls alone, once you set them for TTL.)

 

3. The built in flash meter is a spot meter, about twice as large as

the

ambient-reading spot meter. Can you use the pre flash function to

measure flash

output on one part of a scene, say a face, and then recompose and get

the same

flash output? Answer: Yes. The pre flash lever locks-in the computed

flash

output value. Your flash unit will give the same amount of light,

exposure after

exposure, until that lever is pushed back in. Again, good news. Do a

pre-flash

with your subject's face centered. Leave the lever out, and recompose

and fire

away. The face will be correctly filled in.

 

I hope I got all these answers right. If someone thinks otherwise,

please let me

know and we can all experiment and see what works. All in all, this

seems like

great news and a cool way to work the equipment. ( Editorial comment:

Of course,

all this should have been explained in the instruction manuals.)

 

John

I've just recently acquired a Metz 40mzi-3 flash with SCA 3801 adaptor

for use with a Contax 645. This combination emulates the Contax TLA

360 flash.

 

I am interested in using the pre-flash function to lock in the correct

flash setting. I have discovered that in my camera, the pre flash

lever does not fire the flash in the Tv mode. This would be one of

the most useful modes for keeping the shutter speed at or below sync

speed. I have tested it in all other modes (Av, M, X, and B) and it

works fine in those modes.

 

I wonder if anyone else with a Contax 645 has noticed this problem, or

could possibly test their own camera to see if pre flash works in Tv

mode.

 

Thanks in advance.

I have to disagree with the contributor who said the lenses on a

Rollei 35 were not as good as a Minox. I have both a Minox GT-E and a

Rollei 35S. The Minox has a great lens. The Rollei does also. The

lens on the Rollei 35S is a Carl Zeiss designed, manufactured by

Rollei, HFT Sonnar optic. It is outstanding, even wide open. I also

like the match needle metering on the Rollei. You hold at chest level

and have all vital controls: distance scale on lens, aperture, and

shutter speed all there to set. Then, put the viewfinder to your eye

and take the shot. I agree that the Rollei is not as fast to get into

action due to the necessity of pulling out the lens. It is also quite

a bit heavier than the Minox. The the hot shoe on a Rollei 35 (pre 35

SE) is on the bottom, necessitating turning the camera upside down to

get the light right. In summary, I have and enjoy both cameras. Both

are modern classics of fine design and precision manufacturing. USED

35S cameras are selling for over $300 on eBay these days!