This did not work a great deal of the time. The denoument was my favorite niece's wedding which I had come out of retirement to photograph. raleighfoundationrepair.net/

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Despite being lenses made in Japan and not Zeiss in Germany, the optics were outstanding. The wedding pictures were a big hit and beautiful 11x14" prints were made.
For the most part, the camera handles beautifully and is fairly intuitive to use. The problem with the batteries would block its serious use by people who do weddings for a living.
The biggest drawback was that the autofocus lock system was not reliable. For anyone moving up from 35mm (I had an F4S and N90 Nikon), it would just about drive you crazy.

See above

I owned and used a Contax 645 for over two years. Having turned 50 years old, I thought that my vision was getting too poor to focus my Hasselblad equipment that I have had since 1969, so I bought a 645 with 80mm, quickly added the 140mm and tele-extender, then waited until Contax got their act together and came out with the 55mm lens (the 45mm lens, which was the next shorter focal length to the normal when Contax first came out is equivalent to 28mm on the 35mm format and I prefer 35mm on a Nikon or Leia).
I was disappointed that, within four months, the camera conked out and I was hit for a $480 repair bill for electronics. However, what was most disappointing was that the auto-focus lock system did not work properly.
As most of you know, with a good auto-focus system, you aim the center point at the most important part of your picture (okay, some of you depth of field freaks aim at the point for 1-3/2-3's depth), press down slightly on the shutter release to lock the focus at that point, recompose the shot and then release the shutter. This did not work a great deal of the time.
The denoument was my favorite niece's wedding which I had come out of retirement to photograph. At a wedding, you are shooting large numbers of pictures with 2 or more people in them. If the AF lock does not work, when you compose the picture you find your focus has strayed to the area between the two people, often infinity and never right. I eventually overrode the AF and did most of the wedding manually.
Second, the battery situation is ridiculous. I purchased the larger packs to avoid burning through batteries so quickly. However, that wedding, even with the AF not being used, went through FIVE sets of Batteries. I thought that I was being foolish for bringing so many batteries but am very thankful that I did.

Soon thereafter, a visit to a real eye clinic rather than the mall-inhabitors revealed I just needed better glasses. So, I am back with the Hasselblad and various other medium format fixes to get the job done.

I no longer own any 35mm equipment because I found myself falling back on it for landscapes and scenics on trips and then realizing that the 16x20 prints I favor just do not have the detail and snap needed. If this places me on the lunatic fringer, so be it. I still use up to 5x7 format.

Similar Products Used:

Hasselblad 503cxi, Hasselblad 203FE, Linhof ST V 2-1/4x3-1/4, Rolleiflex 2.8F, Rolleiflex SL66,

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.

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.

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.

Customer Service

Not yet needed.

Similar Products Used:

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

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!`

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

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.

Customer Service

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

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 645 Hassy Bronica Mamiya etc.

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

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

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.

Customer Service

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

Similar Products Used:

Bronica ETRSi Mamiya 645 Pentax 645 Fuji 645

ZEISS GLASS EXCELLENT METERING MANUAL FOCUS CAPABILITY IN AUTO FOCUS

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

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.

Customer Service

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

Similar Products Used:

HASSELBLAD 503CW

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)

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

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.

Customer Service

Don't know

Similar Products Used:

Hasselblad 500c/m

Excelent build quality, Tac Sharp but natural looking Zeiss lense (I have 35 mm, 55 mm, 80mm, 120 mm, and 210mm, and they are all very sharp and with good color and contrast. My use the 35 mm 80 mm and 120 mm the most). Preflash meter. Metering lock is a turn button rather than a press button, allowing you more time to recompose. Easy swith to manual and auto focus. Auto focus under studio model light is good for me.

Lack of half stop adjustment in spped and aperture in the manual mode. In bright daylight the view finder can be too bright so that the LED display is hard to see.

After agonizing over Mamiya 645 AF/AFD and Pentex 645, I have finally bought the Contax 645, for its interchangable back, preflash metering, sharp but natural looking Zeiss lenses, 1/125 flash sync speed, and less known manufacture problems like that plaguing Mamiya. I have been very happy with my decision. I sold my 35 mm Canon gear to move up to 645 format. Image quality is much, much better. I use Zeiss primes instead of Canon zooms now, because primes are more natural looking and not with so much distortion. I used to take pictures with the Canon L 28-70 zooms, which is sharp, but no good for close distance because of the distortion. I have the vertical grip to solve the battery comsuption problem. When one battery source is used up, swith to another and keep shooting until you want to change batteries.

Customer Service

No need.

Similar Products Used:

Played with Mamiya 645 AF and Bronica

size, hand held availbility. Lenses are second to none.

no "P" setting(argh!!!!!)can be a little intimidating for close up's

I just had a chance this past weekend to shoot wiht this camera. First impressions are that it is not too heavy. The lack of a "P" shooting mode makes it very difficult to shoot photo-jounalistic stuff as you are always either changing the f stop or shutter, and by the time you do that, the shot is lost. With and "P" all you would need to do is couple the two. I like the lens quality and the 35/3.5 is awesome. Overall a great substitution for my 35mm.

Similar Products Used:

hasselblad, canon eos

Handle like a 35mm camera. Excellent build quality. Superb Carl Zeiss Lenses. Nice control layout. Well balance with most of the C645 lenses, including the massive 45-90mm zoom (95mm filter size). Share lenses with N1. Accurate metering. TTL pre flash. Most lenses share the same 72mm filters. Very nice pro bellow lens hood works with all 72mm filter lenses. The MP-1 grip increase battery life, and able to use AA batteries but added weight.

No half aperture stop on lenses. Polaroid back is hard to mount comparing to other MF camera back.

Well built and well balance camera handles like a 35mm camera. Very reasonable battery life as I set my camera to M (Manuall AF) mode where I push the focus button as AF assistance.

Customer Service

No needed yet.

Similar Products Used:

Hasselbald 500s. RB67, Mamiya 645