Wonderful package - super, bright lenses; works well with Fuji bar codes; like battery grip with vertical shutter release

No off-shoe cord to allow full functiuon of TLA 360 flash - otherwise works great with TLA-360 mounted on camera and only TTL off-shoe - potential for shutter damage - must be extremely careful and use plate when film back is off camera; lens prices a bit high; eats batteries so we bought the battery grip

Wonderful - sharp, great MF addition

Customer Service

Good answers over phone

Similar Products Used:

Hassy 501C

Light weight,Low price and rugged.

Not many lenses, Sucks batteries down .

I have used the camrea in the deserts for days to the middle of a Rain forest with so much condensation on the camera I did not think it was going to make it, but It kept going !!
The battery grip is a must for long on site shoots and also lets me hold the camera with one hand.
Running around with the 503CW takes it toll and the Contax feals so much lighter.

Customer Service

Have not had to use them

Similar Products Used:

Hasselblad 503CW, Rolleiflex TLR

Data imprinting
Bright viewfinder (80/2)
Feel in the hand
Quiet (esp. compared to pentax 645af)
120/220 inserts take either/or
pre-flash

Battery power
Lens price (I guess you get what you pay for)

Great camera. Lots of features. Great for portraits and weddings, especially since it is so quiet (put it next to the pentax and compare). I need to get the battery adapter because this thing is eating them up! I especially like to put it on manual focus and use the focus button on the back to actuate the auto focus. No accidental firings and more focus control. Meter is right on. I love the fact that the inserts take both 120 and 220 film, just make sure you check it before you load it into your camera. Data imprinting is great. The 80mm lens is so bright and sharp, I had no problem manually focusing at a wedding reception where it was very dark on the dance floor (which is good, since so many people tend to embarrass themselves...).

Now if I could just get them to discount those lenses...

Customer Service

Mine had a massive failure with the tla360 dedicated flash (intermittently it wouldn't fire, read the ISO, lens focal length, f/stop, etc.). At first I thought it was the flash until I took a friends tla360 (new) and put it on my body - same failure. Without going into massive detail, I sent the body, prism and flash back (3 year warranty) to NJ at my cost. They said they repaired it. Put the flash on it when I got it back and had the same exact problem. This time I shipped it back at their expense, and I got a new body, prism and flash. They were very responsive, but I just wish they would have replaced it from the beginning. I wouldn't have lost the extra week and a half of shipping time it took. Bottom line - they solved my problem.

Similar Products Used:

Mamiya 645 pro
Hassy 500 c/m

The 645 with Zeiss lenses revolutionizes medium format photography for me. It handles like a slightly larger F5, but offers a 4x negative and an incredible line of Zeiss lenses. The single best implementation of AF I've ever used. You can leave the camera in manual focus mode and just hit the AF button on the back to snap on the AF and fine tine from there. Brilliant! The body is rugged and of simple construction, and the prism and back come off easily and quickly. Essentially, this camera comes with everything you need to get great images immediately. The TTL pre-flash mode is not only easy to use, but wisely implemented and extremely useful. Key features include: Built-in centerweighted metering, spot metering, multiple exposure control, 1.6 FPS motordrive, 120/220 film from the same back, an optional 220 vacuum back, exposure information printed outside the image area on all prints, 1/4000th shutter speed, 1/125th sync speed, TTL pre-flash, mirror lock-up, adjustable self timer, DOF preview, automatic advance to frame 1, auto bracketing.

Not many! The lens system is still growing, and used market is currently limited. With the suddenly popularity of the system, I expect this to change quickly. This camera is power thirsty, so battery life is somewhat limited, so I recommend the additional grip MP-1 if you are going to shoot it out in the field or at weddings. Keep spare batteries on hand for long events, just in case.

Without question, the best camera I have ever used. Absolutely perfect for portraits and weddings, and the resolution is easily good enough for advertising and food photography. It's also fast enough and reasonably light, so it could also be used for photojournalism. The 120mm Macro is the sharpest lens I have ever tried. The first time you see images made from the 645/120mm combination, you will begin weeping from joy. Seriously. With the Hasselblad lens adapter, you also have access to the entire line of Blad lenses, although rumors of 4 new lenses for the Contax 645 include two leaf shutter lenses and 2 zooms. I suspect those who didn't love this camera didn't try it long enough or just don't need medium format. Don't let the relatively lightweight of this camera fool you, it's rock solid. The shell is made of shock-resistance mixed with carbon fiber. If you are a Hasselblad shooter that finds you just aren't using your camera enough, you *must* try this camera. It will change your mind.

Customer Service

I have no experience with Kyocera's CS yet.

Similar Products Used:

Hasselblad 501CM (clunky, featureless, and dreadfully primative), Mamiya 645AF (very good).

Bright viewfinder.

Batteries!!!
I shot from the wings of a threatre recently and had a terrible time with the auto focus. It just could not hack it. Light levels, admitidly, were all over the place and I was using spot metering but I can focus a lot faster myself.

I liked the camera but was disapointed in the auto focus. Maybe this is because it was the first time I had tried an auto focus camera in any format. I loved the bright viewfinder though. It handles like a big 35mm. If I shot fashion I think it would be a great camera to have. Trying to change a battery in the wings of a theatre in mid act is a bit of a pain.
I do prefer leaf shutters though. This is the only time that I have used it I hasten to add. Rent it before you buy!!

Similar Products Used:

Hass, Bronica, Mamiya,
Canon and anything else that is laying around.

Auto-focus is fast and quiet, now do not expect Nikon F5 speed, but for medium format, fast. Viewfinder very bright. Easy to use and learn. And what can I say about the Zeiss lenses that has not already been said.

Battery Life

I shot my first wedding with it recently and have never been happier with any purchase.
The feel, the look, the performance and balance will blow you away. The viewfinder is
as bright as my F 5 and that 80MM 2.0 is too sharp. I also purchased the 45MM and 140MM. The expense of the outfit is a value compared with what you are getting, first class has never come at this price before.

Similar Products Used:

Mamiya AF, Mamiya Pro TL

Easily the best of the AF medium format cameras.

A little heavy, but feels sturdy

This is the SLR I have been waiting for. Unlike many other reviewers, instead of trading in my Hasselblad stuff, I simply bought the Hassy lens adaptor. Now I have access to many great lenses with no less convenience then on my old 2000fcm.

Customer Service

No problems yet

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 645 AF and Mamiya 645 AF

Nicely damped shutter. handles as easily as a 35mm with larger film size. Zeiss lenses are still the best. Truly modular

A bit of a battery hog. With the 4AA (Lithium) battery adaptor fitted .. no problem.

A very comfortable camera to use. Have had excellent results hand holding at slow speed due to the very nicely damped shutter. Saturation has been great, details great. The modular construction permits good customnzation, great flexibility and has already become my camera of choice. Shooting at ground level ? ... use the waist level finder! ... great option. The handshake with the TLA 360 is as with a top end 35mm.
Overall .. a top end 35mm camera with a medium format sheet size.
{This is a duplication of my previous posting as the overall rating was not what I had intended ... Mr Adminstrator please feel free to remove one of these postings but retain the correct ratings}

Customer Service

Good response by email to questions posed.

Similar Products Used:

Mamiya 7
Contax RTS III
Contax AX
Contax G2
Cannon A2

The 645 format is for me a good balance between picture quality and convenience. The camera is excellent for landscape and portrait (and fashion) work. It behaves almost like an autofocus 35 camera (th'o the focusing is a bit slower).

I agree that the camera's own battery only lasts a few rolls of film but the optional battery back (4 AA batteries) lasts much longer.

I liked the camera (and lenses) the 1st time I tried it out. Picture resolution and colour saturation are outstanding. I went on a photo trip with a friend who uses a Hasselblad 503. We were surprised to find that the picture quality of the Contax 80 lens is actually better than the Hasselblad's. We both mounted our cameras on Gitzo mountaineer tripods, used mirror lock up, cable release and the same type of slide film. The only difference was I used the Arca Swiss B1 head and my friend used the Linhof ball head.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

None.

Pre-Flash Function.

Low-light focus has NO infrared assist (Mamiya does) no half-stop shutter speeds, no auto-detect of 1st frame, hard to see what is happening on dial in low light, not balanced as well as Mamiya, EATS BATTERIES and LENSES ARE TOO DANG EXPENSIVE

The Contax is neat, but lacks many things that Mamiya took extra time to address. Such as: Infrared assist beam (Low light dream!--good to 27 feet), half-stop shutter speeds, it finds the 1st fram of film automatically (no START mark!), backlit LCD panels, the shutter disappears when you take the back off (NOT contax--Mamiya), electronic dial lock, full Program (3 modes, even), uses AA batteries for 150 rolls--not ten!, front and rear dials faster to adjust than aperture ring on lens--for me, auto bracketing in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, and 1 stops (instead of 1/2 and 1 on Contax), Auto-Shift Metering (neat!), AND consecutiove numbering from 001 to 999 with the data imprint. Mamiya really took their time and made sure that the focus happened all the time and is fast (I believe faster than Contax--try for yourself) and the body is easy, fast and durable. Contax should have broken their old mold when thinking about this camera. Mamiya did.

Customer Service

Great--informative and friendly.

Similar Products Used:

Mamiya 645AF & Pentax 645N