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Contax 645 need your advise

Paul,

Yes. I just wish Contax would finally bring out a leaf shutter lens around 150 or 180mm. Now THAT would be heaven!

Guy
 
Yeah, agree...

But for some reason there is nothing but silence... A lot of people expected to see version 2 body from Contax, new zoom, anything new at all for god sake but it looks like lemming`s p&s digicam market consumed all marketing efforts...
 
Hi there,

I have been following this and recent posts on 645, especially with regard to lenses, as I have only the 80/2 so far and am trying to decide on a good choice for my main purpose, which is outdoor portraits. I had thought from the advice given that the 140 was the one to go for, until I hear of the difficulty with tight head shots, something I am very fond of. Does the 210 give the same pleasing portraits without this issue?

Also a question about the Pentacon lenses, Paul, I started to look into these as I had heard they were excellent lenses for their value, but I had difficulty finding information regarding adaptors.... I saw an excellent looking 180 on Ebay but the (honest) seller said I would need an adaptor but he could not supply one. Can you give me any advice? How would the 350 be for a choice for my interests? ( I usually photograph small children and the ability to catch them unawares is essential to me. I use a 300mm with my Nikon and find the length really suits me, just wish the quality even approached Zeiss).

I am just an amateur (altho' keen) and I have learnt so much from everyone since I joined this site. Thanks to you in advance and to everyone!

Alison
 
Alison,

Both 140 and 210 are excellent for portraits but these are not macro lenses so you`ll have to deal with it.

Speaking about 140mm lens focusing distance - look at this shot:

http://photo.upvstudio.com/images/photos/wild_nature/orchids-2004//slides/img029.jpg

It`s not a best one I made but it was done on almost closest distance 140mm can focus. Flower itself was about of 10cm big. Plus - you can get macro rings if you need to shoot on closer distance.
I got my 140m for $900. 120 macro will cost at least $400 more .

Speaking about Pentacon - you can get adapter from kievcamera, mr. Fridman. He sells Arsat 30mm, Hartblei, 500mm - I got these lenses from him, on ebay (or you can call him directly). He usually includes adapters with each lens he sells.

In case of Zeiss Jena lenses look for new completely black multicoated versions - earliest white-black versions (zebra) are not as good as black ones.
 
Alison,

Once again, I'll agree. The 210mm is just a bit soft which can work really great for portraits. I just shot a black and white portrait for a woman who is very, very sensitive about her skin. I shot her with the 210mm and she just loves the result. Great lens for limited depth of field and nice creamy skin tones.

Guy
 
I have the opportunity to trade for a new Rollei 6008 AF with the 80mm and a 180 for what I think is an excellent price (stereo equipment which cost me about $5,000) - does anyone here have any experience with that Rollei?
 
I believe Shutterbug had an extensive review on this system a few years ago. I have heard it is a great camera ... but eats alot of batteries for breakfast and lunch. Also, if you check the lens prices, the Carl Zeiss lenses for the Contax 645 are alot less expensive!
Michael Hahn
 
Kenneth, I had bought a 6008i with high hopes after all the heaping praise the system is given. I had used it only twice because I hated it. Hated everything about it; from it's weight, shape to the way film is loaded (especially the convoluted loading part). I saw no difference in the way the images rendered with the Rollei's 80mm compared to Contax' 80mm for all the trouble. I also found out the Rollei TLRs have a better market value than the more modern 6008s. It was a waste of my money and made me appreciate the Contax that much more. I wanted to toss it in a garbage but someone rescued it by paying me half of what I bought it for. So, my advise would be, don't do it Kenneth.
 
Is there some way to check the year of manufacture of a Contax 645 camea by the serial number ? Also, does anyone have any idea as to how many of the 645 cameras were made?

John
 
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