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Whatbs going up with contax

Robert,
Here is the link to AP:
http://www.amateurphotographer.com/
I have found the editor very friendly and receptive to emails so maybe that might be a way forward. Unfortunately, I missed buying that edition and I read it when I happened to be in the library yesterday otherwise I could have scanned the article to you. Our local public library is a week out of date with AP because each copy has to circulate around all the libraries in the area.
It will probably be expensive to buy it with international postage and so on.
I think I have seen Amateur Photographer for sale when we have been on holiday in Spain so perhaps you might be able to get it at your local newsagent.
John
 
Thanks for all the helpful comments.

I still cannot make up my mind about which digital camera to buy or indeed, if any. I am very happy with my Contax and Mamiya gear which has represented a considerable investment down the years and with my scanned film results.
I don't need instant results and if I do need a quick snap, I use my wife's ageing digital Casio compact (having said "snap", one of my pictures from the Casio has just been used on a 13th century church web site).

DSLR's are very expensive and have only a short span before they are superseded by something better.

Film cameras can last pretty well indefinitely and the quality of their results does not depend upon upgrading them for the lastest model nor are there dust problems to anywhere the same extent as with digital.

I also don't want to have to embark upon the expense of a whole new system. Buying and processing film is much cheaper than buying a whole new DSLR system but there again, for ex&le, one of my favourite films is no more; Agfa Scala - I have a stache of ten rolls left and the lab in the UK which processes them is aparently running out of chemicals and has asked for films to be sent in for processing before the end of December.

Having said all that, the convenience of digital is, as Marc says, very seductive.

I expect that I shall have to do it. I had thought of the new Olympus being a reasonable price comparatively speaking. I have handled it and it is very nice although the viewfinder is small. I'm sure the lenses will be excellent but I cannot believe that the small sensor is adequate especially for future development.

The new Nikon D200 looks as though it will be excellent and is much lower in price than the Canon 5D. I am awaiting reviews but my Zeiss lenses will suffer from the crop factor on it.

I have handled the Canon 5D and liked it and the price has come down substantially.
An adapter is avalable for CZ lenses AND it is full frame. I have read nothing but praise for it and I think it must be the one despite it having the potential built in dust spot problem. But here is the rub, I should have to trade in Contax gear to get it and that is a very sad thing to do especially as the Contax gear will in effect never date but the Canon will likely be replaced by a newer and better model sometime next year. I have read that Canon propose to introduce full frame sensors across their whole range as manufacturing costs come down.

Decisions,decisions... of course the easiest and perhaps most sensible thing is just not to bother and make no change but that is rather like burying one's head in the sand.

If I go for it, I'll let you know how I get on.
John
 
John, the trick with digital is to ignore the hype, and get what works for you. While I have to keep up with the Jones for commercial work, the ND would have been enough for most personal digital work.

Frankly, a camera like a Canon 5D is waaaaay more than most people need (depending on what you are really doing with it ... not some speculative acid test idea of what you may want to do .. which could be done on MF film and scanned... for the amount of times that really happens).

12 meg full frame is plenty good for well into the future no matter what they come up with and hype to death so people feel compelled to have it or they'll just die.
 
Please excuse my ramblings but I expect that many people may suffer from the same dilemma.
John
 
Hi,
Just to say, regarding the 'amateur photographer' Contax article, it is actually not that good. It does not present any new info or photos of any sort and contains at least two large factual errors. I e-mailed the editor who passed me on to Ivor Matanle who wrote the article, who was glad of the corrections I gave him. The number of CZ C/Y mount lenses produced (28) was way short of the actual total (at least 43) and the info re German/Japan made lenses was also wrong.
Cheers Steve.
 
Hi all,
As for film - I will stick with my Contaxes (35mm) (although I'm about to start selling a few to pay for a couple of missing lenses!) and Mamiya 645s for medium format. As for digital John, I've jumped ship entirely and gone for the Olympus E-system. The four thirds system is so smart, producing lenses that are physically small and lightweight and yet the premium ones are razor sharp. My current favourite is my 50-200 F2.8/3.5 giving a 35mm equivalent of a pretty fast 100-400 which can be used hand-held. Some of the new lenses are awesome. No issues with build quality of the lenses, E-1 body or accessories. Fantastic for wildlife or travel work because of the compactness and low weight. Waiting for the new E-1 with a few more pixels. Just a shame you can't use CZ on them!

Cheers, Graham
 
Graham et al,

Interesting discussion. I too like what I get from film a lot, but also realize that at some point a DSLR is in my future for some things. At present I only use an Olympus digicam for snapshots and some work related matters, and we have a few of them around and are familiar with their menu layout, etc.

I'm wondering if an Olympus DSLR such as perhaps the E-500 I think it is called wouldn't be a good idea for me. I know about the advantages of Canon, but am curious about the Olympus camera using an adapter that would allow me to use my Zeiss C/Y manual focus lenses. I see that Cameraquest sells one, that stays on the camera and you only have to buy one and change lenses. Does anyone have any input on this idea?

Tom
 
Hi Tom,
Wow! I had no idea there was an Evolt/Contax adapter (never thought to put the option into Google!). Thanks for the steer - I'm ordering one and will report back on its use. Cheers,

Graham
 
Hi Marc,

If you compare your (former) ND equipped with a CZ VS 24-85mm lens with a 5D equipped with a CZ VS 28-85mm mounted via adapter - are there any visible differences in terms of image quality ?

Regards

Andreas
 
Hmmm, well the Canon absolutely kills the ND for higher ISO work ... meaning ISO 400 and above. The lenses are kinda apples and oranges ... the Contax N 24-85/3.5 is an incredible lens at any price, let alone what you can buy one for these days.

I haven't done much work with the C/Y 28-85 on the Canon 5D, so I can't really comment. The 5D full frame is a pretty good camera, and sports twice the meg count of the ND. But I can safely say the 5D isn't twice the camera the ND is. I do use C/Y 85/1.2, 70-210/3.5 and 35-135/3.3 on the Canon 1DsMKII and love them a lot.
 
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