CONTAX 645 – Film Camera Retrospective

This camera was released in 1999, and I was able to borrow it in combination with the Phase One P30+ digital back. As always, I’d like to share my experience with you with some sample images.

Photographing Autumn Leaves

It was already December, and I couldn’t deny that I missed the season, but I went out to take pictures of autumn leaves for the first time in my life.

　 　　

History of the CONTAX Brand

Contax is a luxury camera brand name that was born from Zeiss Ikon in 1932. Initially, the name was given to the standard rangefinder camera, and the competition with Leica made by Leitz is well known.

After the division of Germany into East and West after the Second World War, the era of rangefinders came to an end and the Contax brand was discontinued in 1961. In the 1970s, after Zeiss Ikon of West Germany withdrew from the camera business, they negotiated with several Japanese manufacturers and formed a partnership with Yashica, which owned Tomioka Optical as a subsidiary, in the form of a brand license agreement. Thus, “CONTAX” (now written in capital letters) was revived as a high-end camera manufactured by Yashica. This was the birth of the so-called “Yashica Contax.”

The first Yashica Contax, the “RTS,” released in 1975, attracted attention as the design was commissioned to Porsche Design (a German design firm that had separated from Porsche), and it went on to develop into a popular series. However, the failure of the television receiver business, an embezzlement scandal, and the oil crisis all combined to lead to Yashica going bankrupt that same year.

Yashica was later absorbed by Kyocera (then Kyoto Ceramic), which was experiencing rapid growth in the electronics field at the time. Both Yashica and Kyocera excelled in computerization and automation technology, and they established a high-added-value market by leveraging computerization and brand power. However, times changed, and the wave of digitalization came to them as well.

Contax tried to keep up with the times by releasing the AF-equipped N System and N Digital, but finally withdrew from the camera business in 2005. However, in the meantime, many Contax products, from compact cameras to medium-format cameras, had been released.

Among them, the one that stands out in a unique way is the CONTAX 645.

Features of the CONTAX 645

The biggest feature of the CONTAX 645 is that it can use Carl Zeiss medium format lenses with AF. The AF drive uses an ultrasonic motor, making it quiet and fast for a medium format SLR. It also allows full-time manual operation, which switches to MF after AF, making it easy to use even from a modern perspective.

Another thing worth noting is that, instead of the leaf shutter commonly used in commercial cameras, it uses an electronically controlled focal plane shutter, achieving a high shutter speed of 1/4000 seconds, so you can enjoy the Zeiss lens with the aperture wide open, even on a sunny day.

The Mamiya 645AF, released in the same year, also achieved 1/4000 and 1/125 sync, but this model was several months away. In 1999, the fact that a medium format camera could achieve 1/4000 was a big selling point.

　 　　

Interface

It follows the tradition of the 135 format Kyocera CONTAX cameras, and has dial-based controls that allow you to step up to the next level. Perhaps because it is based on AE (automatic exposure), there are some strange aspects, such as the fact that the aperture ring can be adjusted in half-stop increments, but in manual exposure mode, the shutter cannot be released midway and fine exposure control is not possible.

As mentioned at the beginning, the grip is quite small compared to other manufacturers’ bodies. Although it is a little small for me, who has large hands, it is by no means a difficult shape to hold. It seems that the aim was to create a design that many people, including those with small hands, can use.

　 　　

Another thing that the company apparently focused on during the design process was a pleasant shutter sound. The elegant click of the shutter makes it hard to believe that this is a medium-format SLR camera.

The weight balance of the body is good, and there seems to be little shutter shock, so photos are less likely to be blurred. In my opinion, 1/125 is a level that can be used with confidence. If you take pictures carefully, 1/60 or 1/30 is also within the practical range. Many models cause slight camera shake when shooting handheld outdoors, so I felt that this was an excellent model.

The internal mirror is shaped like an inverted trapezoid, which may also contribute to the reduction in camera shake and the refined shutter sound.

　 　　

The Distagon 45mm is also an excellent lens that takes good pictures. However, the AF accuracy becomes quite questionable when shooting at wide angles. You should pay attention to the focus position when shooting.

Battery life

The thing I have to be most careful about when using the CONTAX 645 is the battery life. It runs out very quickly, and I can’t tell how much is left, which can be worrying (when the battery runs out, the battery icon flashes in the viewfinder).

It uses the specified “2CR5” lithium battery, but unfortunately it is not a common model number that can be bought at convenience stores these days. Also, it is not rechargeable, so you have to keep buying spare batteries.

This is where the rechargeable battery comes in, but it only has a capacity of 500mAh, and in my experience it lasts for about 200 to 300 shots (in winter, with manual exposure and half the time using MF).

When I asked someone who actually used it for work, they said they had to prepare 5 to 6 batteries for one shoot. Of course, it depends on how you use it, so if you don’t take 200 photos a day, even with digital cameras, carrying one spare battery would be enough.

　 　　

　 　　

I set out to photograph autumn leaves, but ended up taking pictures of a dried-up lotus pond. Usually, the shots are taken below the water level, but the sight of the lotus pond sinking and decaying like that was something I found unusually fascinating.

It’s easy to appreciate only the best seasons, but we often don’t care about the rest of the year. Even in the off-season, plants continue to live and are cared for by someone, so I think people who look at their ecology throughout the year will be able to appreciate their beauty more and have a more enjoyable photography life.

　 　　

Talent portraits

With the cooperation of Reiichi Ashikawa, a talent active in Niigata, and his agency (Nakata Photography Studio), we tested taking portraits with the CONTAX 645.

The two lenses used were the Carl Zeiss Planar T* T ^＊ 80mm F2 and the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T ^＊ 140mm F2.8.

　 　　

I was prepared for this, since it was released in 1999, but I found the AF to be more practical than I expected. Landscape and portrait photography require different elements, but for hobby photography, this shouldn’t be a problem. I think the AF accuracy is particularly high at close ranges, but it can be confusing even when the conditions aren’t bad. After focusing once, the AF would not work if I tried to refocus at a different, closer position, so I had to take the measure of completely losing focus and then reactivating the AF.

More or less, this is unavoidable with a medium-format AF camera, but it does require patience when compared to other companies’ models that have continued to evolve with a digital premise even after 2010. On the other hand, I think it is extremely well-made for a camera made in 1999.

　 　　

　 　　

I usually use the setting where AF is activated by half-pressing the button, but since I often get confused, I changed to MF mode and started shooting using AF with my thumb. The Planar 80/2 has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to grasp the focus even in the viewfinder because the image is not sharp at full aperture.

　 　　

The 140mm Sonnar is also an excellent lens, and I personally like the way it produces images. However, it doesn’t seem to be very popular, and it seems to be quite affordable. It’s an easy-to-use lens that I would recommend, especially when photographing people with a film or 645 full-frame camera.

　 　　

Digital back availability

The digital back I borrowed this time was a Phase One P30+. It has a small 44 x 33 mm medium format sensor and a 31 megapixel Kodak CCD. It is also the only Phase One camera equipped with a micro lens, and is strong in high sensitivity despite being a CCD, and is also a model that is less prone to moire.

This was my first time using the P30+, and I think the sample images here show the unique characteristics of the Kodak CCD sensor quite well. I also noticed some quirks when developing the RAW files, and I think the feel will vary considerably depending on the digital back you use.

Also, 44×33 is a popular format and has a well-balanced size, but when attached to a camera that is originally 645 standard, as in this case, the angle of view becomes quite narrow. It’s a matter of getting used to it, but after holding the camera as usual, I often stood back a few meters and used the viewfinder mask to shoot. This changed the shooting distance and cropped the center of the screen, which probably changed the impression of the lens’ depiction quite a bit.

Of course, it would be ideal to use a digital back that is the same size as film (645 full frame), but digital backs for CONTAX (C mount) are originally limited in number, and as of 2024 they are difficult to obtain, and even if they are available, they are quite expensive.

By the way, Phase One seems to have had a lineup of CONTAX bags up until the IQ2 series.

CONTAX 645 summary

　 　　

The introduction of AF to medium-format SLR cameras began with the PENTAX 645N in 1997, followed by the CONTAX 645 and Mamiya 645AF in 1999, and the Hasselblad H1 (Fujifilm GX645AF) in 2002. However, this is the only camera that has never undergone a model change, and it is unclear to what extent use with a digital back was anticipated during the design.

Nevertheless, it is easy enough to use for hobby purposes, and I was surprised at how advanced Kyocera’s technology was. Also, while the Phase One Mamiya and Hasselblad H System are more geared towards business use, this camera seems to have a strong element of being a luxury item as well as a practical one.

The great brand power of CONTAX and Carl Zeiss, and the satisfaction of using a coveted classic camera. The streamlined and stylish design is fun to look at and fun to take pictures with.

It’s a very tricky camera that stimulates the desire to own it as a tool.