Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: Mark_Tuttle on August 08, 2006, 12:58:23 pm

Title: Zeiss 45~90 Quality for Contax 645?
Post by: Mark_Tuttle on August 08, 2006, 12:58:23 pm
If anyone has experience with the Zeiss 45mm~90mm zoom lens that Contax made for their 645  I'd appreciate their input.  

I'm using the camera with a P45 back and there have been instances where I can't bring the 45mm, 55mm and 80mm along, so I'm hoping that this lens might work as a less bulky alternative. While I don't think it is in the same ballpark as the Hasselblad zoom I'm wondering if it is worth looking at.

TIA

Mark Tuttle
Title: Zeiss 45~90 Quality for Contax 645?
Post by: Jack Flesher on August 08, 2006, 03:01:39 pm
I owned one for a very short while.  At the time I was using it on a Kodak 16 MP back.  I had hoped for more, but found it not very exciting, lacking resolution and contrast compared to the excellent Contax primes.
Title: Zeiss 45~90 Quality for Contax 645?
Post by: Mark_Tuttle on August 08, 2006, 06:32:37 pm
Quote
I owned one for a very short while.  At the time I was using it on a Kodak 16 MP back.  I had hoped for more, but found it not very exciting, lacking resolution and contrast compared to the excellent Contax primes.
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Thanks, Jack.  You confirmed what I suspected.
Title: Zeiss 45~90 Quality for Contax 645?
Post by: Khun_K on August 11, 2006, 04:48:50 am
I have the 45-90mm zoom and all the 645 lens available and at the focus range beyond 1.5m to infinity, on my previous P25 and now P45 for 6 months, absolutely perfect! I can hardly critic its sharpness against my other favorite 120mm Apo Macro, on both pack shot or fashion/protrait works.  The sharpness is good all the way done to f/22, less on f/32, which is 1 stop short, while the 120mm macro sharp only until f/22 on P45, becoming soft from f/32-f/45, the the effective shrpness is 2 stops short.

I have read many critics about the lesn not able to resolve what the sensor could offer, I did see visble improvement from P25 to P45, and the quality jump must also contributed by the lens capability.

Back in the film date I never developed much love wiht the 210/4, but now also use it more often because the lens seemed work better on digital capture.  I think with P45, I become more pleased with the Contax 645 lenses.
Title: Zeiss 45~90 Quality for Contax 645?
Post by: Mark_Tuttle on August 11, 2006, 04:51:36 pm
Quote
I have the 45-90mm zoom and all the 645 lens available and at the focus range beyond 1.5m to infinity, on my previous P25 and now P45 for 6 months, absolutely perfect! I can hardly critic its sharpness against my other favorite 120mm Apo Macro, on both pack shot or fashion/protrait works.  The sharpness is good all the way done to f/22, less on f/32, which is 1 stop short, while the 120mm macro sharp only until f/22 on P45, becoming soft from f/32-f/45, the the effective shrpness is 2 stops short.

I have read many critics about the lesn not able to resolve what the sensor could offer, I did see visble improvement from P25 to P45, and the quality jump must also contributed by the lens capability.

Back in the film date I never developed much love wiht the 210/4, but now also use it more often because the lens seemed work better on digital capture.  I think with P45, I become more pleased with the Contax 645 lenses.
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It is interesting that you mention the 210/4 as being better on digital capture.  I noticed also that the 210 seemed better on the P45 than it ever did on film but thought it an anomaly.  Could it be that the 'un-filmlike' quality of the digital file makes image contrast less noticeable?