I have no problem with the Zeiss lenses for my Contax 645 - I just want to know if anyone have tried other lenses ?
I saw a Minolta MD 800/8 converted once - and of course you can get a Hasselblad adapter, but maybe someone has some experiences with other lenses...??
I have my eye on a Pentax 67 400/4,0 IF ED...:-)
Hi Martin, I've tried many alternative lenses over the years on my Contax system but not of extreme telephoto focal lengths as I think that super telephotο photography is best done with 35mm size image areas due to the combination of speed, small AOV and fast aperture required...
My recent addition is a 24mm lens where one has three solutions... Either the Nikkor 24mm f3.5 PCE, or the Samyang/Rokinon 24mm f3.5 TS, or the Pentax 645 25mm f4.... Out of the three, the Nikkor is the sharpest followed (close) by the Pentax and then the Samyang (which requires to be stopped down to f8)....
The Samyang and the Nikkor need mechanical modification which requires removing the shift/tilt mechanisms and the body of the lens shortened by 17.5 mm and then remounted for C645 fit (no problem as the last element is recessed enough on both)... Additionally, the Nikkor needs an additional -small- PCE board as to turn its electronic interface and make it compatible with C645 (which requires one to be able to link the two interfaces). The Pentax requires for one to make an adapter (of near 7mm thickness) which will have an "aperture ring" ring on it linked to the hinge behind the lens which mechanically controls aperture and depending on the size of the sensor he uses, shaving some of the lens hood off.
For the full 56x42mm film area, the Nikon will vignette more (better avoided for more than 37x49mm image areas), the Pentax will vignette less than the Nikkor, but it should still be avoided for more than 37x49mm image areas and the Samyang has the widest image circle out of all that can cover the full image area with only some moderate (easily correctable vignetting)....
The Nikkor is so sharp (right to the edges of the 37x49mm sensor) that worths all the fuzz (and cost) involved into converting it... It has more chromatic aberrations than expected, but they are easily correctable in post and is the most flare resistant out of the three too... Distortion is no problem with any out of the three, but there is some field curvature involved with the Samyang and some (expected) distortion with the Pentax, the Nikkor )again, betters the other two in both fields.
Other lenses that have impressed me as to want to have them, is the Zeiss 110/2 and the 180/4 out of the V-series of lenses and the the Rollei 50/2.8, 90/4 Apo Symmar & 150/4.6 Apo Symmar, which I've recently tried on Rollei 6008 but with the same MFDB as I use with my Contax and which also requires an adapter that will allow for electronic aperture control interface (I'm working on this - I'm trying an 80/2.8 AFD version right now as to adapt it for Contax with aperture and AF working). The Schneider 80/2.8 is also a very good lens (all Schneider lenses for the 6xxx/HY6 are - but the Apo Symmars excel) but the genuine 80/2 of the Contax is the lens to go for anyway.
Other telephotos I've tried on the Contax is the CZJ 300/4 Sonnar MC (two copies) and the CZJ 180/2.8 MC (three copies of this), which are both "crap" for what one should expect out of a C645 with dedicated lens combination...
Other lens worth noting are the Schneiders 60/3.5, 150/4 & 250/5.6 of the Exacta 66/P-6 mount, but they are no better than the respective Contax 55, 140, 210 and then the older 60-140/4.6 Schneider Varifocal zoom, which although superb optically is very heavy, slow and unbalanced to use too...
