Contax 645 focus in low light - no IR assisst beam?

[narikin]

I'm doing a lot of candid portraits in low light and need to improve my success rate (currently on Contax 645, no assist beam, manual focus difficult to nail. eve with uprated screens and f2 lens). So either I have to switch platforms to something like the Mamiya/Phase with its integrated IR assist beam, or... I wondered if there was any other answers, e.g. with a flash unit like a Metz one that integrated into the AF of the Contax, with its own IR beam.  Or is the Contax system just too old in its design for this kind of thing?

(I see that Mamiya/Phase does just that - prioritizing the flash units own sensor over their own: "Automatic switching to flash unit’s built-in sub-beam when Metz flash unit is attached with SCA 3952 adapter")

thanks.  

[Harris Edelman]

Even if used with a Metz flash that has an autofocus assist beam, the SCA 3802 module for the Contax doesn't support it.


-H.

[narikin]

Even if used with a Metz flash that has an autofocus assist beam, the SCA 3802 module for the Contax doesn't support it.
-H.

thanks for clear reply.
I guess I'll try a loaner of the Phase/Mamiya body and see how that works.

- I heard Phase are bringing out an updated body with vertical grip and support for leaf shutter lenses soon, so probably wait for that.

[R(Vienna)]

thanks for clear reply.
I guess I'll try a loaner of the Phase/Mamiya body and see how that works.

- I heard Phase are bringing out an updated body with vertical grip and support for leaf shutter lenses soon, so probably wait for that.

would a finder loupe help?

[narikin]

I have the Contax magnifier F2, and find it doesnt work as well as it should on the 645 finder (its designed for 35mm contax really, despite screwing in the same way on a 645)
n upgraded screen (by Maxwell optics) was a lot more useful, and a good 1-2 stop improvement

problem is: I want to take paparazzi style portraits, direct on camera flash, in low ambient light candid situation, nailing the focus, BUT with MFDB. I am thinking maybe the Mamiya with its IR assist beam might be a lot better than the Contax, for these purposes.

[Harris Edelman]

problem is: I want to take paparazzi style portraits, direct on camera flash, in low ambient light candid situation, nailing the focus, BUT with MFDB. I am thinking maybe the Mamiya with its IR assist beam might be a lot better than the Contax, for these purposes.

For AF-marginal conditions, an alternative to trying to get better AF is to avoid most focusing altogether.

Your project sounds similar to one I shot a few years ago. I used a Contax, with a Metz 76 mz-5, as if it were an updated Speed Graphic. I mostly used the 55mm Distagon (for roughly equivalent coverage to the common 127mm Ektar-or-whatever on the 'Graphic), stopped down to f/8 or f/11, set flash power for the working distance I wanted/needed, and zone-focused. I used the flash in manual mode, freeing up the hot shoe to take an old Graflex XL wire frame finder. I composed loose, using the finder really just to aim the center of the frame. The results were good.

Obviously, this isn't a technique for shallow focus, and it depends on how well you estimate distances by sight and feel. "Paparazzi style" doesn't suggest that shallow focus is what you're after, but I could be wrong.

In the end, of course, it all comes down to what you're comfortable with.


-H.

[David Klepacki]

problem is: I want to take paparazzi style portraits, direct on camera flash, in low ambient light candid situation, nailing the focus, BUT with MFDB. I am thinking maybe the Mamiya with its IR assist beam might be a lot better than the Contax, for these purposes.

This is something the Sinar m camera does extremely well.  We have found the Sinar m autofocus to be extremely fast and accurate in low light situations.  My Sinar m autofocuses accurately and lightning fast in dark situations where I cannot even see well enough to manual focus.  We use both the Contax 645 and the Sinar m.  As much as we love the Contax, it just cannot lock onto focus in dimly lit situations, and then we use exclusively the Sinar m camera that can autofocus effortlessly under such conditions.