You just have to learn to use it, practice, and always be able to manually focus as a back up option. Autofocus isn't amazing on the camera, but it also isn't bad either. Film advance, initial wind and end wind are all automated and the inserts are quick and easy to change / load. These cameras are sort of known for finicky electronics, but I've kept mine clean and it has been quite reliable for me. It's lightweight - I previously owned a Hasselblad H1 and the Contax is significantly lighter. Honestly, the camera is perfect for wedding photographers (I say this with a caveat to come later). Long focus throw on the Zeiss 120mm F4 macro planar lens.Ĭontax 645 for Wedding Photography Review Useability as one of the best medium format film cameras for wedding photographers If you have a very bright, natural light studio, you will probably be fine at F4. The strobes are needed to shoot this lens in studio because of the F4 minimum aperture. This lens is sharp, and has a wonderfully pleasing rendering that I just love for studio portraiture with strobes. This lens is known for dreamy rendering and bokeh, like this Portra 800 image of a bride and bouquet that I shot during a Charleston Wedding Editorial. Here are two examples of where the two lenses I own for my Contax 645 system really shine. Zeiss 140mm F4 Macro (amazing macro and portrait lens).Zeiss 80mm F2 (the one and only lens you probably want).
It was just too wide, with about a 28mm 35mm full frame equivablent, and it seemed prone to highlights blowing from flare. The only other lens I have used is the 45mm F2.8, briefly, and I didn't care for it. It has a very long focus throw, common to macro lenses, so it isn't the quickest. It's my favorite lens to use in studio because of how sharp it is and how close I can focus. Not many people use the macro lens but I LOVE this lens for the occasional macro shot but, more importantly, ultra-sharp studio strobe portraiture. I own the Zeiss 80mm F2 and Zeiss 140mm F4 Macro lenses for my Contax 645 system. Optional Maxwell Bright Screen for Better Focusing.I won't go into crazy detail about specs or minute details of the camera's operation, as I mostly care about real world experiences, pros and cons, and image quality. I've owned my Contax 645 for nearly 2 years at the time of writing this article and have photographed everything from weddings to location portraiture to studio portraiture and boudoir with it. Bokeh is incredibly pleasant and the lens can be shot wide open with very little negative effects that plague planar lens designs. This lens renders 'dreamier' than most other ultra shallow depth of field lenses thanks in part to it's planar design and traditionally warm Zeiss optics rendering that the company is known for. At F2 on a medium format system, you can achieve surreal background separation. It's a dreamy lens, with a very large focusing element that creates beautiful 3D pop. It's a wonderful camera on it's own right, but the reason the camera became so popular is because of one lens - the Contax 80mm F2. The camera functions and operates like nearly every other 645 film system in existence with a few small exceptions that I will address below. The Contax 645 is a medium format film camera with interchangeable backs, lenses, screens and prism finders. The Contax 645 has become synonomous with wedding photography - so much so that the very branding of the camera is front and center in nearly every film wedding photographer's headshot. Hasselblad 202FA Film Camera Review For Portraits and WeddingsĬontax 645 Medium Format Film Camera System Overview.Hasselblad FE 110mm F2 Planar Medium Format Film Lens Review.Portrait and Lighting Tips for Shooting Film with Strobes in Studio.An Earth Toned Felt Hat and Boho Style in this Charleston SC Studio Fashion Editorial.Fashion Editorial in a Backyard Portrait Studio.Creating Moody Editorial Fashion Photography in my Charleston SC Backyard.Classic studio fashion editorial on black and white film with a tulle dress.My First Attempts with Large Format Black and White Film Portraiture.Charleston South Carolina Portraits in an Outdoor Studio.Using Pushed and Expired 35mm Film for Grainy Black and White Studio Portraits.A Month of Shooting and Developing Large Format Film Portraits.Charleston SC Elopement at the Hotel Bennett and a Private Mount Pleasant Home.Charleston SC Anniversary Session Portraits at Hampton Park on Film.Fall Wedding on Film at Legare Waring House in Charleston SC.A Preview of Katherine and Sam's Legare Waring House Wedding in Black and White.