ondebanks
Member
Of these, the most "complete" film shooter is the AFD (AFD I) - as it has a mechanical "T" mode, for unlimited long exposures on film without battery drain (the Contax can do this as well, but it requires a mechanical cable release). Sadly, the "T" mode was dropped in the AFDII and later bodies.However the Mamiya 645 AFD I, Mamiya 645 AFD II and Mamiya AFD III, as well as the Phase One 645AF all support film.
Re. the original question. I'm really surprised that no-one has yet mentioned what to me is the most obvious "plus" of the Contax over the Mamiya - interchangeable viewfinders. You can put a WLF on the Contax, and still have built-in spot metering. Then again, the simple WLF is very pricey - when they show up, they can go for more than a used Mamiya 645AFD body!
Price is an issue in general with Contax vs. Mamiya (especially used Mamiya). Contax stuff seems to cost 1.3x, 1.5x or even 2x the equivalent Mamiya stuff. Sometimes there is an additional factor which can partly explain this (e.g. the Contax 80/2 has AF, the Mamiya 80/1.9 doesn't). Sometimes there isn't any technical reason for the price difference, other than Contax branding (e.g. Contax 45/2.8 AF vs. Mamiya 45/2.8 AF; Kodak Proback 645 for Contax vs the Kodak Proback 645 back for Mamiya).
In principle, my design aesthetics lean towards the dedicated dials and levers of the Contax over the multifunction buttons, scrollwheels and LCD of the Mamiya body. However, the Mamiya approach does allow more refinement in the settings. For example, there are only so many exposure time settings you can fit on a dedicated dial like the one on the Contax. Want to use a 10, 15, 20, or 30 second exposure? With the Contax, you must time it yourself on B. With the Mamiya AFD, you just dial it in exactly. If you need consistent long exposures - say for panos or scientific/astro shooting - how consistent are your body's reflexes in timing and terminating a B exposure on the Contax? Similarly, the Mamiya allows a range of 13 different self-timer delays between 3 and 60 seconds; the Contax dial has just 2 (2 and 10 sec). Bracketing on the Mamiya is in 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 or 1.0 steps; just 0.5 or 1.0 steps on the Contax. The LCD backlighting button is very handy when shooting the Mamiya on a tripod in dark conditions; with the Contax you have to rely on the viewfinder readout, or use a torch to see the dials or filmback status. These are the functional prices you pay for the purity of the Contax design.
Ray