Used prices of Contax 645 gear are getting out of hand. I recently saw a Really Right Stuff RRS L bracket sell for $610 at the auction site! I have this myself, but there are much cheaper alternatives that work well.
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IIRC, the one on eBay previous to this went for ~$165, which seems much more reasonable. For $610, it shouldn't be too difficult to have one custom-made by some firm such as S.K. Grimes and I expect even then that it still wouldn't cost nearly that much!Used prices of Contax 645 gear are getting out of hand. I recently saw a Really Right Stuff RRS L bracket sell for $610 at the auction site! I have this myself, but there are much cheaper alternatives that work well.
Just a fact check here.2. Zeiss. The only medium format autofocus system with Zeiss lenses.
David I think it would be fair to say that most of these were sold and serve as a rear standard/ shutter on a P3 and that very few bodies have ever seen a Zeiss lens...Just a fact check here.
The Contax 645 was the first autofocus system with Zeiss lenses, but it is not the only one. The Sinar M system is also a 645 system with autofocus Zeiss lenses. There are four Digital AF Zeiss lenses (40, 80, 120, 180) plus a Rodenstock Digaron 28mm HR lens adapted to support the Sinar live view system. And, it also accepts any Hasselblad V lens.
Well, I owned the whole system, including all the Zeiss AF lenses, and used it as an SLR almost exclusively. I also owned a compete Contax 645 kit at the same time so I could compare them side by side. After only a few weeks, I sold off my entire Contax 645 system, since the Sinar M was that much better. The autofocus was still the fastest I have ever seen on any medium format camera and the images were every bit as brilliant as the best Zeiss glass for Hasselblad. And, none of the AF Zeiss lenses for the Sinar M showed any CA.David I think it would be fair to say that most of these were sold and serve as a rear standard/ shutter on a P3 and that very few bodies have ever seen a Zeiss lens...
Thanks.Wyan, back to the Sunway bracket. I have both models and they are very versatile and strong. The fit is secure when mounted, but the battery grip contour is slightly oblique. The bracket's lip (the side imprinted with the manufacturer's web address) aligns itself with this contour which is not parallel to the film plane in the case of the MP-1 battery grip, but that doesn't really matter. Best would be of course if there were anti-twist pins on the bracket as there are two sockets in the undersurface of the camera or grip. By the way, plates for Mamiya 645 manual focus fit the Contax 645 perfectly and have properly spaced pins. - Christopher
Thank you very much. I actually like the camera without grip (for lighter weight).Wyan:
Another option that works fairly well is the Really Right Stuff Universal L bracket, Part No. MC-L, $105 plus shipping: http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=MC-L&type=0&eq=MCL-001&desc=MC-L%3A-Universal-L-Plate
It similarly has a rear lip that doesn't fit the battery grip especially well, but it will work. Likewise, the rear lip interferes a bit with the regular grip installed, but a pair of nickel coins positioned on each side of the screw are the perfect thickness shims to level the plate and it tightens down very securely, with the rear lip preventing it from twisting.