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Contax 645 Shift adapter..

I have been in contact with Steel Chen who has previously made Contax 645 adapters to work with both Nikon and Canon EF..


JAS Contax 645 Automatic Lens Adapter for Canon EF mount-in Lens Adapter from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hfywi8DJWs

Contax 645 Zeiss lenses on Nikon DSLR... impressive results (the JAS adapter).

Contax 645 to Canon EF Adapter Initial Impression - FM Forums


He told me recently that he is working on a tilt/shift adapter for Contax 645 to Canon Eos and potentially has plans for other mounts, including Sony E-mount..

I am a little confused by the pictures he has shown me, as it seems he has made an adapter that has shift left/right as well as tilt..

He tells me he is an amateur landscape photographer but i would think that rise/fall and tilt would be a more suitable combination..

He says that due to the flange distance limitations of Contax 645 to Eos that only two movements are available.. As somebody who is more interested in architecture, I would take the combination of shift left/right and rise/fall and leave out tilt altogether..

What do you guys think?

Of more interest is this line that he has said to me..

" The difference of C645 and EF mount flange distance determines the movements must be limited in a combination of two, 3 in 1 is not possible. But if I design a C645/NEX adapter, you will have it, guaranteed.

You are free to use those info we discussed in our emails, it is not secret.

Thanks,
Steel "

Thanks, look forward to hearing what you guys think.
 

Attachments

Annna T

Active member
Week, I'm with you in general : ruse and fall is the most useful movement for architecture shooting, with left right shift the second most.

However : what is the widest lens available in 645 format ? Can you get a lens shorter than 28-30 mm equivalent in 24-36mm format ? I don't think so (?) and this will probably limit the interest of this adapter for shooting architecture.
 

mbroomfield

New member
Very interesting development.

Conventionally a tilt, or shift, or tilt/shift adapter or lens can be rotated with respect to the body to allow either tilt or shift to be used in either direction.
 
Yes, the widest I know for the Contax 645 is 35mm.. Probably not ideal for serious architecture, you are correct..

Also, as far as I know, this is a non rotating adapter :(

What would really be ideal is if he made one for the Sony E-Mount that had rise/fall and shift left/right as well as tilt.. Particularly if this enabled a 2 x stitch for a larger image size whilst having front rise as well :)
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
These require pre-stopping down the lens, right? I believe the C645 glass have electronic apertures.
They do have electronic apertures, but his other adapters include the necessary bits to allow them to be controlled by the camera bodies and as such, it seems likely this will be the case with this proposed tilt/shift adapter as well.

Unfortunately, I also question the usefulness of such an adapter for the type of photography I do, as a 35mm lens isn't wide enough (without stitching, anyway) for most of the scenes I capture.

That said, though, I probably will buy one regardless! :grin:
 
Thanks for the responses, much appreciated!

I cannot see a use for it in its current form but if he was to do a C645 to E-mount that had rise/fall, shift and tilt then I would be in!

:)
 

BJNY

Member
Very interesting.

My wish list:
• NO tilt (to maintain parallelness)
• front rise & fall +/- 15mm
• accepts Leica S lenses (as wide as 24mm)
• accepts Contax, Mamiya, or Pentax 645 lenses

• rear shift left & right +/- 15mm
• accepts Canon, Nikon, Pentax, or Sony A7 camera bodies
in either landscape or portrait orientation

• arca-compatible foot
 
His prototype adapter in its current state is not that practical for my uses... If has he has said, can do a C645 - Sony Emount adapter that has three independent movements (rise/fall shift left/right and tilt) then I would see it being amazing.. As mentioned, he already has the electronics sorted..

I would still like to see a Canon EF - Sony Emount electronic adapter that would have basic movements.. Either rise/fall or shift left/right (or both) and then these can be used in conjunction with the movements on the Canon 17mm TS-E and 24mm TS-E..

Combined with another adapter (C645 - Eos) that had some movements, then you would be sorted...

I basically have this with my current Hcam Master setup but there is no electronic communication.. Not so bad for the Canon lenses, as these can be preset on the spot with a small Metabones but for the C645 glass, you would need to carry around a Contax 645 body, which is obviously very bulky and defeats the purpose...
 

drevil

Well-known member
Staff member
i also look for a direct adapter, no tilt needed, only shift, but rotateable
 

BJNY

Member
...I would still like to see a Canon EF - Sony Emount electronic adapter that would have basic movements.. Either rise/fall or shift left/right (or both) and then these can be used in conjunction with the movements on the Canon 17mm TS-E and 24mm TS-E..

Combined with another adapter (C645 - Eos) that had some movements, then you would be sorted...
:thumbup:
 

mediumcool

Active member
I recently moved to the E-system as an architectural adjunct to my µ43 system. A Zuiko 35mm shift lens cost me $400AU. Next purchase will be a (much-more-costly) 24mm Zuiko shift lens.

On the rare occasion where I may need the equivalent of tilt, I will use focus bracketing.
 

NoBob

New member
I'd forget Zuiko 24mm shift. I had one and sold it. The CA and distortion are not easy to correct. A Canon 24mm TS mk2 is much better.
 

mediumcool

Active member
I'd forget Zuiko 24mm shift. The CA and distortion are not easy to correct.
I have only noticed one lens where C1 has not been able to satisfactorily correct CA—the new Sony 50mm f/1.8 (I downloaded RAW files from DP Review)! And I have found mustachio distortion (is that what the 24mm Zuiko Shift exhibits?) to be quite fixable with one or other of the wide-angle lens presets in C1’s database. Take the Mamiya 35mm f/3.5please! :)

A Canon 24mm TS mk2 is much better.
At more than twice the price in my market, it ought to be—the Canon is not on my radar for that very reason. :p
 
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