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Fringer Contax 645 to Fuji GFX AF Adapter
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2023 7:25 pm    Post subject: Fringer Contax 645 to Fuji GFX AF Adapter Reply with quote
Let's face it, top end medium format gear is never going to be cheap, even second-hand. So, what do to with legacy lenses and can they be used effectively on today's digital cameras?

I have a number of Contax 645s and a nice collection of their lenses. To use them digitally, I have been using various Ixpress digital backs via their C645 adapter plates and the images produced have been superb though with individual images files being up to 528Mb in size, post-production work required a PC upgrade. But is there a way to use the Zeiss glass in AF mode on one of the current digital medium format models? Well, yes there is - and here we can see an example: the Fringer Contax 645-GFX AF Adapter.

It's pictured between the stunning Zeiss 35mm f3.5 Distagon and a Fuji GFX 50S. It allows full AF control of the Zeiss lenses on any Fuji GFX model. The AF is a little slower than when using the glass on a Contax 645 or the Fuji with its own lenses but unless you're shooting sport or birds in flight or the like, it's not going to be an issue. I was initially disappointed when I tried to use my Zeiss 45-90 Vario-Sonnar on the Fuji - it just would not work. But then I remembered that the Fringer had an update facility and after hooking it into my PC (the USB connector is cunningly hidden inside the tripod mount), I found that I was using outdated firmware and with the update, it worked perfectly.

The adapter is definitely not an inexpensive purchase but if you have AF legacy glass, it provides a superb means of filling in gaps in the Fuji lens range - and it saves having to buy new lenses as the limited number of Zeiss C645 lenses can cover most needs.
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2023 8:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you for sharing this information! I actually thought about buying a GFX around 2020, but after testing and comparing it with my A7RII I decided against it. While a slight (very slight indeed) advantage in resolution was visible when using it with the Mamyia Sekor A 4/120 Macro (vs old MinAF 2.8/100mm Macro), the resulting weight of a medium format set of lenses simply was too much.

Nevertheless the Distagon mut be beauty, and if would own one, i might lust for a 100MP GFX indeed Wink

S


PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2023 3:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:
Thank you for sharing this information! I actually thought about buying a GFX around 2020, but after testing and comparing it with my A7RII I decided against it. While a slight (very slight indeed) advantage in resolution was visible when using it with the Mamyia Sekor A 4/120 Macro (vs old MinAF 2.8/100mm Macro), the resulting weight of a medium format set of lenses simply was too much.

Nevertheless the Distagon mut be beauty, and if would own one, i might lust for a 100MP GFX indeed Wink

S


Thank you for your comments. There's no doubt that your A7RII is a superb camera - and certainly less of a strain than a medium format digital camera. I wish I could afford the Fuji GFX 100S so that I could test the Zeiss glass to its utmost. It was the thought of using that Zeiss 80mm f2 Planar on a big sensor that most excited me as the IQ of that lens is legendary. The Fuji has also handled my 35mm Contax Zeiss glass superbly too; I have no doubt your A7RII would do the same - and with less bulk.

I think past bad habits have served to inure me to the issues of weight and bulk as I often carried my Fuji GX680III cameras about, sometimes with the AE Finder and 100-400mm lens attached, wondering around the Welsh Valleys.

I've attached an old piccie of some of my favourite MF gear as it shows the two big Fujis which dwarf the Mamiya RZ67 and Contax 645s... Now I'm in my 70s, I admit that I don't carry them about as often as I used to. A free hernia repair kit with every GX680III would have been a nice idea...
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2023 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Nice collection!
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