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contax ax autofocus question
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I wish you guys wouldn't show me this stuff. Shocked A bad case of
"want that camera" is setting upon me. Laughing

Actually, when Orio mentioned his own AX last year, I've had it in a
corner of my mind all along.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
laurence, let me be both the devil and angel on your shoulders--both agree on this one point: you will LOVE this camera!


PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
rbelyell wrote:
laurence, let me be both the devil and angel on your shoulders--both agree on this one point: you will LOVE this camera!


Mighty nice of you! Thanks for rubbing it in even MORE! Laughing

The "ahead of its time" AF alone is just compelling to me. I'm surprised
that there wasn't some kind of award to Contax for this mechanism of
AF, and also surprised that it isn't in a list I saw of the Top Innovations
in Cameras, or something like that. Shocked

I also like the idea of "heavy"...to me, a heavy camera is not only
obviously well built, but also much easier to use in slow shutter
conditions.

Again, thanks a LOT for the devil work... Very Happy


PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congratulations on this splendid new acquisition!


PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
21/2 lbs in its stocking feet; 6"" wide, 3" deep and 51/2" high. bigger than a 5d--maybe in line with the canon 1d series...

i did suggest including it on that innovative camera thread, as did i think orio. some suugested no because it didnt influence anything after it came out. i think thats the fault of other mfgs, not the innovativeness of the camera. the engineering is amazing, as is the practicality of effect. there is nothing this cam cant do, including keeping the kids quiet when wielded as a weapon!

and yes, in certain situations heavy IS comforting, but sometimes so is fitting my olly ep2 w a leica lens in my coat pocket! Laughing Laughing


PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The feelings it provokes aside, the camera is extremely well thought of and the build quality is excellent.

I have big hands and the camera fits snugly. In comparison, holding the m9 (without the grip and ThumbsUp) was like trying to squeeze a fish dipped in oil Laughing

The dials/buttons are very well segregated depending on the function and the frequency of times you'd use them.

Contrary to zillions of reports i've read online, the AF is surprisingly good in low light! Yes it fails in very badly lit conditions but so would many modern DSLR's and this is a perfect use case for simply flicking on MF mode and getting your shot - the viewfinder is nice and bright! 95% coverage.

I'm in love with the CAF/SAF mode -

"Single AF is a system where the camera will lock focus on
an object before it allows the user to shoot. The AX will
not let the user take an out of focus photograph in the
Single AF mode. Essentially, the camera has control and
makes the focusing decision. Continuous AF is a predictive
system that can anticipate the action of a moving subject.
Further, predictive AF gives control of when to shoot to
the photographer. It will allow the photographer to shoot
whenever he feels the time is right. A Macro focusing
position is also implemented on the AX. This mode positions
the film plane to the maximum magnification, 10 mm behind
the normal infinity focusing point. This film position
will effectively add a 10mm extension tube into the optical
system automatically when the lens is focused to its nearest
focusing distance. The lens is focused manually in the
Macro focusing mode.

When in Manual focusing mode, the AX performs like all
other CONTAX cameras, with the addition that the AF Button
may be pressed to allow one time focusing assistance. The
AF system will engage to help set the focus. When the AF
Button is disengaged the camera immediately returns to a
manual CONTAX."

5 fps is pretty good and the information displayed in the VF leaves nothing to be desired -

"Viewfinder information is
complete, aperture, shutter speed, exposure warning arrows,
flash ready / flash OK indicator, exposure compensation,
exposure counter, AF indicator and film plane locator are
all visible under any viewing conditions with the LCD panel."

I've shot a few rolls of expired film and was actually hesitant to get the rolls developed.

Film doesn't let you get away with mistakes.

There's no flipping over and taking "the correct picture"

Probably get the prints on monday or tuesday, will post the first test results soon after.

Source of the quotes above (Do visit if you have a few minutes to spare, it's a good read) -> http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/photos/contax.af.txt

Laurence - Yay or Nay? Hell Yay all the way!

Buy the AX if you get the chance, you won't regret it for a minute. Especially since you're an old hand at film.

Warning - may well cause your other film cameras to be neglected for a long time


PostPosted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
i totally agree about the low light focusing, i think its as good as any dslr ive used and better than most. the macro mode is awesome. unfortunately hari, you can indeed take an out of focus picture, just not very often!


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
About the out of focus point - yes, it is always possible to get a slightly oof image.

Did you try the F-2N attachment? Do you have a vf for the AX? Looks like the AX doesn't take the ones that fit RTS etc. :/


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hari wrote:
About the out of focus point - yes, it is always possible to get a slightly oof image.

Did you try the F-2N attachment? Do you have a vf for the AX? Looks like the AX doesn't take the ones that fit RTS etc. :/


You can use Nikon's diopter and mag lenses.
see > http://www.pbase.com/kkawakami/image/131137475


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
tbh i havent found a need for vf attachments, my vf is very large and bright, even w mf, which is a little self defeating on this cam Laughing but smetimes necessary...


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
koji wrote:
Hari wrote:
About the out of focus point - yes, it is always possible to get a slightly oof image.

Did you try the F-2N attachment? Do you have a vf for the AX? Looks like the AX doesn't take the ones that fit RTS etc. :/


You can use Nikon's diopter and mag lenses.
see > http://www.pbase.com/kkawakami/image/131137475


Thanks Koji! This is a great help!

Yes, the vf is big and bright but I do take some pix at "interesting angles" due to problems with my back and an external vf is of big help to me


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hari wrote:
Laurence - Yay or Nay? Hell Yay all the way!

Hari, I'm hungry for the camera, of course! I have to settle back
and take a deep breath though, before I spring for the relatively
high price. I tend to be too quick on spending my money sometimes.
But gosh, this is SO tempting. And, of course I have to see what it
might cost for a lens, probably a normal 50mm lens, as it is so
versatile. I have to also look and see if the Yashica ML group works,
as I have heard they are a decent group of lenses. I also usually
factor in a CLA for any used camera, just for my own peace of mind.

When in Manual focusing mode, the AX performs like all
other CONTAX cameras, with the addition that the AF Button
may be pressed to allow one time focusing assistance. The
AF system will engage to help set the focus. When the AF
Button is disengaged the camera immediately returns to a
manual CONTAX.

This is simply a wonderful feature!

I find that most of my rejected images are because of focus. Confused


rbelyell wrote:
they came out surprisingly good, but all the photos were about a
half stop or so dark. it could be my metering, it could be i need to
use the spot metering function more, or really that i just need a
some more experimenting time than 1 roll.

Hoping to see your judgement on subsequent rolls of film.
Very Happy

tbh i havent found a need for vf attachments, my vf is very large
and bright, even w mf, which is a little self defeating on this cam
Laughing but smetimes necessary...

Can you tell me what information shows in the viewfinder? Does
it clutter up the overall view through the viewfinder? Oh...for
manual focusing, is there a split/prism, or is it basically a matte
screen with fresnel ring? Just curious, as I really like split
prisms. Although...that may be a moot point for me with the
AF one-time focus the camera allows.

I guess I'd better go download the Butkus manual for this camera. Cool


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hey laurence
vf lists minimal info below focus screen, so out of FOV: film counter, spot or center metering, over/under focus, f stop, shutter speed.

ml lenses are very good and great value for the money, esp the 28 and 35mm. 24mm is excellent, but much more expensive. the 50s are good, but the planar blows them all away. were i to get one lens, it would without doubt be the planar 50/1.4. were i to get 3 for that same price it would be the ml 50/1.4, 35 and 28.

bear in mind you can also use m42 lenses on th AX to exact same effect with an m42>cy adapter, so that opens up another world...


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
What I not understand in this case, why so important to have AF with manual focus lenses ?! Except a few fast actions , AF is not important at all. For those fast actions plenty of average priced or low priced system available. For fast actions better to shoot with Digital cameras, due image quality and frame/cost ratio.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
rbelyell wrote:
hey laurence
vf lists minimal info below focus screen, so out of FOV: film counter, spot or center metering, over/under focus, f stop, shutter speed.

ml lenses are very good and great value for the money, esp the 28 and 35mm. 24mm is excellent, but much more expensive. the 50s are good, but the planar blows them all away. were i to get one lens, it would without doubt be the planar 50/1.4. were i to get 3 for that same price it would be the ml 50/1.4, 35 and 28.

bear in mind you can also use m42 lenses on th AX to exact same effect with an m42>cy adapter, so that opens up another world...


GREAT on the focus screen info!

I agree with you on the planar. It would be the "go to" lens for me. Smile

And, of course, I DO have a good selection of M42 lenses, which is a huge
cost saving bonus for anything other than the planar 50 focal length. I
currently use an old Chinon clone Revueflex 3003, which is primitive
compared to the AX. Also use a Pentax ZX-5N plastic camera with
M42 adapter, which is quite a nice camera for features, but of
course doesn't have the build qualities.

THANKS for the great info! I've downloaded the instruction manual,
which should be a good reference point.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
What I not understand in this case, why so important to have AF with manual focus lenses ?! Except a few fast actions , AF is not important at all. For those fast actions plenty of average priced or low priced system available. For fast actions better to shoot with Digital cameras, due image quality and frame/cost ratio.


Attila, I totally agree with your points. I will be utilizing mostly MF lenses,
if I actually purchase the camera.

In this case, I simply love the camera for its build and cache'. Shocked

In other words, it's one of those "don't really need it, but would like to
have it" things. Laughing

And, of course, I'm trying to think this one through, so I may not go for
it in the final decision. I guess you could say it's "on a shelf" in my mind.

For instance, I could get a Pentax-A 300mm ED/IF for the Pentax 645
for about the same amount of money, or I could get a Pentax-A 35mm
wide angle for the 645. Or...I could get another Zeiss lens for the
645, or....on and on! Wink


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Other Contax ? for half price with same excellent built quality and smaller size too ? Personally I can't imagine better 35mm film cameras than Nikons.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
Other Contax ? for half price with same excellent built quality and smaller size too ? Personally I can't imagine better 35mm film cameras than Nikons.


Haha! I agree once again!

It's just "mind shopping" Attila. Laughing All part of the fun of looking at all the
wonderful possibilities out there from the climax of electro-mechanical
quality of the era.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Laughing Okay .


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Was there ever any attempt by any company to produce a digital back for the contax AX?

I googled around but found nothing except data backs which is not what im looking for

Somebody must have thought of/tried something like this for the AX?

I just gave in the rolls for developing this evening and they said come back in a week!!! cmon man - a week??? I've been sitting around youtube trying to figure out if developing film at home is something for me or not Laughing


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
C41 - color print film and B&W both are very easy, with little practice E-6 slide development also not too hard.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
C41 - color print film and B&W both are very easy, with little practice E-6 slide development also not too hard.


Hmmmmm thanks bud, i'll dig deeper into this.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
http://forum.mflenses.com/c41-diy-t36469.html


PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
What I not understand in this case, why so important to have AF with manual focus lenses ?! Except a few fast actions , AF is not important at all


The real plus of the AX camera is that it makes (almost) all Contax lenses macro, without the need of additional tubes or glasses and with no light loss.

AF, like for other cameras, is only useful in a couple of very limited cases:

- when shooting with wide and super wide lenses, and needing to be sure of the exactness and selectiveness of focusing (with digital cameras you have liveview, with film camera even a 20/20 sight may not ensure a perfect result). One case is when it's dark and you are shooting wide open and needing to focus a 24mm or 21mm lens - viewfinder is almost useless but the wide open aperture may cause bad focusing to be visible in the image

- for people with big sight loss that don't want or can't deal with contact lenses

The autofocus of the AX is not useful for action, because it's too slow.
_


PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hari wrote:
Was there ever any attempt by any company to produce a digital back for the contax AX?
I googled around but found nothing except data backs which is not what im looking for
Somebody must have thought of/tried something like this for the AX?


Due to the build of the camera and of the way it works, I think it's VERY unlikely that a digital back for it will ever be built: it would imply a moving sensor of accurate precision in the Micron range, and the cost of it for what is basically a dead system would certainly be (to borrow Woeltche's definition of his 1.2/85 performance) "astral".
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