Realizing that exuberant prices of its lenses Leica top management came up with a clever and elegant solution: the S system came out with a host of lens adaptors including the S-adapter-C, an electronic adapter, which enables use of all capabilities of the Contax 645 AF lenses on Leica S camera bodies. That was a real shame, as the system abandoned by its manufacturer (Kyocera, shame on you) featured some of the best lenses in the Medium Format category. However, Contax 645 cameras have become dangerous to use professionally, as they have not been produced and serviced since 2005. The most advanced and forward-thinking system of its time, it is still going strong. My previous Medium Format system that had served me beautifully for ten years, until I switched to Leica S-E (Typ006), had been Contax 645AF/PhaseOneP25 combo.
#CONTAX 645 ZEISS 80MM F2 PROFESSIONAL#
In fact, all Leica S AF-series camera bodies are no larger than professional 35-mm bodies from Canon and Nikon, while all other digital medium format systems simply inherited film bodies retrofitted with either digital backs, or built-in sensors.
The beauty of Leica S cameras is in how small they are compared to the competition.
Certainly, not fully Medium Format of the past, but large enough frame to have its unmistakeable three-dimensional look. The first time I tried Leica S2 back in 2009, I fell in love with it. In a way they are right, as Leica has never been associated with a word “affordable”, yet it is not that simple… The thing is, most people who are contemplating to get into Medium Format hardly consider Leica S as an affordable option. I still have my other lenses for situations where I need to stop down for an increased depth of field, like group photos, but I use the Bokeh Factory lens for 99% of my photos.Contax 645 lenses on Leica S medium format cameras? While this is not something new, for some it may prove useful indeed. The downside to this conversion is that the lens is now a fixed aperture lens. The bokeh is very unique and adds such a three dimensional look to the photos. I really love the combo of the Pentax with the 80mm Zeiss lens. After experimenting with the different lenses, and shooting hundreds of rolls of film, I finally felt like I had found “my lens.” I eventually saved up almost $2000, and purchased the Contax 80mm F/2 lens. Looking for an alternative to the bulk and weight of the 105mm lens led me to The Bokeh Factory and their wide variety of lenses they modify to fit the Pentax 645 system. The downside of this lens is it is a large and heavy, not much fun to travel with.
I really liked the lens, mainly the bokeh it produced and the ability to focus on subjects very close to the camera. I purchased the 105mm F/2.4 lens and an adapter to use it on the 645 system. The next lens I purchased was a lens designed for the Pentax 67 camera. This lens has the best autofocus capabilities and doesn’t add much weight to the camera. This lens is the equivalent to the 50mm on a 35mm camera. The first lens I used was the 75mm that comes standard with the camera. It opens up so many possibilities for experimenting with different lenses. One of the most exciting reasons I switched systems was the ability to adapt and use lots of different lenses for this camera. Lenses & Adapting Lenses for the Pentax 645Nii