
Contax G2 Sample Photos Full In Most
Review of the Contax G2 with specs, sample photos, price (is it worth it).Contax G2: The Ultimate Travel Camera by Jim McGee. A Preview of Katherine and Sam's Legare Waring House Wedding in Black and WhiteContax Cameras UK Limited make offer - contax rts 35mm film camera slr body. Guest 1 09:11: BTW, if someone wants to get great pictures with this camera I recomend that, independently of the personal skills, you shouls use very good filters and have a spot light meter since this camera only has centered waighted light meter that is usefull in most cases but for complex situations it can be a bit more of a problem.
Charleston SC Elopement at the Hotel Bennett and a Private Mount Pleasant Home Charleston SC Anniversary Session Portraits at Hampton Park on Film Fall Wedding on Film at Legare Waring House in Charleston SC Film Meets Digital: Contax G to Sony E Mount - Spotlight. Contax G2 Rangefinder Review ePHOTOzine.
Fashion Editorial in a Backyard Portrait Studio Creating Moody Editorial Fashion Photography in my Charleston SC Backyard Classic studio fashion editorial on black and white film with a tulle dress My First Attempts with Large Format Black and White Film Portraiture Charleston South Carolina Portraits in an Outdoor Studio Using Pushed and Expired 35mm Film for Grainy Black and White Studio Portraits
Hasselblad 202FA Film Camera Review For Portraits and WeddingsContax 645 Medium Format Film Camera System OverviewThe Contax 645 has become synonomous with wedding photography - so much so that the very branding of the camera is front and center in nearly every film wedding photographer's headshot. Hasselblad FE 110mm F2 Planar Medium Format Film Lens Review Portrait and Lighting Tips for Shooting Film with Strobes in Studio
Bokeh is incredibly pleasant and the lens can be shot wide open with very little negative effects that plague planar lens designs. This lens renders 'dreamier' than most other ultra shallow depth of field lenses thanks in part to it's planar design and traditionally warm Zeiss optics rendering that the company is known for. At F2 on a medium format system, you can achieve surreal background separation. It's a dreamy lens, with a very large focusing element that creates beautiful 3D pop. It's a wonderful camera on it's own right, but the reason the camera became so popular is because of one lens - the Contax 80mm F2. The camera functions and operates like nearly every other 645 film system in existence with a few small exceptions that I will address below.
It has a very long focus throw, common to macro lenses, so it isn't the quickest. It's my favorite lens to use in studio because of how sharp it is and how close I can focus. Not many people use the macro lens but I LOVE this lens for the occasional macro shot but, more importantly, ultra-sharp studio strobe portraiture. Optional Maxwell Bright Screen for Better FocusingI own the Zeiss 80mm F2 and Zeiss 140mm F4 Macro lenses for my Contax 645 system.
Zeiss 80mm F2 Lens for Contax 645This lens is known for dreamy rendering and bokeh, like this Portra 800 image of a bride and bouquet that I shot during a Charleston Wedding Editorial.This lens is sharp, and has a wonderfully pleasing rendering that I just love for studio portraiture with strobes. Zeiss 140mm F4 Macro (amazing macro and portrait lens)Here are two examples of where the two lenses I own for my Contax 645 system really shine. Zeiss 80mm F2 (the one and only lens you probably want) It was just too wide, with about a 28mm 35mm full frame equivablent, and it seemed prone to highlights blowing from flare.
It's lightweight - I previously owned a Hasselblad H1 and the Contax is significantly lighter. You can always use a monopod as well.Long focus throw on the Zeiss 120mm F4 macro planar lens.Contax 645 for Wedding Photography Review Useability as one of the best medium format film cameras for wedding photographersHonestly, the camera is perfect for wedding photographers (I say this with a caveat to come later). If you have a very bright, natural light studio, you will probably be fine at F4.
Autofocus isn't amazing on the camera, but it also isn't bad either. Film advance, initial wind and end wind are all automated and the inserts are quick and easy to change / load. It's a very fast camera as well.
People almost expect that wildly shallow, dreamy warm bokeh that the lens produces. Somewhere along the line, someone started shooting this camera at weddings (cough cough Jose Villa and Erich McVey) and the look of the lens sort of became synonomous with "film wedding photography". This is why people buy this camera - full stop. I feel nimble and comfortable when shooting it which is quite possibly the most important thing when deciding what camera you are going to shoot during the pace of a wedding.Dreamy rendering and bokeh review of the Contax 645The camera is known for the 80mm F2 lens. The camera is just a joy to shoot. The viewfinder / screen are bright and I've had wonderful luck manually focusing this camera.
This image was also shot at F2 on Kodak Portra 400 film.If you use the incredible bokeh and shallow depth of field of the Contax 80mm F2 lens as an artistic tool instead of a crutch it can produce some otherwordly images that are just the sort of beauty you want to be adding to a wedding gallery. This camera/lens has completely defined the look of what people think "film photography" to be in the wedding world.it's that popular.See how the bride seems to exist, softly, against the blended backdrop. I will say, shooting at F2 is always tempting, but it isn't always the answer and I think it is often used as a crutch.The images just have a painterly quality to them which, if you ask a lot of people less familiar with the film world (think brides) is something they desire and have come to expect from film. It's quite surreal and it makes for beautiful wedding photographs. Subjects have this dreamy ability to 'melt' into the background and almost become a painting.
I used it for nearly everything. When I bought the Contax 645 film camera, I was obsessed. The camera has a very ergonomic grip and the combination of lightweight and a bright viewfinder means I have no problem shooting moving subjects or while running / moving myself.Additional wedding photography information and Contax 645 images on the siteFilm Wedding Photography by Brian D Smith Review - Photographing Portraits with the Contax 645 Film SystemNearly half, if not more, of the work I shoot is portraiture. When I was shooting Canon DSLRs, the weight of the Contax system was quite comparable to my digital setup.

Oftentimes studio portraiture is all about capturing that exact moment in between breaths when you the subject's expression is just right. I love using the camera in studio. This portrait shot in Asheville, NC at F2.Strangely, this is the reason I most use the camera anymore. There is no reason this couldn't be your do-it-all camera system.The shallow depth of field still can be a nice artistic tool in everyday portrait work. All that being said, it's still a wonderful portrait camera and a joy to use.
Most often, I shoot this camera with strobes, but the below two images were shot handheld using an LED light and softbox.I use the camera for anything from bridal portraiture, branding portraiture and headshots, fashion portraiture to boudoir. For beauty headshots and something where I need the longer compression of the 120mm focal length, the macro planar lens is just perfect.I use the contax 645 almost exclusively in studio for my studio bridal portrait work.I alternate between lighting types depending on what I am shooting. The Contax is easy to use and I can alternate between the 80mm F2 lens and Macro Planar 120mm F4 lens depending on what I am photographing.
