The new S typ “007” camera even has James Bond street cred, and will now offer live-view, 4k video and high-ISO possibilities! What I wanted to find out was: how severe was the crop, and could I live with it? I’m writing this just a few days after Leica announced a newer-generation of the S digital camera, complete with an ultra-sensitive CMOS sensor, so this is now even more interesting. I knew that because the sensor size of the Leica S is 30mm x 45mm it would have a “crop factor” with any lens which was designed for a larger sensor or film size (in this case 56mm x 42mm). The Leica S was designed from the ground up for digital imaging, and it boasts a larger sensor that the typical DSLR. It has its own set of amazing ‘S’ lenses, and can adapt to utilize medium format lenses from many other manufacturers. Having tested out the Leica S, and been overly thrilled with it, you can imagine my excitement when I learned of the S-adapter C was available. It allows me to use any Contax 645 lens on the Leica camera.
Used contax 645 professional#
The same iconic camera (and legendary optics) manufacturer who helped popularize the 35mm film format back in the 1920’s has innovated a new format for professional digital photography. So the reason for my side-by-side comparison today is Leica. The 80mm f2.0 Zeiss lens manufactured for the Contax 645 has a magical look when used at certain distances from the subject, and (always!) wide-open! So I’m seeing the world through a larger “scope,” and using a higher-quality lens. There’s even more to it than that: the larger the image sensor (or the negative, when shooting film) then the larger the photographer’s viewfinder. This test is kicking it up a notch with much larger sensors! But there is something that still draws me to shooting film. I can’t tell if it’s the analogue feel of the images, or if I’m simply concentrating more on my composition, knowing that each click of the shutter is costing me about $1.50! Most of my digital photography is done on a 35mm DSLR camera, the Canon 5DIII.
My foundation in photography was solidly in film, but I have learned and adapted as digital photography has revolutionized the imaging world. I ran this experiment to see how well one could emulate the look of the Contax 645 using my favorite 80mm lens, but with a digital camera. It’s not meant to be a test of resolution, color, nor even to try and convince anyone the merits of film over digital, nor vice-versa. In this camera review, I’ll be shooting a medium format film camera, shooting side-by-side with a digital camera using the same lens.