Hallo there, fellow photo fanatics !

[Beyers O]

I feel terribly guilty. I joined a few years ago but have just not been able to be very active at all. The gentle reminder to "show a sign of life" prompted me into action. I am a total amateur and have always marvelled at the collective and individual experience and talent that members have. I share the love of the image and once you have that in common, it is easy to recognise similarly minded people, right ? I do know that there is magic in them Zeiss lenses. Of course the power of expression does not have limits in a mere lens, but if you can choose your tools...I have not looked back since my first purchase 20 years ago: Contax 167 MT with f1.7 50 mm. Sadly that one was stolen. Replaced it with RX and 1.4 Planar 50 mm and not looked back. Staying with Contax my constant companion has been my T2. Got some films back today, big smile on my face ! I do not know all the inn's and out's of scanning, I need to learn...hoping this forum can help. I have access to a darkroom so looking forward to doing some prints of these. Last one is with Hasselblad 501 CM and 60 mm Distagon. REAL pride and joy is my Rolleiflex 3.5 Tessar, around 1959-60 from what I can gather with the serial numbers.

 

[biggles3]

It's always great to encounter another Contax fan! I still have all the 35mm SLRs other than the RXII (why bother with a cut-down RX?) and they all get a regular work out; my RTS Fundus from 1978 is still going strong, only needing 3 changes of light seals and mirror dampers in nearly 40 years. Amazingly my 50th Anniversary gold RTS and Planar 50 1.4 has never needed anything done to it and is as crisp to use today as when it was made all those years ago. I have had the pleasure of using all but 3 of the Zeiss lenses (210mm N-Mirotar, 1000 f5.6 Mirotar and 60mm C Planar) along with the 600 f4 Tele-ApoTessar shown in my avatar but only in the last few years have begun to appreciate some of Yashica's lenses. Indeed, a couple outperform their more illustrious (and expensive) Zeiss cousins; the lenses to grab are the ML 21mm, 24mm, 35mm, 55mm 2.8 Macro (superior to the C-Planar), 100 3.5 Macro, 500 f8 (better than the Mirotar!), 28-85mm, 35-70 f3.5, 35-70 f4, 70-210 f4 (very rare and a performance match for the best 70-210 ever made, Zeiss' f3.5 Vario-Sonnar Macro but without the macro) and 100-300. The last Yashica lens I'd add is from the '60s and is the Tomioka Yashinon 60mm f2.8 Macro M42. Although under extreme lighting the ML coatings are not quite a match for Zeiss' T* coatings, those lenses are crackers and a lot, lot cheaper than their nearest Zeiss equivalents.

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this Forum, I use the Contax 645 a lot with both film and digital backs. Sometimes the result of a transparency that is scanned can prove better than the straight digital image using one of the Hasselblad Ixpress backs. I cannot afford the Hasselblad scanners but my trusty old Epson one does the trick and in extremis, I still have an older Canon 8400F that produces decent 35mm and 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7 scans - still good enough to push to A3+.

Glad also to see you have a classic combination of the 501CM and 60mm Distagon; great stuff! I actually have an uber-rare Contax/Hasselblad crossover accessory - the Contax Radio Control Set from the 1970s with a Hasselblad Adapter. It's illegal to use in the USA but I knew quite a few people who claimed to be 'collectors' and bought them in Europe to 'add to their collection' and of course, never intended to use them. Ahem!

Keep on snapping away; the world of film needs more people like you!

 

[dirk]

Hi Beyers O,

thank you for your introduction! :z04_whip2_1:

yes, we have many Contaxians and Hasselblad users here. Show your images and have fun with us!

 

[JosephSavage]

Welcome, do you have a blog or portfolio? I would like to see your work!