I destroyed my Contax 645 lens & questioning film photography. 

Dude not gonna lie, when I saw in your previous videos that you use the peak design belt loop attachment thing I was so freaked out haha but thought you must be the most chill dude around to trust it in a hectic wedding environment 😭 glad to hear it’s covered by the insurance

i own a huge varitey of camerasystems. i learned back my days as a pressfotogorgafer in the 2000, not to rely on one system but to spread my risk and the serviceability to another manufacturer. so I suggest to widen the horizon and maybe also choose a bigger niche than the small contax-shooter-community or be open to have a second more mechanical system as backup

Hey! sorry to hear this happened, that lens in particular is fairly unique BUT, there are definitely other options to explore. The obvious digital option of the GFX100s or 100ii is amazing as well as Hasselblad x2d with their speed booster (bringing you to full Frame Medium Format 645 but digital), same as the booster for the GFX that you can use the Mamiya 80 1.9 in its full 645 glory on digital. Which brings me to the film options, the Hasselblad H1 (or H5 with film backs) are a great option in terms of great AF, amazing glass and great flash meter options in camera, Look into the 100mm 2.2 as your Zeiss 80mm "looks" equivalent (somewhat). The you have the Mamiya 645 AF option which if you use their older manual 80mm 1.9, gets you that Zeiss 80mm looks equivalent (somewhat). Personally I went with the Hasselblad H1 with dual film backs, and Fuji GFX100s, with my colleague using the Hasselblad X2d (boosted) as an option. All the best in your journey! Mama is the best bang for buck though, you can get a full kit for the price of the Zeiss lens alone.

Hey Luke, I'm Arsalan a fellow wedding photographer based out of Toronto that also loves shooting film on wedding days! I've been watching your videos for the past month, you make some amazing content. :) I was definitely surprised when I saw that you the Contax 645 system, I definitely considered it as an option when I was looking to pick up a medium format for my weddings. I eventually decided against it because I couldn't justify the prices, so I went with the Pentax 645 system to start off with. This year is the first time I've been using my Pentax and I absolutely love it, it's been perfect for my workflow! I'm sure it's not as nice as the Contax 645, but for the price it's great IMO. If you're interested in the Pentax 645 system, I'd be happy to lend you mine to try out! I just finished my last wedding of the season yesterday, so it's most likely going to sit on my shelf for a while anyway. I can also just share some samples of my images to show you the quality I get out of the camera as well. Sorry that happened to you, and good luck with the replacement!

It's not a difficult problem: you're a professional. Either this camera/lens adds value to your offerings or it doesn't. If customers like and want the pictures it produces then you have to figure out what you lose if you don't offer them. Is there another way to give customers the same value? I look at this as a lesson in the value of niche equipment. It is expensive to acquire, difficult to repair or replace. To my way of thinking that has "enthusiast" written all over it. As a pro you want gear you can service or replace without a lot of trouble -- when you have a paying job you need the equipment to do it. Frankly, Hasselblad is the only medium format maker still out there. I would think that would make the choice easier. But you know your business best. Good luck!

We do have an H1 w/ 80mm & 100mm f/2.2 for sale with plenty of film backs that just sits in our cabinet. Just sayin! But holy cow such a bummer!!

First off: 😢 Second off, yea I don’t shoot a ton of film but even sending off a few rolls every shoot adds up and the mailing/process time kills me… got a gfx two weeks ago and it’s been fun to use. Have fun on your journey!

Oh no! And we just talked about your harness! Sorry this happened to you, for what it's worth the Rose Anvil harness has a safety cord that I always use and double check

Sorry about your Contax! If you want to stick to the 645 system but keep things a lot cheaper then definitely check out the Bronica ETRS or if you feel like going up to 6x7 check out the Bronica GS1 for an insane amount of value in a medium format slr. But if you feel like going to 35mm then Nikon F4, F5, F90x, and F100 all day everyday. F mount is truly a king. If you're curious about the F6 it's definitely the most advanced 35mm slr ever created it just feels very much like shooting a dslr because of how advanced it is for a film camera. It came out in 2004 along with the D2.

Hi Luke, Just watched your Lightroom vid and even though I've used LR for years I learned some new info - thank you. I've also just subscribed. As far as your Contax dilemma is concerned here's my opinion. I've been a photographer since the 1980s and therefore used film exclusively back then. For me I am glad to be shooting digital these days as film has so many hoops to jump through. I would shoot exclusively digital for my work and keep the film cameras for personal use/sell. There may be a compelling commercial reason to shoot film if your clients demand it but in my experience the client is only interested in the end result and not how you reached it. Whatever you decide good luck with it.

This would kill me. It almost happened to me once too, but it was the metal on the lugs that happened to fatigue and break. This was from an optiplex strap that came with the camera when I bought it in 2008. I happened to be holding the strap so I was able to catch it.

dont fix what ain't broke...and i mean ur love for shooting with the contax! hehe your heart will always lean back to the contax...it wll never be the same without it Luke!

The Nikon SLR system is great, no matter what you're doing with 35mm photography you can do it well with a Nikon. The F3 is a great starting point because it has a lot of that versatility while being dead simple to use. With that said, if you want/need autofovus look at the Canon EOS system, specifically the EOS 3 and EOS 1V. The Nikon F5, F100, and F6 are great cameras if you want the option of using older manual lenses, but the equivalent Canon cameras perform as good or better and work with more of the latest modern SLR lenses.

As a hobbyist I have no business owning a Contax 645 w/ the 80/2 Planar, but it’s such a great camera and such a smooth shooter, I can never get around to selling it. If I were in your shoes and wanted to try something different, I think I’d go with a combination of a Nikon F6 which is a very capable and refined camera, and a Mamiya AFD, mainly because I’m guessing clients hire you god a look, and you need a MF camera to achieve it for key shots.

I feel your pain as I didn’t get my Bronica ETRS and 100-220 zoom (4.5 pounds of glass) mounted on the tripod quick release plate. If you are wanting to shoot 645, I would go rush a Bronica, especially if you are using a fill flash. Granted they stopped making them in 2004, but they were a main stay for wedding photographers. Not sure why I would pay 4K on a lens.

Can I relate? Well, to $4k damage. But I was going to sell a mamiya rb67 150 mm soft focus lens so set up on the plywood on 4 saw horses that hold a cutting mat, roller cutter and mat cutting machine. Well, the plywood sagged a bit so had my rolling stand there with a d850 and mf zeiss lens. I put the 150 on the table, adjusted a strobe and as I was behind the camera I saw the lens suddenly start rolliing the 6" towards the edge of the table and crash to the tile floor. Still works but filter is bent. First, so this doesn't happen to you again, get rid of the clip system. I use a black rapid strap WITH A SAFETY STRAP TO THE STRAP EYELET. Like my gun, every time I pick it up or put it down, I twist the screw in the tripod hole and the safety strap. Ok, now to the camera system. I shoot 35mm dd850, 4 grand inc battery grip, leica early 2000s glass. the 100 makro planar is so sharp it will make your eyes bleed. Now in 35 mm, I have 2 nikon vintage bodies, one an fm2n fully battery and 1/4000 sec shutter. But in the more modern nikons an f100, f5 and f6. They all have auto focus, auto film advance min 5 fps, matrix metering that is dead on and spot metering if needed. The f6 can be set to re wind leaving the leader out so I can change out a partially shot roll and later reload to that point to use a different film speed or stock. I do my own printing up to 24.x36. I rarely print larger than 20" and if you are a wedding photographer I expect the same for you. Why do you need medium format. Ok, I have 645, 6x6 and 67, horses for courses. I just turned down a wedding, I'm too old for that crap. But I looked at contax, the bodies are prone to failure and the expense is off the chart. Can your clients see the difference between that and a mamiya 645 pro tl I use? I don't use the 80 1.9 lens, I have the auto winder or crank, wlf or elf plus 3 backs. All of that costs less than half the cost of your broken lens. You can get a second body and have 2 complete systems. I don't. I can print 35 mm film like portra 400 to 20" and produce gorgeous prints. I have tried topaz gigapixel ai and it's wonderful. As a wedding photographer do you sell larger than 20"? Probably not. Do you even sell wall art? Is the largest print a double truck wedding shot? Can your clients tell the difference between a contax shot vs a nikon shot with say portra or acros 100 and zeiss glass? And the 3 latest nikons are auto focus for nikon auto focus glass. But do you NEED 645, is it something that is part of your business advertising? Hell, most folks don't KNOW what the hell 645 is. I'll bet most photographers couldn't tell the difference in resolution and tonal transitions. And if I want fantastic resolution, gorgeous tonal transitions, I roll out... on a rolling stand, the RB67. I use the epson legacy papers in my 24" printer and I get gorgeous prints out of 35 mm up to 20" My f6 looks so much like my d850 THREE GOD DAMN TIMES I got out pulled out the camera and had the wrong one! 2 nikons are a piece of cake to wear all day. I stopped using a 70-200, just use my beloved 135 2.0 dc and can crop especially on a 45 mp digital. You might try shooting an f100, their about $200 but the reason I love the f6, it was sold by nikon until TWENTY TWENTY!!! Its a d850 that is a film camera. Now I trained with Denis Reggie and Joe buissink and before digital they shot 35 mm film. When I trained with them in 2010 they were charging 40 grand a wedding ... with 35 mm digital. Bambi Cantrell shot 35 mm for the bulk of the wedding with staged shots with a hassie. I love the look of film. but getting 16 shots and having to change backs all day? It would never be my primary format. Kinda like the 8mm circular fisheye, it would have specific, limited use. Do you really think brides know a 645 from a point and shoot? And most important the difference between a film shot on 35 mm vs 645. I'll bet most pro "photographers" you know why I use the quote marks, gwcs, couldn't tell the difference side by side. Now I have been a nikon shooter for decades so have a complete complement of the best glass for nikon and that in itself can be a pain choosing. But the zeiss 85 mm 1.4 planar...perfect. But carry an auto focus older sigma for run and gun. Instead of the 70-200 that let you know the next day you had carried it for hours, the 8 element 180 2.8 is a fraction of the weight, is only 8 elements, crazy sharp, gorgeous bokeh, auto focus... $300 used like new. If I use acros or tmax that is great easily to 20". How many nearly that large in your albums? Most album images more like 8x10 or so easily done with 35 mm. Now with an f6, 100, 5, they won't even know you are shooting film so you lose that unique look. But they won't know the difference between contax or mamiya if you go that route. And Reggie charged 40 grand a wedding in 2010 for 35 mm. You still get the film "look" and YOU may notice the tonal transition and resolution difference but put on the 135 2.0 dc and the bokeh is stellar and dof so shallow I shoot head shots starting at 3.2. Don't listen to the measurbator collectors, I shoot in Realville and at 3.2 the CA is gone or eliminated with a couple clicks in post. Just my thoughts. If you have any questions I'd be glad to help. And if you want a camera that really says film, pull out a tlr. I never use it without at least being stopped 2 or 3 times. Sorry to hear about your accident. Oh, and insurance, if you are a ppa member they should cover it. Had a lightning strike zap my printer and a grand to get repair guy out, they paid all but $50 deductible and they provide E&O which no wedding photographer should be without.

Mamiya and 80mm 1.9

What do your film wedding shots give you, that your digital shots don't? Whatever it is, is it that big a difference that you couldn't live without it? As mentioned, what about bigger format digital, like the GFX?

Mamiya 645 is a really affordable system!

That just stinks. Sorry you had to go through that.

Buy an Nikon 135 1.8 or an 85 1.2 Z mount! I shot most of the medium format cameras in the early 90's when I worked in Commercial Photography. Hasselblad Lens are great, have a look like Contax for the most part. Mamyia 67 is great but too big out side of the studio. I really like the Mamyia 7 rangefinder. What about a Hasselblad X2 looks fun if you got the coin to go that direction.

Fuji GFX 100s with a Mitakon 65mm 1.4. This will get you that look to replace your Contax 645. You can get both used for around $4500. I’m looking into it to replace my broken Pentax 67.

I'm sorry that this happened... What lens did you break if you don’t mind me asking

Im seeing a whole Contax 645 camera in mint condition in my contry being sold for less than 4000€

I don't put to much weight into cameras out lens or software or computers. Things come and go all the time. There was a time I was attached to some gear but the way things are going nothing last four ever. If I was rich I buy every camera ever made.

There are a lot of other cameras to look at. Pentax for one.

Sold my Contax 645 and moved to Canon 1V with 50mm 1.2

Should add I am not sure why you are trusting that much weight on a belt clip.

Why are you still shooting film? Stop the madness.

what a crybaby