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Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Mar 16, 2017 1:33:53 GMT
Posted: Mar 16, 2017 1:33:53 GMT
I'll bring it back on track as I now have both the standard and C versions so I can answer the original question. I've also just received a Fotodiox adapter so I can grab some quick shots from the various lenses without having to wait for the film to come back and scan it...
The MA-85 works very well with the 50mm and you can get as close as 28cm with a 0.32 magnification of the image, though it's even better with the 28mm; and you're right, people are asking a very high price for them (and not selling them; will they never learn?!). When the 300 AF arrives with the two Power Zooms I will get a second MA-85 - very curious to see what happens with 2 together..
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on Mar 16, 2017 7:17:30 GMT
Posted: Mar 16, 2017 7:17:30 GMT
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on Mar 17, 2017 2:02:21 GMT
Posted: Mar 17, 2017 2:02:21 GMT
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on Mar 20, 2017 18:51:51 GMT
Posted: Mar 20, 2017 18:51:51 GMT
Sorry if I seem to be side-tracking again ... but, having contemplated about getting a Contax AX for quite some time now, I would be very interested to learn how the Yashica auto focus compares to that of the AX in terms of speed and precision. Does anybody have any information on that?
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Group: Moderator
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Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Mar 20, 2017 20:05:51 GMT
Posted: Mar 20, 2017 20:05:51 GMT
Sorry if I seem to be side-tracking again ... but, having contemplated about getting a Contax AX for quite some time now, I would be very interested to learn how the Yashica auto focus compares to that of the AX in terms of speed and precision. Does anybody have any information on that? If you can give me a couple of days I'll run a side-by-side test. I'll use lenses of similar focal lengths and apertures and let you know how they compare. I believe the Yashica cameras use a Honeywell auto-focus system (as in the ill-fated Contax 137AF) but the AX uses a different technology.
The AX does have problems in low contrast, poor light situations when using a big telephoto; of course there's no telephoto prime for the Yashica AF so I'll need to use the 75-300 or 70-210 f4.5 to try to create a comparison for greater focal distances. No such problems with the 50mm... The AF 24mm lenses are still on their way unfortunately; a run-off between the DS-M, ML and AF would be fun!
G
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on Mar 20, 2017 20:23:40 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 20, 2017 20:24:32 GMT by Deleted
The AX is a nice piece of technology indeed - be prepared to be surprised when you engage the AF system the first time as it´s a pretty serious mass which is starting to move inside the body :-)
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on Mar 21, 2017 22:39:44 GMT
Posted: Mar 21, 2017 22:39:44 GMT
[...] The MA-85 works very well with the 50mm and you can get as close as 28cm with a 0.32 magnification of the image, though it's even better with the 28mm; [...] Right you are, Graham, that extension tube arrived this morning and it works exactly as you described, with both lenses--very happy to have it! Michael
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on Mar 27, 2017 11:42:13 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 27, 2017 11:44:38 GMT by biggles3
Sorry if I seem to be side-tracking again ... but, having contemplated about getting a Contax AX for quite some time now, I would be very interested to learn how the Yashica auto focus compares to that of the AX in terms of speed and precision. Does anybody have any information on that? If you can give me a couple of days I'll run a side-by-side test. I'll use lenses of similar focal lengths and apertures and let you know how they compare. I believe the Yashica cameras use a Honeywell auto-focus system (as in the ill-fated Contax 137AF) but the AX uses a different technology.
The AX does have problems in low contrast, poor light situations when using a big telephoto; of course there's no telephoto prime for the Yashica AF so I'll need to use the 75-300 or 70-210 f4.5 to try to create a comparison for greater focal distances. No such problems with the 50mm... The AF 24mm lenses are still on their way unfortunately; a run-off between the DS-M, ML and AF would be fun!
G
Hi,
I have just tested the Contax AX with a Planar 50 1.7 against the Yashica 230AF and the 50 1.8. At f1.7/1.8 I can find no appreciable difference in the speeds with which they acquire the target and shoot. I then tested at f5.6 in a darkened room trying to focus on a newspaper on a dark sheet from a distance of around 2 metres - the Yashica was marginally quicker though neither struggled to find focus; then I placed each camera in succession on the dark sheet and tried to take a photo of it with the other one - here the AX was quicker to find the 230AF than the Yashica to grab the AX. The red illuminator working with the AX's phase detection seems to have a slight edge. Finally I shot at f11 - both cameras struggled a bit to find focus in the darkened room on their respective cameras and the Yashica combination also had problems latching onto the newspaper while the AX locked on immediately.
In conclusion, I'd say that using standard lenses, under typical shooting conditions at maximum aperture, both options are equally efficient; at around f5.6 under normal light, both were similar with the 230AF slightly ahead but when used in poor light and with low contrast, the AX had the edge, especially trying to lock onto a dark object (camera body) against a dark background. However, at f11 at around 2 metres, the AX was definitely the better.
I will try them out tomorrow with a 70-210 and then a 300mm (the AF 75-300 vs the ML 300 f5.6) to see how they fare on long focus. If views expressed elsewhere are to be believed, the 230AF should do better than the AX.
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on Mar 27, 2017 12:38:36 GMT
Posted: Mar 27, 2017 12:38:36 GMT
Thank you very much, Graham, for your untiring efforts! Uh-oh ... when reading about the AX's performance in available light, I feel yet another surge of G.A.S. coming up... Michael
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on Mar 27, 2017 14:31:39 GMT
Posted: Mar 27, 2017 14:31:39 GMT
Thank you very much, Graham, for your untiring efforts! Uh-oh ... when reading about the AX's performance in available light, I feel yet another surge of G.A.S. coming up... Michael I think you may be wise to hang on for the test on distant, low contrast performance! I've read that some people have found the AX had difficulty in focusing under such conditions... More anon.
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on Apr 3, 2017 21:38:11 GMT
Posted: Apr 3, 2017 21:38:11 GMT
So--I've just loaded my 230 AFs with fresh slide film and I'm all set to do some testing during the Easter break. The 28mm and 50mm primes plus the extension tube are keepers, for sure, and I'm almost certain about the 28-85mm zoom as well. What I'm chiefly interested in is how my three telephoto zooms compare to each other as I do not intend to keep them all but rather get a backup for the one I shall finally decide on. Seems the virus has gotten me again and I'm really looking forward to giving the AF system another go... Michael
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