DISTAGON 45 for CONTAX645

A lens with a practical focal length for the Leica S.

A review and Photo example of the DISTAGON 45mm(Kyocera/CONTAX) with a Leica S digital camera.

Gallery

Sample photo taken with the LEICA S Typ007.

Review

Usage
Lens overview
Comparison with competitors

1．Usage

The Distagon 45mm F2.8 was released with the CONTAX 645 camera. When used with the Leica S series, it is equivalent to almost 35mm in 35mm format, making it a highly practical lens that bridges the gap between wide-angle lenses and standard lenses. When using 645 film with the Contax 645, it becomes 28mm, the standard angle of view of old wide-angle lenses.

The lens has an inverted telephoto structure with a thick lens placed in the center of the front and rear groups, so distortion is not noticeable in most scenes. It is a good choice for trying out wide-angle lenses for medium format cameras.

The focus speed is not very fast, but it is not too slow. When used with the LEICA S, there is a one-beat lag between turning it on and actually being able to take pictures, which can be a concern.
The same applies when waking up from sleep, and it seems to take a while to establish communication between the camera and the lens.

The focal length of 36mm in 35mm format is an easy-to-use angle of view, and it is useful for taking snapshots without a clear purpose, such as when taking a walk. The Leica S and Distagon 45mm weigh just under 2kg, so they cannot be said to be light, but they seem slightly better than HC lenses and other lenses.

2．Lens overview

For a lens with 9 elements in 7 groups, it is quite heavy at 800g, and the filter diameter is 72mm, which is the general size for CONTAX 645 lenses.

Although there is an aperture ring at the base of the lens, when used with a Leica S using 16038 [Leica S Adapter C], the aperture ring is ignored and the aperture value is set on the camera. The focus ring in the center of the lens can be used to interrupt focusing.

A dedicated lens hood (GB-71) or a bellows hood (GB-B1) can be used.

3．Comparison with competitors

The DISTAGON 45mm has a bright maximum aperture of F2.8, and the beautiful bokeh at full aperture gives the impression of a large-format lens.

It is appropriate to compare it with a medium-format SLR lens, and a direct comparison would be the Leica Elmarit-S f2.8/45mm ASPH. (Order no. 11077 | CS: 11078). This lens has a list price of nearly 1 million yen, making it difficult to obtain. As of 2023, the product is no longer on sale.

The specifications are compared on a desk as shown in the specifications and comparison at the link below, but to summarize, the Elmarit-S 45mm is heavy and large, but it incorporates the latest optical design, such as a luxurious lens configuration of 12 elements in 9 groups, the use of aspherical lenses, and faster focus speeds due to the small glass rear focus. In the MTF chart comparison, Leica lists up to 27mm, while ZEISS lists up to 35mm, so the ranges are different, but when comparing the Elmarit-S and Distagon, the graph shows that the Elmarit-S wins by a landslide, which is understandable given that it is a newer release and a higher price. However, the Elmarit-S 45mm is a large lens considering it is optimized for a sensor size of 45x30mm, which is probably because it is optimized for a long flange back for SLR cameras.

As for lenses that cover medium-format film sizes, HASSELBLAD does not have a 45mm focal length in its H series lenses, but does have the HC-50-II type with a focal length of 50mm. This lens has a built-in lens shutter, making it a size larger than the DISTAGON 45mm.

As for lenses for medium-format digital sensors, the HASSELBLAD XCD 45 F4P and the FUJIFILM GF50mm have similar or the same focal length, but the image circle covered by the lens is small at 44*33mm, and they are optimized for mirrorless cameras with short flange backs, so they are not comparable.

Specification and Competitor

Lens name	Distagon 45mm	Elmarit-S 45mm	HC 50mm-II	GF50mm
Focal length(mm)	45.5	45	50	50
Max aperture	2.8	2.8	3.5	3.5
Min aperture	32	22	32	32
Lens Construction	9elements in 7groups	12elements in 9groups	11elements in 7groups	9elements in 6groups
Min distance(m)	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.55
Lens length(mm) Distance from mount flange	99	132	116	48
Lens Max dia.(mm)	80	88	85	84
Filter Size(mm)	72	82	77	62
Weight(g)	821	1030	975	335
Release date	1999	2013/10/10	2016?	2019/9/26
Price	¥250,000- Y2023 Uesd price ¥70,000〜	Non shutter ¥847,000- With shutter ¥979,000-	¥650,000-	¥138,500-

Reference links

Update history

2024.9.2
2024.03.04:update
2023.05.15:First draft

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