CONTAX 645 Lens List & Summary

A list of Shige’s hobby Contax 645 lenses and a collection of links to review pages.

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Lens spec 1 / wide angle, standard lens

The DISTAGON 35mm is the widest-angle lens for the CONTAX 645. Its magnification for 645 format (6cm x 4.5cm film) is 0.6x, making it equivalent to 21mm when used with the CONTAX 645.
Hasselblad H lenses that cover 6×6 format (6cm x 6cm film) also have a focal length of up to 35mm. The HCD 28mm and HCD 24mm lenses, which are wider than the 35mm HC lenses, are designed for 48x36mm sensors.
Hasselblad V lenses also have a maximum focal length of 40mm, except for special fisheye lenses.
Other wide-angle lenses available include a 28mm lens from Phase One and a 33mm lens from PENTAX, but specifications in brochures and other sources indicate that these lenses are compatible with 44x33mm sensors (0.8x magnification).
The DISTAGON 45mm can sometimes be purchased at a low price, perhaps due to its high market availability.
The DISTAGON 55mm was positioned as a budget lens when it was released, but due to its low market availability, it has remained stable at a high price.
The PLANAR 80mm is widely available but remains stable at a high price, perhaps due to its F2 aperture at full aperture.
The VARIO SONNAR 45-90mm F4.5 is a lens that occasionally appears on the used market and is relatively expensive.

The APO MAKRO PLANAR 120mm is a manual focus lens that is compact near infinity, but doubles in length for close-up shots.
The SONNAR 140mm is a less popular lens that’s widely available and often available at a low price. Its minimum focusing distance is a long 1.3m, so if autofocus isn’t a necessity, the APO MAKRO PLANAR 120mm is a viable alternative.
The SONNAR 210mm is a relatively compact telephoto lens, and the focal length can be extended to 300mm with a teleconverter.
The Tele Apotessar 350mm is a very heavy lens that can be difficult to handle, even for nature photography or sports, which require a long focal length. Perhaps due to its limited production, its price remains relatively high and stable.
The Mutar CONTAX 645 can only be used with three lenses: the SONNAR 140mm, SONNAR 210mm, and Tele Apo tessar 350mm, so its uses are limited. However, the aperture becomes one stop darker, but the focal length can be easily extended by 1.4 times, making it useful when you want to extend the focal length a little further.

Lens name	*APO MAKRO PLANAR 120mm*	*SONNAR 140mm*	SONNAR 210mm	*Tele Apotessar 350mm*	*Mutar CONTAX 645*
Focal length(mm)	120	140	210	350	x1.4
Max aperture	4	2.8	4	4	–
Min aperture	45	32	32	45	–
Lens Construction	8elements in 5groups	7elements in 5groups	7elements in 4groups	9elements in 8groups	7elements in 5groups
Min distance(m)	0.3	1.3	1.4	1.9	–
Focus type	MF	AF	←	←	←
Lens length(mm)	104	98	177	273	41
Max diameter(mm)	86	81	81	114	82
Filter Size(mm)	72	72	72	95	–
Mutar x1.4	×	○ 196mm	○ 294mm	○ 490mm	–
Lens hood	GB-73	GB-73	GB-74	GB-102	–
Weight(g)	796	688	1178	3610	510
Release date	1999	1999	1999	2000	1999
Price(Yen/No-tax)	270,000	245,000	250,000	670,000	120,000
Official PDF	Official PDF	Official PDF	Official PDF	Official PDF	Official PDF
Other link	Apo Makro Planar 120mm ZEISS lens etc	Sonnar 140mm F2.8	Sonnar 210mm F4	Camera naniwa Ganjin camera	Mutar x1.4

PLANAR 80mm
- At its lowest price, the 80mm could be purchased for around 100,000 yen, but after hesitating, it has become commonplace to sell for over 300,000 yen.
- Since I own a Hasselblad HC100mm and a Leica Summicron S 100mm, I have no plans to purchase one at the moment.
Tele Apotessar 350mm
- I have seen it at second-hand stores several times, but I have not purchased it due to its weight and frequency of use. Even after reading the reviews at the linked page, I do not think it is a lens that will be used frequently, which makes me hesitate to purchase it.
- If someone could lend me a lens they own, I would not hesitate to attach it to my LEICA S and go to Tokyo Bay Wild Bird Park to take pictures. However, it seems very difficult to move around with it.