At the annual general meeting 1996 of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen (GDT) in Luenen, Mr. Bothe of IsarFoto placed the combination Novoflex Quick focus lens with the Contax AX to produce a hybrid AF. That means approximate focus was obtained by hand, with fine focus being obtained by the Contax AX auto focus System.

Contax produced the model AX, making the auto focus function with manual lenses possible. The camera has a movable interior film plate, which takes over the auto focus function. Until that time I had used my manual FD 5.6/800 L lens with the FD-EOS converter on the EOS-1N, but I was disappointed with the results. lt was not the camera's fault, but my incorrect focusing of the lens. I always placed the distance somewhat too short or too long, because I wear glasses. The lens was little used and several times I thought of selling it. As a replacement I had considered purchasing a 600mm lens, but the cost of the AF Version was about 18,000 German marks.

A friend told me about his tests with the Canon/Nikon lenses and a Contax AX body. He also told me where I could have an adapter made. The adaptation was straightforward. The back mount of the Canon 800L lens was removed and replaced with a new one which would fit into a 12 adapter. The Contax AX was fitted with a 12 adapter. The disadvantage resulting from this change is that I can only use the maximum aperture of F5.6 because the Canon aperture ring is removed. Since I almost always work with full open aperture, it does not matter that much to me.

However, the advantage of this adaptation is that, if I want to work with the EOS, I just need to replace the Canon mount again in its original position. All that is required is a small screwdriver to unscrew three little screws.

In order to work with this combination, I set the Contax AX to aperture priority (AV), so that the camera automatically sets the exposure

time. The Contax AX provides two modes with auto focus:

SAF for one shot and CAF for continuous focusing. Additionally, there is, of course, the manual focusing mode. A small green circle lights up in the Viewfinder to indicate correct focus.

The film transport offers single shot (S), continuous shot with three P/S (CL) or with five P/S (CH). A correction with plus/minus two aperture stops in one-third steps is also available. When the Contax AX is set on auto focus the film plane box slides forward or backward to achieve focus. With the longer focus lens I adjust this to a middle setting before commencing photographing, which gives a 5mm shift either way.

The Iens itself I manually focus approximately, leaving the Contax AX to make the final adjustment. In the test attempts with the 800mm lens manually focused on an object, the Contax AX auto focus almost always connected just a trifle, to give accurate results of reproduction.

The Contax has as power supply, a Lithium battery 2CR5. Since the auto focus, particularly in the continuous auto focus, needs much current, 1 bought the Contax Power-Pack P-8, which will use four AA 1 .5V batteries. You can also work with rechargeable batteries, which makes the operation still thriftier. The power pack has a cable one and one-half meters long enabling you to wear the energy source under your apparel in winter.

I was very pleased with the first films I made with this combination at the Annateich in Hannover and at a storks nest. Visiting the preserve of the NP Bayerischer Wald the combination also came into use with recordings of bear and wolf. Even in shady corners the auto focus of the Contax AX placed perfectly sharp.

In August 1997 came a new converter from the CarI Zeiss company for the Contax system, the Mutar III, 1.4x which was especially calculated for the long Iens. To talk about the quality of Zeiss lenses is unnecessary. My first experiments showed a first-class result. I tested the combinations in a nearby preserve, where the beaver had young ones. I could now record the youngsters and the parents in a shelter with ll2Omm. With enough light and existing contrasts even the AF still functioned. The light in the pond changes often, so I switched over to manual focusing. But through the low depth of focus an exact distance metering is no problem. At the resulting aperture of 8.0 you can still get shots with a 100 SO film. A corresponding tripod is necessary, but 1 also have very good results with a beanbag on the car window. Currently I am using the combination with a Wimberley head, which 1 bought in Florida. I now have a perfect system that is quick and simple to handle.

It is again fun to work with this lens, since sharpness and proper exposure through the innovative technique of the Contax are almost guaranteed. Besides, 1 saved quite a bit of money compared to buying an AF 600mm Iens.

In photography magazines you can also find offers of secondhand 800mm lenses made by Canon and Nikon. Here is a possibility to create a low cost but an outstanding longlens combination. Buy them; a lower price will never come again.

For questions I am available with pleasure: