That would be asking a lot of these budget lenses. Really. This page was generated at 05:50 PM. Contax Zeiss. It looked neat, but from my experiences as 2nd Assistant Camera, I was constantly being asked how fast so-and-so lens was, or whats its minimum focus. Damn Nick! It's a weird, over-the-top kind of effect, but when you need it (as I did a few weeks ago) it's actually pretty helpful. This wraps the first step in building a set of lenses: getting the glass. LensFinder | NEW way to buy & sell OLD lenses. Luckily for me, out of the five lenses I only messed up really bad on one (the 85mm, which was also the first one I tried). My favorite lens switched to the 85/1.4 after that, though. E) They are very easy to cinemod. So far, I had no previous love for Contax and a little bit of prejudice against Zeiss for making lenses too clean. So I kept using an adapter on that one (the best adapter I had). C) They have the older Zeiss T* coating that we also find on Hasselblads, Super Speeds and Standardsand as such have a more organic rendering on digital than ZF/ZE/CP2s. B) They share very similar designs as the ZF/ZE/CP2 lenses, but for or the price. For declicking, I read a lot of posts from people saying its a super easy process on Contax Zeiss lenses, but I didnt have the guts for it. Againthis is just a hunch on my part, dont shoot me 5) HOW TO SHOP FOR THEM - DON'T GET "G", "N", or "645". Contax Zeiss Survival Guide In reply to Giovanni_1968 9 months ago While this site is targeted to adapting Zeiss Contax lenses for video, it also seems to be the go-to guide for the rest of us with respect to these lenses. Unfortunately, it predates the Distagon 28/2.8. Its agreed that MM lenses perform better and have cleaner results than AE lenses, theyre also less prone to flaring. Still on the DIY train, a friend and I had just bought a 3d-printer, so I started making my own focus gears. I almost went for the wrong one with my MM obsession, but I was warned by my followers on Instagram about the edge the AE had over the MM. Its also a big change in size and weight, almost doubling its predecessor. Last point on the focus gears: the same way you always want to have a constant outside diameter, you want to place them on the lenses at the same distance from the mount. So all you do is get a Cine Ring with the rear thread of your lens and thats gonna make it standard! I dont want to get into a German war over which is better, Leica R or Contax. For a little over a year, this was enough. Here are some things I got from it: Contax Zeiss lenses were designed for 35mm full frame, which means theyll cover all the way up to Vistavision sensors on modern cameras and anything smaller. On my set some were MMJ, others AEG. Each page with eight stickers costed me about $10. That was probably one of the most stressful experiences of my life with lenses. I took this question to Instagram again and got really good arguments for both sides. Im a fan of DIY, so I decided to install the mounts by myself. Its history criss-crosses wars, politics, and conjures up the never-ending battles between Leica and Zeiss. But it's a lens meant for stills and cheap as hell compared to cine glass. Out of curiousity, what is the purpose of having both the 35 f2.8 and the 35-70? You have to admit they look sexy. I needed the one extra stop of light though, for consistent f/2 or faster through the main set. Every time I had to pick a lens I went for the 35mm f/2.8 instead. http://slrlensreview.com/web/reviewszontalmenu-172, http://web.archive.org/web/200710120rode/TestZ.htm, If this is your first visit, be sure to I needed the one extra stop of light though, for consistent f/2 or faster through the main set. That said, many still photographers (and DPs) have gotten magic out of these lenses at an F2 or faster. I needed a proper case! In Contax, that corresponds to all lenses 35mm and wider (down to 15mm). At this point the price argument was adding a lot of weight. It is smoother one direction than it is the other too which is peculiuar. The 35-70 doesn't move when the camera tilts. Eastern Zeiss instead consolidated all their smaller name brands into PENTACON. I almost went for the wrong one with my MM obsession, but I was warned by my followers on Instagram about the edge the AE had over the MM. All times are GMT-8. Because they focus the right way (ZFs do not, they are Nikon-oriented and focus backwards) and have an aperture ring (ZEs dont have one, as they are EOS-designed and have a digital iris controlled by the camera). So where Contax wins in coverage (they are FULL FRAME, and will cover Dragon and beyond), they lose out in speed (they are F4 at 18mm! On almost all shoots weve done with Contax lenses, where we have used other glass, be it Leica Rs or Canon EOS, every time the DP has noticed that the waveforms jump. Collapse. All I ever had so far was a Canon backpack and that is not a safe way to transport this grade of gear everywhere. Next came the 60mm f/2.8 Macro. 06-22-2022, 04:47 PM Hey, everybody, I know we have the awesome Contax Zeiss Survival Guide but looking at building a set of Zeiss lenses myself from bargain finds and fixer uppers I've collected, I wondered what anybody's experiences might have been with mixing Zeiss lineups together? I also feel that the ninja-star may funkify the bokeh a bitgive it a touch of painterly magicbut that may just be meand this wild opinion is something I may need to test out a bit more! . Lets go back to the 70s. (Heres where I beleive the Leica Rs have a clear advantage, their 19mm is a 2.8which is pretty amazing). After I got the five Contax I went to look for more info and found Nick Morrisons Contax Zeiss Survival Guide at REDUser. @ Yean: Same here, my Contaxes shift very little if at all, especially when compared to any modern electronic lens. To check if I did it, just follow me on Instagram as I post all my lens experiments there! We're Noct messing around with this review. Im a fan of DIY, so I decided to install the mounts by myself. It's very, very sharp. At T2 they beat out Supers and Contaxes. Because Contax is actually one of the most storied names in photography. Luckily for me, out of the five lenses I only messed up really bad on one (the 85mm, which was also the first one I tried). Be patient, use heat and sandpaper, and youll get there. Plus, fitting these is never a one-slip move. There are MMG lenses out there I was weary of that for quite a while, since its not mentioned clearly anywhere. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . Contax is more low-con, and more organic, to my eye. To fit the barrel of the lens, use a caliper and be precise about it. An instant hit, it became synonymous with innovation. I repeated the technique for the rear caps, this time with only the focal length written on them. AE lenses also show ninja-star bokeh when stopped down, which is a major turnoff for some folks. Wide open these are more likely to deliver a strong image that is consistent up and down the aperture. Im a big fan of these lenses and have been building my own set for the last few years, but Im nowhere close to creating a buyers guide, so Im very happy that a good friend of VLFV, Tito Ferradans has written the amazing guide below, which doesnt just introduce and explain various aspects of ContaxZeisslenses but will also show you how to tune them up for video use! Also almost twice as big and heavy as the previous one. Theyre killer tools for video, but in order to achieve maximum performance, theres a number of steps and procedures to tackle. To summarize, yeahthey look remarkably similar. These have even less elements (5?). My 21mm CP.2 is probably my favourite lens that I own, lovely, lovely piece of glass. This is a sticky topic. The price-performance ratio of the Minolta lenses is the best in the camera world. These I ordered from MOO, because they offered me more variety at a much lower price. Even the 21 is only a 2.8. Canon FD's are the predecessors to Canon L glass, and have a superb pedigree. What IS the Ninja-Star? Canon EOS Rebel T6i (EOS 750D / Kiss X8i), Shedding some light on the sources of noise, Contax Yashica lenses - German vs Japanese, Re: Contax Yashica lenses - German vs Japanese, Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary sample gallery, Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN Contemporary sample gallery, Sigma 17mm F4 DG Dn Contemporary Sample Gallery. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom impress in a lot of ways, but their noise reduction lags the competition and their lens corrections lack a real-world basis. These are creative tools, use them as such. All times are GMT-8. Lastly, just for curiositys sake, Carl Zeiss has a specific nomenclature for his lens designs and you can see some of them written on the ID ring of these Contax Zeiss lenses. These babies were bleeding me dry. The two specialty lenses the 15/3.5 super wide and 60/2.8 macro go on the smaller 904 case. Otherwise, the transition from AE was meant to be seamless. People (me included) didn't like the poor performance of the Canon EF wide lenses and the 21mm and 28mm 2.8 Contax lenses filled the gap. I shipped all of them to SIMMOD for declicking and a quick checkup. Each page with eight stickers cost me about $10. I had a feeling Nick was up to making a guide like this. I was not impressed, so I decided to make my own. Zeiss AE lens information I found a link to this awesome Zeiss Contax lens brochure, dated October 1975 (12 MB). Wide open, Contax glass seems as mushy as Supers. So all you do is get a Cine Ring with the rear thread of your lens and thats gonna make it standard! 77mm front. I will leave you with a few beautiful videos that will definitely help you make up your mind! ZF/ZEs only go as far as 135mm. (Nick hope you don't mind my piggy-back!). In my experience, the gears never fit on the first try. As photography slowly shifted from rangefinder to SLR, Contax was. Contax Zeiss lenses are the gems for sharp yet vintage glass. Those ocasional shots where you need to SNAP from one extreme focal length to another. Collapse. I met amazing businesses with folks that really know how to deal with their customers, I did try out mindblowing glass and I was humbled by all the feedback I got when asking questions about what would be my best options in the middle of the process and posting updates of what I was working on. Not saying the 135/2 isnt worth it the investment, its just much heavier and harder to carry as a walk-around lens. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit. As stated repeatedly, like ZF/ZEs, Contax lenses have great cinema mechanics. AE vs MM? For example, the 200 3.5 Tessar was "updated" with a Sonnar 180 2.8. We've combed through the options and selected our two favorite cameras in this class. We look into whether it offers more than your smartphone. Germany vs Japan? This makes life easier when grabbing gear to go out and renting it as well. That meant getting a few more lenses and upgrading various aspects I had neglected so far. When the MM's flare, they control it much better (you have to force it more), but when they do, and the coating is overwhelmed by a direct source, the coating will break out into more distinct, tight Zeiss purple flare marks. What's the best camera for shooting sports and action? Having them separate also gives me versatility on pricing, since the main set can still go out without them for a more accessible price. Since the filter threads across the set are wildly different (from 55 to 72mm), standardizing the filter threads to 77mm allows you to own one single set of filters which can quickly switch lenses without the need for tons of step rings. ----------------------------------------------------------, Oh, just to add I was watching the BBC drama 'Ripper Street' last night when I noticed a couple of shots with fairly extreme ninja star bokeh No technical information on IMDB as to what it was shot on/with sadly but you never knwo. I needed a proper case! You can see our informal results. Thats NOT to say all the designs are the same. At this point the price argument was adding a lot of weight. Only correction I did to this photograph was to increase RAW color temperature, that's it. Impressive performance and also the fastest 35mm I ever owned. For further details, see our Privacy Policy. Because the wides are slow, you will almost certainly need to compliment your kit with a Tokina/Duclos 11-16 2.8. Whats the best camera for around $2000? Zeiss made the jump to MM's in order to enable camera control of the aperture. They are made in Spain, cost about 60 euros each and you install them on the back of the lenses using the provided screws. While this site is targeted to adapting Zeiss Contax lenses for video, it also seems to be the go-to guide for the rest of us with respect to these lenses. Its agreed that MM lenses perform better and have cleaner results than AE lenses, theyre also less prone to flaring. Conveniently for me as I was finishing the set, SIMMOD Lens came into the picture, with very competitive prices, impressive customer service and super high-quality products. In fact, they MOD better than ZF/ZEs believe it or not. I like to add 0.3mm to the measurement to give me a little wiggle room after printing. The 60/2.8 AE can do 1:1 magnification, while the MM can only reach 1:2. remained behind in the ruins of the city of Jena, trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Another trick is to heat them up with a blow dryer or even your house heater. The issue that came up from was the stickers were having a hard time sticking to the material of the lens caps and were peeling off on their own. Zeiss and Yashica lenses are all in all rumored to be better, but are much more expensive. I remember years back when it was Pebble Place, Fred Miranda, a few random flickr pages and foggy lens tech folklore for figuring out this old glass. In my experience, Japanese and German lenses are equally good. You can unsubscribe at any time via an unsubscribe link included in every newsletter. The Fujifilm X-T5 is the company's latest classically-styled APS-C mirrorless camera. Whenever I started thinking the Soviet lenses were sharp, Id pop one of the Contax on the camera and stare in awe. The 85 is ridiculously fast with combo. 1. Time. But I now have the 200 and I have to admit, the bokeh is very pleasing and captivating, and I prefer it. After I read stellar reviews about the 28mm f/2.0 Hollywood, I went looking for one. Another major advantage to the Contaxs is the sheer SIZE of the lineup. In the same way RED wants to give you as many options by letting us shoot RAW, my hunch is that Zeiss was doing the same back in the day with a low-con coating. Back then, not all C/Y Zeiss lenses could be adapted for EOS cameras . some lenses required minor surgery to make them useable. Never been an issue for us - and truth be told, if I have a problem with a lens, Id send it to Duclos anywaybut be advised. I prefer the C/Ys but since I already own 3 FDs (cheap ones: 28 2.8, 50 1.8 and 135 2.8), I'm leaning towards the latter, although still undecided. This was a game changer. The downside of such magnification is that the focus ring travels a lot, pretty much doubling the physical length of the lens. Because the Contax lenses are noticeably more low-con than even Leica Rs their contemporaries, you will notice more latitude in your image. Theyre much cheaper than modern lenses, yet share similar designs and performance. They have a pleasing organic rendering that is not dissimilar to Contax. I also added the f-stop for each lens and its minimum focus in meters and feet. Or buy Supers. I already talked about the mount replacements and focus gears, so Im left with standard fronts and de-clicking. My custom made front caps with focal length, f-stop and minimum focus distance. So this reasoning is pretty bullet proof. Original Contax Zeiss set on the left, Soviet set on the right. This gave me a great set of lenses ready for action, all I missed was a way of getting them to said action. @Yean: I'm 99 % sure it's the adapter then. These last two are challenging to adapt to EOS because of their. On the 918 I keep the main six lenses of the set plus variable NDs and other filters. After I got the five Contax I went to look for more info and found the Contax Zeiss Survival Guide at REDUser. Oh and I believe that where the results are for "Real Aperture" in those tests may actually be the measured T-Stop? As they were designed for photography, they have clicked stops, which has to be dealt with, but they all feature non-rotating front elements, which is a very valuable feature these days with vari NDs. Landmine Media, LLC. But then work started picking up and I saw that as the perfect opportunity to upgrade. AE lenses were made between 1975 and 1984. to use CONTAX RTS glass interchangeably alongside PL glass, such as Contaxs cinema cousins, Super Speeds and Standard Speeds. Slowly I fell in love with them. Copyright 2023 Vintage Lenses For Video. Thats when I learned of Leitax and their mount replacements. This is a guide for people that love handling gear and tweaking little things here and there. Those were the days. I met amazing businesses with folks that really know how to deal with their customers, I did try out mindblowing glass and I was humbled by all the feedback I got when asking questions about what would be my best options in the middle of the process and posting updates of what I was working on. You can either build a $1500 set or a $10000 set and youll always impress with the results. D) They are very easy to adapt to EOS mount. Only 4 lenses were "officially" improved during the jump to MM: the 25 2.8, 28 2.8, 135 2.8, and 135 f2. The most up-to-date guide to almost every Contax lens ever made.
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