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Canon L to Contax Zeiss MM? Help!

Arthur Woo

Arthur Woo

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After doing some research on Contax Zeiss MM lenses I'm thinking about making the switch from Canon L primes to the Contax Zeiss primes (speeds), mostly to cinemod the lenses ala Duclos so whoever is pulling focus has a fighting chance when using a FF w/ marks, and also to have a manual iris (not necessary for what I shoot but nice to have).

I'll start by saying I love the images that the Canon L Primes give me. Aside from mechanics, is there anything else that I should consider before switching brands? Any reason NOT to do it? I do not use the Canons for photography so I don't need the AF.
 
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The time it can take to assemble an MM set is the only downside. I stalked KEH and Adorama's website every day, looking for EX+ - LN quality lenses and it took MONTHS to get a few of the focal lengths I wanted. A few focal lengths were still eluding me, so I turned to ebay and tracked down a seller in Japan who had sold the focal lengths before that I was still looking for. Luckily, he was able to get the same lenses again for me, so I was able to complete my set. Took a while, though. Great lenses. Well worth the internet hunt.
 
Brian Robbins said:
The time it can take to assemble an MM set is the only downside. I stalked KEH and Adorama's website every day, looking for EX+ - LN quality lenses and it took MONTHS to get a few of the focal lengths I wanted. A few focal lengths were still eluding me, so I turned to ebay and tracked down a seller in Japan who had sold the focal lengths before that I was still looking for. Luckily, he was able to get the same lenses again for me, so I was able to complete my set. Took a while, though. Great lenses. Well worth the internet hunt.
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Thanks Brian. Any reason to avoid anything non EX+? I also see quite a bit of Japanese sellers on ebay that look legit.
 
im blown away by the quality of MMJ contax primes, i just mixed them with super speeds and they matched perfectly, color and tonality.
as well, unlike the ZF primes, they focus the right way. i wish they could be PL mounted, im slowly collecting my set now too, well worth it in every way.
 
I wanted a set in pristine condition, so I stuck with lenses in EX+ or above condition. I don't wanna make it sound like lenses in EX condition don't have acceptable optics ... maybe they do. Since I never bought any, though, I can't really comment. If I was assembling another set then I would just go to ebay to do it. KEH and Adorama are a total crapshoot, as far as what will pop up when.

I will say: KEH is awesome with Contax lens repairs. My 28 f/2 MM had an issue and I couldn't get someone local to me to repair it. No one wanted to touch it, but KEH said "Yeah, send it.." as soon as I spoke with them. They repaired the lens the day they got it, and I had it back less than a week after I mailed it off.
 
Arthur Woo said:
Thanks Brian. Any reason to avoid anything non EX+? I also see quite a bit of Japanese sellers on ebay that look legit.
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Because Contax glass is 20+ years old, I would try and buy the BEST quality possible. Anything below EX+ may be OPTICALLY upto bar, but may not be mechanically (stiff focus, grit inside, etc). I have learned from experience that MINT or EX+ or 9's are the safest bets. That said, KEH "EXC" is often a good deal, and almost all of mine I've purchased have been superb.

On the other hand, on ebay I try and avoid anything below MINT. I haven't had as much luck there when I tried to "save".

Hope this helps.
 
Brian Robbins said:
I wanted a set in pristine condition, so I stuck with lenses in EX+ or above condition. I don't wanna make it sound like lenses in EX condition don't have acceptable optics ... maybe they do. Since I never bought any, though, I can't really comment. If I was assembling another set then I would just go to ebay to do it. KEH and Adorama are a total crapshoot, as far as what will pop up when.

I will say: KEH is awesome with Contax lens repairs. My 28 f/2 MM had an issue and I couldn't get someone local to me to repair it. No one wanted to touch it, but KEH said "Yeah, send it.." as soon as I spoke with them. They repaired the lens the day they got it, and I had it back less than a week after I mailed it off.
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Good to know! I've also been on Keh/Adorama/BH every day for weeks as I was deciding whether or not to make the brand change, and it is a crapshoot. I'm looking at eBay as well but I prefer to either inspect the items first (I live in NYC so hopping down to Adorama or BH is not a big deal) or at least have a reasonable return time if they're not good quality
 
Nick Morrison said:
Because Contax glass is 20+ years old, I would try and buy the BEST quality possible. Anything below EX+ may be OPTICALLY upto bar, but may not be mechanically (stiff focus, grit inside, etc). I have learned from experience that MINT or EX+ or 9's are the safest bets. That said, KEH "EXC" is often a good deal, and almost all of mine I've purchased have been superb.

On the other hand, on ebay I try and avoid anything below MINT. I haven't had as much luck there when I tried to "save".

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nick. Adorama has a 35mm 1.4 MM for $1550 but it's E- (Barrel shows signs of wear and/or moderate usage. Lens glass may have some dust / spots that should not affect picture quality.)

I'm thinking about doing it, but I've seen some on eBay that basically look mint for less money but I am cautious about buying lenses unseen, whereas I can always take a trip to Adorama to hold it in my hands and inspect. Thoughts on what to look out for on eBay? I read your other article about premium sellers, but the photos some of these people have up (as well as their selling history) seems legit.
 
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jordan levy said:
im blown away by the quality of MMJ contax primes, i just mixed them with super speeds and they matched perfectly, color and tonality.
as well, unlike the ZF primes, they focus the right way. i wish they could be PL mounted, im slowly collecting my set now too, well worth it in every way.
Click to expand...

That's great, thanks for the feedback!
 
When I built my set of Contax AE speed primes and zooms, I purchased a couple from KEH (all EXC+ or better), but almost all came from overseas sellers on eBay. Maybe I was just lucky, but I've only had to return one lens out of the 15+ I've purchased. I am very picky about condition, and I agree with Nick...get the best ones you can find...you'll appreciate the condition long after you've forgotten the cost.
 
Arthur Woo said:
Thanks Nick. Adorama has a 35mm 1.4 MM for $1550 but it's E- (Barrel shows signs of wear and/or moderate usage. Lens glass may have some dust / spots that should not affect picture quality.)

I'm thinking about doing it, but I've seen some on eBay that basically look mint for less money but I am cautious about buying lenses unseen, whereas I can always take a trip to Adorama to hold it in my hands and inspect. Thoughts on what to look out for on eBay? I read your other article about premium sellers, but the photos some of these people have up (as well as their selling history) seems legit.
Click to expand...

I personally would go and see the lens at Adorama in person. I've always been warry of E- at Adorama, because that generally means there IS something wrong with the lens (ie a mark, scratch, etc). On ebay, I've had luck with vendors with superb ratings and 1000+ sells. There are a couple that are quite reputable, and appear to be real brick and mortar photo stores that use ebay as their "web" operation. Both my of 35mm primes were sourced on ebay, and both arrived in sterling condition.

Good luck!

Tom Greenberg said:
When I built my set of Contax AE speed primes and zooms, I purchased a couple from KEH (all EXC+ or better), but almost all came from overseas sellers on eBay. Maybe I was just lucky, but I've only had to return one lens out of the 15+ I've purchased. I am very picky about condition, and I agree with Nick...get the best ones you can find...you'll appreciate the condition long after you've forgotten the cost.
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Exactly. The few times I pinched pennies and took a budget gamble...often landed me "rough" lenses with grit or dirt inside that ended up needing so much work to get back to "shape" it probably wasn't worth it the first place (ie would have been easier and faster to have purchased MINT from start...).
 
My 35mm 1.4 MM came from a Japanese seller on ebay. I thought I was getting a mint lens, as the seller's description indicated, but it was literally brand new in the box. I'm talkin: no dust whatsoever, completely immaculate condition. Take the leap of faith and find a Japanese seller on ebay. I rejected one or two lenses I bought through ebay, but they were both from American sellers. I've never had an issue with getting lenses from overseas. Never had to pay customs fees or anything like that either.
 
Brian Robbins said:
My 35mm 1.4 MM came from a Japanese seller on ebay. I thought I was getting a mint lens, as the seller's description indicated, but it was literally brand new in the box. I'm talkin: no dust whatsoever, completely immaculate condition. Take the leap of faith and find a Japanese seller on ebay. I rejected one or two lenses I bought through ebay, but they were both from American sellers. I've never had an issue with getting lenses from overseas. Never had to pay customs fees or anything like that either.
Click to expand...

I had similar experience with my MMJ 1.4. Those top end japanese sellers have so far been remarkably consistent.
 
Tom Greenberg said:
When I built my set of Contax AE speed primes and zooms, I purchased a couple from KEH (all EXC+ or better), but almost all came from overseas sellers on eBay. Maybe I was just lucky, but I've only had to return one lens out of the 15+ I've purchased. I am very picky about condition, and I agree with Nick...get the best ones you can find...you'll appreciate the condition long after you've forgotten the cost.
Click to expand...

Good to know, thanks!
 
You just bought a PL mount! Buy some PL glass man :smile:
 
MichaelJQuill said:
You just bought a PL mount! Buy some PL glass man :smile:
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I am not sure when I am going to build up more of my PL collection, but I definitely want to replace my Canon lenses for easier focusing. The majority of my lenses are Canon so I'm going to have to stick w/ the Canon mount for a bit, so I thought it made sense to switch to contax to keep the same mount. The last couple of months I've been using lenses with longer focus throw than the Canon Ls, and I don't want to go back!
 
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