Contax Zeiss - 60 years

[Michael Frymus]

Ive been seeing these around. Both 50 & 60 years written on them.

They look completely brand new. So, Im not really sure how 'old' these lenses are.
And if they are any good or better.


And thoughts on the 85mm f/1.2 compared to the 1.4.
Same deal as above with these

 

[Nick Morrison]

They were very special lenses to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Contax. They are not NEW. Most are 20 years old, but many are in MINT condition because they are collector's items. Most of them were released during the later MM period, so have the later T* coating (at least by Contax standards).

They were considered elite and state of the art when released (think the OTUS of their day). They have a cult status because of how rare and well engineered they are. Many people swear by thier bokeh (the 1.2's in particular). The 135 f2 has a very similar design to the original 135 f2, so it doesn't get as much love.

Personally, though I'm an AVID Contax lover, Id be hard pressed to spend $5K on these lenses. If one fell in my lap, I'd clutch it like a new born, but $5k is a lot to spend to gain just a 1/2 stop over the 1.4 Speeds. No matter how pretty and amazing the bokeh is.

Considering you mentioned in a previous thread you were on a lens budget, I would personally not give these much thought unless you found yourself in possession of oodles of "funny money".

Hope this helps.

 

[Michael Frymus]

They were very special lenses to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Contax. They are not NEW. Most are 20 years old, but many are in MINT condition because they are collector's items. Most of them were released during the later MM period, so have the later T* coating (at least by Contax standards).

They were considered elite and state of the art when released (think the OTUS of their day). They have a cult status because of how rare and well engineered they are. Many people swear by thier bokeh (the 1.2's in particular). The 135 f2 has a very similar design to the original 135 f2, so it doesn't get as much love.

Personally, though I'm an AVID Contax lover, Id be hard pressed to spend $5K on these lenses. If one fell in my lap, I'd clutch it like a new born, but $5k is a lot to spend to gain just a 1/2 stop over the 1.4 Speeds. No matter how pretty and amazing the bokeh is.

Considering you mentioned in a previous thread you were on a lens budget, I would personally not give these much thought unless you found yourself in possession of oodles of "funny money".

Hope this helps.

Yeah, I actually found one or maybe two lenses that are the 60yr anniversary version, and cost relatively the same as one that doesnt... Just a little bit more. And was wondering if it would be worth the extra 2-300 or so of a difference.

 

[David W. Jones]

If they are in great shape and only a couple of hundred more, I would scoop them up.

It has been my experience that the 85mm f1.2 usually goes for around $4K, while the 55mm f1.2 goes for around $9K.

As Nick mentions, these are collector lenses.

 

[Nick Morrison]

Yeah, I actually found one or maybe two lenses that are the 60yr anniversary version, and cost relatively the same as one that doesnt... Just a little bit more. And was wondering if it would be worth the extra 2-300 or so of a difference.

That's usually just for the 135 f2. The 55 and 85 are often many thousands more.

 

[Michael Frymus]

That's usually just for the 135 f2. The 55 and 85 are often many thousands more.

Yeah, I believe it was the 135.
The 85 is somewhere around $4K, which would be too much for me.