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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Contax Zeiss Survival Guide

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scott devitte said:
I am soon to receive two M mounts for my Dragons to use with a special m mount lens. Has anybody here used Contax C/Y to leica m adapter and tried a contax on Red with M mount?
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Hy Scott,

I never adapted Contax' this way, but it works very well for me with Minolta SR (MD/MC). So, with a good adapter between them it should work just as well.
 
Last batch for a couple of days of my Contax/A7 adventure :)

All on the 28-85mm


Day 11pt2 - Angkor Thom and monkeys https://www.flickr.com/photos/sneakyeye/sets/72157646467465593/


Angkor Wat - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


The Moon and Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr

Monkey spooning at Angkor Thom by Soma Pics, on Flickr
 
A snippit from a piece I am finishing. All Scarlet with Contax but the fire / sparks shots are GH4 with Contax at 96fps

http://youtu.be/qUfoOjT7Ivs

 
Some repeats from earlier in the thread but the majority of Contax Zeiss selects from my little trip.





Mekong village on the road to Chau Doc by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Sokha Beach by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Fishing on the rocks -Sokha Beach by Soma Pics, on Flickr


On the Rocks -Sokha Beach by Soma Pics, on Flickr


On the Rocks -Sokha Beach by Soma Pics, on Flickr


On the Rocks -Sokha Beach by Soma Pics, on Flickr


On the Rocks -Sokha Beach by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Boatwreck - Outres Beach - Sihanoukville - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Dogs on Outres Beach - Sihanoukville - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Angkor Thom - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Monk with a Brolly - Preah Pomreath - Siem Reap, Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr







Mebon Temple at Angkor Wat - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Mebon Temple at Angkor Wat - Cambodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Ta Som at Angkor Wat - Camodia by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Pineapple seller -Floating market by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Misty Bridge over the Mekong - Vietnam by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Misty Bridge over the Mekong - Vietnam by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Misty Bridge over the Mekong - Vietnam by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Mekong Village by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Mekong Village by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Mekong Delta life - Vietnam by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Abandoned party - Rex Hotel rooftop bar by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Stormy night in Saigon by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Cao Dai Temple - Tay Ninh by Soma Pics, on Flickr


Ceramics and crafts workshop for disabled artisans by Soma Pics, on Flickr
In other news, instead of an Epic upgrade for my Scarlet I've just pre-ordered a Sony FS7 to do more run and gun one-man operations, which will hopefully pay for the straight Dragon upgrade, bypassing Epic completely.
 
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Wow! The Stormy Night in Saigon reminds me of a Wong Kar-Wai movie…
 
Just got back from France. Ben, those are some lovely, lovely shots. You have a real knack for making "doc" shots feel cinematic, and epic. Awesome, awesome job!!

I'm seriously considering an A7 for stills. Love the size.

Love how much you are using the 80-200. It's a fun lens, and hits way above it's size. The lens's close focusing is my favorite part. Shots just "fall off" so easily.

I don't envy the 8000 shots you have to cull through! I've def been there. Luckily for me, my Dad was taking most of the pics on our trip, so I'll just wait for him to send me some of his!

Best
 
Thanks guys. To be honest I am considering a regular A7 with the higher MP count purely for stills. Very little I don't like about it and I can hand on heart say that for the way I shoot (manual glass and no flash) it's certainly better than a 5D MK3. They are pretty cheap at the moment too.

Once I get the Sony FS7 hopefully that will justify an Atomos Shogun which I can also use with the A7s for some 4k loveliness.

The great thing about that 80-200 for street and similar shots is that people always think you're photographing something past them in the distance and so aren't as self conscious :)

EDIT: Looking forward to seeing any France shots in here and (possibly?) the Minolta thead :)
 
Ben Scott said:
Thanks guys. To be honest I am considering a regular A7 with the higher MP count purely for stills. Very little I don't like about it and I can hand on heart say that for the way I shoot (manual glass and no flash) it's certainly better than a 5D MK3. They are pretty cheap at the moment too.

Once I get the Sony FS7 hopefully that will justify an Atomos Shogun which I can also use with the A7s for some 4k loveliness.

The great thing about that 80-200 for street and similar shots is that people always think you're photographing something past them in the distance and so aren't as self conscious :)

EDIT: Looking forward to seeing any France shots in here and (possibly?) the Minolta thead :)
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Hey Ben. Yeah I was considering the higher MP A7 for stills only work too.

My father shot some stuff on Minolta glass yes, but mostly a new Sony lens I tease him about (it was sharp, but devoid of personality).

My wife wanted me to NOT focus on cameras/lenses while on vacation, and I have to admit...I've come back VERY rested.

But I'll try and share some of my dad's stuff, yes.

best
 
There's currently talk of them releasing a 50MP version, which could make for very interesting timelapses too.

I'd planned to not be all about the camera on this trip but then I'm standing in front of a thousand year old temple wondering when I'll ever get the chance to photograph it again....
 
I'm currently browsing through my stuff from Italy and France, mainly shot with two Minolta lenses, one of them quite exotic.
 
Looking forward to it Uli. Speaking of other glass my DSO FF38 attachment has arrived (very well made) to go with the Dogschidt FF58 and it will also act as a wide angle attachment for any 55mm filter ring lenses. Not used it in anger yet but nice to now have a pseudo anamorphic shooting set :)
 
Nick Morrison said:
I see what Chris means now....Contax 18mm on Epic 5KWS is pretty heavenly.

I'd only seen it at 4KHD till recently...
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The 18 is, I think, the perfect wide angle lens on the Epic in WS. It's crystal clear, with no distortion. Anything wider than that, and I just don't like the way it reads.
 
Chris McKechnie said:
The 18 is, I think, the perfect wide angle lens on the Epic in WS. It's crystal clear, with no distortion. Anything wider than that, and I just don't like the way it reads.
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The 16 2.8 fisheye is fun too, but not the same. We're going to try an old 16mm Standard prime too, see how that looks (even if it does porthole a bit).

Excited to try the 25 2.8 AE also...love how that lens flares!
 
Now that I have an 18 (from a forum member, BTW) I can second this. I'm surprised at the low distortion for such a wide lens, it might be even less than the famed 21mm (which I don't own, but tried).
 
Uli Plank said:
Now that I have an 18 (from a forum member, BTW) I can second this. I'm surprised at the low distortion for such a wide lens, it might be even less than the famed 21mm (which I don't own, but tried).
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The old 21mm MM is lovely, even better than the new Zeiss EF mount version. It seems to be much sharper.

Here's a shot from a short we are about to release. This was wide open 2.8mm, with minimal light on a Dragon. One softbox bouncing off the corner ceiling to the right of camera off screen to provide ambient light and reinforce the practicals.

TWAK_1.42.jpg


The entire short was shot with Contax Zeiss primes from 21mm to 85mm, with the addition of the Sigma 35mm ART. While I like the Sigma for its ability to intercut I plan to replace it with a 35mm Contax as soon as I have the budget.

The short will be released for Halloween. I think it looks gorgeous but I am a tad biased. :-)
 
Paul Russell said:
The old 21mm MM is lovely, even better than the new Zeiss EF mount version. It seems to be much sharper.

Here's a shot from a short we are about to release. This was wide open 2.8mm, with minimal light on a Dragon. One softbox bouncing off the corner ceiling to the right of camera off screen to provide ambient light and reinforce the practicals.

TWAK_1.42.jpg


The entire short was shot with Contax Zeiss primes from 21mm to 85mm, with the addition of the Sigma 35mm ART. While I like the Sigma for its ability to intercut I plan to replace it with a 35mm Contax as soon as I have the budget.

The short will be released for Halloween. I think it looks gorgeous but I am a tad biased. :-)
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Great job Paul!! Yes, the 21 MM is AMAZING. Totally amazing. On a gimbal, the 18mm can be super convenient as it's super wide and similar in size/weight to the 28 2.8, 35 2.8, 50 1.4 and 85 2.8 (making them an ideal Gimbal set!).

Can't wait to see this short!!!
 
As I have stated previously, I think the contax line is one of the best lens lineups out there. So incredibly lightweight and produce amazing imagery that packs a punch. It's crazy to think that not once has a director/producer/agency asked me what lenses I shoot on (unless they want to shoot on something specific, i.e. ultra primes, etc).

In all the lenses I've tested, to me, contax lenses produce the most accurate imagery to the human eye. They capture like I see it. So organic.

I've also gotten lots of compliments on skin-tones coming from grabs that I've posted in this thread...it's partially camera settings, but mainly, I think it's the glass. So beautiful.

With any project, your work should speak for itself, and the lens is just a tool, much like any camera.
 
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