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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

Okay thanks... is there a good guide for how to set the back focus?

I checked the manual but it only has a section for how to lock the back focus lock, unless I'm missing something.

I assume you unlock the back focus lock, put it in the storage position, adjust the back focus knob (red screw on front of camera)? I assume you do it while the camera is on and set a focus chart 6' away? Sorry to go a little off topic but I've scoured reduser and google and cant find a good guide for DSMC2.

thanks!
 
Richard Luke said:
Hello Nick
Is the 28-70 really that bad?
Click to expand...

Yes, its not real Zeiss. Its just a rebadged third party lens. Leica sold the same one in the R line.

It's not terrible. It just has no soul, character or style. Its flavorless and forgetabble.

But it's certainly better than nothing.

(Though for the price you could do so much better...)
 
Nick Morrison said:
Yes, its not real Zeiss. Its just a rebadged third party lens. Leica sold the same one in the R line.

It's not terrible. It just has no soul, character or style. Its flavorless and forgetabble.

But it's certainly better than nothing.

(Though for the price you could do so much better...)
Click to expand...

Great thanks Nick
What would you suggest for a similar zoom range and price that can be adapted to Canon and keep a reasonable f stop?
 
Richard Luke said:
Great thanks Nick
What would you suggest for a similar zoom range and price that can be adapted to Canon and keep a reasonable f stop?
Click to expand...

The Contax 35-70 is brilliant. We have three of them fully modded by RP Lens, cuz we use them all the time. Dont be put off by the push pull design. For run n gun, its actually BETTER. And at 3.4 it has more than enough illumination for outdoor and studio work. The kicker is its also parfocal (at least our copies are) and has constant aperture through the zoom range (making it far more useful for video than the 28-85). Add in the incredible 3D pop this lens has, and razor sharp optics, and you can see why we love it.

Oh did I add that its TINY and also has a 2.5:1 macro?

Yeah I'd buy 3 of these even if they cost $1500, not $400-$500.

And we use them on BIG jobs too. Its that good.
 
Last edited:
Nick Morrison said:
The Contax 35-70 is brilliant. We have three of them fully modded by RP Lens, cuz we use them all the time. Dont be put off by the push pull design. For run n gun, its actually BETTER. And at 3.4 it has more than enough illumination for outdoor and studio work. The kicket is its also parfocal (at least our copies are) and has constant aperture through the zoom range (making it far more useful for video than the 28-85). Add in the incredible 3D pop this lens has, and razor sharp optics, and you can see why we love it.

Oh did I add that its TINY and also has a 2.5:1 macro?

Yeah I'd buy 3 of these even if they cost $1500, not $400-$500.

And we use them on BIG jobs too. Its that good.
Click to expand...

Shhhh ... you are driving up prices, Nick.
 
It is harder to zoom in/out with pull out lenses. Give me 28-85 anytime...wider the better
 
Pentax 28-135 pull out is another option
Canon 35-105 macro
And Angenieux 28/35-70 are great
 
Nick Morrison said:
The Contax 35-70 is brilliant. We have three of them fully modded by RP Lens, cuz we use them all the time. Dont be put off by the push pull design. For run n gun, its actually BETTER. And at 3.4 it has more than enough illumination for outdoor and studio work. The kicker is its also parfocal (at least our copies are) and has constant aperture through the zoom range (making it far more useful for video than the 28-85). Add in the incredible 3D pop this lens has, and razor sharp optics, and you can see why we love it.

Oh did I add that its TINY and also has a 2.5:1 macro?

Yeah I'd buy 3 of these even if they cost $1500, not $400-$500.

And we use them on BIG jobs too. Its that good.
Click to expand...

Thanks again Nick - I've had the Contax 80-200 for a few years now and absolutely love it however I'm looking for a small manual zoom for a fixed camera project. I would definitely go the 35-70 however i need 28mm for this particular project. Doesn't have to be great but small and manual. And anyway if I get the 35-70 I'd be selfish and keep it for myself.

Pentax sounds interesting Jim
 
Nick Morrison said:
We have an EOS modded and serviced version of this lens that we use all the time. It's a GREAT lens. Very little distortion. Coatings have similar flare/contrast to Contax, except the Arri goes more blue (easy to grade out though).

Only covers 4K on Dragon (4.5K with a bit of vignetting).
Click to expand...

Hello Nick, do you think that the different focal flange of EOS vs. Arri Std or PL (which is the same) could affect the coverage of the lens? Because this particular unit covers much more than 4K. And since 35mm Academy format is similar in size to 5K HD /4.5K on Dragon, your lens should cover a wider area than 4K too!
 
Have you guys seen this lens test vid?

https://vimeo.com/161533371

I can't get over how similar these images are! Or is my eye not trained well enough yet?

The comparison just blows me away, and the weight differences. Wow!

-

The 21mm I purchased has quite the difficult screws to remove. I am currently seeking a professional lens servicer.
Bought the C/Y mount to EF in the mean time. Sometimes you just have to know when to stop the DIY, don't want to damage the lens...Pretty disheartening!
 
Jiri Vrozina said:
It is harder to zoom in/out with pull out lenses. Give me 28-85 anytime...wider the better
Click to expand...
Ben Scott said:
Contax 28-85 have served me well for several years now.
Click to expand...

Yup, the 28-85 is great. We'e been bitten in the ass a couple of times with the aperture ramp from 28 to 85, but other than that...yes...it's great. Has a BIT of flare sometimes too. But still, it's an AMAZING LENS.

But overall, we've moved to the 35-70 almost always now. Its just SO good, we find it hard to put down.


Jiri Vrozina said:
Pentax 28-135 pull out is another option
Canon 35-105 macro
And Angenieux 28/35-70 are great
Click to expand...

We have modded Canon FD 35-105's, which are cool because of the mechanics. True two touch zooms, and ours are parfocal, with no aperture ramp.

HOWEVER - ours are def prone to tremendous flare. Backlight, they can lose A LOT of contrast and be hard to work with. Bit us in the ass once.

Otherwise, pretty cool for the price!


Richard Luke said:
Thanks again Nick - I've had the Contax 80-200 for a few years now and absolutely love it however I'm looking for a small manual zoom for a fixed camera project. I would definitely go the 35-70 however i need 28mm for this particular project. Doesn't have to be great but small and manual. And anyway if I get the 35-70 I'd be selfish and keep it for myself.
Click to expand...

If you HAVE to have a 28mm in a zoom, the 28-85 is hard to beat, for sure.

Otherwise yeah, the 35-70 is awesome.

Ignacio Aguilar said:
Hello Nick, do you think that the different focal flange of EOS vs. Arri Std or PL (which is the same) could affect the coverage of the lens? Because this particular unit covers much more than 4K. And since 35mm Academy format is similar in size to 5K HD /4.5K on Dragon, your lens should cover a wider area than 4K too!
Click to expand...

Ignacio, no me lo se (te dije que nacio en Madrid?).

Ie, not sure. Our 16mm Arri and 24mm Arri are essentialy MKI's, so they are the older designs, with older housings, and Arri Bayonet mounts. Not sure if Standard Primes increased their coverage when they got real housings, and went PL.

But our 16mm def covers 4K Dragon nicely, and 4.5K barely. I don't think it's an EOS thing, as I've heard others report the same thing.

Our 24mm covers 4.5K fine, and vignettes mildly at 5K.

5K is Super 35 on Dragon
And 4.5K is Academy on Dragon, to be clear.

So these coverage issues shouldn't be a surprise.

Regardless, we LOVE both our standards. And at this point use them ALL THE TIME. Amazing, amazing glass.

Simon_G said:
Have you guys seen this lens test vid?

https://vimeo.com/161533371

I can't get over how similar these images are! Or is my eye not trained well enough yet?

The comparison just blows me away, and the weight differences. Wow!

The 21mm I purchased has quite the difficult screws to remove. I am currently seeking a professional lens servicer.
Bought the C/Y mount to EF in the mean time. Sometimes you just have to know when to stop the DIY, don't want to damage the lens...Pretty disheartening!
Click to expand...

Yup, a lot of the old glass really holds up. And you can't beat those older coatings!!

Good luck with the 21!

Ben Meserve said:
Just thought I share some stills I shot with my set of Zeiss Contax lenses. I put together a set based on this guide and has really changed the way I shoot. All MMJ lenses. I dig the 35mm 1.4 a lot!

Shot on the Scarlet-W at 5K WS

35mm @ F1.4
http://imgur.com/a/Exc17

35mm @ F1.4
http://imgur.com/a/1MmaA

25mm @ F5.6
http://imgur.com/a/L5FQ4

35mm @ F2.8
http://imgur.com/a/eQEgp

35mm @ F2.8
http://imgur.com/a/4Y6MD
Click to expand...

Ben, these look great. Congrats on your set. How's the Scarlet-W treating you?
 
Unfortunately the local lens professionals either can't get a hold of or can't move those screws.

What would be my next step being a lad from Australia? Should I contact repair services of Zeiss here? Or can I send out of country to someone?

Has anyone had the epic screw issue and had that resolved via RP Lens/Duclos?

At least I can still adapt it and was thinking maybe it was best to leave it there and maybe even get a CONTAX film camera to use it on both...

It's a shame, it's the 21 man!
 
Simon_G said:
Unfortunately the local lens professionals either can't get a hold of or can't move those screws.

What would be my next step being a lad from Australia? Should I contact repair services of Zeiss here? Or can I send out of country to someone?

Has anyone had the epic screw issue and had that resolved via RP Lens/Duclos?

At least I can still adapt it and was thinking maybe it was best to leave it there and maybe even get a CONTAX film camera to use it on both...

It's a shame, it's the 21 man!
Click to expand...

Send it to RP lens. Peter can fix.
 
Simon_G said:
Unfortunately the local lens professionals either can't get a hold of or can't move those screws.

What would be my next step being a lad from Australia? Should I contact repair services of Zeiss here? Or can I send out of country to someone?

Has anyone had the epic screw issue and had that resolved via RP Lens/Duclos?

At least I can still adapt it and was thinking maybe it was best to leave it there and maybe even get a CONTAX film camera to use it on both...

It's a shame, it's the 21 man!
Click to expand...

Hello Simon
Which screws are they? I have the Lietax screwdriver for removing the Contax screws and i'm in Melbourne.
 
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