Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • 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

Nick,

First off, much thanks for introducing me to Contax and giving me the confidence to make quality purchasing decisions.

I just picked up a beautiful 21mm 2.8 from Green Mountain and the 60mm 2.8 AE Macro from KEH. Leitax mounts are on the way. Can't wait to put them on my scarlet w.

My question: I have the 50mm & 85mm 1.4 Planar ZE's as well. If you were me, would you sell those and get their respective contax versions, or is the difference minimal?

Sure, I'd love to have a manual aperture ring, so in the long run, I may do it anyway, but i'm just curious if the Ze's match the contax versions, or if the contrast difference is noticeable on these focal lengths. I've read multiple opinions for both sides, so I'm just curious what the 'master' thinks lol.
 
Peter Normandia said:
Nick,

First off, much thanks for introducing me to Contax and giving me the confidence to make quality purchasing decisions.

I just picked up a beautiful 21mm 2.8 from Green Mountain and the 60mm 2.8 AE Macro from KEH. Leitax mounts are on the way. Can't wait to put them on my scarlet w.

My question: I have the 50mm & 85mm 1.4 Planar ZE's as well. If you were me, would you sell those and get their respective contax versions, or is the difference minimal?

Sure, I'd love to have a manual aperture ring, so in the long run, I may do it anyway, but i'm just curious if the Ze's match the contax versions, or if the contrast difference is noticeable on these focal lengths. I've read multiple opinions for both sides, so I'm just curious what the 'master' thinks lol.
Click to expand...

The ZE/ZF and Contax coatings don't match in "feel". Especially if you enjoy the lowcon flares and look of the older Contax primes. The ZE/ZF's are much cleaner, and modern than their older Contax cousins. It's subtle, but definitely noticeable.
 
Nick Morrison said:
The ZE/ZF and Contax coatings don't match in "feel". Especially if you enjoy the lowcon flares and look of the older Contax primes. The ZE/ZF's are much cleaner, and modern than their older Contax cousins. It's subtle, but definitely noticeable.
Click to expand...

That's what I figured (my wallet told me to ask). Thanks for the help!
 
My Nikons are to vintage for my taste. I am going to try to find a couple Contax ones for direct comparison and if I will totally built a new set. And thankfully in Germany you really get those "My Grandpa left us a pile of lenses". I am off searching for bargains! The 50mm 1.7 should be easily attainable for 80€. Thanks people! (BTW I read the first 100-150 pages of this thread, thanks for all the information Nick!)
 
Could someone with a 21mm f2.8 Contax MMJ lens (the only variant as far as I am aware) please accurately measure the diameter around the focus grip with one of the following keys, printable on A4 or US Letter paper, and let me know which Cool-Lux gear I should buy for it?

A4 - http://www.cool-lux.com/file/LuxGear Key A4.pdf

US Letter - http://www.cool-lux.com/file/LuxGear Key US Letter.pdf

I'm putting in an order for my newly acquired Contax Zeiss primes and the 21mm is the last lens I have yet to buy, so I'm pre-purchasing the gears for all of them in one hit to save on shipping costs.

For reference, here's the lenses I have already got in hand, and the appropriate Cool-Lux gear diameter for each, in case anyone else is wanting to buy the same:

28mm f2 Distagon "Hollywood" AEG - 62-63
35mm f1.4 Distagon AEG - 68-69
50mm f1.4 Planar AEJ - 62-63
85mm f1.4 Planar AEG - 68-69
100mm f2 Planar AEG - 68-69

Thanks in advance and thanks Nick for your awesome thread!

Paul :)
 
Also, I have a www.followfocusgears.com 3d printed gear for the Contax 35mm f1.4 Distagon AEG which is surplus to requirements, as I'm standardising on the Cool-Lux gears, so if anyone is looking for a gear for that particular lens (it actually fits around the 85mm f1.4 Planar AEG as well), I'm happy to sell it for US$30 shipped worldwide which is a saving of US$5 plus whatever postage they charge.

Cheers,

Paul :)
 
Paul Leeming said:
Could someone with a 21mm f2.8 Contax MMJ lens (the only variant as far as I am aware) please accurately measure the diameter around the focus grip with one of the following keys, printable on A4 or US Letter paper, and let me know which Cool-Lux gear I should buy for it?


Paul :)
Click to expand...
Hi Paul

I already went through this exercise for a load of lens gears from HelicopterSean on e-bay
The Contax 21mm MMJ is a tight 62.82mm. The length of the focus area is 44.62mm
 
Paul Russell said:
Hi Paul

I already went through this exercise for a load of lens gears from HelicopterSean on e-bay
The Contax 21mm MMJ is a tight 62.82mm. The length of the focus area is 44.62mm
Click to expand...
Much obliged Paul! :)

Cheers from Holland,

Paul 2 :D
 
I've modded a set of AEG/AEJ lenses with fixed oval apertures (semi-permanant, easily removed). Here's a quick test with the 50mm on a 5D mark III.

 
Ben Scott said:
Looks great. I know Jason Wingrove has a full set of DSO-modded Contax glass and does great wrk with it. Tell us more about your mod.
Click to expand...

First step was to carefully open each lens and measure the diameter of the aperture wide open. I then designed the 2x oval aperture discs in adobe illustrator and sent that off to a company that would cut them from .4mm thin stainless steel. Once i received those it was a matter of opening up the lenses again and carefully affixing the aperture disc from the front.

The 35mm and 28mm were a little trickier but once i understood their design, I was able to disassemble and reassemble without issue. Exposure is controled by ND. That being said, the mechanical aperture is still functional and once you've stopped down to an f/4, it clears the oval aperture. So you *could* use the them with original aperture too.

wcrYKvR.jpg


Some notes...

• The stainless steel lowers contrast a touch more. I intended to blacken them but after a test, I liked the effect.
• The fixed aperture gives you the combined benefit of stopping down but retains the defocus qualities of being wide open.
• Each lens is outfitted with an 82mm step up from Breakthrough Photography and the Xume adapters for fast swapping of ND.

What i love about pairing these with a full frame sensor is this: not only do they mimic the oval bokeh of an anamorphic lens, but the sensor's expanded field of view approximates the field of view a real anamorphic lens has too. Anamorphics definitely have their own character, but this is a nice, low weight, relatively inexpensive approximation.

13Ivp3Y.jpg
 
Hey everyone, over the past week I have made my way through around 200 pages of this magnificent thread, and like many others, I have pulled the trigger on a Contax lens as a result (28mm F2.8 MMJ) - a very slippery slope I fear!! I love the organic look and character of the images coming from these lenses, and for this reason I am seriously considering swapping from my current Nikkor AI-S setup to a Contax MM range! However, I have one pressing question - I am currently on a Sony A6300 (APS-C), but I want a set of lenses that are future proof if I decide to go the full-frame route in the future (A7Sii etc.). This is only really a problem when it comes to choosing a wide angle lens (something in the 16-20mm range I’m thinking… the 21mm F2.8 is outa the question unfortunately), as several SOLID options will only cover an APS-C sensor (which isn’t the end of the world, but I just don’t know what the future holds). Having extensively read the thread, certain lenses keep popping up, the most common of which I have listed below:

Zeiss 16mm Standard Prime (ebay-??) - Looks very nice, good colour matching I hear, but comes with a price - out of my league I feel!
Contax 18mm F4 (ebay ~NZ$700) - Good handling of distortion, very nice build quality, but somewhat slow and soft WO.
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 (NEW ~NZ$1000) - Beautiful lens, fast - not a perfect match for contax ‘look’, but with filtration, can get close… only major gripe: DOESN’T cover full-frame… and I kinda feel it’s expensive since the 18-20mm range is all I am really after, and that isn’t where this lens shines (visible distortion at wider end).
Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 (NEW ~NZ$600)- Good option - wide on APS-C-good wide angle range, works at 16mm on FF (how well compared to Contax 16mm F4??), fast, but somewhat different ‘look’ to other Contax (somewhat fixable with Colour Correction / Filtration?), not the nicest flares.
Zeiss Jena 20mm F2.8 MC (ebay ~NZ$600) - Some people say this is a good option - sharp enough, close enough when it comes to colour, fast and still in the ‘zeiss family’... I also like that it’s a prime at a reasonable price. Not OVERLY wide.

Is there any other options out there now (being 2017) that would fit with the contax family? What have the rest of you had success with? Are my assessments of the options on point? I am really set on having a SOLID Wide Angle option available before I full on invest in a range. Here is the range I am considering (essentially Nick’s ‘Standard Primes’ with the 50mm F1.4 being an exception, and the 60mm thrown in there for macro work):

28mm F2.8 MM (On it’s way)
35mm F2.8 MM
50mm F1.4 MM
60mm F2.8 MM
85mm F2.8 MM
135mm F2.8 MM

Kind Regards from New Zealand.
 
Patrick, I have the Contax 18mm and love it. It's my go-to lens for steadicam-style work as it's in focus almost everywhere, sharp as a pin (WOis f4) and hardly has any barrel distortion.

I have bought two Tokina 11-16mm lenses and sold them both. It's a trash level lens with serious CA issues and shitty colour. Will not intercut with your Contax lens footage.
 
Patrick, I have the 18mm f/4 MM and also love it. But I also have the Tokina 11-16mm, which I actually like. It's modern and different to the Contax, but if you put a 1/4 promist (+ maybe 1/4 ultracon) you can start giving the lens a bit more character. Though I use it mostly with Sony CineAltas, so it's not so hard to match to them.

But if you want a vintage look that's a bit faster you might consider the Leica-R 19mm f/2.8. Though, they are not cheap. They around the same price as the Contax 21mm f/2.8.
 
Last edited:
Great feedback guys, much appreciated. How do you both get over the fact that the 18mm doesn't have a filter thread? I like using ND via screw on filters, so is there any viable options out there for a DIY solution? Keep in mind I live far away from the US/Europe so sending the lens to be modded by the people mentioned in this forum is out of the question.
 
Zak, these mods are SICK!!!

Love it.

Zak Forsman said:
First step was to carefully open each lens and measure the diameter of the aperture wide open. I then designed the 2x oval aperture discs in adobe illustrator and sent that off to a company that would cut them from .4mm thin stainless steel. Once i received those it was a matter of opening up the lenses again and carefully affixing the aperture disc from the front.

The 35mm and 28mm were a little trickier but once i understood their design, I was able to disassemble and reassemble without issue. Exposure is controled by ND. That being said, the mechanical aperture is still functional and once you've stopped down to an f/4, it clears the oval aperture. So you *could* use the them with original aperture too.

wcrYKvR.jpg


Some notes...

• The stainless steel lowers contrast a touch more. I intended to blacken them but after a test, I liked the effect.
• The fixed aperture gives you the combined benefit of stopping down but retains the defocus qualities of being wide open.
• Each lens is outfitted with an 82mm step up from Breakthrough Photography and the Xume adapters for fast swapping of ND.

What i love about pairing these with a full frame sensor is this: not only do they mimic the oval bokeh of an anamorphic lens, but the sensor's expanded field of view approximates the field of view a real anamorphic lens has too. Anamorphics definitely have their own character, but this is a nice, low weight, relatively inexpensive approximation.

13Ivp3Y.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Patrick Monaghan said:
Great feedback guys, much appreciated. How do you both get over the fact that the 18mm doesn't have a filter thread? I like using ND via screw on filters, so is there any viable options out there for a DIY solution? Keep in mind I live far away from the US/Europe so sending the lens to be modded by the people mentioned in this forum is out of the question.
Click to expand...

Our 18 has a modded delrin lip, so we can clamp on filtration. But yeah, lack of thread sucks.

Honestly, I'd save up for the 21mm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top