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


1) WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT CONTAX GLASS?

Contax Zeiss should be on your radar for a couple of reasons.

A) They are FULL FRAME and will cover Dragon, and BEYOND.
B) They share very similar designs as the ZF/ZE/CP2 lenses, but for ½ or ⅓ the price
C) They have the older Zeiss T* coating that we also find on Hasselblads, Super Speeds and Standards...and as such have a more organic rendering on digital than ZF/ZE/CP2s. This is my personal opinion.
D) They are very easy to adapt to EOS mount.
E) They are very easy to cinemod. In fact, they MOD better than ZF/ZE’s believe it or not. Because they focus the right way (ZF’s do not, they are Nikon-oriented and focus backwards) and have an aperture ring (ZE’s don’t have one, as they are EOS-designed and have a digital iris controlled by the camera). Like ZF/ZE’s, they have fantastic barrel rotations (often 180 degrees or more).


Hi Nick,
since i am looking at purchasing another set of primes which will compliment my Nikon AIs, i must say Zeiss Contax primes are not 1/2 price to ZE/Zf range.
NEW Zeiss ZF 15mm-$2,500,21mm-$1600, 35/1.4-$1,600, 50 Macro-$1,100 and 85mm is $1,100.
Contax Zeiss second hand is about the same price :-(
Leica R is even more...

Just finished your First few pages about Contax Lenses, great read, i love it.
 
Arto Marttinen said:
I have been looking for Contax Zeiss macro lenses. All my 4 lenses are MMJ, but I haven't seen any C/Y makros that are MMG or MMJ except 60mm f2.8 C.

Are 100mm f2.8 Makro-Planar or 60mm f2.8 S-Planar makro even available in MM?

Which one would you recommend? I'm looking for to shoot mechanical details and some flora and fauna.

I already have 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4 and 135mm f2.8.

Thanks for this great topic.
Click to expand...

Hey Arto, the two Macro's only come in AE, not in MM....Even later copies with "MM" era serial numbers like mine. Something about the construction of the macro's limited them to AE aperture control. Both have the ninja star, but with the extreme shallow focus of a macro it's not something that comes up that often. Also, I often shot these wide open at 2.8 as they are so sharp, leaving the bokeh completely circular and gorgeous.

The 60 is a dream lens. As David said, it's a wonderful alternative to the 50mm. A bit tighter, wicked sharp, and has stunning bokeh. One of my fave Contax glass. The "C" is the same glass, but can only focus down to 2:1 macro, not 1:1 macro. Personally, it's so rare to get 1:1 macro lenses these days I'd get the non "C" and spend just a little bit more. The 100 is also great, and allows you to shoot from just a bit further back, but I'm often partial to the 60 more, just subjectively. There's something very gorgeous about how it renders and looks.

Brandon Kelly said:
Hey guys, I was doing a shoot yesterday in an abandoned building by the ocean and was having some really weird flares. [/IMG]
Click to expand...

Hey Brandon, maybe it's some internal reflections inside your BM camera? That square/linera reflection and shape suggests maybe some of the housing around the sensor?

Jiri Vrozina said:

Contax Zeiss second hand is about the same price :-(
Leica R is even more...
Click to expand...

Ha, Jiri much has changed in the past year or two. It would appear the "word" is out on Contax glass, and on vintage glass in general. There was once a time when you could snag a Contax 85 1.4 for $500 or less, a 35-70 for $350, and other exotic Contax primes and zooms for quite a bit less than you can now.

That said, the "standard primes" are still quite affordable - ie the 28 2.8, 35 2.8, 50 1.7, 85 2.8, and 135 2.8. The 80-200 zoom also remains reasonably priced. These standard primes remain a compelling bargain and are a interesting option for those looking to save.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the response nick. I am shooting on scarlet as well, if you meant blackmagic by BM camera. I was thinking it might have had something to do with the harsh light coming off of the ocean. Is there a way to prevent this in these situations? Or is the contax glass just not coated well enough on the inside element for certain situations? I had a lens hood on as well. Any tips would be appreciated.

Also I have my 100-300 on its way, I am looking at picking up a mutar 1 2x as I love filming birds, moon etc. I have seen some really good examples and some not as much. Any feedback on this?
 
Nick Morrison said:
I mix them pretty frequently too, and don't think it's a big deal. They were designed by Zeiss to match, so I certainly feel comfortable doing so. In fact late AE's with mid 6 serials...and early MM's with high 6 serials... are very, very similar.

The biggest differences will be noticed when you mix ORIGINAL low 5 serial numbers with say LATE high 8 serial numbers. There could be up to 15+ years separating the coatings, so you may start to notice the lowcon and flaring of the AE more, and by comparison the saturation, contrast and "clean" look of the MM more. Even then, very easy to grade them together. Consider them family. The older AE's just have more "personality" in frame, as they are more likely to be lowcon, flare and have ninja stars.

But again, some of my early MMs look very similar to late AE's. So variances are more noticeable as you go to extremes in the lines. Very early AE's vs very late MM's for ex.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks Nick. It makes sense that they should match up. However I think I will try only to go MMJ.
 
Hi Contax lovers!
Finally back to making imagery.
The other day, after an interview, I had a few little time left to fly around workers in an antic fabric factory in Florence.
So I did put the 35/70 on the Epic, attach a sound device on my belt, a -40db adapter plug to the camera, a microphone on the top handle,
a battery in a tiny back pack, the camera on a monopod and a loup eye piece stuck on the 5 inch screen.
Really apreciate the versatility of the Epic and the render of this lense, even if it is just a MM.

10255081_10203654529990164_4116906333613444722_o.jpg


Best
B.
 
After researching which lenses to get next I came across the 100mm f2.8 macro and was wondering how exactly it works. As it looks like the push/pull zooms I can't imagine what good it does, when there's already a focus wheel and a aperture ring. Can someone explain how it works?
 
Jesper Sichlau said:
After researching which lenses to get next I came across the 100mm f2.8 macro and was wondering how exactly it works. As it looks like the push/pull zooms I can't imagine what good it does, when there's already a focus wheel and a aperture ring. Can someone explain how it works?
Click to expand...

It's not push pull. But the lens does extend out farther and farther as you pull focus, creeping closer and closer to subject until finally hitting 1:1 macro. It can take many full 360 rotations of barrel to get there. The 60 Macro is similar.
 
Epic with Contax supers and Sigma 18-35. 1/2 digicon and some shots HBM.

 
When I put on my 28mm 2.8 Contax lens the aperture ring wasn't working. When I removed the top of the lens, I found that the little 'ball' to help keep the aperture 'clicked' (opposed to a declicked). Apparently the ball is gone, and when I shake the lens I don't hear it, so it must remain a mystery why all of a sudden it's gone. However I need a new one. Does anybody know if these can be bought anywhere?
 
Got my GH4 back from a buddy who used it and finally got to test out my 80-200 I got. Here are some frame grabs from footage. Not much done to them. Color has been done and one has Film Convert. Its about 100 or so outside today in San Diego so most shots are not good, I was to hot to stand in the sun and try to get the camera settings perfect. More will come in the coming weeks, Now I have to pick to either get the 28-85 or the 35-70 lens.
 

Attachments

  • Film.jpg
    Film.jpg
    96.1 KB · Views: 0
  • Z00.jpg
    Z00.jpg
    90.9 KB · Views: 0
  • P9800761.MOV.Still002.jpg
    P9800761.MOV.Still002.jpg
    94 KB · Views: 0
Jesper Sichlau said:
When I put on my 28mm 2.8 Contax lens the aperture ring wasn't working. When I removed the top of the lens, I found that the little 'ball' to help keep the aperture 'clicked' (opposed to a declicked). Apparently the ball is gone, and when I shake the lens I don't hear it, so it must remain a mystery why all of a sudden it's gone. However I need a new one. Does anybody know if these can be bought anywhere?
Click to expand...

Not sure. Maybe send to RP lens see if they can fix?
 
Russell Johnston said:
Got my GH4 back from a buddy who used it and finally got to test out my 80-200 I got. Here are some frame grabs from footage. Not much done to them. Color has been done and one has Film Convert. Its about 100 or so outside today in San Diego so most shots are not good, I was to hot to stand in the sun and try to get the camera settings perfect. More will come in the coming weeks, Now I have to pick to either get the 28-85 or the 35-70 lens.
Click to expand...

Awesome shots Rusell. Love that first gator.
 
I posted some stills a while back from Dragon and contax for coverage. Ill have mine soon nick and will post some goodies. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top