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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

I've been flying the Epic on the Movi m10, so the weight limit is 12lbs. Rehousing is pretty much out of the question.
Focus rings are paramount for being able pulling focus wirelessly on these kinds of rigs. You don't want to proverbially get caught with your pants down if you walk onto a set that requires crane or steadicam shots. Or even worse, you use the cheaper focus ring attachments and they break/jam mid pull ! *cringes*

Anyways, Nick once again thank you for being the evangelist and information sink about Contax lenses! But I'm afraid your enthusiam has had adverse effects. The demand for Contax Zeiss have become so high that you've driven up prices phenomenally in this new year. Just look how much this 50mm is going for!

haha I kid. Hope everyone's new year is going well!
 
Justen Nguyen said:
I've been flying the Epic on the Movi m10, so the weight limit is 12lbs. Rehousing is pretty much out of the question.
Focus rings are paramount for being able pulling focus wirelessly on these kinds of rigs. You don't want to proverbially get caught with your pants down if you walk onto a set that requires crane or steadicam shots. Or even worse, you use the cheaper focus ring attachments and they break/jam mid pull ! *cringes*

Anyways, Nick once again thank you for being the evangelist and information sink about Contax lenses! But I'm afraid your enthusiam has had adverse effects. The demand for Contax Zeiss have become so high that you've driven up prices phenomenally in this new year. Just look how much this 50mm is going for!

haha I kid. Hope everyone's new year is going well!
Click to expand...

Haha. I can't believe how much people sell those 1.2 "Anniversary" lenses for!

Good to know about the Movi weight and what your needs on set are...very helpful!
 
Well.. 'putting them up for' and 'selling them for' I think are very different matters. :)

Just wrapped shooting my friend's short film and for the last setup used the slight wide-open bloom of the 85 f1.4 as a sort of extra layer of diffusion for shooting the female close up, and then I stop down one stop for a sharper more gritty close up on the guy she was talking to. Worked well. Saved a lens or filter change :)
 
Ben Scott said:
Well.. 'putting them up for' and 'selling them for' I think are very different matters. :)

Just wrapped shooting my friend's short film and for the last setup used the slight wide-open bloom of the 85 f1.4 as a sort of extra layer of diffusion for shooting the female close up, and then I stop down one stop for a sharper more gritty close up on the guy she was talking to. Worked well. Saved a lens or filter change :)
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Haha love it. Was watching "Conan The Destroyer" last night on cable, and the princess was always wonderfully diffused and soft...then they'd cut to Conan (or anyone else) and focus would jump to contrasty, and sharp (and gritty...maybe anamorphic?)
 
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Ben Scott said:
Well.. 'putting them up for' and 'selling them for' I think are very different matters. :)

Just wrapped shooting my friend's short film and for the last setup used the slight wide-open bloom of the 85 f1.4 as a sort of extra layer of diffusion for shooting the female close up, and then I stop down one stop for a sharper more gritty close up on the guy she was talking to. Worked well. Saved a lens or filter change :)
Click to expand...
Top Tip!
 
Actually, some of the older 85mm 'portrait' lenses were made just like this. I have the older Minolta Rokkor 85mm 1.7 and it reacts strictly like that: dreamy soft WO and tack sharp stopped down just 1-2 stops.
Later they made the very sharp 85mm 2.0 and the variable 85mm Varisoft — maybe because people simply didn't get it.
 
Uli Plank said:
Actually, some of the older 85mm 'portrait' lenses were made just like this. I have the older Minolta Rokkor 85mm 1.7 and it reacts strictly like that: dreamy soft WO and tack sharp stopped down just 1-2 stops.
Later they made the very sharp 85mm 2.0 and the variable 85mm Varisoft — maybe because people simply didn't get it.
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Uli totally agree. I certainly always had the impression the 85 1.4 was dreamy wide open for that specific reason. Whereas the 100 f2 is quite sharp at f2, and has been used more for landscapes, etc...though it's still perfectly acceptable for portraits, of course.

It certainly appears to have been the custom of many "portrait" photographers back in the day to shoot wide open like this as a stylistic choice...especially in the pre-Photoshop age when (presumably) touchups and post work were not as sophisticated. Ie you'd shoot it dreamy that way "in-camera" and maybe even use addition filtration as well (stocking, vaseline, a "mist" or "fog" filter, etc).
 
Well, there's a visible difference between such a dreamy lens and filtration. It's very obvious with the Varisoft, you can still even find Minolta's patent for it on the net. Citations from the patent to be found here (in English, scroll down) : http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php?showtopic=22615

It works with controlled spherical aberration, which generates a well-focused core sharpness and a specific halo. Later there was even a AF version, the AF 2,8/100mm Soft Focus. Check for photographers on Flickr by "Minolta Varisoft plum blossom" (even if he used it a bit too much for my taste).
 
I'm researching some telephoto "looks" for a project, and thought I'd share some flickr samples I've been pulling:


Contax 300 f4:
5907917471_f1634014b5_b.jpg



Contax 100-300 Vario-Sonnar (Landscape):

5856222682_7f72686650_b.jpg



Contax 100-300 Vario-Sonnar (Macro):

3773678519_690212d2e8_b.jpg



Contax 200 3.5:

8208857273_6e00fef1ea_b.jpg



Contax 80-200 Vario-Sonnar:

5370660263_2c21f1d5f0_b.jpg




Contax 180 2.8 (AEG):

11028995083_0db0a0c741_b.jpg



Contax 135 2.8 (Landscape):

5786370962_e866f62950_b.jpg



Contax 135 2.8 (Macro):

4624340430_b142961b0b_o.jpg



Contax 135 f2 Planar

8968116605_678113199d_b.jpg



Contax 100 3.5:

6338339495_fd7539268d_b.jpg




Contax 100 f2 Planar:

7680476448_7d24c2e23d_h.jpg



Contax 100 2.8 Makro:

7745415216_2fc4350e05_b.jpg




I found all of these inspiring... but also liked being reminded of how sharp the 100-300 and 100 3.5 can be, and how funky the bokeh of the 135 f2 is.
 
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Noel R. said:
Damn Nick nice shots!
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Haha...those aren't mine...just research I'm pulling from flickr. I like going on there and getting inspired...helps get the juices flowing, and it's nice to see how others use particular lenses (types of framing, diff approaches, etc).

I have some projects coming up and need to lock down some ideas...using my Contax glass.
 
Well nice shots somebody. Nice, will be great to see what you come up with. I did get a set of the Rokkors just before the holidays. Excellent suggestion, really love the lenses. Haven't had much time to shoot with them because of the holidays but I have a project coming up.
 
Noel R. said:
Well nice shots somebody. Nice, will be great to see what you come up with. I did get a set of the Rokkors just before the holidays. Excellent suggestion, really love the lenses. Haven't had much time to shoot with them because of the holidays but I have a project coming up.
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Likewise - I have some projects coming up that may fit the Rokkors nicely as well. Glad you jumped on that!!
 
Ben Scott said:
Quick unrelated question. If I was looking into the upcoming Panasonic GH4 as a 4k b-camera and new DSLR, would the Zeiss 10-100mm t1.8 b-mount make an awesome match for the contax glass?
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I've used the 10-100 1.8 on my Scarlet for the same reason, and thought it matched reasonably well in fact! Covers 2K but vignettes hard at the wide end...FYI. The 10x zoom is addictive, btw. Here's a recent spot where we used it:


BTW I'm actually considering modding this zoom and having RP lens "Leitax" it...so I can stay on EOS mount the whole time on my Scarlet. Also want to see what happens to the coverage when we throw a 1.4 full frame extender to it (ala Kubrick....drool). Wondering if I can cover 3 to 4K that way. Peter at RP Lens allows me to indulge in a number of unusual request, which I always appreciate.

PS Ben always loved your Tiger shot...the bokeh is bananas.
 
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