Contax Zeiss Survival Guide

[Nick Morrison]

Nick's dedication to this thread and our community is unparalleled. Love everything he writes as it provides valuable insight. :thumbup1:

Haha. Thanks Chris, I appreciate it, but honestly it's your guys phenomenal Contax footage that's turning people's heads! Such incredibly strong visuals on this thread.

As the saying goes...an image is worth a thousand words!!

 

[Nick Morrison]

Thanks for your advice about the Mutar II. I found one that looks like "old new stock" – even the box could be in the display of a store – for 138,- €.

My first tests show that even with the 180mm f2.8 wide open (well, of course it's 5.6 then) it has very good resolution into the corners and the famous Zeiss micro-contrast. Yes, there is some CA, but it's not very strong and should be fixable in post if it ever get's too obvious. I'll post some tests with a far away object, but yesterday I saw too much heat shimmer and this morning it's raining …

Edit: OK, no rain any more and not too much heat either. These tests are demanding, I used my Sony A7R (36 mpx) in the corner and the center. I'd say that the Mutar II is nearly neutral: it just enlarges the mild CA that is already there. My 1:1 crops are from a church about 730 meters away. The smaller number which is nearly readable in the center crop is a tad smaller than a sparrow I saw sitting there while focusing… The lens was stopped down to f4, since even at that distance focus is quite critical with this.

Center crop:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qdig752ofdmdhgd/Center_Contax_w_Mutar_@4.jpg

This is the corner without the Mutar:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h4g19ovioaqpm4p/Contax_180_no_Ext_@4.jpg

And with the Mutar:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jeo2y541swrg3gz/Corner_Contax_180mm_w_Mutar_@4.jpg

My Rokkor 200mm with the Minolta 300-S extender is holding up quite well, though, but it's a full stop slower (shot a bit later and the wind had turned):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ean68txb57kn0zh/Corner_Rokkor_200_ext_@5,6.jpg

PS Uli thanks for this. I'm actually considering asking RP lens to Leitax my Mutars (if it's possible). As all my Contax glass is now completely modded and Leitaxed, so I'd like to see if they could pull this off. Id rather not get a modern EOS 1.4x and 2x extender. I'll let you know how it goes...

 

[Ben Scott]

I know there's a a dedicated leica thread but you guys in here are my Contax homies and haven't steered me wrong yet so I thought I'd ask in here...

If I was looking for a relatively inexpensive 'taste' of the Leica look would it be worth buying one of these 50mm f2 Leica Rs that are regularly going for around £300? If not is there another cheap 'entry level' lens you'd recommend to get a feel for the vibe?

In other news hopefully 2 months away from an Epic upgrade

 

[Jeffrey T. Morgan]

I know there's a a dedicated leica thread but you guys in here are my Contax homies and haven't steered me wrong yet so I thought I'd ask in here...

If I was looking for a relatively inexpensive 'taste' of the Leica look would it be worth buying one of these 50mm f2 Leica Rs that are regularly going for around £300? If not is there another cheap 'entry level' lens you'd recommend to get a feel for the vibe?

In other news hopefully 2 months away from an Epic upgrade

I like this question. It would be fun to hear, or have a link to the part in the Leica thread where this is discussed.

 

[Nick Morrison]

I've always heard the Leica 50 f2 was a great lens...sounds like a good place to start!! There are a couple at KEH fyi....

 

[Samir Patel]

I know there's a a dedicated leica thread but you guys in here are my Contax homies and haven't steered me wrong yet so I thought I'd ask in here...

If I was looking for a relatively inexpensive 'taste' of the Leica look would it be worth buying one of these 50mm f2 Leica Rs that are regularly going for around £300? If not is there another cheap 'entry level' lens you'd recommend to get a feel for the vibe?

In other news hopefully 2 months away from an Epic upgrade

I would recommend a late model 50f2. I like mine although I haven't had much time recently to shoot all of my lenses. I like the rendering on this lens. Will try to take a couple snaps on my 5D tomorrow for you.

 

[Zhen Jie]

Here's something I can't wait any longer to share.
A little collaboration with a local make-up artist, Fancy Rosie, and a lovely model, Sarah Noori.

With a nod to Phil Holland for some influence.

Shot with the Contax 50mm f1.4 AEG, 85mm F1.4 AEG, the 60mm Makro AEG. I also used a Canon 180mm macro for the ECUs.

Graded in Resolve from RedLog Film, Dragon Colour.

So difficult to find a 50mm AEG now....Great work!

 

[Nick Morrison]

So difficult to find a 50mm AEG now....Great work!

True. 50 AEG's are very rare. I've never seen one in person, myself. Though I do have a very old serial 50 AEJ. Took me months to find one in mint condition...

 

[Christophe Deshoux]

For your information…

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...-ZEISS-CONTAX-AEG-High-Speed-(feet)-PL-MOUNT-!!!

 

[Uli Plank]

@Ben:

Another option to get some of the Leica vibe are certain Minolta SR lenses, like the 24mm 2.8 (mint between 100 and 100 U$) or the 35-70mm constant f3.5 zoom (under 100).

They made them for Leica and I had a chance to compare with a friends Leica branded versions. Even if some claim that Leica selected them for tolerances, the look is definitely Leica.

But don't go for the later zoom with different speed, it's a crappy third party.

 

[Nick Morrison]

@Ben:

Another option to get some of the Leica vibe are certain Minolta SR lenses, like the 24mm 2.8 (mint between 100 and 100 U$) or the 35-70mm constant f3.5 zoom (under 100).

They made them for Leica and I had a chance to compare with a friends Leica branded versions. Even if some claim that Leica selected them for tolerances, the look is definitely Leica.

But don't go for the later zoom with different speed, it's a crappy third party.

I have both of these lenses (modded/Leitaxed), and they are great! The entire Rokkor line is superb, actually. That 35-70 zoom is a two-touch zoom, and PARFOCAL to boot. A real treat.

 

[Ben Scott]

Thanks for the insights guys

 

[Chad Stockfleth]

Long time lurker on this thread and a long time Contax enthusiast. I got my first (a minty 50 1.4 AEJ) for $50 from a local camera shop a couple of years ago and it has been my go-to lens on many projects. Still rounding out a set for use with my Scarlet but currently have 25 2.8 AEG, 28 2 AEG, 50 1.4 AEJ, 60 2.8 AEG and 135 2.8 MM. Used to have a wonderful 85 1.4 AEG but sold it...shame. Almost time for a new one.

Aside from the pricey ones I'd like to have: 21 2.8, 35 1.4 What are the general feelings on the 18 f4?

My site: www.nodef.tv has a number of the projects shot with Contax. Specifically the WILDCATS short film which was all shot with the 50 1.4

Anyway, just wanted to say hello and that I really appreciate all of the comments on this thread.

Cheers!
Chad

 

[Nick Morrison]

Long time lurker on this thread and a long time Contax enthusiast. I got my first (a minty 50 1.4 AEJ) for $50 from a local camera shop a couple of years ago and it has been my go-to lens on many projects. Still rounding out a set for use with my Scarlet but currently have 25 2.8 AEG, 28 2 AEG, 50 1.4 AEJ, 60 2.8 AEG and 135 2.8 MM. Used to have a wonderful 85 1.4 AEG but sold it...shame. Almost time for a new one.

Aside from the pricey ones I'd like to have: 21 2.8, 35 1.4 What are the general feelings on the 18 f4?

My site: www.nodef.tv has a number of the projects shot with Contax. Specifically the WILDCATS short film which was all shot with the 50 1.4

Anyway, just wanted to say hello and that I really appreciate all of the comments on this thread.

Cheers!
Chad

Hey Chad, welcome! Took a peek at your site, great, great work! Looks like you have a great set of glass!

In regards the 18mm, I'm a big FAN, but it comes with caveats.

1) For the price, I personally think you should give the Sigma 18-35 a long look as well. Having that much range at 1.8 is incredibly useful. It doesn't have a lot of personality (I throw a BPM 1/8 on it ALWAYS), but very useful nonetheless. Also very sharp. Only downside is only covers 6K HD up to 20mm.

2) On the other hand, the 18mm Contax looks GREAT, has very low distortion....and EASILY covers every 6K Dragon format (not just HD). In fact, it's one of the few vintage, elite primes that can go THAT WIDE, and COVER THAT LARGE A SENSOR. The Zeiss 18mm Super Speed for example covers 5.5k, but likely won't have the edge to edge performance of the Contax 18mm...on that wide a sensor.

3) At 18mm at 6K, this lens has the FOV of a 14mm!!! It has a lovely flares, a great look, very sharp stopped down, and has a floating element that gives it tremendous close focusing. My favorite part about it..is it's remarkable LACK OF DISTORTION. It has the same distortion as the iconic 21mm, even though it's a wider lens. That's saying something.

3) My only complaint about this lens, for video, is the lack of a filter thread. You can get the 70/86 "hood", but honestly...it's a problematic solution. Once you add filters, the hood starts to vignette quickly...even at 4K So....my solution...was to send my 18mm to RP LENS...and they basically used DELRIN to make a perfect 80OD front for my lens. Now I can clamp on whatever filtration I need! Problem solved. But at first...I was perplexed, to be honest.

4) Finally...not to be underestimated....but the Contax 18mm is TINY. It's the size of a 50mm. Where as the Sigma 18-35 is probably 3x larger/heavier. Normally not a big deal, but as we enter the age of gimbals where the uniform SIZE/WEIGHT of lenses becomes more important, this prime starts to GAIN VALUE. Chris McKechnie for example has a superb, and balanced set of Contax Standard Primes (18 f4, 28 2.8, 35 2.8, 50 1.4, 85 2.8): all the lenses are similar size and weight, and this has been a big advantage for him on his MoVi. I think that's worth keeping in mind. The 21mm for example is quite a bit larger.

Hope this helps!

best

 

[Chad Stockfleth]

Nick, thanks for the kind words and lengthy reply. You, as the OP deserve so much of the credit for turning this thread into a great resource for the 'Contax curious'! Also, you probably deserve much of the blame for sudden outbreaks of glass GAS!

Thats good to know about the lack of filter thread on the 18. I've been putting Cordvision fronts on mine, which are nice. Any opinion between AE and MM 18's? It's one of the few I haven't had much experience with. I've always enjoyed the quality of the Standard Speeds on digital cameras so putting together a 'budget' set is a lot of fun for me . I tend to go for AE's because what's the point of having a vintage set if not for vintage character. Modern is not hard to find. The 15 is another I'd really like to try out. Mostly, I want them all!

 

[Nick Morrison]

Nick, thanks for the kind words and lengthy reply. You, as the OP deserve so much of the credit for turning this thread into a great resource for the 'Contax curious'! Also, you probably deserve much of the blame for sudden outbreaks of glass GAS!

Thats good to know about the lack of filter thread on the 18. I've been putting Cordvision fronts on mine, which are nice. Any opinion between AE and MM 18's? It's one of the few I haven't had much experience with. I've always enjoyed the quality of the Standard Speeds on digital cameras so putting together a 'budget' set is a lot of fun for me . I tend to go for AE's because what's the point of having a vintage set if not for vintage character. Modern is not hard to find. The 15 is another I'd really like to try out. Mostly, I want them all!

I've never compared the 18 AE and MM...I don't believe there's any mechanical or design difference. The AE coating will likely be more lowcon and flare a bit more...

The 15mm looks interesting, agreed. It's so expensive though...the same price as the new ZE 15 2.8...which makes the Contax a hard lens to pull the trigger on! I'd love to try one though!!!

 

[Nick Morrison]

Hey guys, here's a very simple piece shot on two MX Scarlets. Shot 3K 48fps.

It's a SWAMP PEOPLE stunt with Troy, one of the stars of the show. He's riding a mechanical gator, and having a lot of fun doing it!

A-Cam had a CANON FD 7.5mm fisheye (modded and converted to EOS by RP lens). B-Cam had an RP Lens Modded Contax 35-135 (one of our work horses). The timelapses at the top were with a Tokina 11-16.

We had 10mins to shoot this, and you can see how much coverage the 35-135 bought us. Greg our operator managed to grab wides, tights, you name it...while Ryan danced inside on the fisheye.

A-CAM also had a MOTION MOUNT, and you can see how clean the footage is. B-Cam is a little green, from the 1.5 or 1.8 ND we had on it.

This was one of MANY pieces we shot at a NASCAR event in Charlotte, NC. For History Channel. Over the weekend we mostly shot w/ Contax Zooms (28-85, 35-135, 80-200, 100-300). The versatility of these zooms was a HUGE bonus. Most of the time A-Cam rocked 28-85, and B-Cam grabbed more closeups and portraits with 35-135 or 80-200.

 

[Paul Russell]

Great work, Nick. So many shots in such a short time. Incredible. I'm going to have to start collecting the zooms now.

 

[Chris McKechnie]

Hey guys, here's a very simple piece shot on two MX Scarlets. Shot 3K 48fps.

It's a SWAMP PEOPLE stunt with Troy, one of the stars of the show. He's riding a mechanical gator, and having a lot of fun doing it!

A-Cam had a CANON FD 7.5mm fisheye (modded and converted to EOS by RP lens). B-Cam had an RP Lens Modded Contax 35-135 (one of our work horses). The timelapses at the top were with a Tokina 11-16.

We had 10mins to shoot this, and you can see how much coverage the 35-135 bought us. Greg our operator managed to grab wides, tights, you name it...while Ryan danced inside on the fisheye.

A-CAM also had a MOTION MOUNT, and you can see how clean the footage is. B-Cam is a little green, from the 1.5 or 1.8 ND we had on it.

This was one of MANY pieces we shot at a NASCAR event in Charlotte, NC. For History Channel. Over the weekend we mostly shot w/ Contax Zooms (28-85, 35-135, 80-200, 100-300). The versatility of these zooms was a HUGE bonus. Most of the time A-Cam rocked 28-85, and B-Cam grabbed more closeups and portraits with 35-135 or 80-200.

Nicely done sir.

 

[Kemalettin Sert]