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

I don't have one for E-mount yet, only for MFT, since I don't own a FS7, only an A7S.

But you should contact Metabones about it, since there is no problem with the MFT version regarding pins in Contax lenses.
 
The Lens Turbo 2 (which I am currently selling cheap in the reduser market place :) ) works perfectly with the A7s but extends into the FS7 mount so I can't use it on my new camera.

Had it confirmed from Metabones that the SB Ultra EF to E Mount is not compatible with Leitaxed Contax Zeiss glass. Or, I imagine, any EF modded Contax glass.

EDIT: I just realised I've repeated this same information several times. Note to self - coffee first - then read - then post...
 
Last edited:
Joshua D. Lassing said:
New narrative reel with pretty much everything shot on contax glass (25 2.8, 35 1.4, 50 1.5, 85 1.4, and the 135 2.8)



:)
Click to expand...

Josh this reel is great. I love how honest and searing it is. How interested you are in people, and their reactions, their emotions. I loved that. I also loved your penchant for handheld. Fits the raw feeling you're going for, your need to engage and connect. In particular I loved the last couple of shots. The middle aged man crying (honestly). And the ambulance at the end. The doors. Closing. Final. Very touching.

The slight halation on the ambulance lights was very arresting too. Was that the old T* coatings, or did you add anything?

Anyway - tech and geekery aside, whats important is what you SHOT. And to that I say bravo, and congrats, and keep shooting, I want to see more.

I'm a promo guy myself. I sell tv shows. I'm always in awe of all of you that dare to tell TRUE/REAL stories. Narratives. I haven't done that in a long time (and when I did, I hid behind comedy), but seeing work like this is certainly inspiring. So for that...thank YOU!

best
 
Loving my contax lenses, and i think I end up using the 25mm the most for steadicam/ronin work. Did a shoot the other day and realized I need something way faster for indoor darker style shots, which we will be doing lots of. I did a long shoot last night and borrowed a canon 24 1.4 and it saved the day. I added a bpm 1/8 and we are very happy with the shots. Just wondering what anyone would suggest as a fast lens around that focul length? Looking at the sigma 18-35, the rokinon 24 t.15, only because it is faster then the sigma, the faster the better really. Any suggestions appreciated.
 
@Ben: Not having tested a Metabones on NEX yet, I'd assume that it should work with original C/Y mount. The problem seems to be with Leitaxed glass only, right?

The Lens Turbo is not a bad idea on an A7S, since it's the RS is reduced quite a but in APS-C mode. I sent you a PM.
 
Janis Huber said:
1) Has any of you used a Speedbooster for your Contax lenses?

I guess the Speedbooster for Contax must be the ultimate tool since you would
gain a stop of speed.

2) are there any tests between the 35-70 and the 28-85. Would love to see that
micro-contrast difference!

Cheers
Click to expand...

Janis, I own a Panasonic GH4, and I use the Contax to MFT Speedbooster all the time. It's a fantastic tool. Can't live without it at this point. I think it's amazing that we can own cameras with smaller then S35mm sensors and work with something to counteract that limitation, since these new sensor produce such amazing imagery. (BMCC, BMPCC, GH4, DBolex, etc...)

I've used the EF to NEX Speedbooster on the FS700 before and it was great as well.
Just remember to bring a good ND/IR kit with you. =)
 
DAVID BARKAN said:
Janis, I own a Panasonic GH4, and I use the Contax to MFT Speedbooster all the time. It's a fantastic tool. Can't live without it at this point. I think it's amazing that we can own cameras with smaller then S35mm sensors and work with something to counteract that limitation, since these new sensor produce such amazing imagery. (BMCC, BMPCC, GH4, DBolex, etc...)

I've used the EF to NEX Speedbooster on the FS700 before and it was great as well.
Just remember to bring a good ND/IR kit with you. =)
Click to expand...

you used the contax lenses with the EF to NEX Speedbooster? Thought that was not possible...
 
That's possible, since the flange distance is a tad longer. There are adapter rings that go from Contax to EF. Of course, having two adapting stages is adding tolerances, so get good ones.
You'll probably want one for each lens, since taking them off is a bit fumbly: the small clip to unlock them is on the inside.
 
Where can I see some examples of these lenses used on a GH4 with the Contax to MFT speedbooster. Pretty much convinced to invest into a few of these, particularly 35-70, and would love to see how it looks on GH4 along with any other CY lenses.
 
Janis Huber said:
you used the contax lenses with the EF to NEX Speedbooster? Thought that was not possible...
Click to expand...

I use contax lenses on my FS700. All the lenses have the EF Leitax mounts, and using them on the E-EF Metabones Speedbooster (NOT the newer Ultra version). The four that I own and can fully confirm working are the following, however I imagine there should be no issues with the others.

28mm F2 MMG
35mm F1.4 MMJ
85mm F1.4 MMG
60mm F2.8 Macro AEG
 
Last edited:
I ordered a 28-85 from a guy from Zeiss for 400$ with a UV filter and a EOS Adapter, as well as 80-200 for 200$ from Japan - lets see what I get :)
I'm happy as a child! Maybe I buy a 35-70 just for comparison and then sell the one I like better!

I have some more question:

1) I need something on the wide end: how is the 18mm f4? What would be a alternative, also from an other brands?

2) What focus gear do you use on your contax lenses? Anything you can recommend? Is it even possible to use the
28-85 with a follow focus?

3) is it worth using a Mutar for the tele lens?

* 4) wich lens is better for macro: the 60 or the 100?

Thanks for helping.

Cheers

(i know that some of the questions I asked may already have been answered - though you can not search for pages...it just
shows the thread. And going through 250 pages is harsh!)
 
Last edited:
Janis Huber said:
I ordered a 28-85 from a guy from Zeiss for 400$ with a UV filter and a EOS Adapter, as well as 80-200 for 200$ from Japan - lets see what I get :)
I'm happy as a child! Maybe I buy a 35-70 just for comparison and then sell the one I like better!

I have some more question:

1) I need something on the wide end: how is the 18mm f4? What would be a alternative, also from an other brands?

2) What focus gear do you use on your contax lenses? Anything you can recommend? Is it even possible to use the
28-85 with a follow focus?

3) is it worth using a Mutar for the tele lens?

Thanks for helping.

Cheers
Click to expand...

You'll love the 80-200. Great lens. I'll answer your questions for you.

1.) The 18 is the best wide angle lens in the Contax line. You won't be disappointed.

2.) I use to use the big cinegears...but if there is any tension on the lens in the case, it could snap your focus ring on your lens, making it unusable. So be careful. I personally use these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BBRCM4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They are great and work perfectly! Plus they are a lot cheaper. In terms of follow focuses, your best bet is to get a wireless follow focus. The benefit of that is it will completely remap your focus range to a bigger circumference, making it easier to pull focus. However, the contax line has a much longer throw than your average still lens. Depending on the lens though, you'll notice most of the throw is when you're less than 10 feet away as the close focal distance approaches.

3.) That's up to you, I'm not too familiar with Mutars
 
Apart from the lack of speed, I really like the 18mm too. Remarkably low distortion for a lens that wide.

An alternative could be the RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5, which was made in many mounts. I tested it against a Vivitar and a 17mm 1:4 Minolta and kept the Tokina.

I never tested a Mutar on a 80-200mm, but it works pretty well on my Contax Zeiss 180mm (Mutar II).
 
Thanks for the suggestions:

how about the tokina 11-16? Does it match the contax glasses?

Cheers
 
Janis Huber said:
Thanks for the suggestions:

how about the tokina 11-16? Does it match the contax glasses?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Just add some BPM, HBM, or even some classic Promist (which worked superbly on a recent job)...and you should be fine. Even when shooting clean weve been able to grade out the differences.

Best
 
Last edited:
Janis Huber said:
I ordered a 28-85 from a guy from Zeiss for 400$ with a UV filter and a EOS Adapter, as well as 80-200 for 200$ from Japan - lets see what I get :)
I'm happy as a child! Maybe I buy a 35-70 just for comparison and then sell the one I like better!

I have some more question:

1) I need something on the wide end: how is the 18mm f4? What would be a alternative, also from an other brands?

2) What focus gear do you use on your contax lenses? Anything you can recommend? Is it even possible to use the
28-85 with a follow focus?

3) is it worth using a Mutar for the tele lens?

* 4) wich lens is better for macro: the 60 or the 100?

Thanks for helping.

Cheers

(i know that some of the questions I asked may already have been answered - though you can not search for pages...it just
shows the thread. And going through 250 pages is harsh!)
Click to expand...

An alternative wide to 18 is the Sigma 18-35. With some BPM or HBM it can match pretty well.

The 60 and 100 Macro are almost identical in performance. We find the 60 easier to use and focus and its what we shoot with most...but the 100 is also great. Comes down to personal preferance.

A Mutar can be used with the 80-200, however you may need to stop down for optimal performance.

A follow focus can be used with 28-85 if you have a focus gear attached to lens. However you wont be able to zoom while the FF is attached. Youll need to loosen the FF every time you want to push pull and reframe. In this way 28-85 works more like a variable prime.
 
Hey guys, so I have the 25 2.8, 35-70 and 100-300, which have been great so far. Recently I found I need some way faster glass in the mix. I borrowed a friends canon 24 1.4 for a shoot, and it worked out great. Wouldn't say I loved the mechanics of it but with a bpm 1/8 on there the images were very nice. I am looking at the sigma 18-35, but would prefer to go even faster really, I was looking at the canon fd 24 1.4, and contax 35 1.4, 50 1.4 and 85 1.4 to add to the lineup. What do you guys think of the fd 24mm? Obviously it has the canon look, but still less contrast then the eos versions. I would love to get a superspeed to fit that bill but it is out of my range. How much difference would I notice between the 1.4, and contax 28mm 2.0? I just really want some fast glass now.
 
Are you sure you'll need such fast glass these days? I know, it's a bit provocative, but with todays sensors you can live with slower glass quite well.

Sorry, a bit off topic, since it doesn't work on a Red and isn't Zeiss either, but I borrowed a friends Voigtländer Heliar 15mm f4.5 and slapped it on our new Sony A7S. It works so fine up to 50K ISO, I just set aperture and speed and let the ISO float for snapshots and they all looked fine – in technical quality ;-)

That said, the Zeiss 28mm 2.0 is a very fine lens!
I never tried the 24 1.4 on Red, the only Canon lens I didn't sell is my 35-105 f 3.5 zoom. I enjoy it on the Red if I want two-touch, parfocal and constant aperture, but the look is VERY different from Zeiss.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top