Zeiss CP.2: 85/1.5 vs 85/2.1 any opinions?

[Samir Patel]

Zeiss CP.2: 85/1.5 vs 85/2.1:

Does anyone know much about both of these lenses? Not just one of them but actually both of them? Wondering how well the 2.1 performs wide open. Will it be close to the performance of the 1.5 used at 2.1? I would expect I would shoot mostly around 2.1 anyway so to save maybe to go for the 2.1 if it is adequately sharp. Any opinions would be helpful.

 

[Nick Morrison]

I believe it's the same optics. Except one is limited to f2, while the other is not.

Samir, just a reminder that...optically your Contax 85 1.4 is almost identical to these CP2's. You're probably not going to gain much visually except a newer coating (if that's an advantage...) and better mechanics. Unless you are doing bigger jobs where those mechanics come into play, you may find yourself wishing you got more for the $$$!

Then again, you may be in NEED of those mechanics, who knows!

Either way, best of luck...nice lenses!

 

[Samir Patel]

Hey Nick thanks. Yeah immediately after I posted I saw the Salt III results. I guess it would be nice to have cinema housings but like you said optically probably too close to contax and I will likely always reach for my contax anyway. Don't need the cp2 mechanics just would have been nice. Wish there was a pchood type company in US that had sleeves for the contax lenses. Maybe we should all get together and see if we can come up with 3d printing schematics and just 3d print them. That would be awesome.

 

[Nick Morrison]

Hey Nick thanks. Yeah immediately after I posted I saw the Salt III results. I guess it would be nice to have cinema housings but like you said optically probably too close to contax and I will likely always reach for my contax anyway. Don't need the cp2 mechanics just would have been nice. Wish there was a pchood type company in US that had sleeves for the contax lenses. Maybe we should all get together and see if we can come up with 3d printing schematics and just 3d print them. That would be awesome.

True, though now that all my Contax have been fully modded/Leitaxed by RP lens, I kind of don't miss the extra mechanics I COULD have (accurate focus marks, larger barrels). For my small shoots, the modded Contax are doing great!!

 

[Mark K.]

It's the same lens, only difference is that the T/2.1 has its aperture restricted. I own the T/2.1 and shot a short recently with a set of the Superspeeds, so got a chance to look at the T/1.5 in depth. From T/2.1 upwards I really couldn't tell any difference between the lenses (as you'd expect). Comparing the lenses wide-open, at T/1.5 the Superspeed was a little softer, and chromatic aberrations were a little stronger, but that's pretty much what you'd expect, and those are the only real differences I could see. Given the option I'd always take the T/1.5 - you may not use it wide-open much, but when you need an extra stop of light - you NEED an extra stop of light.

The mechanics on the CP.2s are certainly a joy to use, and in some ways more important on an 85mm than on wider lenses - with the shallower depth of field the telephoto lens gives you - you want all the control you can get. That said, image-wise you won't see much of a difference between the CP.2s and your Contax lenses.

 

[Samir Patel]

Thanks Mark. Interesting to see that the 2.1 is aperture restricted.