contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

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parsons
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p.1 #1 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

Now here in the uk the prices have dropped a good proportion in the last few days, my temptation is becoming stronger to finally use my MM lenes on the Nikon. are there any current users out there?
what are your thoughts about the lens quality holding up? i will convert all my CY lenes. 28mm 2.8, 50mm 1.7, 85mm 2.8 as my main landscape kit.

Simon

Nov 30, 2012 at 08:54 PM

artur5
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p.1 #2 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

I've owned in the past a CY 28/2.8 and a C/Y 50/1.7 ( with Canon DSLRs ) and I own currently a Sonnar 85/2.8 ( first with a NEX-5N and now with a Ricoh GXR ). You shouldn't be worried at all about the quality of those lenses on a D800, they're among the best on their class. ( unless you expect razor sharp corners at f/2,.8 with the Distagon 28...

)

Nov 30, 2012 at 09:13 PM

Mescalamba
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p.1 #3 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

Stopped down for landscape purpouses they are close to perfect. There are better lens, but not for price of these.

Dec 01, 2012 at 04:20 AM

Bifurcator
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p.1 #4 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

Yeah, C/Y lenses are a real bargain! As good as lenses costing two, three, and four times as much, and great build & operation!

In the bargain department I currently have the 45/2.8, 50/1.7, 50/1.4, 85/2.8, 85/1.4, 100/2.8 MP, 135/2.8 and had the 100-300/4.5 till just recently. I don't use them on FF but I've seen plenty of examples of them on FF and they're pretty nice! I use them on µ4/3 cameras... Really fun hi-rez lenses everyone! Recommended!

Dec 01, 2012 at 04:57 AM

wfrank
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p.1 #5 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

I thought the problem was that most of these are unusable on Nikon. A few can be (irreversibly?) adapted, but most cant.

I have a range of CYs which I use on the Canon 5D2, lenses are absolutely great. Would probably have switched to one of those Sony FF sensors if either Sony or Nikon was as easy adaptable to these as to the Canon.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Dec 01, 2012 at 10:31 AM

Mescalamba
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p.1 #6 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

Mostly they are just hard to convert, but not impossible. Every lens, including AE can be converted, just most isnt that simple as Leitax. Plus some would need probably shaved mirror and I guess few wide-angles are really impossible.

Theres list on Leitax site of those "easy to use".

Dec 01, 2012 at 07:52 PM

AhamB
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p.1 #7 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

wfrank wrote:
I thought the problem was that most of these are unusable on Nikon. A few can be (irreversibly?) adapted, but most cant.

Of the 3 lenses the OP mentioned, the 28/2.8 may need a barrel shave, but the 50/1.7 and 85/2.8 are safe to use without mods.

See http://leitax.com/Zeiss-Contax-lens-for-Nikon-cameras.html

Dec 01, 2012 at 08:16 PM

wfrank
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p.1 #8 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

Sure. But two things: 1) even Leitax is not as easy as a 10€ noname adapter and also in another price dimension which has to be added to the lens price, + irreversibly if you care about film, and 2) OP/thread title breathes CY in general and just as an example: in my inventory any lens is hard/impossible (I think?). And these are only a sample of a performancewise attractive CY group. There are many more.

Dec 01, 2012 at 08:30 PM

AhamB
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p.1 #9 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

The Leitax conversions are fully reversible, but that's not a quick job to do if you want to use them on film bodies.

Of your Contax collection, the 50/1.4 (and perhaps the 28/2.8) will need a barrel shave. The 100/2 may be possible with a customized Leitax mount (holes drilled in the right places). I thought that the AE version doesn't have accessible screws on the rear mount, but I'm not sure if that's the same with the MM.
The 35/1.4 can be Leitaxed to M42 but you won't have infinity. The same for the 85/1.4 but maybe it's possible to get infinity with that one if you adjust the infinity focus. I don't know about the 28-85.

Dec 01, 2012 at 09:15 PM

wfrank
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p.1 #10 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

I'm sure you're right. So again, most CY lenses are un-accessible for Nikon w/o a small workshop, e.g. Dremel and enthusiasm is not enough. That was my understanding and the point of my posts.

Dec 01, 2012 at 10:31 PM

Mescalamba
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p.1 #11 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

wfrank wrote:
Sure. But two things: 1) even Leitax is not as easy as a 10€ noname adapter and also in another price dimension which has to be added to the lens price, + irreversibly if you care about film, and 2) OP/thread title breathes CY in general and just as an example: in my inventory any lens is hard/impossible (I think?). And these are only a sample of a performancewise attractive CY group. There are many more.

There are no adapters C/Y to Nikon F. Only knock-off Leitax mounts.

If you care about film, dunno all Nikon F film cams died all of sudden?

Dec 01, 2012 at 10:36 PM

AhamB
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p.1 #12 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

wfrank wrote:
I'm sure you're right. So again, most CY lenses are un-accessible for Nikon w/o a small workshop, e.g. Dremel and enthusiasm is not enough. That was my understanding and the point of my posts.

I think a barrel shave just means you shave the tube with the aperture fin and except a little bit more perhaps to get mirror clearance. A simple metal file is enough for that. That only applies for the 50/1.4, 28/2.8 and 35/2.8.

The ones that can be converted reversibly, without mods:
21/2.8
25/2.8
50/1.7
60/2.8
85/2.8
80-200/4
100/3.5
135/2.8
28-70/3.5-4.5

More difficult but no special tools needed:
35-70/3.4
28-85/3.3-4

The 100/2 and 100-300/4.5-5.6 and 100/2.8 Makro-Planar would need a modified Leitax mount to drill holes in the right places but you could ask David Llado to do that for you.

I think only the 35/1.4 and 85/1.4 can't reach infinity on Nikon.

Above list is pretty much the same for Sony, except the 18/4 and PC-Distagon 35/2.8 also work on that mount (and not on Nikon).

Dec 02, 2012 at 04:59 AM

alundeb
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p.1 #13 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

This morning I did the 35-70 3.4 Leitax conversion.

It took about one hour, was not destructive (no grinding / shaving), and did not make me sweat. It is not really a die hard project, but the other simpler conversions are super easy in comparison.

The thing works fine on my D800E, now I will have to make som photographs with it

Dec 02, 2012 at 10:59 AM

wfrank
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p.1 #14 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

Sounds like there's a tad more adaptability than I thought. Good to hear :-)

Pity with the 85/1.4 and 35/1.4 though, being such high character lenses.

Dec 02, 2012 at 11:15 AM

wfrank
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p.1 #15 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

...and infinity problems, mirror shaving and such is not exactly un-heard of in the Canon world either. I guess I've been a bit lucky with my MM-versions and the Canon 5D2, but I have a growing feeling that some of the lenses depicted above dont give optimum focus at infinity. That would include the 35/1.4 and 28/2.8.

Dont mean to hijack the thread, but does anyone know a good CY-EOS adapter that is as thin as they come (as this should secure infinity)?

Dec 02, 2012 at 11:21 AM

wayne seltzer
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p.1 #16 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

wfrank wrote:
...and infinity problems, mirror shaving and such is not exactly un-heard of in the Canon world either. I guess I've been a bit lucky with my MM-versions and the Canon 5D2, but I have a growing feeling that some of the lenses depicted above dont give optimum focus at infinity. That would include the 35/1.4 and 28/2.8.

Dont mean to hijack the thread, but does anyone know a good CY-EOS adapter that is as thin as they come (as this should secure infinity)?

Yes Wilhelm, I posted in the CY 35/1.4 thread about two summers ago when I got my copy of the lens and found the Fotodiox adapter which came with it was too thick for good infinity focus. I got a BigIS or whatever there name is, adapter and it was thinner and works well. Made a huge difference for me.Bought a caliper to measure the thickness of the adapters.

Dec 03, 2012 at 04:54 PM

sebboh
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p.1 #17 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

wfrank wrote:
Sounds like there's a tad more adaptability than I thought. Good to hear :-)

Pity with the 85/1.4 and 35/1.4 though, being such high character lenses.

those lenses will reach infinity with leitax on sony mount (via m42 adapter) though not nikon, just for clarification.

Dec 03, 2012 at 05:07 PM

AhamB
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p.1 #18 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

wayne seltzer wrote:
I got a BigIS or whatever there name is, adapter and it was thinner and works well. Made a huge difference for me.Bought a caliper to measure the thickness of the adapters.

Getting a bigis adapter isn't a guarantee to get infinity focus though. I got one from him with EMF chip and it's too thick to get infinity with my Contax 50/1.4.

Dec 03, 2012 at 07:18 PM

rdst
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p.1 #19 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

Mescalamba wrote:
wfrank wrote:
Sure. But two things: 1) even Leitax is not as easy as a 10€ noname adapter and also in another price dimension which has to be added to the lens price, + irreversibly if you care about film, and 2) OP/thread title breathes CY in general and just as an example: in my inventory any lens is hard/impossible (I think?). And these are only a sample of a performancewise attractive CY group. There are many more.

There are no adapters C/Y to Nikon F. Only knock-off Leitax mounts.

If you care about film, dunno all Nikon F film cams died all of sudden?

There are adapters with glass available -but then the IQ will be very poor.

Dec 03, 2012 at 07:51 PM

wayne seltzer
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p.1 #20 · contax CY lenes on D800. Users?

AhamB wrote:
wayne seltzer wrote:
I got a BigIS or whatever there name is, adapter and it was thinner and works well. Made a huge difference for me.Bought a caliper to measure the thickness of the adapters.

Getting a bigis adapter isn't a guarantee to get infinity focus though. I got one from him with EMF chip and it's too thick to get infinity with my Contax 50/1.4.

Sorry, it was an adapter from Rudolf at HappyPageHK and NOT Bigis.
Found my post two yrs ago on pgs 25 of the official Zeiss 35/1.4 thread.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/839374/24

Dec 03, 2012 at 08:25 PM

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