Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       3       4       end
  

Archive 2016 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?

  
 
billsamuels
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


I found that KEH had some Carl Zeiss 50mm F/1.7 Contax/Yashica mount Planar T* lenses for $192, which is an upgrade from their award winning Zeiss 50mm F/1.4 Planar T lenses. The lenses are going for $192 and I was thinking about buying another Zeiss lens, but they are expensive - this is a great price.

When I called KEH, the guy told me that these lenses are made for 35mm FILM and that today's Zeiss lenses are made for DIGITAL, having to do with the wave lengths that the glass is calibrated for. He said that he couldn't tell me the difference, but then again, I have seen here on FM that people have used Zeiss Contax lenses before.

So here is my question - if I got this 50mm lens, which is designed for film, realizing that I'd have to use a lens-to-camera adapter and would have NO electronic connection between the lens and the camera (manual mode), would it be worth it? Is there such a difference between a Zeiss lens designed for film vs. a lens designed for digital? Has anyone used one of these older film lenses and how do they compare as far as photo quality? And most important, how do Canon full-frame cameras (I have a 6D and a 5DS-R) work with these film lenses, if it even makes a difference?

Thanks.
Bill



May 17, 2016 at 09:53 AM
Robin Smith
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


Not in my opinion. I seriously doubt the Planar 50mm f1.7 is worth the hassle. Just because it has Zeiss on it does not mean it is particularly special. The 50 f1.4 is much more highly regarded, but presume that commands a higher price. Still, it's a small price to pay to find out - do you have a recent Canon 50mm to compare it to?


May 17, 2016 at 09:59 AM
edwardkaraa
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


Fully agree. The 50/1.4 is the lens to get. The 50/1.7 was a budget lens and having tried it for a while and compared it to the 1.4, I would also say it's not worth it. The 1.4 used to sell for around 250$ so not a huge difference. I would recommend to get the older AE version which is better wide open than the later MM.


May 17, 2016 at 10:07 AM
CMcG01
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


Its a modern myth that the 1.7 is 'better' than the 1.4. Still very good and worth using, but its not an upgrade.

I still have and use my 50 1.4 and 85 1.4 Contax lenses since the late 90s when i used them on my Contax cameras. I had a 28 2.8 until recently, just got a 35 2.8, and also had a few other Contax lenses and use a variety of other adapted manual lenses on my Canon (Nikon, Pentax, and others).

The biggest drawback is manual aperture. You can get used to it and if you shoot in fairly good light fairly wide (up to f4 or 5.6 without real issue or need to open and close the aperture), its not a problem. That, manual focus, and getting a good adapter are the large hurdles. On the plus side, Av mode works well, too.

I got Leitax mounts for my 50 and 85. They are not cheap, but they are secure and i never worry about them like i did with a crap mount I used initially-- constantly worrying that my 85 would fall off the camera :o.

The image quality can be absolutely great and its worth trying it out. If you like 28 or 35 lenses, both are fairly cheap for Contax and excellent. You could also try some of the better Nikon or Pentax lenses on the cheap (Pentax screwmount 50 1.4, Nikkor 105 2.5 for example) and see if you like manual focus, manual aperture. They all render differently but work very well on modern Canon.



Edited on May 17, 2016 at 10:21 AM · View previous versions



May 17, 2016 at 10:20 AM
WhyFi
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


The 50/1.7 is a good, sharp lens, and has a lot of the Zeiss character that some people are really drawn to. One thing to keep in mind is that some 5D/6D bodies will have problems clearing the back of the lens at infinity - my mirror will hang up on the return on my 50/1.7; doesn't impact the capture, doesn't hurt the lens or mirror, but it gets hung up until I back the focus just a little bit.


May 17, 2016 at 10:21 AM
jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


Same here, with respect to not getting the Contax Planar 50/1.7, that is. I suggest either the Contax Planar 50/1.4 or Distagon 28/2.8 would be the best "entry point" for using Contax 35mm lenses on a modern DSLR or mirrorless system.

I currently use three Contax lenses (Planar 50/1.4 AEJ, Vario-Sonnar 35-70/3.4 MMJ, and Sonnar 100/3.5 AEJ). They're all fantastic on my Canon 6D and 1DX DSLR bodies, and I expect they'll be even better on the next-gen high MP body that I buy someday, regardless of which body it is. I also have five Zeiss ZE lenses; 18/3.5, 25/2, 35/2, 50/2, and 100/2.

Your comments by the KEH person who said, "he couldn't tell me the difference", is interesting, because I bet he couldn't see the difference between Contax and ZE variants of the "same lens", either.



May 17, 2016 at 10:25 AM
billsamuels
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


Robin Smith wrote:
Not in my opinion. I seriously doubt the Planar 50mm f1.7 is worth the hassle. Just because it has Zeiss on it does not mean it is particularly special. The 50 f1.4 is much more highly regarded, but presume that commands a higher price. Still, it's a small price to pay to find out - do you have a recent Canon 50mm to compare it to?


I do have a Canon 50mm F/1.4. I just thought as far as portraits, it would be sharper than the Canon.



May 17, 2016 at 10:27 AM
jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


billsamuels wrote:
I do have a Canon 50mm F/1.4. I just thought as far as portraits, it would be sharper than the Canon.


Don't count on it. The Contax fifties will have a different character than the Canon, but they're all sharp. The Contax 50/1.7, 50/1.4, and Canon 50/1.4 have weighted MTF values of 4.6, 4.5, and 4.4, respectively, at the "old photodo" lens test site, which places them all in the top 5th percentile of the 398 lenses included in that database.

The differences will mostly be in terms of colour, transition between in-focus and OOF areas, and bokeh.



May 17, 2016 at 10:37 AM
WhyFi
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


Yeah, it's sharp and contrasty, but not in an otherworldly sense - preference would be more nuanced. I'll link to the tagged 50/1.7 shots that I've taken (and I have no illusions of them being masterful; they're family life), but I think that it's really something that you'll have to explore for yourself The good news is that, should you decide it's not for you, you're not likely to lose any money in the process of finding out.


May 17, 2016 at 10:47 AM
freaklikeme
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


billsamuels wrote:
I do have a Canon 50mm F/1.4. I just thought as far as portraits, it would be sharper than the Canon.


The Sigma Art 50 would be a good upgrade from your Canon, both in sharpness and color aberration correction, if you can get a good copy. Not cheap, I know, but much less expensive than going to a Otus 55, and you retain AF.



May 17, 2016 at 10:54 AM
edwardkaraa
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?




jcolwell wrote:
Don't count on it. The Contax fifties will have a different character than the Canon, but they're all sharp. The Contax 50/1.7, 50/1.4, and Canon 50/1.4 have weighted MTF values of 4.6, 4.5, and 4.4, respectively, at the "old photodo" lens test site, which places them all in the top 5th percentile of the 398 lenses included in that database.

The differences will mostly be in terms of colour, transition between in-focus and OOF areas, and bokeh.


The canon 1.4 is quite bad wide open. The contax 1.4 is much better, especially the AE version. The 1.7 has more haze wide open though the underlying image seems to be sharp, but the effect is not attractive to my taste.



May 17, 2016 at 10:55 AM
naturephoto1
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


edwardkaraa wrote:
Fully agree. The 50/1.4 is the lens to get. The 50/1.7 was a budget lens and having tried it for a while and compared it to the 1.4, I would also say it's not worth it. The 1.4 used to sell for around 250$ so not a huge difference. I would recommend to get the older AE version which is better wide open than the later MM.


Hi Edward,

I do not believe that Zeiss will sevice the older AE version but they will service the later MM version. Just something to consider.

Rich



May 17, 2016 at 11:00 AM
edwardkaraa
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?




naturephoto1 wrote:
Hi Edward,

I do not believe that Zeiss will sevice the older AE version but they will service the later MM version. Just something to consider.

Rich


Hi Rich,

That used to be the case a few years ago, but I'm not sure if they still service the MM either. Anyways, for lower priced lenses, I don't think it's even worth it to have them serviced by Zeiss versus buying another copy due to the high service costs.



May 17, 2016 at 11:13 AM
naturephoto1
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


edwardkaraa wrote:
Hi Rich,

That used to be the case a few years ago, but I'm not sure if they still service the MM either. Anyways, for lower priced lenses, I don't think it's even worth it to have them serviced by Zeiss versus buying another copy due to the high service costs.


Hi Edward,

I believe that Zeiss still does service the MM lenses. But, you are certainly correct regarding their cost of servicer particularly for older Contax/Yashica lenses.

Leica though may be a different question.

Rich



May 17, 2016 at 11:16 AM
edwardkaraa
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?



naturephoto1 wrote:
Hi Edward,

I believe that Zeiss still does service the MM lenses. But, you are certainly correct regarding their cost of servicer particularly for older Contax/Yashica lenses.

Leica though may be a different question.

Rich


Thanks for the info, Rich. Zeiss couldn't repair my 28-85 back in 2007 due to unavailable parts, but that could have been a specific case.

Leica R lenses are so precious nowadays and always a different story


Edited on May 17, 2016 at 11:23 AM · View previous versions



May 17, 2016 at 11:20 AM
naturephoto1
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


edwardkaraa wrote:
Leica R lenses are so precious nowadays


So are M lenses that can be used on the Sony A7 series cameras especially after a Kolari Mod.

Rich



May 17, 2016 at 11:21 AM
billsamuels
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


I found the following statement on both of these lenses:

The 50 1.4 & 1.7 are both superb. In fact the 1.4 AE is what got me back to using prime lenses again instead of Zooms.

This is something to think about! Meanwhile:

B&H has this lens - new - with a $150 rebate bringing the new price to $575. It's twice the price of a Contax used model, but I wouldn't have to also buy a converter. They also have the "NEW" 50mm F/1.4 Milvus, but that lens didn't get the ratings of the older 50mm/1.4.




May 17, 2016 at 12:13 PM
anscochrome
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


One thing to watch out for adapting Contax/Yashica mount lenses to Canon-long aperture control levers that can run against the mirror box and scratch it all up. I have done this with the 135mm F 2.8 Sonnar, and the 50mm F 2.0 Yeshica lenses.The 45mm F 2.8 Tessar is unusable because of this without heavy modification (and the 40mm F 2.8 Canon pancake displaces it anyway imo) Leitax is a solution, and if you don't want to resell the lenses, taking a pair of cutting dykes to the protruding lever is another. Because of this, I have decided when the day comes to replace my 5DII with the scratched up mirror box, all my current adapted lenses will be replaced by native mount glass. I am through with adapting Contax lenses..


May 17, 2016 at 12:17 PM
jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


Here's some online resources to check compatibility:

Canon Contax compatibility database http://www.pebbleplace.com/Personal/Contax_db.html
Canon Leica-R Compatibility database http://www.pebbleplace.com/Personal/Leica_db.html
16-9.net 5D compatibility http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/compatible.html
Zeiss/Oly 5D compatibility https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic2/306575




May 17, 2016 at 12:19 PM
jotdeh
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Using an older Zeiss Contax Lens on full-frame Canons?


the ae version has "ninja star" bokeh between 2-4 or 5.6. That's why i changed to the mm. No regrets, but i didn't make a direct sharpness comparison.


May 17, 2016 at 12:29 PM
1
       2       3       4       end




FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       3       4       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.