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Archive 2016Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
p.23 #1Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Thanks again to Fred, Mike and others for the tests and advice here about the CY 3570 VS!
Mine arrived a few days ago, I got around to Gletscherbruch testing yesterday and spent the weekend away shooting it.
So my (optically clean, a few minor rubbings) copy is nicely centred - as well as any I've seen - and the overall quality of the images is up to expectation. A real boon for hiking, as I hoped.
As well as being not too expensive that if you drop it off the cliff it's a disaster! And paired with the Lox 21 and if I'm feeling tough something a little longer a great hiking system.
I would never have thought of this possibility without you guys. Kudos.
Mine arrived a few days ago, I got around to Gletscherbruch testing yesterday and spent the weekend away shooting it.
So my (optically clean, a few minor rubbings) copy is nicely centred - as well as any I've seen - and the overall quality of the images is up to expectation. A real boon for hiking, as I hoped.
As well as being not too expensive that if you drop it off the cliff it's a disaster! And paired with the Lox 21 and if I'm feeling tough something a little longer a great hiking system.
I would never have thought of this possibility without you guys. Kudos.
May 01, 2016 at 12:34 AM
p.23 #2Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
So have to ask has anyone tried this lens. Read the description . It sounds actually nice. Need a G2 adapter but it's a AF lens to boot.
https://www.keh.com/shop/contax-35-70mm-f-3-5-5-6-vario-sonnar-t-black-lens-for-contax-g2-46.html
https://www.keh.com/shop/contax-35-70mm-f-3-5-5-6-vario-sonnar-t-black-lens-for-contax-g2-46.html
May 01, 2016 at 12:15 PM
p.23 #3Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
I have tried the G version and it didn't hold a candle to the C/Y version. Not as sharp, hard to focus with adapters of the day, and not excellent like the other G series lenses. Possible I had a bad copy, but I don't think so
There is a reason why the 35-70 f3.4 has achieved cult status and the G series has not.
Bill
There is a reason why the 35-70 f3.4 has achieved cult status and the G series has not.
Bill
May 01, 2016 at 12:32 PM
p.23 #4Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Thanks bill was just looking around and saw that but never even heard of it. Maybe this is why. 
May 01, 2016 at 12:49 PM
p.23 #5Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
GMPhotography wrote:
Thanks bill was just looking around and saw that but never even heard of it. Maybe this is why.
the mtfs show it as generally not as good as the c/y and it has some smearing at the wide end with sony cover glass.
Thanks bill was just looking around and saw that but never even heard of it. Maybe this is why.
the mtfs show it as generally not as good as the c/y and it has some smearing at the wide end with sony cover glass.
May 01, 2016 at 01:50 PM
p.23 #6Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
I got the new Leica M 28 f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH from Lensrentals today.
The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.
The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.
May 02, 2016 at 12:32 PM
p.23 #7Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Fred Miranda wrote:
I got the new Leica M 28 f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH from Lensrentals today.
The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.
Hi Fred,
I would not expect the new M 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH to do well on a stock A7rII until f8. On a Kolari modified A7 series (including the A7r and the A7rII) possibly at f4 but quite likely at f5.6. But, if tiny and light are of importance...
I still want to see your results and any results from a Kolari modded A7r or A7rII. Maybe in my future.
Rich
I got the new Leica M 28 f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH from Lensrentals today.
The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.
Hi Fred,
I would not expect the new M 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH to do well on a stock A7rII until f8. On a Kolari modified A7 series (including the A7r and the A7rII) possibly at f4 but quite likely at f5.6. But, if tiny and light are of importance...
I still want to see your results and any results from a Kolari modded A7r or A7rII. Maybe in my future.
Rich
May 02, 2016 at 02:10 PM
p.23 #8Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Jannik's review of the c/y 28/2 on Philips site, in which he says it's even better than the 28/2.8 at every setting including stopped down corners (of course it famously has masses of field curvature at wide apertures) got me thinking.
What about the classics Z series 2/28? That's supposed to be a bit sharper, deal better with flare, be great into the corners stopped down and have a very similar 'Hollywood' curved field look wide open (though with better contrast)
But I've never used it. Looking at the weight - over 500g without adapter - puts me off for hiking. But it'll only get heavier when they milvusize it! (And probably flatten th field a bit which might be a pity n some ways)
Thoughts?
What about the classics Z series 2/28? That's supposed to be a bit sharper, deal better with flare, be great into the corners stopped down and have a very similar 'Hollywood' curved field look wide open (though with better contrast)
But I've never used it. Looking at the weight - over 500g without adapter - puts me off for hiking. But it'll only get heavier when they milvusize it! (And probably flatten th field a bit which might be a pity n some ways)
Thoughts?
May 02, 2016 at 02:51 PM
p.23 #9Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Fred Miranda wrote:
I got the new Leica M 28 f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH from Lensrentals today.
The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.
Thanks Fred not too different from what I expected. If you could post samples when you get a chance that would be great. Just how good it is at f/8 would be nice to see and how much of a hit it takes at f/5.6 as well. Wider than that I am not surprised it doesn't perform very well. From he samples I have seen it looks quite good even at f/2.8 on the SL. Too bad it looses a fair bit on the stock A7r II.
I got the new Leica M 28 f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH from Lensrentals today.
The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.
Thanks Fred not too different from what I expected. If you could post samples when you get a chance that would be great. Just how good it is at f/8 would be nice to see and how much of a hit it takes at f/5.6 as well. Wider than that I am not surprised it doesn't perform very well. From he samples I have seen it looks quite good even at f/2.8 on the SL. Too bad it looses a fair bit on the stock A7r II.
May 02, 2016 at 03:25 PM
p.23 #10Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Steve Spencer wrote:
The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.Thanks Fred not too different from what I expected. If you could post samples when you get a chance that would be great. Just how good it is at f/8 would be nice to see and how much of a hit it takes at f/5.6 as well. Wider than that I am not surprised it doesn't perform very well. From he samples I have seen it looks quite good even at f/2.8 on the SL. Too bad it looses a fair bit on the stock A7r II.
The lighting was horrible but I noticed that it's really good at f/8 at the very corners. Lot's of resolution but very pronounced field curvature on the stock A7RII.
It will shoot again later on and post some crops comparing to the CY 28/2.8.
Fred Miranda wrote
I got the new Leica M 28 f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH from Lensrentals today.The lighting is bad right now but from my first initial infinity tests, it's only sharp towards the corners at f/8.
At f/5.6 is ok with a visible jump at f/8. I will test it again with better lighting later on but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag for the "stock" A7RII. I will compare it to the $300 CY 28/2.8 which looks great at f/8-11 as well. The infinity focus is way before the hard stop on the A7RII.
The lighting was horrible but I noticed that it's really good at f/8 at the very corners. Lot's of resolution but very pronounced field curvature on the stock A7RII.
It will shoot again later on and post some crops comparing to the CY 28/2.8.
May 02, 2016 at 03:51 PM
p.23 #11Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
I got to know the Leica M 28/2.8 II a little better. My prior infinity focusing was done as compromise between center and edges as this lens has very pronounced outwards field curvature on the A7RII probably because of the thicker glass. The center plane is further than the edges.
If I focus on the edges, I get great edges even wide-open though. At f/4 it's really good and f/5.6 excellent. The issue is that the mid-field and center go completely out of focus. I mean, it's bad. When focusing on the center, the edges are not so great anymore. The compromise is what I saw this morning with a good image at around f/8-11.
I can post some crops but what is fair? Focused on the edges only. The compromise focus? Not sure.
If I focus on the edges, I get great edges even wide-open though. At f/4 it's really good and f/5.6 excellent. The issue is that the mid-field and center go completely out of focus. I mean, it's bad. When focusing on the center, the edges are not so great anymore. The compromise is what I saw this morning with a good image at around f/8-11.
I can post some crops but what is fair? Focused on the edges only. The compromise focus? Not sure.
May 02, 2016 at 06:09 PM
p.23 #12Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Here is an example at f/4 (extreme edges)
On the left I focused on the Edges. On the right I focused on the center which is in a further plane.
Notice that on the one focused on the "Edges", as soon as you move from the very edges, the image starts to get out of focus...
On the left I focused on the Edges. On the right I focused on the center which is in a further plane.
Notice that on the one focused on the "Edges", as soon as you move from the very edges, the image starts to get out of focus...
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May 02, 2016 at 06:14 PM
p.23 #13Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Here is the center area:
Left (focused on the edges)
Right (focused on the center)
Left (focused on the edges)
Right (focused on the center)
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May 02, 2016 at 06:16 PM
p.23 #14Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
That's very pronounced field curvature. At f/2.8 it's unusable.
See below the best edges and the best center at f/5.6 (2 images focused in different locations)
See below the best edges and the best center at f/5.6 (2 images focused in different locations)
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May 02, 2016 at 06:16 PM
p.23 #15Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
The best image is using a compromise between edge and center when focusing and using f/8 or f/11. If this excessive field curvature is caused by the thicker cover glass, this lens could be a great option for a kolari-modded A7 series.
May 02, 2016 at 06:22 PM
p.23 #16Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
In comparison here is the best scenario for the CY 28/2.8 (extreme edges and center)
Focused a tad before the infinity hard stop using the Novoflex adapter.
It handily beats my FE 28/2. I think it's a great choice for landscape photography while we are waiting for the Loxia 28/2
Extreme edges | Center
Focused a tad before the infinity hard stop using the Novoflex adapter.
It handily beats my FE 28/2. I think it's a great choice for landscape photography while we are waiting for the Loxia 28/2
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May 02, 2016 at 06:29 PM
p.23 #17Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Thanks for the tests, Fred. As usual they are very helpful. The Leica probably only makes sense if you have a Leica camera and you want it is as a small alternative on an unmodified A7 series camera (I can see it as a great hiking landscape lens if you focus it right and stop it down to f/8) or if you have a Kolari modified camera. The C/Y looks pretty good, and is a good alternative, but the corners could be better. I think the Leica R 28 f/2.8 vII is still probably the best option, but it is expensive too.
May 02, 2016 at 07:30 PM
p.23 #18Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
reminds me of my g28. looks promising for the kolari mod though.
i'm excited to see how the new 28 cron does on a kolari mod a7.
i'm excited to see how the new 28 cron does on a kolari mod a7.
May 02, 2016 at 07:53 PM
p.23 #19Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
Don't know what the focus spread is between center and corner but the subject is immobile then a 2 or 3 shot focus stack should suffice.
Dave
Dave
May 02, 2016 at 07:56 PM
p.23 #20Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
The spread on the focusing ring was 3 meter for the edges and 7.5 meters for the center. Enough to lose tremendous resolution. The compromise was about a tad after 5 meters. As I wrote true infinity was far from the hard stop. This was a brand new lens and should perform great on a Leica or modded A7R.
dbehrens wrote:
Don't know what the focus spread is between center and corner but the subject is immobile then a 2 or 3 shot focus stack should suffice.
Dave
dbehrens wrote:
Don't know what the focus spread is between center and corner but the subject is immobile then a 2 or 3 shot focus stack should suffice.
Dave
May 02, 2016 at 08:03 PM