p.36 #1Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
As the original poster to this ancient thread, I will give my current update.
I bought and sold the Leica 35-70mm f4. Beautiful lens but quirky with filters. Probably a mistake to have sold.
I still have the Contax 35-70 (two of them actually, I bought a spare)
I am currently using the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 Gen 2 It seems like a reasonable compromise. Not as versatile as the 24-105, not as good as the Contax 35-70, but it does have pretty good sharpness color AF and f2.8.
I have not tried the 24-70mm GM 2 as the reviews and pictures I have seen don't make it compelling for the cost, weight and size, despite the reductions is size and weight vs the ver 1.
For the wider than 28mm end I have 16-35 GM & the Loxia 25mm for daylight and the Sony 20mm & Rokinon 24mm f1.8 for night work.
p.36 #2Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
billsnature wrote:
I can't agree with the "better handling" if you use filters. The rotating front element that retracts inside lens makes the use of polarizer almost impossible.
You aren't wrong. The truth is both the CY and Leica have a rotating front element, which is a problem when using a polarizer. They equally suck in that regard.
After that it comes down to preference. The Leica has half stops. The CY goes from f/3.4 to f/4 then from there it's full stops. If you are only doing landscape, then I can see someone preferring full stops. However, I know there are plenty of people that prefer half stops especially if they use it as a more general lens.
The Leica has a second ring for zooming. The CY is push-pull.
The Leica has a very short focus throw. Less than 90 degrees. Small movements can make a big difference. The CY has a much more generous focus throw and can be more precise.
The Leica recedes into the barrel when zooming. At 35mm the hood isn't doing very much as the front element is almost at the edge. At 70mm it recedes, and you get better protection from the hood.
Overall, the Leica feels more precise and built to higher tolerances than the CY, but that is an opinion. It could be that my CY was used a lot more and the Leica much less and thus it just has less wear and tear.
p.36 #3Contax 35-70 vs 24-70 GM? Ultimate landscape lens?
In the Leica vs Zeiss debate, aside from haptics, I think where the Vario-Elmar distinguishes itself is in it's excellent mid-to-close performance wide open and more useful, if somewhat clunky to engage, macro mode. Once you get past 35, where the Vario-Sonnar has a slight advantage, I don't think there's a lot of difference in their landscape performance.
I've been using the Nikon AF 35-70/2.8 D on my F100 and mono-converted rII (it's also seen some use on a D850 and adapted to a z7II) and I've never been happier with a zoom in this range. It's bigger and heavier than the other two and suffers in flare resistance comparisons with the sun in the frame, but it's an otherwise strong landscaper with lower distortion and no astigmatism (it has the same overall Photodo score as the Zeiss and the weighted MTF scores have little significant difference). It's become my near-constant companion.