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Archive 2017 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images

  
 
johnahill
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Hi All
I've had a very nice copy of the Contax 28 2.8 in MM form for a little while but when I spotted the Pentax K 28/3.5 on a used camera shop website I couldn't refuse. I've been wanting to try one for a while and they don't come up often in the UK.

The Zeiss is mint, almost factory fresh. And it's on a Novoflex adapter
The Pentax has clean glass and all works great except for a ding in the filter ring. I've screwed a filter in and out several times to loosen up the compacted thread and now works sufficiently well to not be a worry. The Pentax is on a Voigtlander K mount adapter

Testing done on tripod with 2s shutter delay

Testing done at apertures 5.6, 8 and 11

I'll start with the 5.6 shots





Entire scene, contax @ 5.6







Entire scene, Pentax @ 5.6







Contax center @ 5.6







Pentax center @ 5.6







Contax left corner @ 5.6







Pentax left corner @ 5.6







Contax mid left @ 5.6







Pentax mid left @ 5.6




Aug 20, 2017 at 05:47 AM
johnahill
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


And the last of the 5.6 series





Contax right corner @ 5.6







Pentax right corner @ 5.6




Aug 20, 2017 at 05:51 AM
johnahill
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


And now for f8





contax center @ f8







Pentax center @ f8







Contax left corner @ f8







Pentax left corner @ f8







Contax mid left @f8







Pentax mid left @ f8







Contax right corner @f8







Pentax right corner @ f8




Aug 20, 2017 at 06:03 AM
johnahill
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


And lastly @ f11





Contax center @ f11







Pentax center @ f11







Contax left corner @ f11







Pentax left corner @ f11







Contax left mid @ f11







Pentax left mid @ f11







Contax right corner @ f11







Pentax right corner @ f11




Aug 20, 2017 at 06:15 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Hi John,

Thanks for posting your comparison test results. Looks like your CZ 28/2.8 CY is slightly better at the edges and corners, but they're both excellent. I've owned two CZ 28/2.8 (AE and MM), and I'm now on my third SMCP 28/3.5. As I mentioned in a recent post on another thread, my SMCP 28/2.5 didn't reach its best performance at the edges and corners, until after I had it adjusted to focus past the infinity stop (could be adapter-related, but it's the same on my two, best K adapters). I've included a few of my comparison test results below, with the Olympus 28/2.8, SMCP 28/3.5, SMCP 28/2, EF 18-35/4L IS, and EF 24-70/2.8L II, on 6D, tripod, f/8, etc. in May 2016. These tests were performed before adjusing infinity focus on the SMCP 28/3.5, and now it's very similar to the SMCP 28/2 (i.e. improved edges and corners). Unfortunately, I had sold my last CZ 28/2.8, before doing these tests. I've also compared the two SMC Pentax 28mm lenses with the EF 24/2.8 IS, and the older lenses are consistently, slightly better.

















Aug 20, 2017 at 06:22 AM
johnahill
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Cheers Jim, I owned the contax 28 2.8 a while ago and sold it for some reason when changing kit around.

The 2 things I prefer about the Pentax is the sky colour, especially near the horizon stays a nicer shade of blue. Just checked with the wb dropper in LR and the contax has more green in it nearer the horizon. The Pentax takes 52mm filters which is the same as the 21mm Loxia, which is very handy.

I think the Zeiss ZF 25/2.8 would best them both especially in the corners where it's pin sharp at 5.6, buit it's sufficiently bulkier (and on loan to my cousin )



Aug 20, 2017 at 06:35 AM
johnahill
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


If it wasn't for the hideous level of distortion, I'd probably go with a Sony FE 28/2.
But for now I'm happy for the Pentax K 28 and the Loxia 21 to be 52mm bedfellows



Aug 20, 2017 at 06:59 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


johnahill wrote:
...I think the Zeiss ZF 25/2.8 would best them both especially in the corners where it's pin sharp at 5.6, buit it's sufficiently bulkier (and on loan to my cousin )


My 25/2 ZE beats all comers, including the TS-E 24/3.5L II and EF 16-35/4L IS (and 24-xx L-zooms).



Aug 20, 2017 at 07:11 AM
Coltrane
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Great test John. I agree with Jim that the Contax edges out the Pentax, but both lenses are very impressive. Until recently I was unaware of the Pentax K 28mm. I've been seeing some beautiful images from that lens of late on FM. They sell for far less than the Contax which seems like a great bargain.


Aug 20, 2017 at 07:46 AM
johnahill
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Here's another shot which has a lot of detail at the edges

Both at f11 and there very close, maybe the contax has a touch more 'bite' (contrast/micro contrast)

Pentax left, contax right







Aug 20, 2017 at 09:14 AM
dbehrens
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


When I tested my 3 alt 28's the Pentax SMC K 28mm f/3.5, came out on top for overall sharpness and microcontrast, followed by the Oly Zukio 28mm f/3.5 (which surprised me!). My CYZ 28mm f/2.8 Distagon placed third - biggest weakness being its poor deep corner performance until f/11.


Aug 20, 2017 at 10:33 PM
Luvwine
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Anyone compare these with the Leica R 28/2.8 version 2 or M 28 Summilux? Seems like we are overdue for a Loxia 28, sigh.


Aug 20, 2017 at 10:59 PM
johnahill
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


No, but I compared the Zeiss Zf 25/2.8 with the Leica R 28 v2. The Leica didn't wow me as much as I thought it would. The Zeiss ZF 25 2.8 is tack sharp into the edges by f4 and into the corners by 5.6

The Leica was good but not worth more than twice the Zeiss.

That was on 5D2 a few years ago. I still have the Zeiss ZF 25 and it works equally well on 36+ mp



Aug 21, 2017 at 03:37 AM
timballic
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Very good comparison John. Thanks.

In a comparison I did a few years ago, (on my A7) between C/Y 28/2.8 (MM) vs. PK 28/3.5 vs. OM Z 28/3.5, the one that came out 1st for overall sharpness, was the Olympus. It was a VERY close thing though.
When I'd compared the C/Y vs. OMZ before, on a 5DII, I'd preferred the C/Y. From several comparisons with legacy glass, over the years, these are IMO the top three. All are good landscape lenses. (The OM Z 28/2 just missed the top 3 spot)

Phillip Reeve did a comparison between the PK and OMZ, and also picked the Olympus for sharpness, but because of the better flare resistance from the PK, he preferred to use that. (I think I'm right in saying that the "humble" OMZ was only ever single coated.)



Aug 22, 2017 at 06:11 AM
tsdevine
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images



Ditto for me too. For landscape shooting, I have no qualms about shooting the Pentax, it sits right next to my Loxia 21 and Batis 25.

-Tim

dbehrens wrote:
When I tested my 3 alt 28's the Pentax SMC K 28mm f/3.5, came out on top for overall sharpness and microcontrast, followed by the Oly Zukio 28mm f/3.5 (which surprised me!). My CYZ 28mm f/2.8 Distagon placed third - biggest weakness being its poor deep corner performance until f/11.





Aug 22, 2017 at 06:21 AM
jlehet
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


I did the front filter modification with my copy of the contax g 28 2.8, and it is brilliant. (Thanks to FM-ers and the how-to on phillipreeve.net for that!). I used it a lot on the Iceland trip in late August (just got back a few days ago) and in casual review, no printing or post processing at all yet, it held up to the Loxia 21 and 50 in brilliance, sharpness, microcontrast. On the other hand, out of I think 3 or 4 attempts to get a good copy of the Pentax 28, I never could get a good one. One or both edges would be soft every time. My best copy was the first try, which had fungus. It was the sharpest, but the fungus hurt the contrast. I don't doubt you people I trust that the Pentax can be great, but I just couldn't find a great one and gave up. Either there are a lot of bad copies out there, or I just had terrible luck.

I also brought along the Oly 24 2.8, which in my previous use was quite good at f11, but I didn't use that lens once for some reason.

The downside of the g 28 front-filter mod is that you've got a slightly funky setup in the field. I was at a waterfall in the west fjords at the end of a long day, and I was beat and had been climbing up the waterfall and photographing for a while. I went to take the ND filter off of the Contax to put it on one of the loxias, but in my exhaustion what I had done was take off the 52 mm clear filter holding the front lens down, thinking that was the ND, which I had already removed. Which meant that the tinkling glass sound I heard was the front lens falling out and onto rocks below. Amazingly, it hit on the edges and didn't scratch the optical surfaces at all.

So it seems if you are looking for a 28 and don't already have a good copy of the Pentax, going through the hassle of modding a G28 will likely yield good rewards, while trying to buy a good Pentax might be gamble. I suppose it's a hassle either way, Ebay re-selling or returning, vs the whole front lens setup. If you can get lucky with the Pentax with one try, you're golden with less hassle.



Aug 29, 2017 at 07:11 AM
arduluth
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


I'm really going to have to look into modding my G28. It's such a lovely small lens. I can live with the CV 35/1.7 as is, but the G28 is basically unusable on the A7 and I'd really love to be able to bring that lens back into regular use.


Aug 29, 2017 at 01:29 PM
jlehet
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Yeah, I also have the CV 35 1.7, and though I have bought the filter for it, I'm still using it as-is. I haven't been able to get an adapter that works at infinity with the front lens on it after 4 purchases. And I'm not desperate. Now that I'm back from Iceland I guess it's time to try another cheap M-NEX adapter to see if I can get that working. But on the G28, you can't use it without the mod. It's brilliant with it.


Aug 29, 2017 at 08:42 PM
jlehet
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


And if you do the G28 Mod, be careful of adapter choice, since those are relatively expensive. I got it to work with a Kippon.


Aug 29, 2017 at 08:47 PM
AdaptedLenses
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Contax 28mm 2.8 Vs Pentax K 28/3.5 images


Works great with a Techart adapter too. I read Metabones could cause problems, Ulata seems to be best recommendation though.


Aug 29, 2017 at 09:24 PM
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