Alright - just 5 hrs and 36 min. from buying/selling the most expensive 35-70 that I have ever seen! Doesn't even include a UV or adapter. Anyone know how much they sold for while still in production?
It is a beauty - and certainly a fine lens - hope the purchaser enjoys it as much I have enjoyed mine!
mMontag wrote:
Alright - just 5 hrs and 36 min. from buying/selling the most expensive 35-70 that I have ever seen! Doesn't even include a UV or adapter. Anyone know how much they sold for while still in production?
It is a beauty - and certainly a fine lens - hope the purchaser enjoys it as much I have enjoyed mine!
mMontag wrote:
Alright - just 5 hrs and 36 min. from buying/selling the most expensive 35-70 that I have ever seen! Doesn't even include a UV or adapter. Anyone know how much they sold for while still in production?
They were about $1000 new. Not sure about currency exchange rates, but original price was 110.000yen in Japan.
I found one on KEH late last night in EX condition for much less. Couldn't pass it up Hoping it is a great copy, because I wasn't completely impressed with my last copy.
pdmphoto wrote:
I found one on KEH late last night in EX condition for much less. Couldn't pass it up Hoping it is a great copy, because I wasn't completely impressed with my last copy.
I got mine from KEH, also EX. I am very happy with it, I bet you will be too.
mMontag wrote:
Alright - just 5 hrs and 36 min. from buying/selling the most expensive 35-70 that I have ever seen! Doesn't even include a UV or adapter. Anyone know how much they sold for while still in production?
MSRP = $1399
I'm not sure what they really went for back then.
Ok, I got my copy and have some problems when mounting the lens:
1) The aperture lever hits the bottom of the mirror chamber. When I stop it down before mounting the lens, the aperture opens up again because the lever is pushed back.
2) The mirror hangs at any FL. I removed the little "block" screwed onto the metal shroud within which the rear element moves.
3) It doesn't quite seem reach infinity focus. (Doing further verification.)
Any ideas on how to solve the problem with the aperture lever? Interestingly, on my previous copy that focused way beyond infinity the aperture lever sat quite a bit deeper and didn't stick out past the metal shroud, and it didn't have any mirror issues on my 5Dmk1. I wonder if my current copy does the opposite thing now (perhaps it shouldn't stick out? It's only a fraction of a millimeter).
On a 5Dmk1 (edited my post). I just get the feeling that there's quite a number of copies around that are not aligned for infinity. Either that or there was quite a variation in the production of these lenses, which I actually doubt.
Maybe I just got to return this copy too and the third will be the one...
hmmm... well, my 5D does have a shaved mirror but I don't have the problems with the mirror box... mounts just fine and Im pretty sure it gets infinity, or at least VERY close to it with my super cheap adapter (been thinking about getting a nice one for this lens). Don't know what to tell you. Is your lens in rough shape or otherwise appear to be mishandled? Somehow I doubt the manufacturing variations were on the side of contax... I'd bet if anything the 5Ds have a ton of "wobble" from one unit to the next
I'm not overly concerned about the mirror clearance; Anden had to file the top of the metal shroud (and remove the block) too. Maybe I'll have to trim the aperture lever ever so slightly. I wonder if there isn't a way to adjust it though, but it might be to complicated (for me anyway).
I just got mine today and have no issues at any setting so far on my 5D2.
I'm using a HappyPageHK chipped-adapter. Maybe adapter thickness has something to do with it.
Hmm, maybe I should try this again on my 5DMkII with a different adapter as well.
Though, I thought I have asked previously about the mirror hangs I was having with this lens...
I have an older Roxsen adapter (cheap) and a brand new HappypageHK. Same result with both so it's definitely the lens. My previous copy had no mirror problems.
I have a two week return period now, but I have to partially unmount the lens after every single shot to get the mirror to go down again, which is a PITA. And I don't want to modify the lens while I'm not sure yet if I should keep it.
By the way, I'm getting the same totally blurred corners (and borders) at f/3.4 @ infinity. Pretty much the same thing as my previous copy which I thought was faulty (and returned because of that). I'm pretty puzzled and am actually starting to doubt my photographic skills. Maybe I am expecting too much, or perhaps I don't understand the weaknesses of this lens. When focused at infinity in a wide open field, the foreground in the centre of the bottom border of the frame is nearly in focus, but towards the corners everything just gets smeared (and much less contrasty).
On the same body?
Hmm, that's freaky, points to the lenses variation being more than bodies?
I would thought the other way around, shrug.
Tell me, do you think this mirror hang problem, which I experience also with this lens, damages the camera(mirror)?
Isn't it also striking when being powered up via the motor?
And then hangs when coming down via the weaker return spring action?
I'm leery of modding my lens.
As it is, I have only been using it on my 40D, sigh...
AhamB wrote:
I have an older Roxsen adapter (cheap) and a brand new HappypageHK. Same result with both so it's definitely the lens. My previous copy had no mirror problems.
I'm amazed how much these have appreciated since I sold my copies. Spectacular lens, couldn't get used to the handling. Probably foolish logic all said and done. Still thinking a planar 50/1.7 will give me most of what I wanted out of the 35-70.
AhamB wrote:
I have an older Roxsen adapter (cheap) and a brand new HappypageHK. Same result with both so it's definitely the lens. My previous copy had no mirror problems.
I have a two week return period now, but I have to partially unmount the lens after every single shot to get the mirror to go down again, which is a PITA. And I don't want to modify the lens while I'm not sure yet if I should keep it.
By the way, I'm getting the same totally blurred corners (and borders) at f/3.4 @ infinity. Pretty much the same thing as my previous copy which I thought was faulty (and returned because of that). I'm pretty puzzled and am actually starting to doubt my photographic skills. Maybe I am expecting too much, or perhaps I don't understand the weaknesses of this lens. When focused at infinity in a wide open field, the foreground in the centre of the bottom border of the frame is nearly in focus, but towards the corners everything just gets smeared (and much less contrasty).
Hoping it is a great copy, because I wasn't completely impressed with my last copy. 
When I stop it down before mounting the lens, the aperture opens up again because the lever is pushed back.
