Nifty Fifty wrote:
I also bought a Holga once, but only used it once. Given that I never scanned, but exclusively enlarged black and white prints in the darkroom, the limitation of only being able to expose with a single exposure value, exposure latitude or not, was just too annoying.
By the way, if you ever want to shoot with filters, here's a little tip. I simply drilled a hole in the bottom of a Hasselblad filter holder and glued it to the lens. That way, I could attach my B50 bayonet filters.
Combining your two statements, you could use ND filters to adjust the exposure?
Jonas B wrote:
Hi Carsten!
Great to see you here, back again, and in full swing!
I would go for the old C/Y version.
The ZE and ZF are newer designs, more "flawless" and less organic or coming with less flavour. So if it is the classic look you are after I think the C/Y is the right one. Less flare on the ZE and ZF.
...
All the above is what I read. My experience is limited to the C/Y version, a lens I liked a lot (weight aside) and we have all seen great samples of images taken with the C/Y. The ZE and ZF... surely better as more modern but I haven't seen the organic drawing style in the images I have stumbled upon....Show more →
So my Contax 35/1.4, 60/2.8 Macro and 100/2 arrived, all from Japan, all in great condition, except: all have something inside the glass. The 35 has cleaning marks (removable) _inside_ the lens, the 60 has a hair or linear cleaning mark inside the lens too, and the 100/2 has just a tiny start of fungus, I think, only visible with a strong flashlight, but clearly has those little spiderweb legs :/
I have recently started buying up some lens tools, watching videos on YouTube and lens disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and reassembly, so I might attempt the 35 and 60 myself, although I think I will send the 100 away. I don't really want to deal with fungus.
A few weeks ago I bought a few Nikkors, also from Japan, and 3 of them also had something wrong. The 28 had an aperture ring so stiff that I could barely turn it, the 85 also didn't move nicely, and the 180 makes a little annoying scratching sound when focusing.
It used to be that buying from Japan was so safe, but now it seems times have changed. I feel a bit sad about it.
carstenw wrote:
Combining your two statements, you could use ND filters to adjust the exposure?
Of course. Depending on the filters you have. In practice, though, I found it all very unappealing.
Altglas wrote:
Is it possible that the actual aperture was set the same but was different effectively?
With the long focus draw of a macro the effective aperture varies and it might be misleading in this distance range.
Yes, this sounds like what was happening. I don't know if the T-stops differ on the two lenses, but the optical formula of the 50MP yields more depth of field at the same aperture as the 50P.
carstenw wrote:
So my Contax 35/1.4, 60/2.8 Macro and 100/2 arrived, all from Japan, all in great condition, except: all have something inside the glass. The 35 has cleaning marks (removable) _inside_ the lens, the 60 has a hair or linear cleaning mark inside the lens too, and the 100/2 has just a tiny start of fungus, I think, only visible with a strong flashlight, but clearly has those little spiderweb legs :/
I have recently started buying up some lens tools, watching videos on YouTube and lens disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and reassembly, so I might attempt the 35 and 60 myself, although I think I will send the 100 away. I don't really want to deal with fungus.
A few weeks ago I bought a few Nikkors, also from Japan, and 3 of them also had something wrong. The 28 had an aperture ring so stiff that I could barely turn it, the 85 also didn't move nicely, and the 180 makes a little annoying scratching sound when focusing.
It used to be that buying from Japan was so safe, but now it seems times have changed. I feel a bit sad about it....Show more →
Are all the lenses bought from different sellers? It doesn't matter that much but if they were I would be a bit extra sad. Bad news in any case; like you I have good experience from buying from Japan.
Yes, they are all from different sellers. None of the problems were visible in the photos, and none were in the description, other than a misleading description of the stubborn aperture ring.
I almost bid on a Contax 28/2 Hollywood sold here in Germany, but the seller was particularly slimy, trying to use sarcasm to underplay the clear presence of fungus. In the end it sold for just over 500, whereas they more often sell for over 800 or 1000, so clearly I wasn't the only one who suspected him of being dishonest.
It used to be that eBay listings in Japan and Germany were a question of honour, and you could rely on goods arriving exactly as described and shown, but this has changed now, and you have to really read between the lines, and even then, you might get unlucky.
I will contact them and show photos of the issues. Usually they will then give a discount, although probably not enough to pay for the cleaning bill.
On the bright side, the Contax 35/1,4 is so good that it even shows some 3D in the preview on the back of the camera
I also picked up a Contax RTS really cheap, 100 Euro, and it is incredibly nice, just a gorgeous camera, and a dream to operate.
carstenw wrote:
Combining your two statements, you could use ND filters to adjust the exposure? Nifty Fifty wrote:
Of course. Depending on the filters you have. In practice, though, I found it all very unappealing.
Yeah, me too. I don't like plastic much, and like any good German, I want lots of control
On the bright side, the Contax 35/1,4 is so good that it even shows some 3D in the preview on the back of the camera
I also picked up a Contax RTS really cheap, 100 Euro, and it is incredibly nice, just a gorgeous camera, and a dream to operate.
Cool, the 35/1.4 is not only heavy but it is also a great lens. I hope you get it fixed without problems.
And the RTS to go with it, it can be fun but expensive of course. I have never used a Contax camera. I think (iirc) that is the RTX is the model and Porsche designed it? Fun!
carstenw wrote:
So my Contax 35/1.4, 60/2.8 Macro and 100/2 arrived, all from Japan, all in great condition, except: all have something inside the glass. The 35 has cleaning marks (removable) _inside_ the lens, the 60 has a hair or linear cleaning mark inside the lens too, and the 100/2 has just a tiny start of fungus, I think, only visible with a strong flashlight, but clearly has those little spiderweb legs :/
I have recently started buying up some lens tools, watching videos on YouTube and lens disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and reassembly, so I might attempt the 35 and 60 myself, although I think I will send the 100 away. I don't really want to deal with fungus.
A few weeks ago I bought a few Nikkors, also from Japan, and 3 of them also had something wrong. The 28 had an aperture ring so stiff that I could barely turn it, the 85 also didn't move nicely, and the 180 makes a little annoying scratching sound when focusing.
It used to be that buying from Japan was so safe, but now it seems times have changed. I feel a bit sad about it....Show more →
Congrats on the lenses. They are really something, particularly the 1.4/35 and the 2/100, the 2.8/60 I haven't used enough to have a sustantial opinion on. I hope you can have them restored to perfection (or near that).
My 1.4/35 is a very old all metal QBM version with a triangular aperture (famous for that), I have noticed some 3D qualities shooting with it, but there are other lenses that stand out more in my opinion. The 1.4/35 has other qualities that make up for it. The subtle softness of it wide open is lovely. Regrettably I've sold the 2/100 a while back, because I had also bought the MP100, which is great. While the MP100 has great micro contrast, it lacks the vintage charme of the 2/100.
I'm looking forward to the results of your 3D experiments with the 3 Zeisses.
carstenw wrote:
So my Contax 35/1.4, 60/2.8 Macro and 100/2 arrived, all from Japan, all in great condition, except: all have something inside the glass. The 35 has cleaning marks (removable) _inside_ the lens, the 60 has a hair or linear cleaning mark inside the lens too, and the 100/2 has just a tiny start of fungus, I think, only visible with a strong flashlight, but clearly has those little spiderweb legs :/
I have recently started buying up some lens tools, watching videos on YouTube and lens disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and reassembly, so I might attempt the 35 and 60 myself, although I think I will send the 100 away. I don't really want to deal with fungus.
A few weeks ago I bought a few Nikkors, also from Japan, and 3 of them also had something wrong. The 28 had an aperture ring so stiff that I could barely turn it, the 85 also didn't move nicely, and the 180 makes a little annoying scratching sound when focusing.
It used to be that buying from Japan was so safe, but now it seems times have changed. I feel a bit sad about it....Show more →
I have restored quite a few lenses, some with fungus, in some cases with success. But these were older and simpler designs with fewer lenses and no floating elements. I wouldn't hesitate to work on a lens with fungus but I would hesitate to work on such complex lenses. But in my experience fungus is more often on surfaces that are fairly accessible. So it may be sufficient to partly dismantle it.
