So this reasoning is pretty bullet proof. See the photo below! Im selling all the gears I made for my set on eBay, I made a tutorial on how to make focus gears, the same formula for the 21mm f/2.8 ZF/ZE primes, I was warned by my followers on Instagram about the edge the AE had over the MM, he can provide caps with stickers already on them, see here, by Moritz Schierenbeck on VLFVs facebook group. I repeated the technique for the rear caps, this time with only the focal length written on them. Its really not a huge deal. We look into whether it offers more than your smartphone. Then I sent that to be printed at StickerYou in vinyl stickers. That was probably one of the most stressful experiences of my life with lenses. Lets go back to the 70s. Contax Zeiss Survival Guide - REDUSER.net We've been taking a look at what it offers and what it's like to shoot with. It doesnt really ever pop up on my 25 2.8, 28 f2, 50 1.4, or 135 2.8. Copyright 2007-2022. That said, many still photographers (and DPs) have gotten magic out of these lenses at an F2 or faster. First I measured the slip-on caps I got from SIMMOD and created a Photoshop template with that size. All I ever had so far was a Canon backpack and that is not a safe way to transport this grade of gear everywhere. Really. My favorite lens switched to the 85/1.4 after that, though. 80mm diameter Cine rings by SIMMOD Lens and 77mm filter threads. Fast continuous shooting, reliable autofocus and great battery life are just three of the most important factors. Finally found the old MTF charts for each of the Zeiss Contax lenses. I returned to the guide and started eBay hunting. Its been there for quite a while and I have checked up on it countless times to help me make decisions. I reached out to David at Hardcases.ca and got both a Nanuk 918 with padded dividers and a Nanuk 904 with foam to fit these babies. This turns the original C/Y mount into a solid EF mount that wont budge for nothing. This is another trick to make lens swaps faster, since you wont need to adjust your follow focus back and forth on the rig. The Minolta MC 2/28 is the oldest and fastest of the bunch, it was introduced in 1975. At this point the price argument was adding a lot of weight. Brilliant job Nick. You can either build a $1500 set or a $10000 set and youll always impress with the results. Contax Zeiss lenses are the gems for sharp yet vintage glass. AE lenses also show ninja-star bokeh when stopped down, which is a major turnoff for some folks. If you do have a printer, I made a tutorial on how to make focus gears! On my set some were MMJ, others AEG. ----------------------------------------------------------. The one main difference I can see isas stated aboveI think the Contaxes cinemod slightly BETTER than ZF/ZEs (because they ALL focus the right way, and ALL have an aperture ring), and also ALL they have that wonderful older T* coating that I believe looks better on digital than the newer T* coating (renders more organically). Conveniently for me as I was finishing the set, SIMMOD Lens came into the picture, with very competitive prices, impressive customer service and super high-quality products. As a reference, my main set of lenses at this time was a Soviet kit that I put together because of their imperfections and organic look. The Contax Zeiss Distagon 'Hollywood' 28mm F2.0 is a classic fast wide for full frame and is incredible on Super 35mm as well. Landmine Media, LLC. They rack focus beautifully. I started with the 28mm. And. Take or leave it. Its a gradual process, guys. There are DOZENS of lenses to choose from, that cover all focal lengths from 15mm to 500mm. The mount is exactly the same, and barring a couple of exceptionsALL the lens designs are the same. One last note on their generations, MMs were mostly made in Japan, so theyre called MMJs, while AEs were made in Germany and named AEGs. Remember me Log in Forgot password or user name? Domenic, you are selling your 100 Macro 2.8 right? Leitax mount on the left, original Contax/Yashica mount on the right. I prefer it, cuz theres an honesty there I appreciate. Collapse. This makes life easier when grabbing gear to go out and renting it as well. I'll definitely look into my adapter. After I got the five Contax I went to look for more info and found Nick Morrisons Contax Zeiss Survival Guide at REDUser. I find it charming, its a lot like the Cooke 8-blade star you see in the back of every True Blood Merlots shot, so I dig it. It was a time when I didnt shoot much, but I went on long bike rides. These are creative tools, use them as such. It had five lenses: 28/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.4 and 135/2.8. The Carl Zeiss Distagon 2.8/28 T* enjoys a very good reputation and it is a bit more expensive at around 250. Yes, its one step slower than the its siblings, but it definitely crushes them with razor sharp focus and a beautiful transition into bokeh. Zeiss AE lens information I found a link to this awesome Zeiss Contax lens brochure, dated October 1975 (12 MB). And they all have a very wide focus throw compared to other still lenses. The Sony FE 2/28 is brand new and the most expensive one at 450. Some folks consider several of the Zeiss Contax Yashica lenses to be very similar to the real Super Speed. All times are GMT-8. What IS the Ninja-Star? The 21/2.8 was a must. I plugged in the focal length in white so theyre easy to read in dark sets. Its also a big change in size and weight, almost doubling its predecessor. check out the. Original Contax Zeiss set on the left, Soviet set on the right. It was not a problem as a starter set. The main difference being that a normal human can afford Contax Zeiss but not Leicas. First I measured the slip-on caps I got from SIMMOD and created a Photoshop template with that size. I know organic is a hackneyed term, but it fits. Posts; Latest Activity; Photos . In my experience, ALL AEs have the Ninja-Star. The Super Nettel was based on the Contax I, with the same kind of shutter but a folding body, a fixed lens, and a short-based rangefinder. It was released in 1932. PDF ZEISS Mutar 2x T* AE vs MM? There is a lot of good information about which lenses were improved optically between the earlier AE and later MM versions, as well as lots of user comments. Posts; Latest Activity; Photos . There are MMG lenses out there I was weary of that for quite a while, since its not mentioned clearly anywhere. check out the. These lenses thread the fine line between organic and sharp, a line as thin as depth of field on an 85/1.2 wide open, only second to Leica. Blackmagic Forum View topic - CONTAX Zeiss lenses | BMPCC 6K Enjoy our Full Show Coverage, Winners of the First AI Film Festival Showcasing the Latest Tools in AI Filmmaking. 80mm is the outside diameter of the rings, and that number is so specific because its a standard size for clip-on matteboxes. Every time I had to pick a lens I went for the 35mm f/2.8 instead. And. As they were designed for photography, they have clicked stops, which has to be dealt with, but they all feature non-rotating front elements, which is a very valuable feature these days with vari NDs. . ZEISS lenses for mFT? - Digital Photography Review You can also tell their place of manufacture based on whats written on the lens! So not everything has gotten better over time. http://www.ebay.com/itm/EX-Modified-item3a8193c812, If this is your first visit, be sure to It's taken me a few years to build this set, and I absolutely love the look I get from them The 21mm is still regarded as one of the best wide angle lenses you can buy, hence why it is one of . The 18mm is almost one fourth of the price and half the weight of the 15mm, plus it fits along with the other MMJs in the set. Theres a lot of discussion whether the 135mm f/2.0 has a clear advantage over the f/2.8, especially when you take into account the price difference. Contax Zeiss Survival Guide - REDUSER.net Evin Grant's comprehensive lens database Login or Sign Up Logging in. Renting Komodo ST, Helium, Gemini, Alexa Mini, Phantom VEO4K, break down into purple splotches when they flare, http://www.ebay.de/itm/Contax-Carl-Z#ht_500wt_1156, dittok One Stop RAW Visual Production Service, If this is your first visit, be sure to The first one is AE and the second one is MM. I remember someone doing a test a when the epic first came with stills lenses and noticed it too. It all started when I stumbled upon a post on Craigslist from a guy selling his Contax Zeiss set. But Leica Rs are certainly more expensive, so take that into consideration if you are on a budget. In this guest post, Vancouverbasedfreelance filmmaker and an anamorphic lens freak TitoFerradans,is exposing us to hisContax Zeiss CineTune-Up Guide. Now Im gonna move into streamlining it for shooting and making it the best possible lenses to handle on set. The original CONTAX RTS was introduced in ,highly advanced electronic SLR system camera developed by mutual cooperation of Carl Zeiss, West Germany, and Yashica, Japan. This page was generated at 05:50 PM. We noticed this specifically on a shoot where we mixed Leica Rs and Contaxs, and the Contaxs def gave us about a stop extra in latitude. As they are still lenses, there is some breathing on some of them, but nothing insane that has ruined any of our shots. Lastly, now that we have a great Contax guide on VLFV, my plan is to concentrate on individual Contax Zeiss reviews, so look out for those in near future. Generally speaking, these fall into 3 lens types, categorized by how fast and complex they are. Zeiss Ikon was also split apart into Eastern and Western divisions, but these two subsidiaries kept working togetherand Contax rangefinder cameras and lenses continued to be made on both sides of the wall. ONLY "RTS". Contax RTS glass can easily be adapted to EOS. This will ensure a constant outside diameter, which means you dont have to adjust your follow focus every time you change lenses. I got all my standard 80mm fronts from him, as well as slip-on lens caps. (I read the Contax Survival Guide, thank you Nick . The questions get dizzying. I already talked about the mount replacements and focus gears, so Im left with standard fronts and de-clicking. Are not only the slowest, but frequently the most classic. . Its agreed that MM lenses perform better and have cleaner results than AE lenses, theyre also less prone to flaring. That would be asking a lot of these budget lenses. Family moments are precious and sometimes you want to capture that time spent with loved ones or friends in better quality than your phone can manage. After WW2, Zeiss was split asunder in TWO. http://web.archive.org/web/200710120rode/TestZ.htm, https://dl.dropbox.com/u/51913995/marley28.jpg, If this is your first visit, be sure to The main difference being that a normal human can afford Contax Zeiss but not Leicas. Collapse. You know, like a cine lens! $60 Pentax that's actually a $800 Zeiss by designer of Stanley Kubrick Zeiss AE lens information brochure, "The Finest Optics by Zeiss", DPReview TV: Nikon 58mm F0.95 Noct Review! Wide open, Contax glass seems as mushy as Supers. They are made in Spain, cost about 60 euros each and you install them on the back of the lenses using the provided screws. Both look awesome, and I think people are splitting hairs. Learn how your comment data is processed. I went for the fastest lenses and snuffed out the AEGs I had, in favor of the prettier bokeh of the MMJs. My 21mm CP.2 is probably my favourite lens that I own, lovely, lovely piece of glass. Ron also offers the full mod service for great prices, including focus gears and lens mounts. They are much more closer to a Super/Standard speed look then the modern zeiss glass including the Cp2s. They are also a little sloppy on the mount, which can be alarming. Momentum picked up and I saw myself getting ready to DP a webseries pilot. The most up-to-date guide to almost every Contax lens ever made. My MM 18 f4, 21 2.8, 35 2.8, 50 1.4, 50 1.7, 85 1.4, 135 2.8, 180 2.8, and 300 F4 are all W/OUT the Ninja-star. I havent tested these much yet, and I ended up not doing standard outside diameters. ----------------------------------------------------------, Oh, just to add I was watching the BBC drama 'Ripper Street' last night when I noticed a couple of shots with fairly extreme ninja star bokeh No technical information on IMDB as to what it was shot on/with sadly but you never knwo. The price was pretty good and Im the type of person that can buy something just because the price is good. You can see our informal results.