Anyone Built and Use a Set of relatively inexpensive Zeiss Contax/Yashica primes?

puredrifting

puredrifting

Major Contributor
Saw this over on Red Shark https://www.redsharknews.com/produc...ast,-lightweight-low-cost,-quality-prime-lens
and kind of went down the rabbit hole for a few hours. I have a set of still primes for my C200, the EF 28mm f/1.8, EF 50mm f/1.8 STIM and the EF 85mm f/1.8. All look fine and I occasionally will
use them for interviews. But I stumbled across some footage I shot a few years ago on the C300 MKI with my Nikon Ai 50mm f/1.4 and Ai 85mm f/1.8 and I liked the look I was getting.

I've always wanted to own a basic set of Zeiss Super Speeds, just the three main primes but that's not happening financially. But I spent some time on Ebay and you can build a nice set of these Zeiss Contax Yashica
primes in mint condition for under $2k, maybe even under $1,500.00, declick the aperture yourself and they work great with the Leitax integral EF mounts. I am intrigued. Might be really fun for certain projects that don't even have the budget to rent
EF mount cine lenses but would benefit from a bit of a look?

Thoughts? This video is amazing, the tests are really good and the look they obtained with these relatively inexpensive lenses looks impressive.

 
Having put together a pretty extensive set myself of standard and super speeds, I don't see how you could do it for $1500 or even $2000.
 

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I built a set of Yashica ML lenses years ago. Also known as the “poor man’s Zeiss”. I sold the lenses a while back and came to regret that decision, so I’ve rebuilt the collection. 24mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4. The only downside to the Yashica ML lenses is that they never made an 85mm, so for that I have the Zeiss Contax Planar 85mm f/1.4. Still need to add the ML 135mm.

Those can be acquired relatively cheaply, easily a basic set for under $1500. Adding the 15mm can almost double that, though.
 
David W. Jones said:
Having put together a pretty extensive set myself of standard and super speeds, I don't see how you could do it for $1500 or even $2000.
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Three lens set, not a full set like you have. Probably just the 28mm f/2.0 , 50mm f/1.7 and the 85mm f/1.4? I would not pay the premium for the German models either, Japanese is fine.
According to Ebay, Japan is a Zeiss CY Eden, so many MINT almost new copies floating around over there.
 
Anyone have anything they've shot with them that they are proud of? Post links, especially with talent in front of the lens, interior good lighting?
 
Somewhat related, I have actually fairly recently started buying ZF.2's as they've come down in price so much.

I have bought the 21mm f/2.8 and the 28mm f/2.0 ZF.2s for under $500 each. The 28mm was actually already Leitaxed to EF mount and has Duclos mods like declicked iris and Step up ring.

It's a different look than the CY stuff, but I've been really happy/impressed with the ZF.2's.
 
homestar_kevin said:
Somewhat related, I have actually fairly recently started buying ZF.2's as they've come down in price so much.

I have bought the 21mm f/2.8 and the 28mm f/2.0 ZF.2s for under $500 each. The 28mm was actually already Leitaxed to EF mount and has Duclos mods like declicked iris and Step up ring.

It's a different look than the CY stuff, but I've been really happy/impressed with the ZF.2's.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this, I'll check them out. I've never shot with those lenses.
 
puredrifting said:
Thanks for this, I'll check them out. I've never shot with those lenses.
Click to expand...

Sure thing! Definitely pretty awesome stuff. From what I understand they're very similar to the C/Y designs, but with different housings and updated coatings.

I stumbled into the 21mm for that price and when I realzied how much cheaper the zf.2 I bought was than the C/Y 21mm, I became interested in filling out the set more.

I just wanted some more modern primes with some pop to the image, and these are spectacular in that capacity.

I have a bunch of vintage lens sets (Nikon AIS, Canon FD, Leica R) and I could still just be honeymooning with the ZF.2's, but they're absolutely awesome so far and seem like a really good value at this point.

Something to keep in mind: The zf.2's are the Nikon mount versions of these lenses. They do make Canon EF mount ones, but those don't have manual Aperture rings.

The Nikon mount versions (zf and zf.2) have aperture rings, but also focus in the Nikon direction, so opposite of a lot of other lenses.
 
The lens coatings on the ZF's contribute to a different look than the Zeiss Contax lenses, which have the same coatings as the Zeiss Standards and Super Speeds from the era and match the look.
That was the main reason I put together the set of Zeiss Contax lenses I did. I had been renting a set of Super Speeds to use with a 35mm lens adapter shooting commercials with a Canon XL1s as a low cost option to shooting film.
It was an effort to get the same look, without the cost of rental, insurance, and shipping.
 
I built a set of C/Y primes, pure-D. Most were acquired via eBay, some of those eBay purchases from Japanese sellers. I had no issues. I made effort to buy from Ebay sellers in Japan that sell a lot of lenses regularly and look like they have been at that game a while, as opposed to sellers who appeared to be selling just the one lens. I spent roughly $2000 per lens building a 6-lens set. But I went after the fastest glass for each focal length, the "super speeds" being more costly, and I went after the most perfect examples I could source for each focal length. Most-perfect even down to the housings, absence of wear marks or scratches not just on the glass but on the housings. Most that I bought were already de-clicked and converted to a Leitax EF adapter.

Honestly, I have not used the set all that much because I rarely use primes. But the Contax glass is a less expensive way to get what is very, very close to the Zeiss "Super speed" look. The focus throw on the Contax glass is short, short, short. These are still photo lenses, after all.


The sit-down interviews in this BTS piece below, other than the Harrelson interview that I did not shoot, were shot with Contax primes. The Costner interview was shot at f/1.6 on the Contax 85mm f/1.4 I didn't want to risk shooting it that shallow but the Producer hated the room, was adamant that the background be knocked OOF as much as possible, and said they were okay with it being soft-ish. No filtration was used. What is in the link is highly compressed, so keep that in mind.

For the right content, the Contax are very gentle in transition and kind to aging faces. Things get soft but not bad-soft towards the wide end. At least when used at a f/2.8 or wider. Good-soft, depending on your tolerance for softness. Stopped down into the meaty part of the lens, f/5.6-f/8, they have a look closer to ZF / ZE / CP.2's. But still less edgy and more kind.

I probably would not have used the Contax on this BTS were the film not a period piece.

 
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JPNola said:
I built a set of C/Y primes, pure-D. Most were acquired via eBay, some of those eBay purchases from Japanese sellers. I had no issues. I made effort to buy from Ebay sellers in Japan that sell a lot of lenses regularly and look like they have been at that game a while, as opposed to sellers who appeared to be selling just the one lens. I spent roughly $2000 per lens building a 6-lens set. But I went after the fastest glass for each focal length, the "super speeds" being more costly, and I went after the most perfect examples I could source for each focal length. Most-perfect even down to the housings, absence of wear marks or scratches not just on the glass but on the housings. Most that I bought were already de-clicked and converted to a Leitax EF adapter.

Honestly, I have not used the set all that much because I rarely use primes. But the Contax glass is a less expensive way to get what is very, very close to the Zeiss "Super speed" look. The focus throw on the Contax glass is short, short, short. These are still photo lenses, after all.


The sit-down interviews in this BTS piece below, other than the Harrelson interview that I did not shoot, were shot with Contax primes. The Costner interview was shot at f/1.6 on the Contax 85mm f/1.4 I didn't want to risk shooting it that shallow but the Producer hated the room, was adamant that the background be knocked OOF as much as possible, and said they were okay with it being soft-ish. No filtration was used. What is in the link is highly compressed, so keep that in mind.

For the right content, the Contax are very gentle in transition and kind to aging faces. Things get soft but not bad-soft towards the wide end. At least when used at a f/2.8 or wider. Good-soft, depending on your tolerance for softness. Stopped down into the meaty part of the lens, f/5.6-f/8, they have a look closer to ZF / ZE / CP.2's. But still less edgy and more kind.

I probably would not have used the Contax on this BTS were the film not a period piece.

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Nice work!
 
There is a massive thread on Reduser about these lenses and is a wonderful source of information:

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?92044-Contax-Zeiss-Survival-Guide

And some direct links to some samples I posted there:

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...rvival-Guide&p=1773604&viewfull=1#post1773604
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...rvival-Guide&p=1829068&viewfull=1#post1829068
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...rvival-Guide&p=1855187&viewfull=1#post1855187

I mainly use the 35mm f/1.4, but the 100m f/2 is also wonderful. Been meaning to get the 28mm f/2 just for some extra width but I really do love that 35mm. I have the 50mm 1.4 but it rarely gets touched, but that's just me and 50mm lenses in general.
 
The massive thread on Reduser was the reason for the rise in price of the C/Y mount Contax lenses.
Before that thread they were a steal because hardly anyone knew about them.
 
David W. Jones said:
The massive thread on Reduser was the reason for the rise in price of the C/Y mount Contax lenses.
Before that thread they were a steal because hardly anyone knew about them.
Click to expand...

I don't think it accurate to characterize the thread as "the" reason. The many youtube videos on C/Y glass played a part as did the entire DSLR "revolution" ( or "nightmare", depending on your perspective ).

Many things in the "cinema" world used to be less costly prior to everyone and their brother wanting to become cinematographers. Anamorphic glass in particular. But at the same time the growth of video production has driven down the cost of some products. Enter SmallRig and camera batteries not made by Anton.
 
JPNola said:
I built a set of C/Y primes, pure-D. Most were acquired via eBay, some of those eBay purchases from Japanese sellers. I had no issues. I made effort to buy from Ebay sellers in Japan that sell a lot of lenses regularly and look like they have been at that game a while, as opposed to sellers who appeared to be selling just the one lens. I spent roughly $2000 per lens building a 6-lens set. But I went after the fastest glass for each focal length, the "super speeds" being more costly, and I went after the most perfect examples I could source for each focal length. Most-perfect even down to the housings, absence of wear marks or scratches not just on the glass but on the housings. Most that I bought were already de-clicked and converted to a Leitax EF adapter.

Honestly, I have not used the set all that much because I rarely use primes. But the Contax glass is a less expensive way to get what is very, very close to the Zeiss "Super speed" look. The focus throw on the Contax glass is short, short, short. These are still photo lenses, after all.


The sit-down interviews in this BTS piece below, other than the Harrelson interview that I did not shoot, were shot with Contax primes. The Costner interview was shot at f/1.6 on the Contax 85mm f/1.4 I didn't want to risk shooting it that shallow but the Producer hated the room, was adamant that the background be knocked OOF as much as possible, and said they were okay with it being soft-ish. No filtration was used. What is in the link is highly compressed, so keep that in mind.

For the right content, the Contax are very gentle in transition and kind to aging faces. Things get soft but not bad-soft towards the wide end. At least when used at a f/2.8 or wider. Good-soft, depending on your tolerance for softness. Stopped down into the meaty part of the lens, f/5.6-f/8, they have a look closer to ZF / ZE / CP.2's. But still less edgy and more kind.

I probably would not have used the Contax on this BTS were the film not a period piece.
Click to expand...

Thanks JP, I'll check this out!
 
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