Tell me about this lens...

eli griggs

eli griggs

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please. I found this uncoated lens (the link is to a pic of the same lens on somebody else’s page) in a box of darkroom/photo gear I received recently, some of which was given to me, the rest I bought, and I'd like to know which cameras it works with, when it was made, the usual stuff. I haven't yet tried a Contax camera and if I end up with one, I'd like to know what to look for now that I have the lens.

I'd also like to know if there are adapters that allow it to work with Leica screw mount, etc.

http://www005.upp.so-net.ne.jp/chatvert/zeiss/contax/t5028c.html

Cheers
 
The lens fits the Contax I, II, and III pre war models. They were made in the 30's.

This is a fairly common lens but the f/2 and f/1.5 later versions are more popular..

There is a somewhat expensive adapter that will let you use Contax lens on a M-Leica
 
Thanks Colyn, I know next to nothing about Contax rangefinders and every little bit of info helps when looking at 'new' things.

Now that I have specific cameras in mind, it'll be easer to research the lens, etc.

Cheers
 
Based on the serial number, this is a lens for the original Contax (now known as the Contax I).

It also is sometimes called a "white face" Tessar because the lens face ring is chrome, rather than black and nickel.

And as Colyn has pointed out, it will fit any Zeiss Ikon Contax camera.

It also can be used as the lens for the Magniphot enlarger, but there are very few of those around today.

It cannot be used with a Leica LTM camera. There are adapters that allow Zeiss lenses for the Contax to be mounted to an M-mount camera.
 
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ZeissFan, the lens in the pic belongs to someone else but the serial number on mine is in the 2240xxx range and as far as I can see, the pic is an accurate depiction of the lens I have.

It's a shame it can't be use with the LTM cameras, as that is really where my interest is now, so far as rangefinders are concerned. If I have the chance to pick up a Contex from the same source as the lens in the very near future, or as chance often works, find one crossing my path now that I'm more aware of the type, I would like as no snap it up just because. However, after thinking on it this evening I'll probably end up trading this lens for something LTM or putting it back in its' little black box and leave it on the shelve.

Cheers
 
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I was asking the same question. It is an old lens that looks super-cool.
 
I already have the 1.5 and 2.0 Sonnar lenses, but I am thrilled to have added this oldie. Maybe it can yield some interesting looking portraits for me.
 
I think the serial number on your lens places it in the Contax II timeline, but I'm not 100% certain about that.

In any case, I've used this lens, as well as the nearly identical lens on a Nettax rangefinder. The performance is fairly typical of Tessars from that era.

Wide open, you get round out-of-focus backgrounds at close to medium distances. Stopped down, from f/8 on, it's very sharp, and out-of-focus performance improves.

Overall, it's a very nice optic from that era and another Carl Zeiss lens that has been copied by numerous lens makers through the decades.
 
ZeissFan said:
It cannot be used with a Leica LTM camera. There are adapters that allow Zeiss lenses for the Contax to be mounted to an M-mount camera.
Click to expand...

The lens can be used on an LTM camera if you can find an Orion adapter (rare and expensive) or buy one of the Contax to LTM adapters from a Venezuela-based eBay seller called Amadeo.

I have one of the old Contax to LTM Orions, and the 50/2.8 Tessar works fine on my Canon P, although I would hestitate to collapse the lens, because I am not sure if it would scratch the inside of the camera
 
raid said:
Mark,

How would you describe the optical performance of this lens, relative to other lenses you have?
Click to expand...

Similar to the 50 Sonnar, except even softer/lower resolution away from the center of the image. I think that the contrast is about the same as a Sonnar.
 
Using a lens hood becomes necessary then. I will try to find the time to use this lens tomorrow. It looks like new.

With a good Contax-LTM converter, I could sell my Contax IIa and IIIa.
 
ZeissFan, can you post a link to pics taken with this lens, especially at shallow depth of field?

I don't know what the value of this lens is but I suspect the price of a lens hood or adapter to LTM will be significantly greater than the lens itself, no?

Cheers
 
I think that the market value for a clean example of this lens is about $125-$150+. It is certainly not less than the cost of a lens hood. A Contax adapter costs $250.
 
If the lens had been black faced and not white faced, then it would be for the Contax I. The white faced Tessar was meant for the Contax II.
 
A few photos with the Nettax.
http://elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/nettax/photos.html

As I've said, I've also used the Contax version of this lens. Results were more or less identical.

I believe these are the same lenses set in different mounts. The barrels are identical. The only difference is that one lens is fixed to a Nettax mount, and the other is fixed to a Contax mount.
 
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