How is the Planar 35mm f3.5

[mob81]

How is the Planar 35mm f3.5 reputation?
Is it sharper and better the the Biogon? a friend offered me a great looking one for about $700! "man those 35mm lenses for contax are pricey"

or should I continue search for a biogon with reasonable price?



Regards,
Mohammed

 

[dexdog]

Price seems a bit high, at least in the US, in my opinion. Definately sharper than the pre-WW2 Biogon, and a bit sharper in corners than the 1950s re-designed Biogon. The Planar has the reputation for very little distortion in the image, and very good sharpness, with decent contrast.

I believe that Tom A has used this lens quite a bit, and thinks that it is a very good one.

 

[mob81]

Is the w-Nikkor 3.5cm 2.5 better "he has one too and want to sell it for about $400"
I know the planar is expensive "on ebay it goes for higher!!!!"

I'm considering the nikkor to start with for now till i find a great deal on either the biogon or planar.

should i just go for the nikkor "for Contax" or just continue searching?

 

[Highway 61]

I have owned and used a Planar 35/3.5 for some months.

It's sharp enough all accross the frame but there is significative light fall-off in the corners from f/3.5 to f/8 - a little bit annoying.

Colours rendition was a bit cold and flat, and resistance to flare could have been better.

Global sharpness is lesser than with the postwar redesigned Biogon IMO.

The W-Nikkor 35/2.5 is sharper, more resistant to flare, and its light fall-off totally disappears at f/4, so it's a way better choice (with the con of having some slight focus error at short distances if mounted on a Contax body, but this is easy to manage).

$400 is too expensive for a W-Nikkor 35/2.5.

 

[mob81]

That's what i thought, but options are very limited! "at least where I live and on the internet those wide "and most other contax" lenses are very high in price.
I feel sick searching through those over priced lenses.

I'll remove my contax from the Classified section "I couldn't sell it, I just couldn't be apart!!!!" but those prices that is driving me away from this amazing COntax.

Anyway, I'm better off using only the sonnar for now and leave the wide shots to my OM system.

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[sevo]

That's what i thought, but options are very limited! "at least where I live and on the internet those wide "and most other contax" lenses are very high in price.

Well, there is always the Jupiter-12 - if you buy a earlier one (resisting offers for "mint" or black late ones) and go with a reputable seller that does not mail you one with scratched rear element, that is a coated Biogon for much less than a hundred even if you factor in a 1/3 risk or receiving a lemon.

And the C/V Nikon/Contax mount SC Skopars were some of the best lenses ever made for the mount - Stephen Gandy still has a few for sale, new.

 

[mob81]

I have the iiia which I believe won't take the Jupiter-12!

and C/V lenses seems to be a better option for now "though the biogon is killing me" and that's why I bought the contax for (Zeiss classic glass)
The sonnar is an amazing lens and from what I've seen, the biogon is no exception!

 

[Highway 61]

Actually the postwar Biogon is a better option than the postwar Planar. The latter was the economy model of its production time but got quite less produced at the end of the Contax RF system day, so that its present rarity on the second hand market commands big dollar prices (collector factor).

I remember having sold mine at a very high and unexpected price at auction five years ago, and the second high bidder wanted it so much that he sent me some nasty emails trying to get me refusing to sell it at the first high bidder because that person was living in Asia...

The W-Nikkor 35/2.5 can be found around $250, average, and is every bit as good as the postwar Biogon, with few rendition differences if any at all.

 

[uy_uil]

Reviving one old thread - Anyone has an idea how rare / the production volume of this Zeiss 35mm f/3.5 Planar Oberkochen ?

 

[RussPhoto]

I like my Zeiss Planar 35mm F/3.5 very much! I have also post war Biogon 35 mm F/2.8 and W Nikkor C 35mm F/2.5 I shoot all of them with film and digitally and Planar IMHO is absolute winner for me. Razor sharp lens with great resolution and contrast will easily knock the socks off Biogon and W Nikkor C starting at F/5.6