21mm f4.5 Biogon C in S mount?

[Palaeoboy]

With many Sonnar C users very complimentary of this 50mm lens on their Nikon Rangefinders, what are the chances of the 21mm Biogon C finding its way into Nikon S mount as well?

I personally own one of those Orion Type adapters so in Nikon S mount I could also use it on my M mount cameras as well as my Nikon Rangerfinders. With 21mm not being an overly used focal length it would get more use that way. One possible obstacle to this however may be that once attached to the Orion adapter it may not fit my CLE which is something I found when trying to use a SC Voigtlander 21mm with the same adapter. Its certainly handy to cross camera systems with the same lenses where possible.

 

[furcafe]

I think it's unlikely, given the small size of the market. Also there are still plenty of original Zeiss-Opton & Carl Zeiss 21/4.5 Biogons in Contax RF mount available & I'm not sure if the modern version is enough of an improvement for most Nikon RF owners. If they are looking for modern glass, there is already the Cosina Voigtlander 21/4 Skopar in S mount (not sure what optical design it is, though).

With many Sonnar C users very complimentary of this 50mm lens on their Nikon Rangefinders, what are the chances of the 21mm Biogon C finding its way into Nikon S mount as well?

 

[jonmanjiro]

I'd certainly buy one if Zeiss/Cosina make one!

But unfortunately it probably wasn't very likely to happen before (small market - I've seen quite a few unsold S-mount Sonnar 50/1.5s in Tokyo lately) and is no doubt less likely to happen now given the current economic environment.

 

[VinceC]

I have an original 1950s version of this lens. Optically, it's wonderful. But it's one of the heaviest lenses I own -- almost as heavy as a 1950s camera body -- so I don't carry it as often as I should.

EDIT: I just checked some old notes from when I weighed my lenses. The Zeiss 21/4.5 with a Leitz finder weighs 375 grams, compared to the 725 grams of a Nikon SP/S3. So I exaggerated a bit. Still, that's a heavy lens, on par with the chrome version of the 85/2.

 

[Tom A]

I have both the original Zeiss Biogon 21f4,5. It was one of the best 21's ever made and it is still a formidable piece of glass. However, ergonomics are, to put it mildly, atrocious! The aperture numbers are tiny black numbrs on a chrome ring - and in bright sunlight they are unreadable. The focussing is again very difficult to see the distances. I still like though - there is a definite "look" to it.
The ZM Biogon 21f4.5 is, in my opinion, the best 21 available today. It is good enough that, just like in the 50's and 60's many of us shot with M Leicas, but kept a Contax II or a Nikon S2, just for the Biogon, today I would recommend a Bessa R4M or R4A and permanently mount the ZM Biogon 21f4,5 on it!

 

[leicavidom]

ditto what Jon says....we talked about it before.