35mm lens selection for Contax IIa

[Carlsen Highway]

I have just got a Contax IIa and have three 50mm lenses for it, Sonnar/2 - Tessar 3.5 and a Jupiter 8M

At present I am going the one body/one lens route...but with three lenses of the same focal length if you see what I mean...

Anyway, I was wondering - what range of selection do I have for the contax IIA if I wanted to get a 35mm wide
- obviously the Zeiss made lenses
- does the Russian Jupiter 12 fir onto this model or is that only prewar contax II?
- are there any other makers of lenses I can seek out?

And finally, how difficult to get a viewfinder to match the 35mm wide?

I don't really NEED one - I find my needs are mostly met with a 50mm anyway- if I want "wider"I turn the camera verticle - works for me more often than you'd think. I could quite happily live with only two lenses, a standard 50mm and a 35mm and want for very little else, hence my enquiries.

 

[wlewisiii]

The J-12 will only fit the pre-war Contax II. The redesigned shutter leaves the IIa out. The Zeiss & Nikon lenses that are of 35mm or shorter are the only easily found classical lenses. There are, however, some excellent wides made for the SC mount by Cosina. Go to Cameraquest for more information. I used to own (d'ho! :bang: ) a SC 35/2.5 that was excellent on my Kiev 5. Should not have sold that combo.

Hope this helps.

William

 

[ZeissFan]

Zeiss made two 35mm lenses for the Contax IIa -- the Biogon and the Planar. The Planar, which at the time was considered a less-expensive alternative to the Biogon (as I recall reading), is now more difficult to find ($$$).

William has covered the other alternatives, so I won't repeat what he just wrote.

 

[Stu W]

Before I got bit by the Leica bug I had the Contax bug. The IIa is an engineering work of art. I had a set of lenses-from 35 to 135 but it seems the ones I used were the 50 and 135. The 50 more often of course. btw, my Jupiter 8m was so good I couldn't tell which pics I had taken with it or the Sonnar. Stu

 

[micromontenegro]

Be aware that the pre war Biogon will also not fit your IIa, as it is the same as the J12- you need a proper, second design post war Biogon. Which is a jewel of a lens, but somewhat expensive.

 

[Highway 61]

You have third market Japanese alternatives available, too :

- Tanaka Kogaku Tanar 35/2.8
- Soligor 35/2.8

These lenses were designed for the Nikon rangefinders but work just fine on a Contax IIa.

 

[Joerg]

Zeiss Jena also produced the 35/4.5 Orthometar.
As with the Planar a bit more pricey.
The finder often comes with lenses. As an alternative try Kevin camera, he probably has some.

Ciao

Joerg

 

[photovdz]

on a contax IIa
35 mm F2,8 post war biogon (zeiss opton or carl zeiss)
35mm planar
35mm f4,5 orthometar... (prepare your wallet)

but not... the prewar biogon including the CZJ biogon in the 3000000 range...

if you want a Zeiss-opton biogon I have one too much... ;-) (contact me directly)

stephan

 

[dexdog]

CZJ in the DDR also produced the 35/2.8 Biometar, my current favorite 35mm lens for the Contax mount. Not especially common, will normally be a little cheaper than the Orthometar on eBay, IMO. I think that the Biometar is very close to the ZO Biogon inperformance.

 

[ALEXFLEX]

There is a special version of the J-12，However......

http://www.camgle.com/thread-90278-1-1.html

 

[raid]

What is the special thing about it and is it a custom conversion or did KMZ produce such lenses for cameras such as the IIa?

 

[ALEXFLEX]

What is the special thing about it and is it a custom conversion or did KMZ produce such lenses for cameras such as the IIa?

It is the imitation Biogon Opton😀 Not CZJ BIOGON

Plan for export​

A difference of a few millimeters in length​

No.5703000 Production is not clear​

 

[raid]

How can such a lens be identified?

 

[ALEXFLEX]

How can such a lens be identified?

Some Russian translation of Chinese literature, I do not know how translated into English:bang:

 

[raid]

Post the Russian text here. Maybe someone can translate it. Eddy Smolov could do it.

 

[Highway 61]

There is a special version of the J-12，However......

http://www.camgle.com/thread-90278-1-1.html

I had a 1953 KMZ-made Jupiter-12 and it was 100% similar to this 1957 one. It differs from the late black J-12's by the rear optical group being serrated in a brass barrel (versus naked and painted black on its sides on the late J-12's).

But it's a J-12, and so, a copy of the prewar (and wartime and postwar) Carl Zeiss Jena Biogon 35/2.8.

Absolutely nothing special at all and it does not fit on the Contax IIa.

For those wanting the best 35mm ever to fit on a Contax IIa look at the *new* W-Nikkor-C 35mm f/1.8 for sale here in the Classifieds by jonmanjiro. 😉

 

[ALEXFLEX]

Oh, thank you​

 

[largedrink]

I have an opportunity to acquire one or two wide angle Contax lenses for my IIa and am interested in recommendations. I will be using the lens so am after good image quality, maintainability (how easy to remove fungus), whether it will maintain value, usability and know issues such as oily aperture blades. The choices are Biogon 35mm 2.8, Biogon 21mm 4.5 and Planar 35mm 3.5, all post-war Zeiss lenses (not Jena). Please provide your thoughts.

 

[markjwyatt]

I have an opportunity to acquire one or two wide angle Contax lenses for my IIa and am interested in recommendations. I will be using the lens so am after good image quality, maintainability (how easy to remove fungus), whether it will maintain value, usability and know issues such as oily aperture blades. The choices are Biogon 35mm 2.8, Biogon 21mm 4.5 and Planar 35mm 3.5, all post-war Zeiss lenses (not Jena). Please provide your thoughts.

I shoot the Contax iia. My orignal lens is the Zeiss Optron 50mm f2 Sonnar, which is a beautiful lens.

I have a Voigtlnder SC Skopar 21mm f4, which I love. I suspect it is probably as good as the Ziess Biogon, but clearly not as valuable (it is a more modern lens, better coating probably, etc.).

I recently got a Carl Zeiss 35mm f2.8 Biogon. I think it may need some cleaning (maybe a little oil internally, possibly aperture blades). It renders beautifully, but is sensitive to flare and even bright light sometimes (leading me to believe there may be a light oil film on the inside). I could see this being my main lens, as I prefer a little wider view.

 

[xayraa33]

I have an opportunity to acquire one or two wide angle Contax lenses for my IIa and am interested in recommendations. I will be using the lens so am after good image quality, maintainability (how easy to remove fungus), whether it will maintain value, usability and know issues such as oily aperture blades. The choices are Biogon 35mm 2.8, Biogon 21mm 4.5 and Planar 35mm 3.5, all post-war Zeiss lenses (not Jena). Please provide your thoughts.

You cannot go wrong with the 21mm Biogon and the 35mm Planar.

Both are desirable high ranking top shelf lenses in their time (1950s) and now , for use or for collecting.