Canon LTM Canon 50mm f1.4 vs Contax Zeiss 50mm f1.4

[LeicaFoReVer]

Hi Guys,

Might be a silly topic to compare two different things but I recently bought a lot of gear and those are two of them 🙂

I plan to sell one but not sure which one. I love Contax SLR and lenses but they are quite heavy for my taste (I have RX and RTS) and not easy or possible to find an Aria body.

So I am inclined to keep the canon but I want to ask you to roughly give me an idea if anyone owned both and compared regarding the image quality, bokeh, etc. I know some of those are subjective and you probably will tell me to search for both and flickr and compare myself...but I really want to hear from you.

Thank you in advance.
p.s. I also have Canon LTM 50 f1.2 and Contax G2 with 45mm Planar, which is inline with 50mm f1.4?

 

[raid]

Sort of ....
I have been using for many years a Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 for the Rollei QMB system. It may be similar or even identical optically to the Contax mount version. It is my favorite 50/1.4 lens overall. I use it on M 4/3 cameras these days.
I have all the other lenses that you asked about. The Canon 50/1.2 LTM is very different from the Planar 50/1.4, and the Zeiss G 45/2 is a great lens overall. I have it for the G and also in M mount.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

Hi Raid, thank you for your reply. How do you think of it compared to Canon ltm f1.4? Which one would you prefer of you had to choose one of those two?

 

[raid]

I would choose the Zeiss 50/1.4. The Canon is an excellent lens too. 🙂

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

Thank you Raid a lot for your opinion! I might change my mind in that case.

Is there any other ideas/opinions?

 

[dourbalistar]

I don't have the Contax Zeiss 50/1.4, but if so-called bokeh "quality" is a consideration, you may or may not like the hexagonal shaped bokeh in the out-of-focus highlights. I'm not sure which version of the Contax you have:
https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-carl-zeiss-planar-1450-cy/

I do have the Canon 50/1.4 LTM, and wide open, it can exhibit some "cat's eye" shaped bokeh. I believe the Canon has more aperture blades (9 blades vs. 6 on the Contax), so stopped down slightly the out-of-focus highlights are more round. Although the Canon is a relatively small lens, it is quite dense, approximately 245g. Not too much lighter than the Contax, which weighs ~290g.

 

[splitimageview]

If you want a lightweight Contax body, try the 159MM. It’s small and light and has the usual great viewfinder, 1/4000. About the same size as the Aria. I’ve had most of the Contax SLRs and it’s my favorite due to the small form factor and the fast shutter.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

I don't have the Contax Zeiss 50/1.4, but if so-called bokeh "quality" is a consideration, you may or may not like the hexagonal shaped bokeh in the out-of-focus highlights. I'm not sure which version of the Contax you have:
https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-carl-zeiss-planar-1450-cy/

I do have the Canon 50/1.4 LTM, and wide open, it can exhibit some "cat's eye" shaped bokeh. I believe the Canon has more aperture blades (9 blades vs. 6 on the Contax), so stopped down slightly the out-of-focus highlights are more round. Although the Canon is a relatively small lens, it is quite dense, approximately 245g. Not too much lighter than the Contax, which weighs ~290g.

Thanks very much. I learned that mine is the early version from the link you posted. And interesting things on the aperture and bokeh. Also they say that 50mm f1.7 zeiss has more pop and smoother bokeh and sharper at f1.7. that guy has stunning images taken at golden hour.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

If you want a lightweight Contax body, try the 159MM. It’s small and light and has the usual great viewfinder, 1/4000. About the same size as the Aria. I’ve had most of the Contax SLRs and it’s my favorite due to the small form factor and the fast shutter.

That is great to know. Thank you very much! I will look for one after getting rid of RX RTS and ST I recently bought 🙂

 

[santino]

Or go really light and mechanical with the yashica fx3/fx7.