monochromejrnl
Well-known
jano
Evil Bokeh
I miss that lens *sniff*
R
Rich Silfver
Guest
It's a great lens.
Here's a re-post of a photo taken with my Sonnar 50/1.5 (on a Contax IIIa) - shot wide open.
It's a bit soft but that has more to do with my own inabilities to focus well than with the sharpness of the lens.
Contax IIIa, Sonnar 50/1.5
Here's a re-post of a photo taken with my Sonnar 50/1.5 (on a Contax IIIa) - shot wide open.
It's a bit soft but that has more to do with my own inabilities to focus well than with the sharpness of the lens.

Contax IIIa, Sonnar 50/1.5
monochromejrnl
Well-known
Rich - same here.. i find the VF on the Contax IIa a far cry from what i enjoy on the M4-P... thinking of getting an adapter and using it on an M3... higher magnification might be help provided the adapter is built to high tolerances to ensure focus accuracy... thoughts?
R
Rich Silfver
Guest
Funny. I'm thinking about doing the same thing - getting an adapter for the 50/1.5 Sonnar to use on my M3. I'd also be interested in anyone with any experience on a setup like that.
furcafe
Veteran
A great lens, indeed. Here's an old example of mine taken w/the E. German version (1/6th sec. @ f/1.5):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/furcafe/6935549/
In the full-frame scan of this shot you can easily make out details of the irises in her eyes & I cropped the negative 33% to make it square.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/furcafe/6935549/
In the full-frame scan of this shot you can easily make out details of the irises in her eyes & I cropped the negative 33% to make it square.
furcafe
Veteran
As a collector & a devotee of both the Contax & Leica systems, I have some of these adapters & they do work. I think it's much more cost-effective to get the Canon 50/1.5 or 50/1.4 Nikkor-S in LTM as they're just Japanese Sonnars (tweaked/stretched a bit in the case of the Nikkor). The LTM CZJ Sonnars can also be found @ "decent" prices (approx. $400 in excellent optical condition), but there are a lot of fakes coming out of the former USSR & the build quality of the genuine ones is inferior to the Canons & Nikons.
monochromejrnl said:Rich - same here.. i find the VF on the Contax IIa a far cry from what i enjoy on the M4-P... thinking of getting an adapter and using it on an M3... higher magnification might be help provided the adapter is built to high tolerances to ensure focus accuracy... thoughts?
monochromejrnl
Well-known
furcafe said:As a collector & a devotee of both the Contax & Leica systems, I have some of these adapters & they do work. I think it's much more cost-effective to get the Canon 50/1.5 or 50/1.4 Nikkor-S in LTM as they're just Japanese Sonnars (tweaked/stretched a bit in the case of the Nikkor). The LTM CZJ Sonnars can also be found @ "decent" prices (approx. $400 in excellent optical condition), but there are a lot of fakes coming out of the former USSR & the build quality of the genuine ones is inferior to the Canons & Nikons.
there is a fellow named John Luk in HK who makes and sells these adapters on *bay.. i've seen them go for $200-270 at auction... not cheap but i already own the 50/1.5 and not sure i want to buy a japanese or CZJ replica in LTM mount (which would also require an adapter - albeit a $40 one)...
hmmm decisions....
furcafe
Veteran
It all depends on how devoted you are to a single lens. As I've posted before, the Japanese Sonnars are optically just as good as the German ones (though I don't think that they're better). In addition to a modern Japanese Orion copy (used for the shot above) & a Cook & Perkins, both of which are Contax RF-to-LTM, I do have 1 of the new HK Contax-to-M adapters & it works fine, too. I just happen to prefer the LTM adapters for extra versatility, as I have some LTM bodies & already have the LTM-M adapters.
monochromejrnl said:there is a fellow named John Luk in HK who makes and sells these adapters on *bay.. i've seen them go for $200-270 at auction... not cheap but i already own the 50/1.5 and not sure i want to buy a japanese or CZJ replica in LTM mount (which would also require an adapter - albeit a $40 one)...
hmmm decisions....
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