Contax lenses for Nikon Rangefinders

[ZivcoPhoto]

Vince

Great idea on the 40.5 - 43 step up ring...I'm off to find one...sure beats the no-glass filter idea...for a limited shade.

 

[furcafe]

FYI, Heavystar on eBay also sells a cheap wide-angle 40.5mm screw-in hood. It's certainly wide enough for the 35mm Biogons, but I have't had an occasion to try it on the 21mm.

Vince

Great idea on the 40.5 - 43 step up ring...I'm off to find one...sure beats the no-glass filter idea...for a limited shade.

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

FYI, Heavystar on eBay also sells a cheap wide-angle 40.5mm screw-in hood. It's certainly wide enough for the 35mm Biogons, but I have't had an occasion to try it on the 21mm.

DUH!!! I have the Heavystar hood for my ltm J-12. I have no idea why I didn't think to try it on the Zeiss 21mm. I am off to finish a roll in the Contax IIIA with the 21mm and Heavystar hood to see if it will work. I will report later.

Wayne

 

[VinceC]

If there's no film int the camera, you can usually see if a hood or filter will vignette. Use T or B to hold the shutter open with the lens mounted, and look through the back of the lens from the corner of the frame. ... If you can see the rim of the filter/hood, you'll vignette.

 

[ZivcoPhoto]

That would be pretty nifty to be able to us that hood (the auction site hood) on the Biogon, but every 21mm I have has an extremely shallow hood....so I'd like to know the test results too.

 

[Tom A]

I have the Biogon 21/4,5 and the 21/4 S-mount and I do use both of them. The Biogon is a heavy lens, but the optical quality of the lens is absolutely top class. The Biogon formula allows for a design that is virtually distortion free.
From an ergonomic point of view though, it is a miserable lens to work with. The f-stops are engraved with the same size of lettering that occurs in the fine print ad's for "to good a deal to be true", ie miniscule! As they are engraved on a chrome barrel and very delicately soo - in bright sunlight you spend a lot of time trying to shade the ring to see which f-stop you are on! using the 40.5 filter as a hood works and while in Japan I picked up a wide. dish=shaped hood with 40.5 thread that i am trying figure out how to modify so that I can read the f-stops easier.
The 21/4 VC lens is the same formula as in the LTM mount Skopar 21/4 and the new M-mount 21/4P version. It is a very good lens, it actually rivals even the modern Leica 21/2,8 and the Zeiss Ikon 21/2,8. It is also designed so that you can see aperture and focussing distance without squinting!
The Contax/Biogon finder was very good when it came out, but modern coatings, glass and design makes the VC 21 finder a better buy ( particularly if you buy the 21/4 S mount as that comes with the finder).
If you like the idea of using a classic lens, get the 21/4,5 Biogon. It is still capable to produce results that are right up there with modern lenses. If you are going to use the 21 a lot, get the 21/4 S VC lens. It is a bargain, and with modern films has the coating to work with color. Both of these lenses are remarkably flare resistant by the way, with or with out hoods!

 

[ZivcoPhoto]

Tom

Thanks for the thoughts on these 21mm lenses. Yes the 21 C/V is quite the lens. I bought one two years ago in LTM and hardly ever used it until very recently - because of all this discussion. I ran two rolls of APX 100 thru my LTM camera last week with good results. I would have to recommend this lens to anyone who doesn't want to pay almost double for the Biogon.....and deal with the negatives you mentioned.....however, already owning the Biogon I am very satisfied that it is the 21mm lens for my Nikon RFs and Contax IIA. I guess you can say that I really like the classic signature of the Zeiss.


Here are a few of my recent 21mm CV shots.

 

[VinceC]

Zivco,
Glad you got inspired to use the 21.

>>The Biogon formula allows for a design that is virtually distortion free. <<

You know, I've been hearing that for years, both about the 21mm Biogon and, more generally, about the difference between RF wides and SLR wides. The only distortion I've even encountered in my shooting is related to the inherent perspective of very wide lenses, and I've never seen a difference from one lens to another, only from one focal length to another.

Starting around 28mm, you have to be really careful about putting human beings in the corners of the frame.

 

[Tom A]

Zivco, nice shots with the 21/4. What is quite remarkable on this lens is the lack of vignetting! I do use wide-angles a lot and you have to teach yourself how to handle them. As Vince says, dont put people in the corners if you want to keep them as friends!
The rectilinear quality of these lenses usually only come into play if you are doing precise architectural stuff or studio set ups. It is mainly used for bragging rights " my lens is straighter than yours"!. For years I used the Hasselblad SWC's for industrial work and the engineers/clients were impressed with "how straight everything was". Their interest was primarily that they could read the parts number on the small bolts that held some pipe or part on a huge machine. Estethics be damned!
The new Biogon 21/4,5 from ZI/CV is supposedly better than even the old Biogon. On the Contax 21/4,5 the distortion was 0,019% and on the new it is 0.013%. I suspect you have to blow it up to a mural size to see the difference, but it is nice to know that you can.
I still keep my 21/3,4 Super Angulon for my M's. It is not the best of the 21's. particuarly when compared with the VC 21 and the 21/2.8"s from Leica and ZI, but it is a lens that has a bit of a signature to it. You can spot the shots with it even as negatives. Deadly sharp centers and a rather dramatic fall off in the edges. To me this lens is just like a favourite sweater, it might be worn and scruffy, but it is very comfortable to use!

 

[jsuominen]

The new Biogon 21/4,5 from ZI/CV is supposedly better than even the old Biogon. On the Contax 21/4,5 the distortion was 0,019% and on the new it is 0.013%.

Tom, it would be interesting to know, what figures CV 21/4 has achieved in same distortion test? But maybe that test has not done with CV 21 lens... By the way, I have a CV 25/4 in LTM and it's very good, too.

 

[kinoglass]

Contax (Zeiss) lenses will not register with Nikon RF cameras . . . that is a fact.

 

[Tom A]

Jari, I have never seen a % figure for the distorsion on the 21/4 VC. Judging from the lens formula though, it is most likely more than the Biogon's. Mind you, unless you blow it up to major sizes it will not be a problem. Some years ago a friend of mine and I tried out a handful of 21's (21/2,8 Asph, S-A 21, Ricoh 21/3,5 and the 21/4 VC) and the 21/4 VC had the least distorsion of these - better than the 21/2,8 Asph! The 21/2,8 Asph has a better center sharpness than the VC, but not by much in the mid-range apertures. I had the 21/2,8 Asph, but found that I never used it - so it went to a friend of mine instead. The 21/4 is sharp and fast enough for me - as well as being small and lightweight too. The fact that it uses 39mm filters is another bonus as I can take a 21, a 28/3,5VC, a 35/2 and a 50/2 (or 2,5 VC) and only carry one set of filters for black/white. I mostly uses red or orange filters for wide-angles anyway. That is my only beef with the 40/1,4 - 43mm filters. Oh well, you cant get everything although it is fun trying.

 

[MikeL]

Contax (Zeiss) lenses will not register with Nikon RF cameras . . . that is a fact.

I just saw a craigslist ad for a Nikon SP, a 105mm, a 25mm f4, and a 35mm Biogon. Total cost- $1000. I bit, and got the Western Union/escrow scam reply. The author of the ad said he used it for sports photography and the mounts are interchangeable.

 

[NIKON KIU]

I just saw a craigslist ad for a Nikon SP, a 105mm, a 25mm f4, and a 35mm Biogon. Total cost- $1000. I bit, and got the Western Union/escrow scam reply. The author of the ad said he used it for sports photography and the mounts are interchangeable.

Old saying: if it's too good to be true...
Hopefully you didn't send any money,did you?

Kiu

 

[VinceC]

>>Contax (Zeiss) lenses will not register with Nikon RF cameras . . . that is a fact.<<
Lenses 35mm and wider can be interchanged. The depth of field covers the difference. When depth of field is measured in feet, a few inches registration isn't a problem.

 

[MikeL]

Old saying: if it's too good to be true...
Hopefully you didn't send any money,did you?

Kiu

No, I may need to send money to an officer of the Nigerian government. I have not received the $10,000,000 in funds that was supposed to be transfered to my account. Apparently there's a delay, and I may need to send more money to expedite the transfer. So I can't send money for the Nikon SP.

Once that 10 million comes through though, I may buy this Cook and Perkins adapter- (link)

 

[NIKON KIU]

Mike,
Let me know when you get the $10,000,000 from Nigeria. I recieved the same email and didn't reply! Dummy me!!
With that kinda cash, I could corner the market on Nikon S3 2000s and Sp limited 😀 😀 😀

Kiu