Jupiter 12 lens for a Contax IIIA

[Dave Jarosz]

Do all Jupiter 12 lenses fit on a Contax IIIa? Or is there a specific lens to look for. Dave

 

[Crazy Fedya]

No, they don't. They fit on Contax II and III though. Only post-war West German Biogon will fit Contax IIIa, also you might want to try 35mm f/2.5 W Nikkor.

 

[Vics]

I use the W-Nikkor 35/2.5 on my IIIa, and it's a beautiful lens!

 

[Elmar Lang]

On the Contax IIa/IIIa can also fit the Zeiss Jena Biometar 35/2,8 and the Zeiss Opton Planar 35mm.

 

[Dave Jarosz]

Will a Nikkor C-35mm 2.5 fit a Contax IIIa?

Will a Nikkor C-35mm 2.5 fit a Contax IIIa?

I see that Nikkor make a 35mm W lens & C lens. What is the difference?

 

[batterytypehah!]

Did they? I have it in Leica mount and it's called W-Nikkor-C (red "C" for "coated").

Yes, it will fit. Close up and wide open you run into the Nikon/Contax focus mismatch, but I doubt it will show, given the DOF even at f/2.5.

 

[dexdog]

the lens is called the W-Nikkor C, as seen at the attached site. This lens works quite well with a Contax II and III

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/rangefinder/35mm-f25.htm

 

[Dave Jarosz]

Thanks for all the info guys! Much appreciated. Dave

 

[David Murphy]

If you want to stick to purely Zeiss, the Orthometar 35/4.5 also works on the IIIa and is an outstanding lens (as is every Zeiss lens I've used so far). These are a little less common and usually expensive, but not that much more costly than a Biogon or Planar. The Orthometer is an uncoated prewar lens, but the lack of coatings seems not to impact its image quality - it's quite a piece of engineering too. Most Contax lenses are not rare, but a little uncommon, although there are usually some examples of the main ones for sale at any time on eBay or from the usual notable vintage camera dealers. Some genuinely rare ones do show up from time-to-time, such as the Old-Delft 35/3.5, even at prices that aren't too scary, but it takes patience to locate them.