Novice Contax Zeiss question.

[MRFanny]

Hello all,

please excuse my novice question but I am considering investing in contax zeiss lenses and adapter for the new panasonic gh1.

I came across a Rollei zeiss german made 50mm f1.4 HFT and wanted to know if Rollei zeiss lenses use the same C/Y mounts, meaning I can use the same adapter for it. I would also like to know if the newer zeiss ikon ZM lenses use the same mounts or would I need a new adapter. I am particularly interested in the wider 25,28,and 35mm lenses due to the GH1 crop factor.

Would be kind enough as to take the time and explain to me which contax models/lenes or other use the same mounts and are interchangable so I know what to look for in my ebay or flea market hunt..ha Idealy I would like to build a collection of great fast primes that can all use the same adapter.

Feel free to give me some pointers as to what to look out for when it comes to zeiss hunting.

Cheers in advance!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

No- the Rollei lenses will not work, they were made for a different mount. The Rolleiflex SL-35 used a unique bayonet mount.

 

[MRFanny]

thanks for the confirmation. glad i didn't end up purchasing it.

can i assume also that the newer ikon ZM lenses are of a different mount also and will not fit on a C/Y adapter?

so it's pretty much C/Y or nothing? Is there anything else that will mount onto a C/Y mount?

I know these are silly questions but i guess i have to start somewhere. thanks

 

[jmkelly]

The "M" in ZM of the newer Zeiss lenses means they are M-mount, not C/Y. In terms of cost and range you may be better off sticking with the C/Y mount lenses in your hunt.

 

[ZeissFan]

For the most part, all of the lenses were made for separate camera systems.

The original Zeiss Ikon Contax mount was developed in the 1930s and continued into the early 1960s. Some of these can be adapted to the M-mount via an adapter.

The Zeiss Ikon Contarex lenses are for that SLR system and are unique to that system. This camera system arrived in the early 1960s and continued into the early 1970s.

When Zeiss Ikon shut down in the early 1970s, it worked with Yashica (which was later subsumed by Kyocera in the early 1980s) to create the Contax SLR system. Its lens bayonet system is unique.

Meanwhile, in the 1970s, Rollei developed its line of SLRs, which were evolutions of the Voigtlander SLRs. Carl Zeiss AG had an interest in Voigtlander (not the current Voigtlander) early on and fully merged it with Zeiss Ikon in the mid- to late-1960s. When Zeiss Ikon folded, Rollei bought the Voigtlander name and used some of its 35mm products as the basis for its own cameras.

Note that the line of Zeiss-branded lenses (and Zeiss designs) for Rolleiflex SL 35 series and the Yashica/Kyocera Contax were based on the Contarex lenses, with some being exact copies and others being reformulated or new designs.

When Kyocera ended camera production several years back, it left Zeiss without any cameras for its line of 35mm lenses, although it had been doing some limited work with Sony and continues to do so for Sony's digital SLRs.

This led to the creation of the current Zeiss Ikon rangefinder camera and the current line of Zeiss M-mount lenses, which are physically different from previous lenses.

And Zeiss also has expanded its line of SLR lenses to other mounts: Canon, Nikon, Pentax K and M42. These, of course, are different from the M-mount lenses.

The current Cosina Voigtlander cameras and lenses have no link to the German Voigtlander cameras, other than it uses the same names for its lenses and cameras. However, I don't believe the lenses always reflect the earlier lens designs that carried the same name.

 

[MRFanny]

thanking you for your condensed zeiss 101. much appreciated and answered a lot of my questions.

just discovered the micro 4/3 section on this forum so ill head over there and ask them some interesting questions.ha. cheers.