Photos with the Contax I.

Contax I, Sonnar 50/2, T-Max 100

32990929185_02568362ee_b.jpg
 
Excellent shot, Deklari!

Erik.

Thanks Erik, I have order Jupiter 12 (1959) from Russia, it probably come only in next month. Don't really know if year and model (silver/black) is really matter. My Jupiter-8 (1958) and Jupiter-3 (1977) give me excellent result on Leica III.
 
Nice shots Erik.
I still can't get such sharp and contrast image. Probably, I need to start using F higher then 2.8 🙂
 
Absolutely. There is a mint one on display at a shop near my office for 0.085K €, with a very nice Kiev 4 as a rear cap.

And I don't know any 50mm lenses in Contax mount costing 0.5K $, even the real McCoy Sonnars. 😉

I newer spend more than 80$ .. for any my lens 🙂 but just try to update some for my Leica.. and look on original Leica lens price.. it is crazy...😱
 
You may want to try to seriously clean your collapsible Sonnar f/2 first.

This is an easy lens to work on. Attached are sketches courtesy of Rick Oleson.
 

Attachments

  • sonnar1.jpg
    sonnar1.jpg
    60.1 KB · Views: 0
  • sonnar2.jpg
    sonnar2.jpg
    97.1 KB · Views: 0
You may want to try to seriously clean your collapsible Sonnar f/2 first.

This is an easy lens to work on. Attached are sketches courtesy of Rick Oleson.

Thanks, good information. I plane to have a boring weekend .. but not anymore 🙂
Actually it looks no that bad, bit it may be some tiny haze inside of this lens.
 
Thanks, good information. I plane to have a boring weekend .. but not anymore 🙂
Actually it looks no that bad, bit it may be some tiny haze inside of this lens.
When perfectly clean and with a front element without scratches, the collapsible prewar CZJ Sonnar f/2 delivers an image quality fully comparable with what you get off 50mm f/2 lenses made twenty years later by Leitz and Nikon.

Have a good cleaning ! 😉
 
Absolutely. There is a mint one on display at a shop near my office for 0.085K €, with a very nice Kiev 4 as a rear cap.

And I don't know any 50mm lenses in Contax mount costing 0.5K $, even the real McCoy Sonnars. 😉

There is original Voigtlander Nokton 50mm/1.5 in Contax mount. I used to own one, and foolishly have it sold. I shouldn't have done that! I don't know how much they command these days, but last I checked they were going for more than $3k.
 
When perfectly clean and with a front element without scratches, the collapsible prewar CZJ Sonnar f/2 delivers an image quality fully comparable with what you get off 50mm f/2 lenses made twenty years later by Leitz and Nikon.

Have a good cleaning ! 😉

Thanks ) it take a few hours. Looks much better now. Internal elements looks very clean. Unfortunately, front element has many small cleaning scratches on coated surface. I can't do much about. Will use as it is. Anyway, all Erik's photo is just not about a perfect lens..🙂
 
Thanks ) it take a few hours. Looks much better now. Internal elements looks very clean. Unfortunately, front element has many small cleaning scratches on coated surface. I can't do much about. Will use as it is. Anyway, all Erik's photo is just not about a perfect lens..🙂
You're welcome. 🙂

If the small cleaning scratches just etched the coating (which makes by the way your lens quite rare because the collapsible Sonnars f/2 wearing the T coating were really very few) this shouldn't have very visible effects on the pictures. OTOH, if the glass itself has been etched by this unscrupulous cleaning over time, this is another story.

On mine (not coated) I use a no-name cylindrical 40.5mm screw-in lens hood which is 22mm long and accepts 43mm clip-on lens caps. Very efficient and it does not vignette the least bit even with a filter between the lens and the hood as it's the case on my collapsible Sonnar. See attached pic. With this cheap accessory the front element is quite always in the deep shadow of the hood - very good. Also the cylindrical shape of the hood makes that you don't see it at all in the camera viewfinder.

Also, the collapsible Sonnar can be fitted with a rear cap you will make yourself using a Kodak film cannister lid. You just have to remove the internal lip with a blade. Then it fits tightly and very securely.

😉
 

Attachments

  • DSC_0064.jpg
    DSC_0064.jpg
    94.3 KB · Views: 0
You're welcome. 🙂

If the small cleaning scratches just etched the coating (which makes by the way your lens quite rare because the collapsible Sonnars f/2 wearing the T coating were really very few) this shouldn't have very visible effects on the pictures. OTOH, if the glass itself has been etched by this unscrupulous cleaning over time, this is another story.

On mine (not coated) I use a no-name cylindrical 40.5mm screw-in lens hood which is 22mm long and accepts 43mm clip-on lens caps. Very efficient and it does not vignette the least bit even with a filter between the lens and the hood as it's the case on my collapsible Sonnar. See attached pic. With this cheap accessory the front element is quite always in the deep shadow of the hood - very good. Also the cylindrical shape of the hood makes that you don't see it at all in the camera viewfinder.

Also, the collapsible Sonnar can be fitted with a rear cap you will make yourself using a Kodak film cannister lid. You just have to remove the internal lip with a blade. Then it fits tightly and very securely.

😉

This Sonnar f2 has 2 68x xxx s/n (with red "T") what probably from 1941. Look like cleaning scratches just etched the coating. I only can see them under bright light. I also check lens surface with x10 magnification. Cylindrical hood is a good idea, thanks. I only wondering how big this hood should be (with good effect without interfering the lens views)?
 
This Sonnar f2 has 2 68x xxx s/n (with red "T") what probably from 1941. Look like cleaning scratches just etched the coating. I only can see them under bright light. I also check lens surface with x10 magnification. Cylindrical hood is a good idea, thanks. I only wondering how big this hood should be (with good effect without interfering the lens views)?

Rare lens indeed ! And good news re. the scratches.

This little narrow cylindrical hood (internal diameter 43mm, total length 22mm) is IMO the longest possible so that it doesn't get into the lens field of view (it doesn't with the f/2 Sonnar but it does with the f/1.5 Sonnar - the two lenses focal points are probably at different places relatively to the outer lens barrel).

IMO again it's really more efficient than larger hoods like the original Zeiss ones or the vented hoods being copycats of the Leitz 12585. The purpose of the hood is to block oblique light rays so that the lens front element is in the hood shadow most of the time. It does not get better than this cylindrical shape for this. Basically it's harder to drop a ball in something looking like a tube than in something looking like a bowl. 😉

I bought it on eBay for a few bucks. Chinese made probably, but very well made, one piece CNC machined, with etched light baffles inside.

Basically the same as the Heliopan hood (long model).
 
Back
Top Bottom