Sonnar 5cm and 13.5cm + IIIa

raid

raid

Dad Photographer
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I am quite new to Contax cameras and Zeiss RF lenses. This is one of my first five rolls of films with the Contax and the first roll with the Zeiss lenses. The IIIa was a broken camera when I bought it, and I got it repaired. The 5cm/2 was recently added, followed by a 13.5cm Sonnar that Brian Sweeney kindly cleaned up for me. The 13.5cm lens was supposed to be hacked, but Brian convinced me otherwise.


I use Fuji Superia 400 film.
Models: Dana and Lina
Location: Front Porch
Light: open shade

Link to all photos: http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=784757

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My outfit was rather inexpensive and the lenses must have been pre-war uncoated. Overall, I like the results.
 
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Thank you, Mike. The girls had their sunglasses on, so I ran for my camera. It was not a posed session.

I often use Sam's Club for scans. Their fuji frontier machine does a good job.
 
Thank you, Steve. I find the Contax IIIa to be butter smooth in operation. The shutter sounds like a "swish". The lenses are both old and don't look pretty, but they are Sonnars.
 
I'm curious, Raid, about the aperture(s) of your photos above, the first shot in particular. I'm guessing you weren't shooting wide open, but still fairly wide.

I recently purchased a Canon 50/1.5 (from Roland), and am looking forward to using it over the holiday weekend. I really like what I've seen from Sonnar-design lenses.

Please post a picture of your Contax IIIa. Ansel Adams used a Contax in addition to his LF cameras, as you probably know, but he did not have the benefit of your beautiful models!
 
I have two Sonnar's: ZM Sonnar 50mm and Rollei Sonnar 40mm. They seem at first very suitable for taking of portraits of either humans or objects when I really need the target to stand out with a strong 3D signature.

Yet, sometime it can work well in non-portrait shots as well.

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http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=493664572&photo_page=1&size=o




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http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=456554000&photo_page=1&size=o




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http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=493664562&photo_page=1&size=o




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http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=579183663&photo_page=1&context=set-72157601734837314&size=o


But, when I wish for a more subtle signature, I opt for my Hexanon 50mm.

I like both signatures, actually. And, I can't really define which signature is better for what kind of scenes.
 
Bingley said:
Very cool Contax, Raid.

I thought that might be the approximate aperture on the Sonnar. Thanks. You've proved your point about Sonnars and portraits!
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Thanks, Steve.
Sonnars are difficult to beat when it comes to portraits.
It is great that there are sevearl alternatives to getting a Sonnar lens.
The cheap J-8 50/2 or the faster J-3 50/1.5 are Sonnar design lenses.
 
drjoke said:
I have two Sonnar's: ZM Sonnar 50mm and Rollei Sonnar 40mm. They seem at first very suitable for taking of portraits of either humans or objects when I really need the target to stand out with a strong 3D signature.

Yet, sometime it can work well in non-portrait shots as well.

But, when I wish for a more subtle signature, I opt for my Hexanon 50mm.

I like both signatures, actually. And, I can't really define which signature is better for what kind of scenes.
Click to expand...


Thanks for posting these excellent photos. Your lenses are modern. The Rollei 40mm is a great lens. I tested one recently.
 
Lovely work Raid and drjoke! I have a soft spot in my heart for the Contax IIIa and 50/1.5 Sonnar. This was the setup my father taught me to shoot with. He bought the camera new when he was stationed in Germany in the mid-1950's, and filled boxes and boxes of 'chromes with it after I and my siblings were born. It met an untimely demise.

A bit OT - The closest I will get to this setup today is the Leica IIIf and a CZJ Sonnar and Nikkor SC. Here is a gallery of shots of friends with the Nikkor (AFAIK a Sonnar design) shot wide open on Bergger 200 I believe. (This link is temporary). I just got the CZJ back from Don Goldberg and should have a roll developed and scanned soon.

- John
 
@ drjoke: Your photos are fantastic, both the B&W and color. I've also looked at your flickr sets, and the color shots in particular show what a great performer the modern C Sonnar is.

@ Raid: I've been borrowing a Jupiter 3 for several months now, and have enjoyed it. There are some photos taken w/ it in my Gallery Album on Sacramento and Environs. I'm now looking forward to shooting w/ my "new" Canon 50/1.5.

You guys have presented an interesting juxtaposition here of the older and newer Sonnar lenses. What really strikes me about both of your sets is how well the Sonnar renders color, and that for all the buzz going on about the current ZM C Sonnar 50 it is apparent that good bloodlines have something to do w/ it. And, of course, a good photographer helps too!😉
 
Raid, great photos as usual. I especially like numbers 2 and 5. Capturing the un-posed interaction of your daughters is the main attraction. It reminds me of watching my sister's kids grow up. I wish that I had taken pictures of these candid moments.

Speaking as a major Sonnar fan, I applaud your work. It is hard to beat a Sonnar for portraits, either formal or informal.
 
I have been trying out 50mm lenses for several years now. I may currently own and use about fifteen 50mm lenses out of which all are vintage. I have the Nikkor 50mm/2.0 in LTM,and it is also a Sonnar, as John has pointed out above. The J-3 can be very sharp wide open if it is either fully adjusted from the factory or later on reshimmed for crtical focusing wide open. Among the 26 35mm-40mm lenses that I recently tested for people here, the Rollei 40mm really stood out among the lenses, along with a few other lenses that did suprisingly well wide open. Images from Sonnar lenses may appear as less sharp when compared to modern Planar design lenses, but I view it as a different and not as inferior. It seems that using lower contrast lenses on the M8 results in a great match. This also will favor the Sonnar lenses, in my opinion.

As for using Sonnar lenses with color film, I find this to be one of the strengths of such lenses.
 
dexdog said:
Raid, great photos as usual. I especially like numbers 2 and 5. Capturing the un-posed interaction of your daughters is the main attraction. It reminds me of watching my sister's kids grow up. I wish that I had taken pictures of these candid moments.

Speaking as a major Sonnar fan, I applaud your work. It is hard to beat a Sonnar for portraits, either formal or informal.
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Hello Mark,

You already have sent me several wonderful lenses for me to explore within my amateurish lens testing projects.

I sometimes feel that I spend too much photography time with my two daughters, but actually I spend time with them first, and then I just pick up one of my cameras and also take photos of them.

I stopped ordering prints from film anymore; I just get a CD each time. I document their daily lives to the degree that I would have too many prints around.

Thanks.
 
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