wide angles on Kiev/Contax

[JoeFriday]

two part question....

1. is the Jupiter-12 compatible with a Contax IIa? (I'm guessing yes, but want to confirm that with someone who knows)

2. are there any wider lenses than 35mm that are readily available, other than the excellent CV options?

I'm on the verge of splurging on a 21mm, but want to know what all my options are before committing

 

[JoeFriday]

hmm... further investigation shows that the J-12 will not mount on a Contax IIa.. that bites

 

[kiev4a]

Don't know much about you secon question but the Jupiter 12 works just fine on both my Kiev 4As and my pre war Contax II. Don't know if the postwar Cantax IIs had any incompatibility problems.

 

[JoeFriday]

I'll probably buy a J12 to use on one of my Kievs.. but I'm still interested in wider options for my Contax IIa... any better options than spending $400 on a new CV 21 or 25mm?

 

[ScottS]

I'll probably buy a J12 to use on one of my Kievs.. but I'm still interested in wider options for my Contax IIa... any better options than spending $400 on a new CV 21 or 25mm?

Well you could spend $300-400 on a pre-war Zeiss 28/8 or on a russian Orion-15 28/6. Same money, but slower vintage lenses vs. faster modern optics. Nikon wides would work too, but I don't know how much they run.

Scott

 

[jdos2]

None of my J-12's fit on my Contax IIIa- there's a raised bump in front of the shutter that prevents it by several mm's.

I have a 21mm fromm CV. It's very nice for $400, but you might have better luck with a post-war 35mm for it, or even a (blah) Tessar (35mm? 28mm?)

 

[dexdog]

wide angles on Kiev/Contax

The 28mm and 35mm Nikon RF lenses will fit on a Kiev, but unfortunately will cost as least as much as a brand new VC.

 

[JoeFriday]

I have a 21mm fromm CV. It's very nice for $400, but you might have better luck with a post-war 35mm for it, or even a (blah) Tessar (35mm? 28mm?)

do you have any shots from your 21mm? that's the lens I'm leaning toward.. I'd like to see the perspective it gives

 

[Kin Lau]

The J12 doesn't work on post-war Contaxes, don't even try.

I mulled over this question myself, and came to the conclusion for that for extra $$$ that the CV21 costs in Contax/Kiev/Nikon S, I can buy an LTM CV21 + Bessa L or put the extra toward a Bessa R (which is what I ended up getting).

 

[Honu-Hugger]

Joe,
I have a few shots from the Zeiss 21mm Biogon in my gallery (I'll post one here).

 

[dll927]

The problem with super-wide lenses is that many of them protrude too deep into the camera body. That's one reason the Leica M-5 caused complaints - the 'wig-wag' meter sensor prevented use of some wide-angles. I have three Kievs, and so far the only lenses I have are the 50mm ones that came with them, but I'd be interested to know - aside from the viewfinder matter - how compatible lenses I see advertised on e-bay etc. are with the cameras. No point in looking at them if they won't fit. And of course, the FED/Zorki and Kiev lens mounts don't know each other.

 

[JoeFriday]

great shot! that's about what I'm looking for

Kin, that's the same conclusion I'm quickly coming to.. it's about as cheap to get the CV 21mm with a Bessa L, and in the long run it'll be more compatible

so.. does the CV 21mm in LTM come with a brightlines finder?

 

[Kin Lau]

so.. does the CV 21mm in LTM come with a brightlines finder?

The one from Cameraquest does.

 

[RJBender]

hmm... further investigation shows that the J-12 will not mount on a Contax IIa.. that bites

Hey Brett,

This Ukrainian seller has a Contax II with a J12 and he claims everything works:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7515662037

R.J.

 

[popitz]

RJ,

The J12 will work just fine with a (pre-war) Contax II but not with a Contax IIa.

 

[Roman]

RJ,
the (pre-war) Contax II and (post-war) Contax IIa are rather different cameras, the J-12 does not fit on the latter one.

Roman

 

[VinceC]

The Contax II is a prewar model while the IIa is an improved postwar model. Pretty much a completely different camera.

 

[VinceC]

Oops ... I wasn't fast enough. Roman beat me to the answer.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Tanar made a 35mm F2.8 in Nikon mount. it will work fine on the Contax IIa. Somewhat scarce, but usually sells for less than the Nikkor lens.

 

[JoeFriday]

Brian, congrats on your 3000th post!