Zeiss Ikon Contax iia vs. Canon L1

[TenEleven]

I second what @Coldkennels says above - in fact my best performing (meaning in terms of sharpness at full aperture etc.) f2 Sonnar is in fact a Jupiter-8. I love my Jena Sonnars for their rendition but when I want all around sharpness from 2.8 I go for the Jupiter.

Also some of the bad rep these lenses get is also likely due to their L39/M39 screw mount versions having different rangefinder gain. (52.4mm VS 51.6mm) Yes the register distance is identical to the LTM standard but the gain is not. This means RF focus diverges for closer distances when used on a Leica or equivalent camera. Depending on the focal length/aperture the picture can even be entirely out of focus.

This is however not the fault of the lenses nor does it mean the optics are "bad" or that something has been done sloppily. The lens may very well work as intended -- on a Zorky, which is the camera that these were made for.

 

[Cascadilla]

The lens availability in the Contax mount -- the post war 21mm, 35/2.8 Biogon, 50/2 and 50/1.5 Sonnar, 85/2 Sonnar, ect -- are all top notch, even by today's standard. Certainly sharp enough, with tons of character, at least for a film user. The optics of those pre-war, uncoated lenses always surprised me, in a good way. And over the years in photography, I've gravitated to -- as long a s a certain level of quality is satisfied -- less choice actually being better. You chase pictures, and composition and light, instead of chasing your next bit of equipment. I'm really a big fan of the single or uncoated lenses for B&W -- true tone monsters in B&W.

And there are also Nikon RF lenses specifically made for Contax, the ones with the "C" on the lens barrel. I have the 8.5 cm f/2, 10.5 cm f/2.5 and 13.5 cm f/3.5 and all of them are good performers. Some of these are pricey, but the 13.5 f/3.5 is usually not that expensive, especially if you can live with the heavy all brass focusing mount. For wide angles, the discrepancy between Nikon and Zeiss is usually not that crucial, so the 2.8 cm f/3.5 and 3.5 cm f/2.5 or f/3.5 are also viable choices. The 2.1 and 2.5 cm Nikkors are unfortunately low production/highly collectable so out of the realm of possibility for most of us.

 

[1936ContaxII]

3) Good ol' McCarthyism

😆 Yes maybe you're right.
I have to admit that I have always been a Zeiss snob, a little bit at least 😉😊.

 

[rick oleson]

😆 Yes maybe you're right.
I have to admit that I have always been a Zeiss snob, a little bit at least 😉😊.

It’s a little funny that we think less of Soviet gear because of the political system they were made under - the regime that hosted the Contax II wasn’t the subject of a lot of admiration. : ) =

 

[CameraQuest]

I really dislike shooting the various knob wind Contax RF and Rusky bodies, much preferring the Canon RF bodies -- especially the L1 and 7sZ.

There is no right or wrong to it, just find what works well for you.

 

[Coldkennels]

It’s a little funny that we think less of Soviet gear because of the political system they were made under - the regime that hosted the Contax II wasn’t the subject of a lot of admiration. : ) =

I have a good friend and former colleague who's originally from Germany. I told him some years back that I'd picked up a 1938 Contax II, thinking he'd be interested in it. His dismissive response was that he thinks most things from his own country in that era are a bit "krauty". His words, not mine.

As an aside, while Leitz's "freedom train" is a very well-known story, Zeiss's involvement in the Nazi Regime is much more problematic. As per Wikipedia:

"After initial conflicts with the Nazis, the company took part in the rearmament of the Wehrmacht in the 1930s and sponsored the so-called race research at the University of Jena (Optic Jena). During World War II, the Zeiss company employed thousands of forced labourers, for example at the main site in Jena and in the various production sites and associated companies. As part of Nazi forced labour program, Zeiss used forced labour, including persecution of Jews and other minorities during World War II."

So my friend Markus may have had a bit of a point.

I really dislike shooting the various knob wind Contax RF and Rusky bodies

...I think you mean Ukrainian, Stephen. Important distinction these days!