The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Canon 1DS MK III with Zeiss lenses

P

POKO

Guest
Hi,

I am looking to purchase a 1DS MK III and wanted to use the zeiss lenses on it.

Does anyone know where they can be modified for use on the camera?

(It seems as though they are not made in the Canon mount...)

Thanks,

Per
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I use a Conurus converted Contax N24-85/3.5-4.5 Zeiss zoom on my Canon 1DsMKIII. It auto focuses just as fast as any similar Canon lens like the 24-105/4L, but provides better color and contrast, and is sharper out to the corners.

Another route you can take is the use of Zeiss medium format lenses made for Hasselblad using a readily available adapter The F series lenses are relatively inexpensive, and some like the 110/2 provide a unique look and feel not available with other lenses.

This is what the Zeiss zoom looks like on the Canon:
 
Last edited:

mazor

New member
http://en.conurus.com/ does it but they seem to be out of stock temporarily for most lenses. They convert Zeiss Contax N series lenses to Canon mount with full AF and aperture control.

Any other adapters will not have AF and need manual stop down. See Digilloyd's blog for details on Zeiss ZF to Canon with this kind of adapter.

http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/2008-02-blog.html#20080215ZeissZFLenses
This is an impressive mod! I have never seen this ever done before. Looking at the installation instructions, the method is tricky, and not for th light hearted.

But all the same after a successful mod one has the benefits of true autofocusing Carl Zeiss Lens! Much better than the adapter ring option in terms of functionality and most importantly, one does not have to change thier lens system from Canon to Sony to get nice CZ glass.

MAzor
 

elitegroup

New member
I use a Conurus converted Contax N24-85/3.5-4.5 Zeiss zoom on my Canon 1DsMKIII. It auto focuses just as fast as any similar Canon lens like the 24-105/4L, but provides better color and contrast, and is sharper out to the corners.

Another route you can take is the use of Zeiss medium format lenses made for Hasselblad using a readily available adapter The F series lenses are relatively inexpensive, and some like the 110/2 provide a unique look and feel not available with other lenses.

This is what the Zeiss zoom looks like on the Canon:
I've been looking for an EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM for my Canon body but I'd like to take a closer look at the Conurus converted Contax N24-85/3.5-4.5.

If it has better color, contrast and is sharper out to the corners as you say I will consider purchasing a copy where available :salute:

There is a review due soon on this lens at Pebble Place, in the meantime where to find a copy :confused:
 
D

dakota

Guest
I use 6 different Contax Zeiss lenses on my two EOS bodies. If you can live without the AF then it is quite easy and cheap to go this route. You can get some really sharp glass for really good prices like this. I also use Leica R lenses via the same method, just a different adapter. I usually use fotodiox.com pro adapters that run around $89 each. Just attach them to the lens and then connect to the body. Focus manually, step the aperture down the the required size, and use either manual metering or aperture priority.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Marc, do you have any idea of the differences in focus speed between the contax and the canon 24-70L on a 5D?
No scientific measure Ben ... just lots of experience shooting the Zeiss.

It's been awhile since I used the Canon 24-70/2.8 so I can't give you a definitive answer. I can say that this specific Zeiss zoom seems as fast as any other L lens I'm using, and certainly faster than the 85/1.2. The focus throw on the lens is about half a rotation of the focus ring to go from closest focus 1.75 ft to infinity.

I know for sure that it focuses much faster and more accurately on the 1DMKIII, and 1DsMKIII than it did on the Contax N camera.
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
All I need to do now is find one...

I have had a love hate relationship with my 24-70L, I love it when it focuses right, very sharp and nice bokeh/oof transitions. The problem is that with the 3 copies I've owned I have had misaligned left/right sharpness and all 3 focus on the background in fluorescent lighting only which none of my f4 zooms or primes do.

Fancy selling yours? Hell you've got enough gear, what difference would one lens make? :ROTFL:
 

robmac

Well-known member
Use Leica/Zeiss and Hassy (Zeiss) on various Canon bodies (now a 1Ds2), thought not any CZ zooms. Have a Mamiya 200/2.8 APO enroute I'm anxious to try as well.

With good Zeiss/Leica glass (they do make some mediocre lenses) vs. most Canon glass (under the 300/2.8 save the 135/2, 85/1.2 and say the 35/1.4) you get MUCH better fine detail capture.

You also, regardless of the Canon lens, get more accurate color (no Canon over-top reds and yellowy greens) - don't know if it's the coatings on Canon glass and/or some firmware color tweak triggered when an EF lens is bolted to a Canon body.

CZ lenses tend to be higher contrast and a tad cooler than Leica which tends to be more neutral and lower contrast. Really comes down to taste.

I warn you though. Once you start strapping Leica/Zeiss/Hassy, etc glass onto a high-res Canon sensor, it is very, very tough to go back to EF, despite the ease of AF and no stop-down. Top construction, real metal, APO glass, designed for manual focus, no Canon Lens Lottery to deal with, no AF to go out of calibration, etc, etc. She's a slippery, slippery slope....

A great shop for CZ glass selection is www.kevincameras.com in LA.
 

robsteve

Subscriber
I think the original poster may have been asking about the new Zeiss glass, not the older Contax glass.
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Mark,

I dont know if this is of use...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/197094-REG/Novoflex_EOS_NIK_Lens_Adapter_Nikon_to.html

I have used these for AIS and AF D series lenses. The older model
bound very tightly and was almost impossible to get off...the newer one allows a little rotation at the adapter but there is no vertical in out movement so that focus is not affected...movement is a couple of degrees rotation. It just feel wierd when using the longer focal lengths. Overall a great adapter. Works fine with the Zeiss ZF lenses however.

I have purchased from RW in the UK in the past but with the pound/dollar conversion it is a little steep at the present time.


Bob
 

robmac

Well-known member
I think the original poster may have been asking about the new Zeiss glass, not the older Contax glass.
Looks like you're correct.

Have used the 35/2 and 100 ZF and while very sharp, etc., I found the new ZF line (save the 50/2 macro) not that strong re: CA control. Some of the longer units are also relatively large diameter lens barrels and with the small diamter Nikon F mount, the execution of their aperture controls (for a stop-down shooter) can be a PITA and cause focus shift as you inadvertently move focus ring stopping down post-focus. On a Nikon, it's a non-event.

Look at www.pebbleplace.com re: the 50/2 ZF. Quickly stopping down takes skinny fingers. Doing it with gloves - would be 'interesting'. I also HIGHLY recommend Lloyd Chambers ZF line reviews and tests - worth the $$. A good source in US for ZF glass new and used is Tony Rose at www.popflash.com

Nikon-EOS adapters are available from cameraquest/Kindai, happypagehk (ebay), Fotodiox, etc. Many, due to their design, do however have a tendency to allow some minor but ANNOYING rotational movement when focusing well-dampened lenses (which many ZF lenses are).

The problem comes from the spring-loaded locking pin/slot combination that many adapters (most being sourced from the same 3-4 Chinese manufacturers) use to secure/release the lens to the adapter and the combo to the mount. The slot in the tab is wider than the EOS locking pin which allows movement. The tab, being spring loaded also can tend to start to woble around over time, allowing a second order movement.

With my Hassy 110/2 I use two adapters - a Hassy-Nikon and a Hassy-R. Both are then used with chipped Nikon-EOS and R-EOS adapters custom coded for (in this case) 110MM F2. for some exif capture. The Nikon combo rotates a degree or so when you start to focus - not major but annoying - and makes minute focus changes a PITA. The R combo - rock solid as it's lock/release mechanics are different. Same adapter source- HappypageHK. I THINK Fotodiox's pro Nikon adapter (or is it's cameraquest/kindai?), not chipped, uses a better latching mechanism.

Again, see www.pebbleplace.com. John's experience with the 50 and using a Nikon adapter with it mirror mine with the 35 and 100 ZF on my 1Ds2.

Great lenses, but using them on a Canon body does come with some foibles. Some units in the CZ YC and N lines, as well as Leica and Nikon Ai/S and non-G mount IMHO offer comparable performance in many cases for less $$ - and the chance at (for N units) AF conversion. Example - the IQ differences between the 100 ZF and Nikkor 105/2.5 doesn't justify the VAST price difference IMHO.

For a stop-down user, if the ZF line were APO corrected and more mechanically stop-down friendly, they would be worth every penny; but given they are not - there are equivalent lenses out there for less $$ that handle better (again on a Canon).
 
Last edited:
Top