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Does Anyone Use The Following Non-Fuji Lenses On X Series Cameras?

Palmnell

New member
I have owned an X100 and an XE1 for a while, then recently went nuts and bought two more XE1's (they were too cheap to pass up), an XE2, an X30 and today an XPro1. Also went berserk on some non-Fuji glass, again because the price was right or because Fuji doesn't make lenses in these focal lengths/maximum apertures. I have the Fuji 14mm, 27mm, 60mm and 18-55mm. But here's what I just picked up:


40-80mm F3.5 Zeiss Contax Vario Sonnar
50mm F1.8 Rollei HFT Planar
90mm Zeiss F2.8 Contax G Mount Sonnar
135mm F4 Rollei HFT Tele-Tessar
200mm F4 Zeiss Contax Sonnar
300mm F4 Zeiss Contax Tele Tessar

Does anyone have any experience with these lenses on the above cameras? Any suggestions, caveats,
observations and pictures please.

Thank you.
 

Tim

Active member
Where is Vivek? He's the most adapted lens person here.. :watch:

I'd love to see something from that 50mm F1.8 Rollei HFT Planar
 

Palmnell

New member
Where is Vivek? He's the most adapted lens person here.. :watch:

I'd love to see something from that 50mm F1.8 Rollei HFT Planar
Happy to oblige.......DSCF5707.jpgDSCF5779.jpgDSCF5864.jpg

Top picture F4 at 1/45 sec, 200 ASA Provia simulation.
Centre picture F2.8 at 1/2900 sec, 200 ASA Provia simulation.
Bottom picture F1.8 at 1/125 sec, 1250 ASA Provia simulation.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Where is Vivek? He's the most adapted lens person here.. :watch:
Tim, I will go with a set of Fuji's own primes for the X mount.

(Hard to top that with anything else- unless there are other factors involved.)
 

Palmnell

New member
Tim, I will go with a set of Fuji's own primes for the X mount.

(Hard to top that with anything else- unless there are other factors involved.)
Hi Vivek,

Other factors are: Price, availability and the fun-factor.

Fuji doesn't make a 50mm F1.8 lens. This one cost me US $40 and the adapter was US $15. So I think the 50mm Rollei HFT qualifies. The picture quality is pretty decent.

The other non-Fuji lenses on my list all had to pass the same PAF test. I bought the Contax Zeiss Sonnar 90mm F4 G lens because the Fuji 90 is twice the weight and size of the Contax lens and it appears to be at least as sharp as the Fuji 60mm at similar distances. I'll post some pictures from all these lenses as I can.
 

Palmnell

New member
DSCF5397 (1).jpgDSCF5347.jpgDSCF5406.jpg
The other non-Fuji lenses on my list all had to pass the same PAF test. I bought the Contax Zeiss Sonnar 90mm F2.8 G lens because the Fuji 90 is twice the weight and size of the Contax lens and the Sonnar appears to be at least as sharp as the Fuji 60mm at similar distances.
All are with the 90mm Zeiss Sonnar on an XE1.

Chair: F2.8, 1/60 sec. 1600 ASA Provia simulation.
Japanese Frieze: F4.0, 1/125 sec. 640 ASA Provia simulation.
Coke: F4.0, F4.0, 1/30sec 1000A ASA Provia simulation.
 

Palmnell

New member
Pixco makes a combined lens adapter/variable extension tube for the Contax/Fuji systems. It's $38 on Ebay. It will allow focusing down to one inch at 1:1 macro. The two pictures below of a shrimp tempura hand roll were taken with it and the Zeiss 40-80mm F3.5 Vario-Sonnar. A great lens, but a monster.

Details: F3.5 @40mm, 1/10 sec, Provia 200 simulation.

Seems like a cheap way to get full macro. The lens was $175. The Fuji 60mm Macro only allows for 1:2 macro at almost 11 inches. I bought the Fuji as a portrait lens instead of the 56mm. It excels at that, despite sometimes pathetically slow autofocus.

I'm going to try the adapter on a 50mm F1.4 Zeiss. I think that will be a wonderfully compact macro combo.

Pictures at 10.
 

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Palmnell

New member
Somebody stop me.......

Or at least post a few pics taken with non-Fuji lenses.

Since I'm a newbie I think that a little history is in order. I started in photography by taking pictures for several rock music magazines in the 1970's. I used Nikon at that time. I switched in the 1980's to Contax and Leica.

In the 1990's I got into medium format with Bronica, then Hasselblad and Mamiya. The turning point was when I ran a roll of Kodak Technical Pan through a Mamiya 6 with the 50mm lens. This blew my mind. I had never seen such razor-like sharpness. Detail was astonishing. I sold my Hasselblad system. To this day I still think that this lens may be the sharpest made in any format.

At the same time I also used an older Linhoff Technika with Schneider and Zeiss lenses and finally Fujinon lenses. The latter were supreme.

And that brings me to the present day. I love the Fuji X system and the way it handles. But it's a compromise because not all the Fuji lenses handle well on the XE1, XE2, X Pro 1. The longer zooms and larger, faster lenses are just silly. It's the tail wagging the dog. And IMHO there should be smaller, albeit slower lenses for these cameras. Fuji doesn't make them. Therefore that's why I seek out lenses from other manufacturers that fill those needs. Next on my list are smaller Leica lenses. But in the interim..............

Zeiss 135mm F4 Tele-Tessar for the Rollei SL system. Compact if a bit heavy. This lens is a cheaper sleeper. I paid $70 for mine. A great value.

All pics are at F8 and all with Provia 200 simulation. From top to bottom:
1/28 sec
1/420 sec
1/680 sec
1/500 sec
 

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Palmnell

New member
I won't.


Alas not me at the moment.
In a mad fit I sold my X-T1.
Considering the X70 and maybe have a try of the X-T10. The small size appeals.
Tim, have you never considered the XE1? They are now so cheap since they are superseded by the XE2 and the XE2s. I just bought two XE1's - black and chrome - with fewer than 500 shots on them in their boxes for $225 each. Silly. I love this camera, almost as much as my X100. And...... you can put non-Fuji lenses on them.

So thank you, I'll keep going. My feeling so far is that Zeiss lenses are amazing on the Fujis and the colour balance is almost indistinguishable from the Fuji lenses. You can do a job using both lenses and not have to correct the color between them.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Fuji lenses, but as I mentioned earlier they don't always fit the bill. Below is a picture I took with the 60mm Fuji Macro. I don't think it's great macro lens, but as a 90mm equivalent portrait lens, WOW, lookout. F2.4, 1/15 sec, 800 ASA Provia simulation. I'll be posting pictures from my other lenses shortly.
 

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Palmnell

New member
Tim if you want a small but very capable camera consider the X30. It's smaller than either the XPro1 or the XE1. I bought one after seeing a monochrome shot on the internet that I was convinced was a TMAX 100 shot. I contacted the poster and he told me it was taken with an X30. I was blown away. The X30 is a real secret. Not only does it produce amazing images but it has a 28-112 zoom and can focus to 1cm life size in super macro. All of the following pictures were taken with it. Digital Rev sells it for $399 including very fast shipping. All the pictures below were taken with my X30.
 

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Palmnell

New member
A Tele-Tessar moment.

The first picture is taken with the Zeiss 135mm F4 Tele-Tessar for the Rollei SL 35 system at 1/125 second. The second was taken with the Zeiss 200mm F4 Tele-Tessar for the Contax system at 1/250 second. Both shots were taken at F8 with Provia 200 ASA simulation.
 

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Charles2

Active member
I have the 50mm F1.8 Rollei HFT Planar. It renders beautiful photos, but there is an adapter problem. I cannot get sharp focus at infinity - about 15 meters and beyond. After this happened with a generic adapter, I bought a Kipon. Same problem. So it is a wonderful lens for close and medium shots.

Adapters for common mounts such as M, 39 and 52 screw mount, Minolta Rokkor, and Pentax K have not given me this problem. An adapter for Praktica mount had the infinity problem. Maybe the engineers plunge ahead without lenses to check the thickness of the adapter.
 
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