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Zeiss Lens Photos and Discussion

fotografz

Well-known member
Oh my! Where to start ... Zeiss has been part of my gear box almost from the beginning.

I'm not clear on this thread ... is it for any Zeiss optic used on any camera including the lenses on the camera they were made for? Or is it Zeiss lenses used on alternative camera bodies? I'll assume the latter until told differently and post accordingly.

Here are a bunch of shots using all kinds of Zeiss optics on Canons, Nikons, and Sony (often using very high ISOs available with the Canon and Nikons) ... some older CY lenses adapted from my Contax film camera to digital bodies (Some of the CY array of lenses I adapted is shown in the Contax System photo):

-Marc
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Unfortunately, as my eyes aged, and demands for faster shooting increased, I had to abandon use of the Zeiss optics ... even the ZFs I later tried using on the Nikons ... other than a manual focus rangefinder which I still can use, I just couldn't manually focus a DSLR fast enough, or well enough for the type of images I was shooting. :cry:

Here are some of the spec sheets I prepared when selling all the CY lenses, some of which were fairly rare (at least at the time) ... including some of my personal favorites like the 70-210/3.5 and 35-135/3.3-4.5 ... and the legendary 85/1.2 which I really loved.

Fortunately, Sony came along with the Zeiss AF optics and I was back in business with Zeiss again! :thumbs:

-Marc
 

woodyspedden

New member
Marc

I experienced the same issues with manual focus. At 74, the eyes are just not what they used to be.

So a few weeks ago I sold my mint RTS III and all my Contax lenses. (Including the 85 1.2). I will probably mourn their loss since I started shooting the Contax RTS system with model 1 in 1976. But the truth is that I haven't shot a single image with them in over three years so time to clean house.

I used the funds to get the S2 120mm Macro.

Woody
 

carstenw

Active member
Marc, the thread is intended for all Zeiss glass, no matter on what camera. Do you have a high-end Nokia cellphone? Post the photos here. More seriously, it is intended for interchangeable Zeiss lenses on any camera.

The forum itself is meant for anything not Canon-on-Canon or Nikkor-on-Nikon, although for comparison purposes, or as an occasional item of interest, I am sure that a few of those will slip through as well.

Nice shots, especially the third one in the first batch. Do you still have some of your Zeiss lenses?

Woody, sorry to hear that you had to part ways with your Contax system, but I guess that Leica Macro lens makes up for it!
 

woodyspedden

New member
Marc, the thread is intended for all Zeiss glass, no matter on what camera. Do you have a high-end Nokia cellphone? Post the photos here. More seriously, it is intended for interchangeable Zeiss lenses on any camera.

The forum itself is meant for anything not Canon-on-Canon or Nikkor-on-Nikon, although for comparison purposes, or as an occasional item of interest, I am sure that a few of those will slip through as well.

Nice shots, especially the third one in the first batch. Do you still have some of your Zeiss lenses?

Woody, sorry to hear that you had to part ways with your Contax system, but I guess that Leica Macro lens makes up for it!
Hey Carsten

Thanks for the sympathetic thoughts.

I had adapters so that each lens could be used with the Canon bodies but the trouble is I don't like the renderings from Canon cameras!

So in the end it was either remain with film with the RTS body or give up on the old Contax glass and move on.

Woody
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Marc, the thread is intended for all Zeiss glass, no matter on what camera. Do you have a high-end Nokia cellphone? Post the photos here. More seriously, it is intended for interchangeable Zeiss lenses on any camera.

The forum itself is meant for anything not Canon-on-Canon or Nikkor-on-Nikon, although for comparison purposes, or as an occasional item of interest, I am sure that a few of those will slip through as well.

Nice shots, especially the third one in the first batch. Do you still have some of your Zeiss lenses?

Woody, sorry to hear that you had to part ways with your Contax system, but I guess that Leica Macro lens makes up for it!
No more Zeiss other than the ZA lenses for the A900 (I also spent all the cash on a Leica S2 and four lenses :))

Over the years I had many Zeiss V lenses, and FE optics ... a complete Contax 35mm system (including an AX) ... a Contax N and ND system as well as a complete Contax 645 system including the 350/4APO ... a bunch of the ZFs ...

They served me well, but are all gone now because I just couldn't focus them well anymore ... and the AF Contax stuff was all discontinued when Kyrocera bailed on photography gear ... a true tragedy for all Zeiss lovers.

The last of the 35mm bunch was ZFs that I used on a Nikon F6 to shoot B&W street photography ... a task better suited to a Leica M IMHO.

Here are a few Zeiss based wedding shots on 503CW/203FE&Contax 645 w/Kodak 645C ... the two "album pages" from a recent Boston wedding are examples of Zeiss on the A900 that I now use. The two car pics: VW shot on film was like one I owned when an art student, and the Buick was identical to one my Uncle drove us to the movies in when I was a kid and was a 203FE with a CFV/16 using a 350/4FE. The rural Michigan "bike shot" was B&W film using a 203FE and 50/2.8FE Zeiss lens.

-Marc
 

monza

Active member
Love those. ;)

Most of my glass is Zeiss...several C/Y lenses that I shoot with Contax SLRs and also use with NEX. I flirted with adapting them to Canon but gave up as I couldn't focus them accurately. Adapting to Sony is still an unexplored possibility...although that means changing the mount, which means they would no longer work on my film cameras, a sacrifice I'm not willing to make. So the compromise was to use NEX for digital and film for full frame, both of which are easy to focus.
 

carstenw

Active member
Gorgeous shots, Marc. I especially like the first two. It is not hard to see that you have a lot of memories wrapped up in Zeiss lenses.

I hope to find a reasonably priced copy of the FE350 one day, but I am not holding my breath. I did manage to get a 203FE finally, so with my 50/2.8, 110/2 and 250/4 I have a nice little Hasselblad kit. I need to send the lot in to get it tuned and set up properly. I think the 110/2 might not be quite right, but it all works. Now I just need to think of a project to use it for...
 

ReeRay

Member
I don't have any problems in focusing manual C/Y lenses. I use a 25mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4 and an 85mm f1.4 via adapters on my Canon 5DMK11 and get a focus confirm LED on all, just as I do when switching to manual on the Canon glass. Having not converted them to Canon I can easily switch back to using them on my Contax RX for film work. Best of both worlds.
I also use a Conurus converted N24-85mm and again when switching to manual, focus confirm is there.

p.s. Marc, those shots are outstanding.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Gorgeous shots, Marc. I especially like the first two. It is not hard to see that you have a lot of memories wrapped up in Zeiss lenses.

I hope to find a reasonably priced copy of the FE350 one day, but I am not holding my breath. I did manage to get a 203FE finally, so with my 50/2.8, 110/2 and 250/4 I have a nice little Hasselblad kit. I need to send the lot in to get it tuned and set up properly. I think the 110/2 might not be quite right, but it all works. Now I just need to think of a project to use it for...
Thanks, the first two in the above post are also my favorites of the bunch because they are more my style of candid, less posed shooting.

"IMO, your 203FE kit is the perfect set-up :thumbs: ... while I liked the 350/4FE, I used the 250/4FE far more often. My favorite 350 was the Contax 350/4 APO for the C645 (used to shoot the B&W wedding shot below).

I once shot almost an entire Indian wedding with a 203FE + CFV/16 and a couple of FE lenses ... 3 examples shown below. I went home that night and printed a dozen of them @ 17" square and brought them to the reception the next day ... people thought it looked like a NatGeo promotion ... :ROTFL:

Of all the gear I cleared out, the 203FE was the hardest thing to let go of. If there had been a larger square sensor made with fat pixels like the CFV/16 had, I would never have let the kit go.

The 110/2 is a tricky beast, so I often used a BrightScreen flip magnifier when shooting with it. I also changed the screen to a split diagonal (also from BrightScreen if I recall correctly).

Zeiss earned its keep and justified their hefty prices because I used the lenses for commercial applications straight through the film era to the digital era without skipping a beat. Shot everything from car parts, to jewelry promos to bank posters and corporate stuff. A lot of it was reproduced very large.

Very long and fruitful relationship with Zeiss :thumbs: ... much appreciated dedication to optical excellence, only rivaled by Leica IMO.

-Marc
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Marc,

I love the picture of the wedding party under the Chuppah! Where was that taken?
It was in Miami Ron. A Cuban/Jewish wedding at the home of the Bride's elder two Aunts who had fled Cuba when Castro was taking over. Thus the traditional Cuban attire. The huge house was packed with colonial Caribbean/Spanish antiques.

The Groom is an internet pal with a similar love of Leica M stuff like me. Shot 90% of the wedding on film at his request. Mostly a 503CW with a D40 for fill and Leica M.

Pretty free wheeling with kids just wandering around and such, despite being a somewhat orthodox celebration, including Rabbinical Kosher police for all the food and drink.

It was hot as hell, and I wore my usual all stage-black ... which everyone laughed their asses off at. An hour into the shoot, I had salt stains all over my shirt. :ROTFL:

-Marc
 
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carstenw

Active member
Nice lens! And self-portrait :) Did you see a difference in performance between the Contax and the FE 350?
 

RonSmith

Member
It was hot as hell, and I wore my usual all stage-black ... which everyone laughed their asses off at. An hour into the shoot, I had salt stains all over my shirt. :ROTFL:
You had to have been the only one dressed in black at a Sephardic wedding.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Nice lens! And self-portrait :) Did you see a difference in performance between the Contax and the FE 350?
The Contax/Zeiss is AF and the better optic. It is an APO and the 350FE is not.

That said, the 350/4FE is a fine lens and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

-Marc
 

carstenw

Active member
Thanks Marc. I do own both Contax 645 and Hasselblad 203FE, so I could buy either. I really like the square format, and so each decision I can make which sways things in that direction makes me a little happier. The Contax 645 is a great camera, and I just can't get myself to sell it (to simplify), but I like square better than 645 (and 645 better than 3:2). And then there are those Hasselblad haptics and that great big bright viewfinder!
 
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