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Zeiss 24mm vs Contax G 28mm

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thd12

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Hi guys,

Long time lurker here.

I'm using nex-5 mainly with Contax G 45mm. I'm planing to add a wider lens to my stable.

I've a very difficult time choosing between those two:


Contax G Biogon 28mm:

- 4 time cheaper

- Manual only (yet I'm already used to)

- Wonderfull Zeiss reproduction

E-mount Zeiss 24mm

- Faster at 1.8

- Wider (36mm equivalent)

- Has autofocus

Will love to read your opinions. Thanks in advance!

Cheers!
 
thd12 said:
thd12 wrote:

Hi guys,

Long time lurker here.

I'm using nex-5 mainly with Contax G 45mm. I'm planing to add a wider lens to my stable.

I've a very difficult time choosing between those two:

Contax G Biogon 28mm:

- 4 time cheaper

- Manual only (yet I'm already used to)

- Wonderfull Zeiss reproduction

E-mount Zeiss 24mm

- Faster at 1.8

- Wider (36mm equivalent)

- Has autofocus

Will love to read your opinions. Thanks in advance!

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Not an opinion but,

Add to the 24mm, if you buy it new, has warranty.




And 4 times cheaper???? Please, tell me where!!!! It is between 2 and 3 times cheaper.
 
I don't know how you plan to use the lens you decide to get, but the Zeiss 24 has a minimum focusing distance of 6". That's pretty incredible and I use it all the time. The Contax G can only focus as close as 1.5'. So the Zeiss can focus 3 times closer. That's nearly like adding a macro lens to the Zeiss. I like shooting food and I bet about 20% of my shots with the Zeiss couldn't even be taken with the Contax G.

That being said, I love the Contax G 90/2.8 so I am curious to try more in this series. :)
 
Sorry, sadly the 24mm e-mount zeiss is about 4 times more expensive :) You can find the Contax G for less than 300eur on ebay, the 24mm zeiss is 1050 eur. This is a huge difference witch i believe covers the lack of warranty.

Thanks for mentioning the close focus capabilities of the 24mm zeiss. Its good, yet don't think that is very important for me. I'm gonna use the lens mainly for street shootings and during my trips.

btw. I have the 45 and 90 contax Gs. Both are nothing short of amazing. And the MF is quite easy with the peeking on.
 
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thd12 said:
thd12 wrote:

Sorry, sadly the 24mm e-mount zeiss is about 4 times more expensive :) You can find the Contax G for less than 300eur on ebay, the 24mm zeiss is 1050 eur. This is a huge difference witch i believe covers the lack of warranty.
Click to expand...
Can you bot buy the Zeiss 24 used then (a few in the $700s and most in the lower $800s)? I am not sure why you are asking for feedback if you've already made up your mind about things . . . and you seem to note that the price has made up your mind for you and that you don't care about AF. So, enjoy the Contax G 28. I am sure it's a very good lens. I tried the Sigma 30/2.8 as a replacement for the Zeiss 24 and the f/2.8 was a non starter for me as I didn't find it acceptable in lower light and that's the problem I'd have with the Contax G for evening streets scenes.
 
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I'm in Europe. Where I can't try any of them without buying. As well the Zeiss here costs more than 1000 eur and there are no offers on the used market.

I haven't decided yet. The price is a factor, but not the main one. I need a general lens and i'm really wondering witch will serve me better as such :)
 
thd12 said:
thd12 wrote:

I'm in Europe. Where I can't try any of them without buying. As well the Zeiss here costs more than 1000 eur and there are no offers on the used market.

I haven't decided yet. The price is a factor, but not the main one. I need a general lens and i'm really wondering witch will serve me better as such :)
Click to expand...



Yes, where you are can change the values a lot. US/international ebay values are not that far, but you are paying VAT and a more expensive price for the new lens. I live in south america, and for me it is a lot worst, between 50% and 100% of the US price.




If price is not a problem, get the 24mm. It is better in almost all respects, except price.

Has auto focus, is faster (aperture wise), has as good optical quality, will save exif data, if you want, you can manual focus (both are equally bad on that), etc.
 
The reasons why I have decided not to buy the CZ 24mm for now:

- very expensive

- quite big for a prime

- no OSS

- not really a zeiss, designed by zeiss, but produced by sony

If you are willing to spend a lot on a prime lens, I would wait till the real zeiss lenses come out in a few months I believe. Perhaps those will be even more expensive, but I hope they will also be better in some respects.
 
S3ZAi said:
S3ZAi wrote:

The reasons why I have decided not to buy the CZ 24mm for now:

- very expensive

- quite big for a prime

- no OSS

- not really a zeiss, designed by zeiss, but produced by sony

If you are willing to spend a lot on a prime lens, I would wait till the real zeiss lenses come out in a few months I believe. Perhaps those will be even more expensive, but I hope they will also be better in some respects.
Click to expand...



While I understand your reasoning in your context, in the context of what the original post asked,




The Contax G lens is also a Zeiss design made by another manufacturer, Cosina, and also has no stabilization.
 
The Contax G has corner issues on the NEX-5. For an example see this thread.

If you can live with/workaround the corner issue, it's a very nice lens, but I'd recommend the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 as a native alternative.
 
I have the trio of Contax lenses, 28/45/90mm. I agree the 45 and 90 are special. I have the 28 on my 5N most of the time, but I wouldn't rate that lens as high as the 45 or 90. For street shooting, I'd have thought the 45 (68mm equiv) would be better than the 28 if your subject includes people, and the 45 is what I use when I'm in walk around mode. Even so, there are times when I wanted a wider FOV than the 45, but not as wide as the 28. Have you considered the G35? This might be harder to find (i.e. more expensive also). On the Nex-5, you also wouldn't have as much (if any) of the purple fringing issue that you'd most probably experience with the 28... I can't remember if the G35 is f2 or not; if so, you might find that lens better than the 28/2.8.
 
thd12 said:
thd12 wrote:

Hi guys,

Long time lurker here.

I'm using nex-5 mainly with Contax G 45mm. I'm planing to add a wider lens to my stable.

I've a very difficult time choosing between those two:

Contax G Biogon 28mm:

- 4 time cheaper

- Manual only (yet I'm already used to)

- Wonderfull Zeiss reproduction

E-mount Zeiss 24mm

- Faster at 1.8

- Wider (36mm equivalent)

- Has autofocus

Will love to read your opinions. Thanks in advance!

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Just remember, the Contax G's 28 mm. will no longer be 28 mm. on the NEX, it will be much larger. I am using Contax/Yashica, Carl Zeiss Distagon T 25 mm. from my old Contax 139 SLR film camera and it's one of the sharpest lenses I have in my arsonal. I'm sure the G lenses are every bit a good. In fact I prefer the Carl Zeiss lenses more then the Leica R lenses I have, and that includes the Simmulux f/1.4.
 
seachicken2000 said:
seachicken2000 wrote:

The Contax G has corner issues on the NEX-5. For an example see this thread.

If you can live with/workaround the corner issue, it's a very nice lens, but I'd recommend the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 as a native alternative.
Click to expand...
 
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