Contax G Lenses - Any happy digital camera users out there?

jarek leo · Dec 30, 2015

Thanks a lot for the kind words. I would not recommend Contax G Biogons (21/2.8 and 28/2.8) on Sony A7 for critical landscape photography - the combination of deeply recessed back lens element and Sony sensor design works poorly for image corner quality. But I did find that used for people or pet photography ther render centres beautifully while corners degrade gracefully into nothingness. Those smeared corners work to your benefit in portraits.

Best

Jarosław Brzeziński

Thoughts said:
jarek leo said:

28/2.8 and 21/2.8 have known issues in the corners but used thoughtfully can work.

Click to expand...

I really appreciate this statement. A lot of people, including myself sometimes, just try to find a 'perfect' lens, without enough patience and ingenuity to work around the lens imperfections!

Tim Zhou said:

All the best,

Jarosław Brzeziński

Click to expand...

--
Tim Zhou

JoeWall · Dec 30, 2015

I have a 90mm f2.8 with Techart adapter on an A7II

Colors are lovely however I find the usability low. The techart adapter provides autofocus but it is rough and not very precise. Because of this, I have yet to take a memorable photo with this. The process is not exactly enjoyable.

I am using manual focus on my Zeiss distagon 35mm so I'm wondering if I should get another adapter with manual focus instead.

Now in the market for a telephoto. Had a look at the Contax 100mm f2 Planar and the Voigtlander 125mm f2.5 APO. A bit expensive, still looking

Tim Zhou · Dec 30, 2015

Doesn't Techart adapter have a tiny wheel that allows you to manual focus? I think I have been told people find that wheel nice to use/focus well.

webrunner5 · Dec 30, 2015

JoeWall said:
I have a 90mm f2.8 with Techart adapter on an A7II

Colors are lovely however I find the usability low. The techart adapter provides autofocus but it is rough and not very precise. Because of this, I have yet to take a memorable photo with this. The process is not exactly enjoyable.

I am using manual focus on my Zeiss distagon 35mm so I'm wondering if I should get another adapter with manual focus instead.

Now in the market for a telephoto. Had a look at the Contax 100mm f2 Planar and the Voigtlander 125mm f2.5 APO. A bit expensive, still looking

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I have a Pentax 135mm 2.5 that is crazy good pretty much edge to edge.

I think I paid like 50 bucks for it a year ago! Looks like it was never used. A little long but..

jarek leo · Dec 30, 2015

My Photodiox adapters are manual focus only with large focusing rings around the lens mount and - althouth gritty in use - precise fousing is perfectly doable.

JoeWall wrote:

JoeWall said:
I have a 90mm f2.8 with Techart adapter on an A7II

Colors are lovely however I find the usability low. The techart adapter provides autofocus but it is rough and not very precise. Because of this, I have yet to take a memorable photo with this. The process is not exactly enjoyable.

I have no experience with the Planar, but took some photos with the APO Lanthar 125mm f/2.5. A truly great lens but extremely expensive now, particularly in the more desirable Nikon mount (I prefer manual aperture control). Ironically you can now buy for less money a Leica APO Macro Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8 (when sold new the Leica was much more expensive than the Voigtlander) - and although without ELPRO it only goes to 1:2 magnification, it is an outstanding lens. Two samples below.

Best

Jarosław Brzeziński

JoeWall said:
Now in the market for a telephoto. Had a look at the Contax 100mm f2 Planar and the Voigtlander 125mm f2.5 APO. A bit expensive, still looking

Sony A7 + Leica APO Macro Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8

Serhan2 · Dec 30, 2015

Yes, mf with the techart adapter is easier then any mf adapters that I used since the af motor assists the mf wheel. I used techart adapter ver I which was slower, then III and never had any af problems since the af is contrast based until the last update which now works with phase detection option on A7 II/A7R II. Also there is an option to correct front focus/back focus.

Thoughts said:
Doesn't Techart adapter have a tiny wheel that allows you to manual focus? I think I have been told people find that wheel nice to use/focus well.

Joachim Wulfers · Dec 31, 2015

moranjr said:
I have a beautiful set of G lenses which I use on a Contax G2. I would be interested in the experience of MFT, APS-C, FF users who are pleased with their adapted set ups. Thank you.

Wanted to add a few more shots taken with the Contax G 45/2 on my A6000

--
Joachim

Joachim Wulfers

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moranjr · Dec 31, 2015

Very nice. Your motorcycle? Where were these taken?

Joachim Wulfers · Dec 31, 2015

moranjr said:
Very nice. Your motorcycle? Where were these taken?

Glad you liked them. The first is an old railroad bridge in Millpond park here in my town of Milton, Ontario. My motorcycle shot was on a gravel road in the Caledon Hills, Ontario this past fall. The third was on the side of a road south of Georgian Bay in Ontario and the last one is on Mountsberg lake close to where I live.

JoeWall · Jan 3, 2016

yes there's a small wheel for autofocus but i find i cannot make precise adjustments with it.

furthermore I have purple fringing in high-contrast areas with the Contax G 90mm :-(

Tim Zhou · Jan 3, 2016

You should definitely looking into how to use that little wheel as I was interested in the adaptor as well as people generally felt that little wheel works better than usual G adaptor (Kipon, Fotodiox etc.)

In terms of the purple fringe, I would suggest you to use a hood for G90. If not, just use software, these days, one click can remove it. No biggie.

GotoDengo · Jan 3, 2016

90mm f2.8 wide open, fotodiox adapter:

GotoDengo · Jan 3, 2016

45mm f2, aperture unknown, arizona canyon:

Joachim Wulfers · Jan 3, 2016

GotoDengo said:
90mm f2.8 wide open, fotodiox adapter:

That looks pretty bad. I guess it's camera shake. My 90mm wide open is very sharp.

--
Joachim

Joachim Wulfers

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lsds · Dec 5, 2021

New life into this thread with news of a new Techart auto adapter for Contax g lenses on the Nikon Z cameras.

https://nikonrumors.com/2021/10/17/...-01-contax-g-to-nikon-z-af-lens-adapter.aspx/

AdaptedLenses · Dec 5, 2021

I needs specially milled insert, not a direct fit

Tim Zhou said:
Lightshow said:

I'm using a G45/2 on my A7r, it's optics have been transplanted into a Rokkor 55/1.7 body, and is now M mount,

Click to expand...

If I get a G45, Rokkor 55 and m mount adaptor, how difficult is it to put them together? I do not have any tools (apart from some screw drivers....). I assume it is probably too hard for me.

--
Tim Zhou

Joachim Wulfers · Dec 5, 2021

lsds said:
New life into this thread with news of a new Techart auto adapter for Contax g lenses on the Nikon Z cameras.

https://nikonrumors.com/2021/10/17/...-01-contax-g-to-nikon-z-af-lens-adapter.aspx/

Good to revive an old thread once in a while. However, I have more fun with these lenses with my dumb Fotodiox adapters. Here are a few recent shots with the Contax G 90/2.8, all hand held

Oak leaves in fall colours

--
JoWul
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jowul/

M43Hero · Dec 7, 2021

I use the Contax G 28mm F2.8 Biogon with my A7R and A7RII. Images are sharp corner to corner and the color cast is reduced to almost nothing with a reversed PCX filter. Here's a thread on Fred Miranda with more info: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1453834?b=2

rich_cx139 · Dec 7, 2021

….:. Just noticed it’s an old thread and can’t delete my post now

I have the 21,28,45 and 90.

Used to them on G2 bodies which I sold while the price was high and just in case they bricked .

Have used them on NEX6 with and without a focal reducer, on an A7and now on a Z6.

Stunning lenses but, even with the teversed pcx lens on the 21 and 28 they do suffer from some corner smearing only partly due to field curvature.

Heres the ref to philipreeve’s on these if you haven’t seen it

https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-carl-zeiss-28mm-f-2-8-biogon-t-1-5m-pcx-filter/

Exactly the same on the Z6 as on the A7 - forget the noise about thinner filter stacks on the Z cf A7 imo.

It doesn’t bother me since, among other things, output on digital is noticeably better than on the film I shot.

Shame about the fact that the registration distance is shorter than on Leica M - they would probably work well on those bodies.

I use Kipon adapters or clones. It took me some time to get a set whose focussing was as nice as possible and I keep one adapter permanently on each lens. The big and bulky fotodiox adapters were aweful - tried 2 and sent both back.

Joachim Wulfers · Dec 7, 2021

It is interesting reading about how people appreciate these Contax G lenses. I had bought a G1 camera in mint condition with 28mm, 45mm and 90mm lenses. Eventually I sold the G1 camera with the 28mm lens and a Kipon adapter for contax-nex. It was the nochiest of the two Fotodiox and the Kipon I purchased. The 28mm just had too much colour cast on the NEX5N I was using

However my Fotodiox adapters are very smooth after lining up the little sprocket which engages with the AF lens mechanism. The Fotodiox CG - NEX adaptor is 10mm thick and the focusing ring has an OD of 65mm. The lens mounting flanch has an OD of 60mm. I would not call that bulky at all. Now, the adaptors for Nikon F, Fuji, Leica LS are rather bulky. I still have a Kipon adapter with the same size as the Fotodiox adapters.

Once you adjust the little sprocket driving the lens and use some vaseline lube, the adapters are nice and smooth.

--
JoWul
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jowul/

Contax G Lenses - Any happy digital camera users out there?

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