CONTAX ZEISS: LIKE SUPERSPEEDS

[Nick Morrison]

I recently put together a very clean set 21 f2.8, 28 f2. 35 f1.4, 50 f1.4, 85 f1.4, and 135 f2.8
Was very picky to get the dates as close as possible and the glass/housings in good shape. The price including the leitax mounts and duclos conversions was about to 8K. I'm sure a bit of luck and more searching could've knocked about $500-800 off the overall price, but think that number is pretty close to the standard now. Unfortunately for those searching the prices have risen lately...so an 8K budget going in is prob a safe bet. Any savings from that would just be a nice bonus.

Hey Paul, what serial number range did you go for? Low 6's? Mid 6s? (AE). Or high 6s? 7s? (MM).

Just curious. I own a pretty large collection of Contax primes and zooms, but never started to notice the serial #'s until a couple of months ago (that's my inexperience showing).

For whatever it's worth, I specifically compared the oldest 50 1.4 I could get my hands on (Serial number in the 5s!!!!!). Against the NEWEST one I could find (Serial number in the 9s!!!!). And to my surprise. They looked IDENTICAL. There was maybe 5% more saturation in the newer one, but you'd have to strain to notice. The older did flare a bit more, though.

[Nick Morrison]

For whatever it's worth, I compared AE & MM coatings again this week. They match PERFECTLY.

I specifically tested a 50 1.4 in AE and MM, an 85 1.4 in AE and MM, and a 135 AE and MM.

I took stills with them, and couldn't tell the difference at all between them.


When I did a flare test, the AE's did flare a bit more, that's about it.

[Nick Morrison]

Just stumbled on this old ebay listing for some Contax "Super Speeds".

The seller's description of the glass is worth noting:

You are bidding a gem of a Zeiss Prime lens set, They are a Zeiss Contax lenses the most expensive and fastest in aperature in there range, selected by Icefilm, Aaton London, Now called Aimimage, and converted to Aaton Mount.

There are 4 lenses included in the set a Rare Zeiss set a 35mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4, 85mm F1.4 and a 135 at F2, an incredibly fast set of lenses, 35mm, 85mm and 135mm, were all made in West Germany at the same place and time they made the Mark 1-2 Arri Zeiss Standard and Super speed lens.

I know that the 135mm F2 is the same Glass selected for the Arri Standard speed that still sells for £3000,00 second hand at T2.2, the 35mm and the 85mm used the same glass as the Mark 1-2-3 Super speeds which again cost £3000,00 pound at there current market value.

The 50mm is also F1.4 and is Made in Japan the F1.4 aperature design was never made in Germany only ever in Japan and is a very sharp and nice lens which matches with the set.

The lens are in very good physical condition and very good optical condition with beautifully rich multi coated glass focus is smooth as is the iris with super clean iris blade all in all is a Very nice example with an 80mm fronts added by Icefilm to the 35mm, 50mm and 85mm, the 135mm is 75mm front, the lenses have all been serviced in London and have really nice and smooth lubricated focus for Motion picture work.

The lenses can be used on all Aaton Super 16 XTR and LTR cameras they cut really nice with a set of wider Zeiss Super speeds such as the MK 1 and 2's range of 9.5mm, 12mm, 16mm and 25mm, They are also a perfect set for the following cameras, Panasonic AG-AF100, GH1-2, GF2, Sony NEX VG10, Sony PMW F3 ect.

I have an Aaton made Adaptor made for the Panasonic AG-AF100 and Micro 4/3 inch cameras for sale in another auction. MFT and Les Bosher can make custom Aaton adaptors for these cameras, and a Ciecio7 on ebay who sold me mine also makes them.

The Aaton Adapter shown on the 50mm will be offered to the winner for extra costs and is not included in this Auction!

A note if Any Red One owners have the P+S IMS mount System on there camera, there is no reason why you can't get someone like Les Bosher to make you a Custom IMS Aaton Mount. This set of lenses is up there with the big boys in quality resolution and aperture speed, they will give a better edge to edge resolution than the standard and Super speed Lenses. They are a lot of possibilities these lenses can offer you as a Cinematographer, there a guy who wants $48000,00 for a set of Arri Mark 3 super speeds in PL mounts, in another auction on here, there isn't much different is how these lenses look and they would look in a side to side comparison. I don't think even the most astute Cinematographer or Lens Technician could tell the different in the overall look both lenses give.

As stated above the lenses comparible to high quality Zeiss lenses, such as MK1-2 Standard and Super Speed lenses, they give a better look than the new Zeiss CP Primes lenses or the there ZF/E range.

I thought his note about the 135 f2 was particularly interesting.

[Nick Morrison]

I found this great article on BH's website about how Zeiss re-badged Contax into ZF (and later ZE):

B&H ARTICLE ON CONTAX BECOMING ZF

The first paragraph is my favorite, as it sets up the history perfectly:

Carl Zeiss, the legendary German optics manufacturer, will soon begin shipping the first of a series of Zeiss lenses in a Nikon F mount. With Contax now gone from the scene, the folks at the Carl Zeiss factory found themselves with a bunch of wonderful lens designs with no place to go. Enter the Zeiss ZF-series of lenses.

For those that don't know, Contax went out of production in 2005. The first Zeiss ZF lenses were immediately released the next year in 2006.

Even though many of the "Z" designs are directly inherited from Contax, the biggest difference in these new "Z" lenses was the coating. More modern and contrasty, the ZF/ZE line no loger had the "low con" look that was a signature of older Zeiss glass (think Standard Primes, etc).

With ZF/ZE/CP2...it appeared Zeiss was stepping into the 21st century with a "look" that went head to head with modern glass like Canon EOS lenses, Nikons, Sony, etc.

[Paul Schneider]

Hey Paul, what serial number range did you go for? Low 6's? Mid 6s? (AE). Or high 6s? 7s? (MM).

Just curious. I own a pretty large collection of Contax primes and zooms, but never started to notice the serial #'s until a couple of months ago (that's my inexperience showing).

For whatever it's worth, I specifically compared the oldest 50 1.4 I could get my hands on (Serial number in the 5s!!!!!). Against the NEWEST one I could find (Serial number in the 9s!!!!). And to my surprise. They looked IDENTICAL. There was maybe 5% more saturation in the newer one, but you'd have to strain to notice. The older did flare a bit more, though.

Hi Nick,
I went almost entirely with MM. My reasoning at first was simply that they were created most recently and I was apt to find more options with a better overall lens condition. I haven't checked in a while, but I believe the only non-MM lens I own is the 50 1.4. It was a mistaken order on my part, but after testing it matched perfectly so I didn't sweat it.

These things are great. I've shot several projects with them and they are very sharp and I definitely prefer the seem less contrasty than more modern offerings.

[Nick Morrison]

Hi Nick,
I went almost entirely with MM. My reasoning at first was simply that they were created most recently and I was apt to find more options with a better overall lens condition. I haven't checked in a while, but I believe the only non-MM lens I own is the 50 1.4. It was a mistaken order on my part, but after testing it matched perfectly so I didn't sweat it.

These things are great. I've shot several projects with them and they are very sharp and I definitely prefer the seem less contrasty than more modern offerings.

Yup we compared them to Leica R's this weekend (great lenses), and they were noticeably more low-con. Our wonderful DP said he was getting about a stop extra latitude out of them, compared to other lenses. He was digging them.

[Nick Morrison]

Found another interesting ebay listing

Yet again, the seller talks about Contax's similarity to Super Speeds. Especially in regards the coatings:

These Zeiss Contax super speed lenses have beautifully rich T* multi coated optics the same found in Zeiss Mark 2-3 super speeds in Cine housing with PL mounts. which use the now banned earth mineral on the coatings which is another reason why they look nicer than the newer Zeiss ZE/ZF lenses, the build quality and the optics are also a lot better.

[Timothy Jones]

Hi Nick,

I love your enthusiasm for the contax . Could you please post some example videos from them?
Like to see the Leica R comparison . Does the footage look anything like " Moonrise Kingdom"?
If they do, i want them.
Thanks,
Tim
www.tjphoto.net

[Michael Panfeld]

so how can one distinguish between Contax lenses for 120 film (645) and those for FF 35mm film?

Also, is there a series of Contax zooms that you recommend? Ones that overlap or butt together to cover a nice full range. 17-35, 35-70, 70-700, etc....

[Nick Morrison]

Hi Nick,

I love your enthusiasm for the contax . Could you please post some example videos from them?
Like to see the Leica R comparison . Does the footage look anything like " Moonrise Kingdom"?
If they do, i want them.
Thanks,
Tim
www.tjphoto.net

I know, a test is in order. One that compares Contax Zeiss to Standard Speeds, Super Speeds...and then to Zeiss ZF/CP2, Leica R, etc.

We're already talking about it, internally.

In regards Moonrise Kingdom: that was shot on old S16 Super Speeds, and that "glow" on the skin is something I recognized right away, so I'd say yes, our Contax's have a very similar coating. But yes...a more definitive test is order, no doubt. Words only mean so much.