Contax Zeiss Survival Guide

[steven strobel]

Hello all,

I have a 28mm F2.0 AEG which no longer will focus to infinity. Any experience with this? Recommended shops that will work on Contax?

Thanks!

When my 28 f2 needed repair earlier this year I took it to Steve's camera https://www.stevecamera.com/ they did a great job. it was rather expensive but if you pay cash they give you a discount.

[Georgios Tryfonas]

Hey All,

I recently finished the Cine Mod through Duclos Lenses (dampened, de-clicked, Leitax EF mount conversion, etc.) for my set of Zeiss Contax. They're awesome, but I've noticed an issue and want to see if anyone else has experienced or dealt with this (sorry if this was addressed in previous posts - still trying to skim through it all).

Was trying them out on a GH5 with a Metabones SB Ultra... I did some searching, and I'm pretty sure I'm seeing some issues with the aperture not behaving correctly. It freezes when I stop down, and depending on the lens, I lose a stop or sometimes several, where the blades just won't respond after a certain point. I want to say it was the worst on the 35mm. From what I can tell this happens to the AEG's, not the MM's (I have the 21 mmj).

When I take the lenses off, the aperture blades respond perfectly when adjusting.

Is this a compatibility issue with the speedbooster? A problem with the Leitax mount? Or was there something faulty about the Cine Mod that was done?

I don't have an EF hard mount camera around otherwise I'd try them on that... so far I've only used these on the Metabones SB.

**UPDATE** After reading different forums I’m seeing a lot of info about the aperture lever and pieces of metal on the back of the lens. People are having to shave them down for the lenses to work correctly on the speedboosters. Assuming that’s correct is the focus lever then, and that other piece of metal sticking out, useless for lens operation on digital cameras? Why are they there in the first place. For C/Y mount cameras?

Thanks in advance for any info.

This is indeed caused by the aperature pins. The pin touches the speedbooster and it's stuck. There are there so that the original cameras can set the aperature automatically by moving the lever mechanically. These are not needed by modern cameras of course.
Shaving off the pins is one drastic solution that works. You can actually just cut it with a simple cutting tool. It's safer. There is a way to remove them properly by opening the lenses something not that difficult especially now that the old screws were removed during leitax installation. This can differ from AE to MM. MM are generally easier.

[Patrick Monaghan]

Hey Georgios. I have the same problem with my set of Contax lenses, I too am wanting to modify them to work with my speedbooster. So are you saying cutting them off is easier than grinding them with something like a dremmel? What sort of tool would you need for this (pardon my lack of handiness).. I'm really nervous about doing this modification to my pristine collection of lenses... Is it just the pin that needs removing or is it also the larger guard that also protrudes at the back of the lens? Do both parts obstruct the speedbooster? Most of my lenses are MM, would it be worth sending to my lens tech to see if he can remove the protruding elements (pin & guard)?

[steven strobel]

Hey Georgios. I have the same problem with my set of Contax lenses, I too am wanting to modify them to work with my speedbooster. So are you saying cutting them off is easier than grinding them with something like a dremmel? What sort of tool would you need for this (pardon my lack of handiness).. I'm really nervous about doing this modification to my pristine collection of lenses... Is it just the pin that needs removing or is it also the larger guard that also protrudes at the back of the lens? Do both parts obstruct the speedbooster? Most of my lenses are MM, would it be worth sending to my lens tech to see if he can remove the protruding elements (pin & guard)?

Just chiming in here, I've modified my whole set myself. I taped very securely around the pin making sure it was tightly drawn and then taped around the pin making sure the lens was covered (cuting pieces of lens cloth to cover) making sure every opening was covered. I then purchased a very high grade hand file. secured the lens to my work bench and slowly, gently took the tabs down. I would stop when I saw shavings often and use the vacuum on them. I did that for my whole set of AE's SS's and they all work great. I'm very mechanically inclined tho. I've done all my mods and cleanings myself. I've only taken my 28 f2 in when I had something major I didn't want to attempt myself. Not sure what lens techs would attempt this but it may be worth a call to see.

[Georgios Tryfonas]

Hey Georgios. I have the same problem with my set of Contax lenses, I too am wanting to modify them to work with my speedbooster. So are you saying cutting them off is easier than grinding them with something like a dremmel? What sort of tool would you need for this (pardon my lack of handiness).. I'm really nervous about doing this modification to my pristine collection of lenses... Is it just the pin that needs removing or is it also the larger guard that also protrudes at the back of the lens? Do both parts obstruct the speedbooster? Most of my lenses are MM, would it be worth sending to my lens tech to see if he can remove the protruding elements (pin & guard)?

Hello Patrick. First I'm assuming you have the lenses Leitaxed; if not the same advice below should be still valid. Depending on the lenses it might be just the pin or both the pin and the guard. I would suggest you start with the pin and check how the lenses work. Always talking about MM lenses since I don't have experience with AE lenses. I was also very scared and a bit "turned off" to be honest when I got my first Contax Zeiss and was reading about all this pin situation and speedboosters. I was thinking why would I need to file or cut a perfectly fine lenses? And I was a bit scared about it as well. Turns out it feels more like fixing the lenses for our modern use rather than ruining them. Do mind this procedure is not just about speedboosters. Many DSLR users also need to take care of the pin and the guard otherwise the lens can damage the mirror.

The pin:
- Best option and the easiest and safest in my opinion is to simply cut off the pin slightly. I'm attaching an image of the simple tool I'm using - I have already cut the one in the photo by the way. It might take a little power to cut the metal pin and it probably won't cut in the first go. But every time you try you cut the metal a bit more so eventually it will cut. You can try swinging a bit left a right as well to make the cut deeper. You can cut it off as much as the Leitax mount allows you to. It will be more than enough to fit in the speedbooster. You might want to cover the back of the lenses with a cleaning cloth or something just in case.
- Second option is filling down the pin. It's not a bad idea but it's the less elegant in my opinion. The problem is that wherever that filing tool touches the black paint will come off. Also the pin moves, making it much harder to accurately file. As it was suggested by Steven above who has had great success with this method, you can tape things around and cover the rest of the lenses which makes things a little easier. But still you will be grinding some metal and you need to be really careful and make sure you clean well because you don't want any of the filled metal to touch your glass of course. I have done this on my first lenses after reading advice online and I was a bit in an agony during the procedure and I also slightly scratched the mount around the pin a bit. So if you do it this way make sure you really tape everything around the top well so the pin is steady and you don't scratch the paint of the mount off.
- The most elegant but also more complicated solution is to remove the pin completely. If you have the money and there is a local lens guy that would do it for you, this is an excellent option. For the sake of being complete I will explain here in case you want to do it on your own. The pin can be removed by taking off the Leitax mount and then the C/Y mount. The main lens can be covered and let alone away while working on the mount. If the aperture ring is removed you can simply add it back by paying attention that the aperture ring pin inserts properly into the aperture lever. The C/Y mount has two separable parts. The pin is part of the top part. Depending on the lenses it could be a little different but generally it involves some unscrewing and it might need a lens wrench for comfortable results. It's nothing complicated or dangerous for the operation of the lenses. You could technically just force the whole thing off (not recommended!) and everything would still be alright when you put the whole thing back as those parts are not even needed for modern filmmaking. I can't take the responsibility to suggest it though if you are not comfortable with opening the lenses in the first place. Do mind that this solution is completely not destructive and it means that one day you could be putting everything back together and sell that lens back to a photographer with an old Contax camera that will need those pins. That's if your lenses are already Leitaxed. A little warning in case your lenses are not Leitaxed already and you just have the original C/Y mounts: there is a large risk of stripping the original screws while attempting to unscrew the mount. There is a whole procedure for unscrewing the mount without risk the first time and a whole complex procedure for taking care of any stripped screws. You definitely don't want to go down this more complicated path unless you are interested in completely modding the lenses on your own.

The guard:
The guard can't be removed unless you remove the whole part of the mount letting some part of the lenses exposed. So cutting it or filing it is the better option. In some lenses it's plastic and can be easily cut. In others it's metallic and might be harder to cut so the best idea is to file it instead making sure you have put something over the back lens to protect it. Again it might not be a problem at all so make sure you test after taking care the pin and act accordingly.


In all cases, make sure you start off from your cheapest lenses of course. If you feel uncomfortable or not confident about something take it really really slow and maybe come back to it later. I think cutting is so simple, easy and not-dangerous so you should be fine!

[Andy Kolb]

Hi there,

I'll be in Tokyo next month and I'm trying to purchase some Zeiss Contax lenses.

Any ideas where to go? Any stores? Areas?

I'm thankful for any advice possible.

Thanks

[Ben Scott]

Hi all,

Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in....

Building a new set from scratch, starting with another 28-85 (after I broke my old one) and a 100mm Planar F2.

Anyone bought one of those pricey 'mint' 35mm f1.4 MMJs on Ebay from Japan? Are they in as good condition as they seem?

[William Long]

Yes, I have bought quite a few lenses from Japan. My impression is that they are really reliable, their descriptions are often bordering on the pedantic - which is appreciated. No problems so far.

[Ben Scott]

Cool.

Used to love my old 35 f1.4 and I'd be paying almost twice as much as I originally did to secure a minty one. Buy once, cry once I guess....

[Jake Wilganowski]

The 35 speed is an absolutely gorgeous lens