Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Carl Zeiss Tessar T* 45mm f/2.8 - 145€ delivered
This forum is locked: you cannot post, reply to, or edit topics.   This topic is locked: you cannot edit posts or make replies.
Home   Old Marketplace (closed)
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:00 am    Post subject: Carl Zeiss Tessar T* 45mm f/2.8 - 145€ delivered Reply with quote
Update:

The Distagon 35mm was sold to Darmodej, who found a 2mm light scratch on the rear element, which I never noticed before.
Since he was looking for a mint copy, he decided to send it back, although he can confirm the performance still perfect and, according to his words, this is the best lens he ever used. Please, feel free to send him a message in order to confirm that.
I can take some samples, so you can also check the quality by yourself.
This is very sharp, even wide open.
Taking account this situation and that I'm looking for a fast sale, the lens is now advertised with a 140eur discount.
The price is now 595eur, delivered inside the EU with full insurance.

SOLD


____________________________________________________


Hi,

Unfortunately I'm needing AF for some personal works and I'll have to buy some L lenses (24mm f/1.4 L & 35mm f/1.4 L) in the focal distances I use the most. I would love to keep my Zeiss ones, but I can't afford to have them all, since they are very expensive.

I spent weeks thinking about this decision, but now I have to move on.
After one month of tears, I'm sure I'll forgive myself.

I already sold my Distagon "Hollywood" and now I have for sale my wonderful Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4.

I believe I don't have to say much about this lens in a forum like this.
You guys know this is one of the best lenses from the Contax system and one of the best 35mm lenses ever made (for any system).


The body is in a very good condition with minimal signs of use. It looks better than in the pictures, since I used a strong light. Mechanically and optically it's perfect. Some dust spots are always acceptable and normal, but this lens is completely clean!

Both original caps are included. The rear one looks new, the front one shows signs of use.

This is a very sharp copy, even wide open. The bokeh and the colours and just beautiful.

I'm asking 735 eur, delivered inside the EU. I can ship it to other countries, but I need to check for the difference in price.




The Tessar 45mm is also a terrific lens. I received it as part of of a payment and, since I already have a Planar 50mm, I think I'll not use it that much. I would love to keep both, because this is the smallest and lightest 35mm lens for a SLR system that I ever saw. However I believe I can't justify to keep it, since I'm also more the kind of wide angle guy.

Anyway, this is an excellent choice for street photography or to use in situations when you want to feel as light as possible.
The classic Tessar design also produces some wonderful results.

The body of this lens is in mint condition. The rear element has a light scratch, which doesn't affect the performance at all! I can take some test shots at request, so you can confirm that.
The front element is perfect.

The front cap is included, but unfortunately I don't have the rear one, since it came with a 139Q (which is already sold).


I can sell it for 165eur (now 155eur), delivered inside the EU.


Thanks,
David


















Last edited by jimlizard on Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:08 pm; edited 11 times in total


PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 11:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Bump!


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
So many people want them , more of them can't afford it including me , damn it Laughing


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 12:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
If any of you have some money in store, get the 1.4/35
Not only you will have an unforgettable lens, but you will not lose any money - you can get that money back anytime whenever you want. It's not like crappy AF lens which loses half value the same moment that you buy it. This lens is a classic, llike the best wine, its price gets higher every passing year. And every passing year, there is less and less of these hitting the used market.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 12:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
If any of you have some money in store, get the 1.4/35
Not only you will have an unforgettable lens, but you will not lose any money - you can get that money back anytime whenever you want. It's not like crappy AF lens which loses half value the same moment that you buy it. This lens is a classic, llike the best wine, its price gets higher every passing year. And every passing year, there is less and less of these hitting the used market.


Yes, I know, I hope sometimes I will get it.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:

Yes, I know, I hope sometimes I will get it.


I know that you know Very Happy
I was actually talking to the other guys in the forum, this is one of the lenses to invest some money in if one has the money available.

And it would be nice if it stayed in the community. Smile


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio and Attila,

Thank you for your words. Wink

In fact I really prefer to sell it to someone in this community, or to someone I know. I could put it for sale on ebay and, probably, I would easily get what I'm asking without problems, but I'm not in a hurry to sell it. It's really painful to let it go.
I already bought the 35mm L, but I'll let this one stay in here for a while, before I decide to go with ebay.

As Orio said, this is a good investment. It's the kind of lens you buy today and, in 10 or 20 years, if you decide to sell it, you'll get the same money or even more. That's a beautiful thing about good manual focus lenses.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This is very nice from you! Many thanks! These lenses selling fast on Ebay I know pretty well.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Bump!


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

35mm (my favourite FL) + 1.4 (fast and flexible) + Zeiss (say no more...) = Total Lens Nirvana.

Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi Jim!

Please, don't sell them .. Smile

You've got the Canon 35 f1.4?

I wouldn't put too much money in AF -- if you do some commercial work for money -- you'll be able to get money back in short time.

The is flying and in MF lenses are more valuable every day. It will be very difficult to get them back.

Distagon 1.4/35 is the story by itself and Tessar is small 'APO' lens with colour brilliance compared to the famous Distagon 21


tf


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I too would love to buy them - I only recently obtained my first Distagon and am sold on them. Like many many people here in the US - money is very tight. I too appreciate your efforts to keep them in this "family". Thanks


patrickh


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks a lot for your words, guys! Wink

trifox,

I know these lenses are increasing their value and they are getting harder to find everyday. Unfortunately we can't say the same about the AF glass. Sad
At least I'm just buying L primes (I'm not a fan of zoom lenses) so, I don't expect to loose money if I decide to sell them one day.

I'll try to explain you better why I'm making this decision. I really like to shoot people (strangers) in their natural environment - and I like to do that using fast glass wide open - which demands a very precise focus.

Sometimes people are not very confortable with the camera and I want to be able to get the moment as fast as possible, before their expressions become less natural.
If I want to be really fast enough using a MF lens, I can't achieve the perfect focus point. I'm very used to manual lenses, but it doesn't matter how good you are, because you won't get a perfect shot in 1 or 2 seconds, shooting wide open with this kind of glass. It looks good but, when you look at 100% crops, the result is not perfect.
You can get perfect results, but you need some seconds more. Sometimes this means you are loosing the right expression, because these people are not models and are not used to deal with a big camera in front of them. A small rangefinder is less scary to their eyes, which would compensate for the extra time , but I don't have the money for a Leica M9 and I prefere the 5D MKII to the M8.


Some photos to explain the kind of shot I'm talking about (both with the 35mm L):







I think you understand what I mean. I much prefer to use MF lenses, since I have a lot of pleasure while using their mechanics and, the feeling of the metal in your hands, is just great.
However I have to be rational and, for this specific style of shot, I'm more efficient using AF.
Since what I use the most are 35mm and 34/28mm lenses, these are the ones I'm replacing.

MF lenses are just perfect for most kind of styles, except sports (although I still use them). I just need the AF for that specific style and that's a reason strong enough for me.
Of course this doesn't mean I'll give up on MF lenses (no way!)! Smile
I just can't keep two 35mm and two 24/28mm of such expensive models.

Anyway, I think this an interesting discussion.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
patrickh wrote:
I too appreciate your efforts to keep them in this "family". Thanks

+2

I really like your 2nd photo. Very natural. I know what you mean. You want the best to suite your style. My MF focusing is still less than desirable though I alrleady have a split focusing screen in my dslr.

I hope one day I will be able to get one of this lens and a camera which can fully utilise the full capability of the lens. All the best to your sale.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hmmm... don't really know if L lenses are better but I found in my Nikkors that AF doesn't give precise focuse, no matter what I tried. I could experiment with it a lot being my subjects mostly still.

To this add that with moving subject AF usually need to refocus continuosly, you have to switch sometimes focus points, etc, loosing precious time, plus you have all kind of problems in low light, AF lamps included.

I had a lot more of luck using MF, focus in the finder and then continuos shooting while slightly changing the focus on the subject.

This is the method used in the past by fashion photographers that used to shoot rolls and rolls of film for that reason. But since digicards are pretty cheap nowadays it's not a matter of cost but of practicing.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 10:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
+1
Alessandro, this is what I have experienced.

There are three possibilities:
#1 manually focussed completely wrong (happens rarely)
#2 AF, seems to be sharp but at 100% magnification you can see that it's not
#3 manually focussed and spot on


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carlsson wrote:
+1
Alessandro, this is what I have experienced.
There are three possibilities:
#1 manually focussed completely wrong (happens rarely)
#2 AF, seems to be sharp but at 100% magnification you can see that it's not
#3 manually focussed and spot on


#2 so true in my experience.
AF gives only approximation of precise focus. In my personal experience, I am not getting more precise focused shots with AF. They are the same percentage of MF, or even less. With the difference that at least MF shots (when taken with good lenses) are more useable even if not perfectly focused. Instead, an AF shot that is not perfectly focused, is nearly useless, because the image looks so weak.

I'd add that for me, #3 does not happen more often than #1
I think at least 80% of my AF shots fall into the #2 category.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes Orio,let's add
#2.5 MF, still not spot on but much more usable than #2

I think Alessandro said something very important, it's a matter of practicing.
Something I did, by strictly using my three main lenses, to get used to them.


my_photography wrote:
My MF focusing is still less than desirable though I alrleady have a split focusing screen in my dslr.


Don't expect too much from a split focusing screen. I prefer a fast matte screen like the EE-S, the sharpness will pop into your eye, all over the viewfinder.
With a split screen the usual routine is: center the object and focus with your split screen, then compose or recompose and shoot. But during the recompose you will loose the focus.
A bright matte screen allows me to compose and focus on the same time.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
This turned into an interesting discussion. Smile

Carlsson wrote:
+1
Alessandro, this is what I have experienced.

There are three possibilities:
#1 manually focussed completely wrong (happens rarely)
#2 AF, seems to be sharp but at 100% magnification you can see that it's not
#3 manually focussed and spot on


In fact, before I got mf lenses, I had the some problem, when using fast AF primes, like the Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM.

Well, what I can say is that my 35mm L is just perfectly calibrated with my 5D Mark II. I tried to take a shot with it, using manual focus with live view and, after that, I took another using AF. Of course the camera was mounted on a tripod for both shots. The result was exactly the same at f/1.4, which proves the AF couldn't be more accurate.

I know this lens has a great reputation, but I think I found an incredible copy.
I did a test comparing it with a Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L (MK1). Of course I was expecting the prime to be a lot better but - you believe it or not - I wasn't expecting it to be sharper (I just tested the center) at f/1.4, than the zoom at f/5.6! Shocked
Seriously, I just couldn't believe.

I found another interesting thing. The Zeiss is a true 35mm and it offers the same exact field of view as the 16-35mm at 35mm. The Canon happens to be much wider, probably around 32mm.

Unfortunately I can't afford the 24mm f/1.4 L MK II, which has an amazing reputation. All the reviews say brilliant things about it and I'm sure it has to be one of the best wide angles available. Probably it's close (not as good) to the legendary Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8.

Anyway, I'll have to go with the first version. I don't expect it to be as good as the Zeiss "Hollywood", especially in the corners, but I'm really tempted by the aperture. Since I rarely shoot landscapes, I believe the Canon is more useful to me for the kind of situations I already mentioned before.

About the 50mm, there's no way I would trade my Planar T* f/1.4 for the Canon 50mm f/1.4. I used to have one and I think the Zeiss is really much better. The Canon 50mm f/1.2 L is tempting, but it's the kind of lens I think I would never buy, because it's too expensive and I doubt it's sharper than the Zeiss.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carlsson wrote:
Yes Orio,let's add
#2.5 MF, still not spot on but much more usable than #2

I think Alessandro said something very important, it's a matter of practicing.
Something I did, by strictly using my three main lenses, to get used to them.


Believe me, I have a lot of practice using mf lenses. Wink
However there's no way we can be as fast as a calibrated AF USM lens.


Quote:
With a split screen the usual routine is: center the object and focus with your split screen, then compose or recompose and shoot. But during the recompose you will loose the focus.
A bright matte screen allows me to compose and focus on the same time.


This is true and it's a problem some people find with AF lenses when they don't change the AF point. Using extreme apertures, the slightest movement to recompose will result in a out of focus shot.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carlsson, I have to add that your collection of Contax lenses is just amazing! Shocked


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you! But it's far from beeing complete, still missing the famous 1.4/35 Crying or Very sad


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
jimlizard wrote:
Carlsson wrote:
Yes Orio,let's add
#2.5 MF, still not spot on but much more usable than #2

I think Alessandro said something very important, it's a matter of practicing.
Something I did, by strictly using my three main lenses, to get used to them.


Believe me, I have a lot of practice using mf lenses. Wink
However there's no way we can be as fast as a calibrated AF USM lens.



It depends, when you use fast lenses wide open you have to switch around the focus point and it's not that faster than turning the focus on a MF lens, actually I find it a lot slower with a higher risk to miss the image I want.

If you use lenses stopped down a bit instead you have a safety margin depending on the distance from the subject, the focal length of the lens and the f-stop you use. Just to say photoreporter of the past used often a 28 mm at f8 and just cared about shutter time without worrying about focus, you have to put some efforts in not getting good focus on a subject using a 28mm at f8 (I don't talk about landscapes of course).

When I really had problems with MF was that I had good focus in the screen and it was missed in the image. I boggled at it for a while since when I took out my glasses and used contact lenses. Problem solved Wink


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
35mm now sold to darmodej. Wink


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
darmodej - congrats!

this lens is A GEM !

It's a piece of glass which never ever will be produced again, I am afraid.

and say hello to Bratislava, please:)

tf
This forum is locked: you cannot post, reply to, or edit topics.   This topic is locked: you cannot edit posts or make replies.
Home   Old Marketplace (closed)
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2