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Contax Vario-Sonnar: 28-85 or 35-135
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ok accepted... but the Kipon adapter still doesn't work with NAM-1 which means no Apo-Makro-Planar T* 4/120 for the NEX/A7 Wink


PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use Metabones Leica R to Sony E mount adapter for my Leica R lenses. For my C/Y lenses, I am using a Rainbow Image C/Y to Sony E mount adapter, about $12 on eBay, the Metabones is still on the way. The in-expensive Rainbow adapter works fine on my Sony A7R. But I like the quality and tightness on the mounts of the Metabones adapter. Smile


PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2024 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Today I got a nice copy of the Vario-Sonnar 3.3-4/28-85mm which had been sitting in a local photo store for months. Since I have both the Zeiss CY 3.5/70-210mm as well as the later CY 4/80-200mm, and since both these CY tele zooms are relly good, I always had been lusting for either a Zeiss CY 35-70mm or the CY 28-85mm. Today I couldn't resist any more, especially since the lens looks like new and had a 82mm UV filter protecting its front lens.

Earlier on I already had been comparing this CY 3.3-4/28-85mm with the slightly slower (but aspherical) Minolta AF 3.5-4.5/28-85mm. At infinity, and using 24 MP FF cameras, the lenses have a comparable perfomance level when it comes to resolution, contrast and CAs. The Minolta probably has stronger vignetting, and distortion-wise I haven't compared the lenses yet. Close range performance as well as bokeh are to be tested later, too.

The built quality and handling of the Zeiss CY 3.3-4/28-85mm is really good, although not as outstanding as the (Germany made) Zeiss Vario-Sonnar CY 3.5/70-210mm: There is slight wobbling when focusing and zooming, even though the lens doesn't seem to have seen a lot of use. A similar slight wobbling can be felt on my Minolta MD 35-70mm and 28-85mm zooms, too.

On the Zeiss CY 28-85mm the MFD for all focal lengths is 0.6m. Compared to the Canon nFD 4/28-85mm (0.9m), the Minolta MD 3.5-4.5/28-85mm (0.8m), the Nikoor AiS 28-85mm (0.8m) and the Yashica ML 28-85mm (1.7m) that's much more useful, especially for reportage purposes. Unlike all the other zooms mentioned, the Zeiss does not have an additional macro mode, probably to ensure the necessary mechanical precision and optical performance demanded by Zeiss. It will be interesting to see how all these lenses perform when compared side-by-side.



S


PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2024 11:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

stevemark wrote:
Today I got a nice copy of the Vario-Sonnar 3.3-4/28-85mm which had been sitting in a local photo store for months. Since I have both the Zeiss CY 3.5/70-210mm as well as the later CY 4/80-200mm, and since both these CY tele zooms are relly good, I always had been lusting for either a Zeiss CY 35-70mm or the CY 28-85mm. Today I couldn't resist any more, especially since the lens looks like new and had a 82mm UV filter protecting its front lens.

Earlier on I already had been comparing this CY 3.3-4/28-85mm with the slightly slower (but aspherical) Minolta AF 3.5-4.5/28-85mm. At infinity, and using 24 MP FF cameras, the lenses have a comparable perfomance level when it comes to resolution, contrast and CAs. The Minolta probably has stronger vignetting, and distortion-wise I haven't compared the lenses yet. Close range performance as well as bokeh are to be tested later, too.

The built quality and handling of the Zeiss CY 3.3-4/28-85mm is really good, although not as outstanding as the (Germany made) Zeiss Vario-Sonnar CY 3.5/70-210mm: There is slight wobbling when focusing and zooming, even though the lens doesn't seem to have seen a lot of use. A similar slight wobbling can be felt on my Minolta MD 35-70mm and 28-85mm zooms, too.

On the Zeiss CY 28-85mm the MFD for all focal lengths is 0.6m. Compared to the Canon nFD 4/28-85mm (0.9m), the Minolta MD 3.5-4.5/28-85mm (0.8m), the Nikoor AiS 28-85mm (0.8m) and the Yashica ML 28-85mm (1.7m) that's much more useful, especially for reportage purposes. Unlike all the other zooms mentioned, the Zeiss does not have an additional macro mode, probably to ensure the necessary mechanical precision and optical performance demanded by Zeiss. It will be interesting to see how all these lenses perform when compared side-by-side.
S


I have the one in the center- the Nikkor.
Other than a quick few rudimentary test scenics with it, I have not done much with it, which is sort of normal for me.
It certainly was a better performing lens than I had been expecting, and came in pristine condition.
Looking forward to what you find with it compared to the others...

-D.S.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Doc Sharptail wrote:

Looking forward to what you find with it compared to the others...

-D.S.


Those mid-range zooms are notoriously difficult to compute. I wasn't aware of that fact until I personally met with the (then) head of optical computations of Sony camera lenses, back in 2010. He told me that constructing an excellent f2.8 "normal zoom" was much more difficult than e. g. a 2.8/16-35mm or a 2.8/70-200mm zoom! That's mainly because the lens designer - when designing a "normal zoom" - has to choose from two options:

1) main (master) lens positive, front element negative - thus basically a retrofocus wideangle design
2) rear element negative, front element positive - basically a tele lens design

If you choose 1) the "normal zoom" will be unsatisfactory in the tele range (and become huge as soon as go too far into the tele range)
If you choose 2) it's nearly impossible to get a decent performance below about 30mm

Therefore todays f2.8 "normal zooms" all are type 1), and don't go beyond 70mm. In fact the modern "24-70mm" zooms usually are 67mm or so at the "long" end. Not really "long" indeed!

Most of the above zooms are typ 1) too. Only exception is the Yashica which is type 2) and therefore has a MFD of 1.7m.
All vintage MF 35-105mm lenses I'm aware of are type 2 though, and have a relatively long MFD (usually 1.5m or so). Also the Minolta AF 4-4.5/28.135mm is type 2); to get a decent performance at the short end it was artificially limited to f4 at f=28mm (the aperture doesn't open completely at f=28mm).

S