Advice on Contax Zeiss 28/2

JCarter180 · Joined: 19 Jul 2013 Posts: 11

Dear forum members,

recently I started to buy some Contax Zeiss lenses - C/Y mount - (being amazed by a wonderful 35-70/3.4) to mount on my Canon 6D and results have been so impressive - compared to my native Canon lenses - that I am seriously thinking of selling all my Canon gear.

I was looking for a 28mm, and I found a very nice copy of a Distagon MMJ 28/2.8 for a reasonable price (tested on my camera body with adapter; works fine also with infinite focusing).

I am also tempted by the 28/2 "hollywood" which is more pricey and - to my understanding - has a different use - reportage/documentary - when compared to the 28/2.8 (the latter better for landscape I guess)

I would like to ask you some advices regarding the "Hollywood". First of all which is optically better between the contax zeiss lens and the new ZE 28/2?

I found two used copies of the "Hollywood" for 568£/650euro - one copy is a MMG version - but both have cleaning marks on the front elements - I am a bit worry about the coating conditions. A third copy - AE version - is on the market for 688£, boxed and in mint conditions.

Considering that a good copy of a Distagon ZE 28/2 can be found for 800£ is there any reason to still considering the older lens, and if yes, is there any optical difference between the AE and MM version?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Chris.

wuxiekeji · Joined: 15 Aug 2012 Posts: 213

I haven't used any version of the 28/2, so I can't comment on the optics, but you get an aperture ring with the Contax lenses. ZE has electronically-controlled aperture. I consider this a disadvantage of ZE because it's a potential failure mode, and also not future-proof if I move to something other than Canon in the future. Contax is 100% manual and thus future-proof. This is one reason I don't even look at ZE lenses ...

rbelyell · Expire: 2014-01-31

the holllywood distagon is considered one of the best lenses ever made. i dont think thats the consensus on the newer one.
tony

frenched · Expire: 2014-06-17

Maybe check out the link below before you make a move on the Hollywood.

http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic.php?t=16872&view=previous

JCarter180 · Joined: 19 Jul 2013 Posts: 11

Thanks for all your kind replies.

I tried to search for the Pentax lens (the "Poor Man Hollywood") on ebay but no traces - in any case it seems to have a high selling price nowadays, but maybe I am wrong.

As for the comparison with the new ZE 28/2, I found this review - I am sure that many of you already read it - where basically the Distagon ZE 28/2 is presented as an upgraded version of the Hollywood.

http://www.pebbleplace.com/Personal/Contax_28mm_F2_Distagon.html

I have also seen that some users reported some mirror + infinity focusing problems with the Hollywood mounted on Canon 5d mk II - I suspect it could be the same on my Canon 6D.

Are these issues definitive solved with any particular adapter?

Thanks again for your help,

Chris.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Hi Chris

Maybe you want to try a much cheaper Distagon 2.8/28 first as I suspect that will more than satisfy you. If not, easy to sell it at no loss and upgrade to a 2/28.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

OPAL · Joined: 11 Dec 2012 Posts: 354

O-tone from a Zeiss expert from Oberkochen:

Apart from the higher weight and volume, the C/Y Distagon has noch disadvanteges compared to the C/Y Distagon 2,8/28mm. At full aperture, the lens with the smaller opening is at the Center, of course, already visible sharper. But grayed out, the metrological difference is so small, that it is not visible in practice. The fainter lens, has a shlghtly better field flatness, but the 2/28mm is better at the edges and corners of the image format, than the fainter lens!

I do have the C/Y Distagon 2/28mm and I am using it with adaptor successfully on my Canon 5DMkII !

Regards

JCarter180 · Joined: 19 Jul 2013 Posts: 11

Thanks again for your messages.

I am sure that the Hollywood is an amazing lens but - reading a bit around the web and in your great forum - I am also confident that a good sample of the 28/2.8 - in MM version - will serve my needs. As you said, if I want to upgrade, it will not be hard to resell it.

(I have some more questions on mid-tele and tele lenses in C/Y set, but I will open a new thread for that.. sorry but I am new to MF lenses ^___^, thanks again for your help).

Regards,

Chris.