Is Contax 28/2 really worth?

[Srono]

I read about some good things about Distagon 28/2 (better bokeh, better 3D effect) compared 28/2.8. Currently I'm holding 28/2.8 and it is a nice lens.

Is this really worth to have the 28/2 (with 3-4 times more expensive than 28/2. in your experience? Can someone enlighten me with some more photo with 28/2.

If it is worth, I will sell Distagon 28/2.8, Tessar 45/2.8 and Sonnar 135/2.8 to fund for it.

Thanks a lot.

[Orio]

The 2/28 and 2.8/2.8 are very different lenses.

The 2.8/28 especially in MM version has great qualities: it is small, it is sharp, it has great colour density, and very good planarity for a wide angle.
It is perfect for travels, and if your use of a 28mm lens is that of shooting landscapes at infinity, you probably would not need anything more. And in any case, I would never advice to sell such a beautiful lens as the 2.8/28. But if you have a AE version you could consider to get a MM version instead as it's a bit better in the corners (irrelevant if you are on a crop camera however).

The 2/28 is something else. Used like a common 28mm, for wide landscapes, it would probably not be worth the expense, as you could obtain perfect results with the 2.8/28. However, when you shoot nearer distances, such as buildings, statues, people in the streets or in a room, inside a forest et c., the 2/28 (a lens that has a floating element to optimize rendering at all focus distances) shows what is the difference: impressive "ariosity" and 3D rendering, an out-of-focus transition to kill for, deep rich colours that seem to come from the inside of the objects. It is very difficult to explain this in words, so I will give you links to some of my 2/28 images. Just the time to find them.

[Orio]

Here's a recent series where I used the 2/28 much, not for all pictures but for many of them. You can find indication of which lens below each photo:

www.oriofoto.net/temp/saturday/index.html

Then there are the images that I shoot for Attila's album at MFLENSES.COM
which is a place that you should always visit because Attila has collected so many image samples.

http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/mfl_club_members/orio/contax_distagon_28mm_2_8/

I think, however, that Attila resized the largest size of these to fit his image format. I of course still must have the full size (that of my 5D), but at present I don't have the time to find them.

[Srono]

Thanks a lot for ur reply, Orio. I expected to get your input as well. I already checked Attila photos and 2 forums' gallery (this and in manualfocus.org). I still hope see more photos from 28/2 in street, people shooting because I like those topics better than landscape.

[poilu]

[Orio]

Poilu suggestion is very good.

[LucisPictor]

I don't know either Zeiss lens, just the Kiron poilu recommends.
But I guess, it is not only about f2 or f2.8, there is more to it.
The Kiron is a very nice lens, one that suits me and my demands very well. I would not need this almost perfect Zeiss 2/28, unless somebody gave it to me as a present.
But if you are looking for the best you can get, it might be worth to sell other lenses for it. There is, however, always a chance that you will regret that later. I mean, you give away some very good lenses with three different focal lengths just to get one lens (no matter how good this lens is).
This is a decision that should be well considered.

[Orio]

[poilu]

[LucisPictor]

Nice shots, poilu!

[Abbazz]

An alternative to the Zeiss made Distagon is the SMC Pentax 28/2, which shares the same optical formula (the lens was developed at a time when Pentax had a joint agreement with Zeiss). Here are some extremely interesting web pages on these lenses from the superb website of Marco Cavina:

http://www.luciolepri.it/lc2/marcocavina/articoli_fotografici/Glatzel-2-28/00_pag.htm

http://www.luciolepri.it/lc2/marcocavina/articoli_fotografici/Pentax_28_2_M/00_pag.htm

Too bad my Italian is so basic...

Cheers!

Abbazz

[Orio]

Lovely cat shots!

And good point by Abbazz, Cavina's writings are amongst the best technical resources available on the net. You can use google translate to read them, it will be rough and you will lose the subtleties but probably still be able to understand the concepts.

[poilu]

[Srono]

Thanks a lot for your advices and nice cat photos. I love them all. Please give us more Nice photos are never enough.

I just sold my 45/2.8 because i rarely use it and also have Contax 50/1.4. Even I don't use much I still find hard to sell that tiny and cute lens. I will consider if I still want to sell the 28/2.8 and 135/2.8. What I was thinking is that I will be able to buy back them in the future easily because they are not rare. Right now, i am quite eager to see how the 28/2 perform. But I will wait for a good deal.

From the info from Marcocavina, only pentax-k 28/2 in 1976 shares the same design with the Hollywood distagon. Quite interesting and worth to try but the I dont think the coating are the same

[Srono]

Here is exactly what i like/want to have with 28/2: fine colour, very very nice bokeh. Is it similar in Kiron 28/2. I dont care much about the corner softness, the little bit bigger aperture. Am i very weird?

[kds315*]

[poilu]

The kiron have a more busy bokeh in my test shots but I didn't use this lens enough.
Maybe Carsten have good sample wide open from the kiron

More from distagon





This panorama with the distagon, look the 3D effect on the umbrella on the right

[LucisPictor]

I haven't used the Kiron 2/28 wide open often. Using a 28mm lens wide open is not the way I typically use such a lens (this is the reason why I very often use the Pentax 2.8/28, Vivitar 2.5/28 or Zuiko 3.5/28 instead). But I'll try to shoot some shots tomorrow...

[Abbazz]

[Abbazz]

[F16SUNSHINE]

[Orio]

[Orio]

[F16SUNSHINE]

That sound like a brilliant plan. No mad scientist required.

[Srono]

In this case, I would like to be mad also.
Btw, after searching for a while i believe that Pentax-K 28/2 is even harder to find than Contax 28/2.