Best and practical Contax lens set/ your opinion please

[magnet-2009]

Which Contax set could serve right and well your photographic needs?

[from ultra wides to long teles]

Mark the lens that you have most time on your camera.


Please answer taking in account no collecting needs.

[Orio]

Distagon 1.4/35

[Carlsson]

well, it depends on the application, but in gerneral:

#1 Planar 1.4/50
#2 Distagon 2/28
#3 Distagon 2.8/21
#4 Planar 2/100

[LucisPictor]

Contax? Hmmm... Zeiss!
I would opt for the complete new Zeiss ZE set.
That would be perfect for my Canon.

[poilu]

next time I go to Athens, I can bring some lens so you try them and make your opinion

[magnet-2009]

[bawang]

Now that it's summer (almost) there is light outside. We are liking the 35-70/3.4 more and more. Other CZ that we have are 35/2.8 and 50/1.7, but they don't get used at all since we got the 35-70.

I know it's a zoom, but even Zeiss says it *is* better than their primes at the fl. So if you don't mind zoom, go for it.

[Orio]

Why are you speaking plural, bawang?

[bawang]

Plural - perhaps when photography is concern it's always a race to the camera in my house between my daughters and yours trully. I usually 'lost' the Dslr to them. Luckily they don't appreciate the TLRs yet.

And as time passed, we generally come to the same conclusion. So in this case the 35-70 got 2 votes

[Ashley Pomeroy]

My issue with the 35-70, which by all accounts is a wonderful lens, is that you would still have to carry a fast 50mm for low-light shots. And on a full-frame body the wide and tele ends are neither wide nor tele enough for my needs.

I love mine, but I believe it would make a lot more sense on a crop-sensor digital body, where it would be a monstrously sharp portrait zoom at f/5.6 and a slightly more flattering portrait zoom at f/3.4. When I shoot portraits on my 5D I tend to leave the 35-70mm at 70mm all the time, wishing that it would zoom in a little bit more. I like the fact that, if I am shooting sharp, I don't need to swap to a 50mm lens. I have tested mine against some of the 50mm lenses I own, and it is almost indistinguishably less sharp in the extreme corners, albeit that it has more distortion than a prime.

It is the only Contax / Zeiss lens I own, although I have a couple of non-Zeiss Contax/Yashica lenses. Based on your question, "which Contax set could serve right and well your photographic needs?", and assuming this is not for the Contax G, and further assuming that I am going to grind off the mounts and put them on my Canon 5D instead, I would sell the Zeiss 35-70mm and buy a Zeiss 50mm f/1.7. That's your answer.

Or I would keep the 35-70mm and modify my shooting style to fit, which is probably what I will do.

[Attila]

Welcome Ashley! Thank you for joining us!

[Attila]

#1 Distagon 2.8/21
#2 Distagon 1.4/35
#3 Planar 85mm f1.4
#4 Sonnar 180mm f1.8
#5 Tessar 300mm f4

My selecetion.

[bawang]

[F16SUNSHINE]

You ask Best and Practical.
Well, they are all the best

The most Practical are often overlooked.

The 2.8/85 and 3.5/100 Sonnars are stellar and very compact.
I have finally made use of a 200mm now that I have the 4/200.
For a zoom the 40-80 is my choice with it's very useful range and constant aperture (Made in Germany as well).

to pick just one it would be the one I don't have...........Distagon 1.4/35

[Srono]

Over the time, i had 28/2.8, 28/2, 45/2.8, 50/1.4 (2), 85/1.4 (2) and 135/2.8 but I just cut down to keep only 3 lenses: 28/2.8, 28/2 and 85/1.4.

The reason is that i try to keep the ones I like best, selling the less frequently used to pay for other item

Anyway, in the future, if the situation allows me to build a dream set, it would be:

25/2.8
28/2
28/2.8 (not sure if i need this together with 28/2 and 25/2.8, but it is hard to sell this small lens )
35/1.4
85/1.4
100 makro