TenEleven's Zeiss Contax (I, II, IIa) Lens Compendium

TenEleven

Well-known
Local time
9:43 PM
Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
415
I have had the luck to be able to extensively shoot and sample most of Zeiss' fantastic lens line-up for the classic Contax system.
The question "Which lens should I buy next?" is a common one and thus I decided to crib the style from the head-bartender and write a few lines for each of the lenses I tried. All descriptions concern the lens' performance on film. Digital is another matter and some of these don't do well on digital.

For the sake of brevity there are some omissions.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss Biogon 21mm/4.5 - Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (5 groups / 8 elements)
Coated. Semi-rare. Brass finish. A fantastic lens, and the widest made for the system. Very even sharpness across the field from the admittedly not very bright open aperture. The depiction is not a hard sharpness but one that matches well with the other Biogon and Sonnar lenses. Unsurprisingly its' signature is the closest to the other post-war Carl Zeiss lenses. There is no distortion. Very rarely weird aperture-shaped flare patterns can be seen.

The original finder is prone to scratches which due to the wide view show up as haze. The view isn't that great either. Frankly the main thing it has going for it in the 2020ies is that you can mount another finder on top. You're better off with a Voigtlander metal finder here.

---

Post-war Jena Topogon 25/4 - NOT Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 4 elements)
Coated. Rare. Aluminum finish. A good, but very rare aerial reconnaissance lens. Almost as wide as the 21mm but quite a different depiction. At full aperture the image glows a bit due to residual spherical aberration which is fully gone by ~f/6. Due to the perfect symmetry of the design depth cues are very readable and there is no distortion nor flare.

The only finder for it would be the very rare turret finder. Squinty and flare-prone. Often hazy and not easily cleaned. Thus, you would be likely better off with the Voigtlander metal finder, which offers the 21mm and 25mm views with appropriate parallax marks.

---

Pre-war Jena Tessar 28/8 - NOT Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 4 elements)
Most uncoated. Sort of common. Brass finish. An often unfairly maligned lens. It is quite sharp across the frame from the dark f/8 open aperture. Many many samples are very hazy, which, with such a tiny lens will absolutely have a negative impact on its performance. It has good sharpness with lower contrast. Best performance by f/11. Despite lacking coatings it's fully usable with color film offering good color expression. Almost no distortion, a surprising feat given its then-extreme angle of view and simple design. Lots of sample variation.

The finder, despite its age, offers a very bright and clear view of the scene. Unlike the 35mm finder it has great eye relief and is usable for glasses wearers. It is light-weight, too. Thus it's down to personal preference whether you want a modern finder or the old one.

---

Pre-war Jena Herar 35/3.5 - Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (2 groups / 5 elements)
All uncoated. Ex. rare. Brass finish. A weird lens made as a faster alternative to the slower f/4.5 Orthometar; cheaper than the Biogon it also offered better contrast without anti-reflective coating.
Contrast and color on this lens is - as expected from its only four air-glass interfaces - very good, almost modern in fact. However stop down as much as you want -- the corners never seem to come into sharpness and remain annoying blurred - even at f/11. Vignetting is also quite on the heavy side. One better left for collectors.

Finder - see Biogon entry.

---

Pre-war Jena Orthometar 35/4.5 - Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 6 elements)
Most uncoated. Rare. Brass finish. First batch of 200 in Biogon barrel with 2.8 aperture scale. A lens originally designed for photogrammetry. A Plasmat design and thus popular in Japan. Many hazy examples are to be found, which will degrade performance making for a very pictorialist depiction. A good sample is sharp from the open aperture across most of the frame. The lack of coatings and many air/glass interfaces lower the contrast considerably making for a rather pastel color rendition. The depiction is very open, almost 3d. Due to its' completely symmetrical design it has no distortion and only some vignetting. It can flare when the light hits it at an oblique angle, so a small hood is advisable.

Finder - see Biogon entry.

---

Pre-war Jena 35/2.8 Biogon - Rangefinder Coupled - Does NOT mount on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 6 elements)
Some coated. Common. Most brass finish. Derived from the Sonnar design. The fastest 35mm for the system. Very good sharpness from wide open. In the center the sharpness is incredible with a soft fade towards the edges. Minor pincushion distortion. Again the Zeiss look, aka good color rendition (on coated examples) with a detailed, but never harsh description. By f/5.6 a good sample of this lens is at its maximum performance and only the DOF increases by stopping down further. Perhaps due to its deeply seated front element flare is very rarely seen with this lens.

The finder is very clear and offers a nice view of the 35mm field of view. However the eye relief is quite squinty by modern standards. A Voigtlander metal finder or another brand may be better for glasses wearers.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss Jena 35/2.8 Biogon - Rangefinder Coupled - Does NOT mount on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 7 elements)
All coated. Somewhat uncommon. Aluminum finish. The optical design was largely left alone from what I can tell. Perhaps a touch more distortion was traded for expanding the region of "good" resolution from full aperture. By f/4 it's indistinguishable from its pre-war brother. A helpful shroud was added to the protruding rear element helping both combat flare from strong side-light as well as protecting the rear element from the usual marks that appear smack dab in the center of the lens from people putting it on the table face up.

Finder see Biogon entry.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) 35/2.8 Biogon - Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 7 elements)
All coated. A bit more rare. Brass finish. The pre-war Biogon was redesigned to fit the smaller newer IIa Contax cameras. Some tweaks have been made to an already fantastic lens. The depiction is quite similar to the pre-war original: Center sharpness is increased, corner sharpness however is a bit reduced compared to the earlier variant. Distortion is lower and usually invisible. A bit more contrast. By f/5.6 it will be impossible to tell the pre- and post-war variants apart. It seems to be somewhat prone to developing a haze on the rear element that has no negative impact. Flare is nowhere to be seen.

Finder see Biogon entry.

---

Post-war Jena Biometar 35/2.8 - Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 5 elements)
All coated. Rare. Aluminium finish. Unilite/Xenotar/Planar type design. A "stop gap" design that was produced for the smaller Contax IIa while West German Zeiss got ready to release their revised version of the 35 Biogon. However it would be unfair to brand the lens as "stop gap". It offers very good sharpness from wide open across the frame. A rather moist depiction with a colder than average color rendition. High contrast. Compared to the Biogon more coma can be seen in the corners at open aperture, but will be invisible in good light. By f/5.6 the lens is very sharp indeed. No discernible distortion or flare as far as I can see.

Finder - see Biogon.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) Planar 35/3.5 - Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 5 elements)
All coated. Rare. Brass finish. Made as a cheaper alternative to the post-war Biogon. Planar design. It offers a very punchy, vivid color reproduction that is different from almost all the other lenses in Zeiss line-up, making it the odd-man-out. The sharpness well into the corners is excellent from wide open. Perhaps not on the Biogon's level in the picture-center, however readily beating it in the corners at open apertures. There is a lot more vignetting than its more expensive brother, but I have not really managed to get this lens to produce any flare. Distortion is invisible.

Finder - see Biogon.

---

Pre-war Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 40/2 or 42.5/2 - Rangefinder Coupled - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (4 groups / 5 elements)
Uncoated. Extremely rare. Brass finish. Made when there was no Biogon to be had and a fast-wide angle was needed. The later 4 1/4cm version was introduced when the 3.5cm Biogon had come out. The optical formula remained unchanged. The lens has a lot of curvature of field, but almost no distortion being a symmetric design. Quite a bit of spherical aberration obscures the already very high-central sharpness at f/2 the field is lagging. The performance is good at mid-close range, but not really all that useful for landscapes or other far-away flat subjects until one is at f/4 or preferably f/5.6. The bokeh can get quite busy making it further of a odd-man out in the Contax lens lineup. Given all this and it's actual focal length of 42mm which is only 4~5mm from the Biogons actual focal length of ~37mm one is perhaps better off with a Biogon today. Perhaps best left to collectors and true Zeiss fanatics.

The finder, despite its age, offers a very bright and clear view of the scene. It is however quite squinty and only borderline usable for glasses wearers. Despite its solid construction it is light weight. People mounting this on a post-war IIa or IIIa beware that it has a slight slant in the base to make up for the off-center accessory shoe on pre-war II and III Contaxes.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) Tessar 50/3.5 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 4 elements)
All coated. Rare-ish. Brass finish. A lens initially designed for the close-up attachment "Contaprox". It offers great sharpness and virtually no distortion. By f/8 the sharpness is world-class on a good sample and will out-resolve most film. The color reproduction is quite flat and even making for very natural looking scenes. As a coated Tessar design, this lens is quite resistant to flare. If you want a lens that can be used at any aperture without the slightest hesitation - this is it.

Finder N/A

---

Pre-war Jena Tessar 50/3.5 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 4 elements)
Some coated. Common. Brass finish. Designed to be the cheapest 50 for the system, does not mean it should be discounted. Coated examples are quite flare resistant and it will offer a good even performance not dissimilar to a period Elmar lens. There is some vignetting but nothing in the ways of distortion. It is relatively resistant to flare, even uncoated. Central sharpness and contrast are excellent from wide-open. By f/5.6 the expected crisp "Tessar look" sets in.

Finder N/A

---

Pre-war Jena Tessar 50/2.8 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 4 elements)
Rarely coated. Common. Brass finish. Designed to be the second-cheapest 50 for the system. The optical price for speeding up the Tessar design proved a bit much. Most surprisingly of all there is more focus shift than even the Sonnar 1.5. Regardless of all of that, it is not a bad lens per-say but the flare and vignetting performance is a touch worse than its slower brother. This is especially true for flare, which hits the larger front element easily. However, by f/5.6 the differences to its' slower brother are largely negligible, perhaps a bit less crunchy sharpness.

Finder N/A

---

Pre-war Jena Sonnar 50/2.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 6 elements)
Rarely coated. Collapsible version most common, rigid rarer. Aluminum or brass finish. Bertele's refinement of the Ernostar design "that started it all". An excellent all-purpose lens. Compared to it's post-war iteration the contrast is a bit lower with a bit softer depiction. Lovely 3d representation of the scene with the classical Sonnar-look. Excellent color reproduction even in uncoated samples. Very usable performance at full aperture with excellent sharpness by f/8. Some curvature of the field remains. Distortion is very well controlled. Flare can be sometimes seen with oblique light sources - may take the shape of a rainbow. Uncoated examples tend to be a bit more unpredictable for flare.

Finder N/A

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) Sonnar 50/2.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 6 elements)
All coated. All rigid. Semi-common. Brass finish. Similar but not identical performance to its pre-war brother with increased contrast and acutance. Slightly better resolution in the field. The lens flare tendencies are surprisingly similar to it's pre-war predecessor despite being fully coated.
Due to the synthetic optical cement used - later "Carl Zeiss" labeled versions of this lens are very prone to lens cement failure.

Finder N/A

---


Pre-war Jena Sonnar 50/1.5 Black and Nickel - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 7 elements)
Rigid. Uncommon. Brass finish. The original. That offered unmatched speed and versatility in the 50mm view. Stops down to f/8 or f/11 depending on period. Unlike its later brothers the aperture position makes this lens a bit clumsy to use on Black Contaxes where it belongs. Only one aperture index dot further means that one best do the adjusting at the infinity position. However the reward for the extra hassle is a lens that has less spherical aberrations than the later versions. It can be used from wide open at any distance with reckless abandon. However, even at f/11 it lacks the "wiry sharpness" that sets in with later Sonnars. A trade-off clearly made for a period when film was much slower. Once again, due to its uncoated nature they tend to be a bit more unpredictable for flare. Interestingly the flare shape and patterns differ from even the silver pre-war lenses. However the usual sonnar rainbow-like flare patterns can be still seen when provoked.

Finder N/A

---

Pre-war Jena Sonnar 50/1.5 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 7 elements)
Some coated. All rigid. Common. Brass finish. An excellent lens that offered unmatched speed and versatility in the 50mm view. Today we may find the 1.5 aperture not really suited for far-away or medium-distance subjects in the dark due to under-corrected spherical aberrations - causing highlight glow. Not as extreme as the 50/1.4 S-Nikkor, but still visible. The f/1.5 aperture is totally fine for closer up and portraiture, where it usually works to the subjects advantage. From around f/2.0 to 2.4 - depending on sample - the lens is well behaved.Due to the extra speed is a bit more temperamental than it's slower brother and flare is seem more commonly. By f/2.8 however, the 1.5 and 2.0 are virtually indistinguishable. Distortion varies sample by sample, but is often negligible. Once again, uncoated examples tend to be a bit more unpredictable for flare, but rainbow-like flare patterns can be seen on all.

Finder N/A

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) Sonnar 50/1.5 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 7 elements)
All coated. Rigid. Common. Brass finish. Like above a tweak of an already very good lens. As film got faster Zeiss seems to have de-prioritized the lenses f/1.5 aperture which will glow a bit more than it's pre-war brethren. In return you will get modern levels of performance that is completely suitable for landscape photography from f/8 and higher. Contrast and micro-sharpness are also increased. The distortion is kept more consistently in check and is negligible at all times. Due to better internal baffling, the rainbow-like flare pattern is less likely to make an appearance as well.
Thanks to the synthetic optical cement used - later "Carl Zeiss" labeled versions of this lens are very prone to lens cement failure.

Finder N/A

---


Post-war Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 50/1.5 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 7 elements)
All coated. Rigid. Common. Most often Aluminum, some rare copies Brass finish. A strange "tweener" lens unlike it's post-war Jena 50/2 brother this lens went for a different design philosophy. The field on a good copy is extremely flat even at f/1.5 with good resolution already throughout the entire frame. However the price for this is lots and lots of spherical aberrations. This makes for an odd lens that can be used wide open in daylight without too much "glow" but when it gets darker the aberrations can seriously overpower the subject below. At narrower apertures such as f/4 the lens however becomes nearly flawless while retaining a somewhat vintage look. An interesting take on the Sonnar formula for sure. An acquired taste perhaps.

Finder N/A

---

Pre-war Jena Sonnar 85/2.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 6 elements)
Seldom coated. Rare. One of the heaviest lenses for the system. Brass finish. Optical design changed by 2.6xx.xxx serial. The portrait lens. An excellent performance from wide open aperture, especially for portraiture. However, unlike its later released peers this lens does not "like" being shot at long distances and wide-open. Later iterations improve mainly on this aspect. Flare is rarely seen and by f/5.6 good even sharpness is achieved across the field regardless of subject distance. There is no discernible distortion. Usually focuses down to 1.3 meters.

The torpedo finder offers quite a good view with the entire frame serving as a 85mm field of view. The turret finder is a bit more squinty and down to taste. The clip-on finder for the Contax II (and IIa - with caveats) may be used allowing for simultaneous viewing and shooting which is with such a fast and long lens perhaps advisable. A modern finder will however offer a nicer view of the subject.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 85/2.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 7 elements)
All T coated. Somewhat common. Aluminium finish. The lightest of the 85 Sonnars. Mostly aluminum finish. The optical design was changed to 7 elements in 3 groups. This gives the lens a slight edge over its pre 2.6million pre-war Sonnar brethren. However the improvement is less pronounced compared to the Opton version, which sports higher contrast and clarity in a more "modern" look. This version is best thought of as the pre-war Sonnar on steroids. A great deal on a great portrait focal length for sure. Focuses down to 1.15meter.

However most Carl-Zeiss labelled versions of this lens suffer severe cement failure resulting in the usual rainbow pattern and should be avoided. The best bet are the earlier "Opton" versions.

Finder - see Sonnar 85.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) Sonnar 85/2.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 7 elements)
All T coated. Rare-ish. Much lighter than its pre-war brother, heavier than the Jena Post-War lens. Mostly aluminum finish. The optical design was changed to 7 elements in 3 groups. This yielded additional correction which is immediately apparent from full aperture. The area of good sharpness now extends across the entire image field from wide open. Contrast and clarity are also vastly improved. A good lens improved makes for an absolutely stellar performer that was thus straight lifted to the Contarex system. Focuses down to 1meter.

However most Carl-Zeiss labelled versions of this lens suffer severe cement failure resulting in the usual rainbow pattern and should be avoided. The best bet are the earlier "Opton" versions.

Finder - see Sonnar 85.

---

Pre-war Carl Zeiss Jena Triotar 85/4.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 3 elements)
Uncoated. Rare-ish. Heavy-brass finish. A very underrated lens. Excellent sharpness across the entire frame from wide open. A hefty lens that loses the weight advantage VS every other 85 Sonnar other than the brass pre-war ones. Amusingly despite being uncoated flare is not as unpredictable as with its post-war brother. However, unlike it's post war brother, a hood to protect the very shallow sitting front-element is an absolute must! Focuses down to 1.0 meters.

Finder - see Sonnar 85.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) Triotar 85/4.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 3 elements)
All coated. Rare. Aluminum finish and light. A very underrated lens. Excellent sharpness across the entire frame from wide open and much smaller and lighter than its beefy Sonnar brethren. Contrast and color reproduction pack quite a punch. However this design is quite flare prone and a hood is a must. No distortion to be seen with only a slight vignette. Focuses down to 1.0 meters.

Finder - see Sonnar 85.

---

Pre-war Jena Sonnar 135/4.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 4 elements)
Most are uncoated. Common. Brass finish. Heavy. The longest "practical" lens on the Contax system. Excellent sharpness from wide open, relatively low contrast. However this lens is perhaps the most flare prone of the lenses listed here and a hood is an absolute must. Watch here the light is coming from, too! No distortion to speak of. Strangely enough this one is a bit sharper than its post-war Jena brother, if you are willing to deal with the extra heft you get excellent landscape performance by f/5.6. Focuses down to 1.8meters.

Finder - the torpedo finder can be used referencing the drawn frame-lines making for a decent but not great view. The Contax II clip-on finder may be also used but we're getting into squinty territory. Again modern alternatives fare better here.

---

Post-war Jena Sonnar 135/4.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 4 elements)
All coated. Common. Aluminum finish. The longest "practical" lens on the Contax system. Very good sharpness from wide open, relatively low contrast. However this lens is perhaps the most flare prone of the lenses listed here and a hood is an absolute must. Watch here the light is coming from, too! No distortion to speak of. Excellent landscape performance by f/8. Focuses down to 1.5meters.

Finder - see Sonnar 135.

---

Post-war Carl Zeiss (Opton) Sonnar 135/4.0 - Mounts on IIIa,IIa - (3 groups / 4 elements)
All coated. Semi-rare. Brass/aluminum mixed finish. Similar to its Jenaer brother, but improved for contrast and it has much less propensity to flare unpredictably. The hood must however still go onto the lens. Images from this lens are considerably more punchy than its pre-war/post-war Jena peers. The distortion and sharpness characteristics remain largely unchanged, with this lens perhaps having a small edge in sharpness from the open aperture. This improved and reformulated version was then adapted to the Contarex. Focuses down to 1.3meters.

Finder - see Sonnar 135.
 
Nice list I have two of these lenses (Optron 50mm f2; post war Carl Zeiss 35mm f2.8 Biogon) plus the pre-war 135mm f4 Sonnar. Any reason not to include it? Maybe it is one you have not used. It is definitely not a high contrast lens, and I do not use it much. 135mm is becoming a bit long for a rangefinder. I also have a Voigtlander SC Skopar 21mm f4 (one of my favorites) and a Nikkor P.C. 105mm f2.5 (as well as Jupiter 8s).

The 21mm f4 is probably one of the most used, followed by the 50mm f2 Sonnar. I more recently obtained the 35mm Biogon and Nikkor 105mm, so I will see how they work in. I suspect I may need to have the Biogon cleaned- I do see some flare issues. I could see the Biogon becoming one of my most used lenses.
 
Nice list I have two of these lenses (Optron 50mm f2; post war Carl Zeiss 35mm f2.8 Biogon) plus the pre-war 135mm f4 Sonnar. Any reason not to include it? Maybe it is one you have not used. It is definitely not a high contrast lens, and I do not use it much. 135mm is becoming a bit long for a rangefinder. I also have a Voigtlander SC Skopar 21mm f4 (one of my favorites) and a Nikkor P.C. 105mm f2.5 (as well as Jupiter 8s).

The 21mm f4 is probably one of the most used, followed by the 50mm f2 Sonnar. I more recently obtained the 35mm Biogon and Nikkor 105mm, so I will see how they work in. I suspect I may need to have the Biogon cleaned- I do see some flare issues. I could see the Biogon becoming one of my most used lenses.


You are correct in your assumption that I simply have not tried the 135/4.0 pre-war (uncoated) for long enough to form any sort of opinion on it. The sample I briefly had was - as you state correctly - very low in contrast and I ended up passing on it.


I also debated including the various Voigtlander / Nikon / 3rd party lenses but then I'd be stuck here all day and decided not to. Out of the VC lenses the 21 and the 25 would be also my favorites.
 
Nice summary and thanks for posting this!

I own two of these lenses now and in the past owned some others you have reviewed. I agree with most of what is said except for two remarks.

The Tessar 2.8cm F8 was a remarkable lens for its time, but personally I had trouble getting anything close to modern performance from it at any aperture, at least with my copy of it. The lack of coatings on the image was nearly always evident as manifested by a vague sort of hazy appearance to images in the center of the field (and yes my example had very clean glass). Nevertheless it is quite an interesting to experiment with.

I also would have had more more praise for the post-war 35/2.8 Opton Biogon. Maybe some compromises were made in a technical sense, but the performance of this lens, wide open or fully closed, for my copy at least, is simply fantastic (color or black and white). It is a thing of beauty mechanically too, although from the point of build quality, the pre-war versions are similarly impressive - perhaps more so.
 
Nice summary and thanks for posting this!

I own two of these lenses now and in the past owned some others you have reviewed. I agree with most of what is said except for two remarks.

The Tessar 2.8cm F8 was a remarkable lens for its time, but personally I had trouble getting anything close to modern performance from it at any aperture, at least with my copy of it. The lack of coatings on the image was nearly alway evident as manifested by a vague sort of hazy appearance to images in the center of the field (and yes my example had very clean glass). Nevertheless it is quite an interesting to experiment with.

I also would have had more more praise for the post-war 35/2.8 Opton Biogon. Maybe some compromises were made in a technical sense, but the performance of this lens, wide open or fully closed, for my copy at least, is simply fantastic (color or black and white). It is a thing of beauty mechanically too, although from the point of build quality, the pre-war versions are similarly impressive - perhaps more so.


Hey David, thanks for the comment.


Regarding the 2.8cm Tessar, some are very good (my current one) and some are just not convincing at all (some I tried prior). I've seen people swear by the black ones, some other by the silver ones. To me that says there must be pretty wild sample variations - I'd have included that in the statement but I'm out of the maximum permissible amount of characters for that post.


Oh, and the post-war Biogon 35 is one of my favorite lenses for rendition. I did not mean to knock it and I might try to reword it later. However in direct (1:1 on film using a tripod) comparison with the coated pre-war versions you can see that some - perhaps concessions is the wrong word ---- parameters? were moved around. Namely the center resolution is UP, corner resolution is a bit down. Contrast is up, overall distortion is down. That to me is not a bad lens at all and represents a tweaking of an already fantastic formula.


Edit: I managed to add the sample variation to the Tessar & re-word the Opton Biogon text - I hope it's less ambiguous now.
 
Wow, really nice assemblage of lenses here. I have been using Goliathus' website to see images from these Contax lenses, as well as Nikkors and Voigtlanders, it's a really useful resource with many years of archives. The 21mm Biogon and 50/3.5 Tessar Rigid are definitely on my list.
 
Excellent compendium of information, thank you.

That'll cover all those folks questioning if their lens will work on their I,II,IIa etc
 
TenEleven,

Thank you for posting this. I have both volumes of Kuc’s on Contax rangefinders, and as a practical matter for someone who just wants to understand the lenses, your synopsis is probably more useful. And free.
 
Thanks for the list TenEleven, interesting read. I own a few Contax lenses now, I was out for a photo walk with them today even (heavy gear bag!). This photo is from a year ago.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIA, Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 50/2, Expired Kodak TriX 400


Old Wellington museum
by Hugh B, on Flickr
 
I thought it was just me or at least my examples...pleased to see it in your excellent compendium!

When it comes to black and nickel pre war 50mm Tessars, my 2.8 really wasn't that great whereas the 3.5 was excellent for a lens of that age.
 
NikonS2/uncoatedZeissSonnar50mmf/1.5nickel/TMY400/AdoxMCC110

The Sonnar 50mm f/1.5 uncoated is a great lens.

Erik.

48453628111_12ed3275fb_b.jpg
 
Nice summary and thanks for posting this!
The Tessar 2.8cm F8 was a remarkable lens for its time, but personally I had trouble getting anything close to modern performance from it at any aperture, at least with my copy of it. The lack of coatings on the image was nearly always evident as manifested by a vague sort of hazy appearance to images in the center of the field (and yes my example had very clean glass). Nevertheless it is quite an interesting to experiment with.


I wanted to follow up on this, but I'm between things and can't dig through my photos as much as I'd like, so please excuse the rather mundane snaps.

No visible distortion. Sharp corner to corner, too, even at open aperture. (It feels funny to say this about an f/8 lens, but I digress.) And despite being uncoated it handles being backlit reasonably well.


Samples from my 2.8cm f/8 Tessar:

[Click through for bigger]



Please add whatever lenses left out.

You can edit your first post.

Interesting info!

Thank you!


Sadly, I'm at the character limit for the first post. I will however make another post and then maybe that can be moved below the first one?
 
Interesting that you feel like that with the original, I get a similar impression with the Jupiter-12. I think it is essentially the somewhat limited resolution and medium contrast that extends into decent local contrast.

Could be. The post-war lens is similar to the pre-war, and J12 is likely a copy, so I suspect this is consistent.
 
Back
Top