Contax Zeiss - Long Term Review | Everything I Wish I Knew Before Buying

[@damiendehorn6350]

The balance of vintage and modern look is just perfect. Thanks for taking the time to putting together a marvellous piece of work.

[@MarkHoltze]

the 21 is magic, worth the price.

[@Tusa_Mamba]

Man oh man I’m so lucky I just stumbled on your page. Your footage is 😮‍💨

[@tompurvis1261]

The Contax Zeiss title of the video drew me in. I have my grandfathers Contax Zeiss 50 2.0 from his 1952 Contax Rangefinder. I was a 5dm3 shooter for 10 years and could never figure out how to use the lens. After going mirrorless and reading a Ken Rockwell review which covered using two adapters. WOW, I can’t believe I’m now able to use it

[@NickHouchin]

Ken Rockwell is an absolute legend. Before buying my first camera 15 years ago I spent so much time reading his blog.

[@BelowZero]

I had almost an identical lineup back in early 2000’s although it was for photography purposes. I found 50mm f1.7 a bit better than 1.4 version. You’re right about 18…I had 21 f2.8 and it was spectacular. I know that zooms are not great for your line of work but 35-70 f/3.4 is simply stunning…one of my favourite 3 lenses of all times…and I’ve been photographing things for almost 40 years.

[@NickHouchin]

Phenomenal! Thanks for sharing. What to you was better about the 1.7 version of the 50? I keep hearing about the 35-70. I tend to use zooms as flexible primes when I’m moving quickly. I’m not doing much live zooming. It seems like it might actually be a good fit.

[@BelowZero]

@@NickHouchin Less chromatic aberration, sharper wide open and overall better IQ. As per 35-70mm, there is something quite special about that zoom. The colour rendering is simply stunning and out of focus area is incredibly smooth (for f3.4).

[@Another-Layer]

I happen to own a set from my Contax film camera with all lenses from 18 to the 200. They are not soft as many people refer to them. In the film days we refer to them as creamy sharp. On my Sigma FP at 4K they’re still almost clinically sharp. On my BMPCC 4K, they’re creamy sharp. Another pro not mentioned is that they have a longer focus throw than modern lenses. The image that comes out of these lenses are truly magical.

[@NickHouchin]

Great point on the longer focus throw! The 50 is perfect to pull by hand. Sometimes the throw on the 85 is almost too far to pull by hand without a follow focus.

[@dollhausenx]

Not that I needed this now, but it sure was nice to see that comprehensive footage breakdown by lens. Super awesome at .25 speed by the way. These were my first set, lo those many years ago. Spurred on by the Reduser Contax Survival Guide in 2013. I started with the 50 1.4. It was so good I went 18/28/35/85/100/35-70. I sent all the lenses to Duclos to have them checked out and cine-modded. Now they can really shine on my new BMCC6k FF. That 21mm was always expensive, so never on my list, same with the 28/f2 Hollywood. Thanks for this.

[@bbrunorocha]

awesome video ! i've been collecting my contax zeiss set for over 3 years and right now it's my only set and i use it in 90%+ of my jobs and i also pair with a blackmagic camera, but i use the 6k pro. The 28mm is my favorite focal length of this set but i went with the f2 version, it's an amazing lens !

[@NickHouchin]

Right on, man! So fun to hear other people are using the same combination.

[@jaredpoledna3902]

Awesome video! Fellow Black magic user here! I bought the 85mm 1.4 MMJ and am currently looking at the 18mm f4. Watching your footage with the 18mm totally sold me on it, pixel peepers online almost talked me out of it. Curious though, what kept you from the 35mm 1.4? It’s going to be the last lens I get in the set but it looks amazing. Again thanks for the great video! Not enough contax Zeiss content out there.

[@NickHouchin]

Thanks man! Glad it helped you out. Honestly, the thing that kept me from the 35 1.4 at the time was the price. I believe I spent around $350 on the 28, and at the time the 35 was going for around $2k. At some point along the way I talked myself out of the 35. I also remember watching Flo’s video from Of Two Lands on the 28mm and his images sold me on it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a super solid lens, just the wrong choice for the situations I put myself in.

[@dani_da_vision]

Great video btw .. I just hope I could get my hands on a set one day , preferably soon lol

[@tinosiocon]

Im on the Contax rabbit hole and checking out the difference between AE and MM and stumble upon your video. while watching the video I was thinking why wouldn't they use this lens for mainstream and save money it looks awesome. I stopped for a moment and watch Tokyo Vice and notice something I saw while researching Contax Lenses.

[@goatedanime6488]

what camera did you use these on? The shots are amazing

[@NickHouchin]

Thanks! These are a combination of URSA Mini Pro 4.6k G1 and G2, A variety of Sony cameras, both mirrorless and cine line, and maybe a few RED shots in there as well. Just as a little reminder, the camera really shouldn't matter. What's in the frame, the lighting, and the glass are way way more important. Hope that helps!

[@timpanic]

For all e mount users. you can just use an adapter directly from contax to emount so you don´t have to to modify anything and have them stable. They are not Sony GM sharp but better than newer cheap lenses.

[@iguanacrudafilms]

Thanks for this information

[@snochmeister2244]

Great video! I am now looking for a CY wide angle for my set, how do you deal with the quirks of the 18mm? The lack of filter thread, do you have the simmod ring on it? Does it vignette on a full frame with a filter on it? The front element moves with while focusing I reckon, does it bother you at all in a real world shooting scenario? Also, I love that lens names font! Would you mind sharing what is it? Thanks, love the video!

[@NickHouchin]

I just deal with them honestly. A few thoughts - the first time an AC works with the kit, I have to show them how to take the 18 on and off because the front half of the lens spins to lock before the back half will move. Once they figure it out it's not a real pain. I do have the simmod ring on it. Works great. I usually use 4x5.65 filters, so I'm not sure if it vignettes with screw-ons, but my guess would be it does a little bit. Also I personally never mind a light vignette, I might be crazy. To me, it adds character. The front element moving is just part of dealing with a vintage set of lenses. It feels less sturdy than a proper set of cinema lenses, but hasn't felt like it's gotten in the way or slowed us down on set. The caps are from Simmod as well. They've been great.

[@snochmeister2244]

@@NickHouchin thank you for your response :) I guess you're right, it's just their character and it has to be dealt with. I may consider going with ZE/ZF for a wide-angle, I shall see.

[@visualsbyprosper]

Thanks for this man. I went berserk and an almost full set with the 25 2.8 , 28 2.8, 35 2.8, 50 1.4, 85 1,4 all AEs except for the 25. Looking on to the 15mm for my ultra wide, barely shoot full frame mainly s35 on an FX30 and the pocket 4k with a speedbooster. I think I'm loosing it lol, love these lenses and I can't wait to see how I'll grow old with them.

[@imageshift8907]

Nice video! I'm a big fan of this lenses too. Used them a lot on the Blackmagic 6K and they play together really well. Don't sleep on the zooms either! The 35-70 with macro function and the 100-300 are incredible for more doc style shoots, especially outdoors! I did some videos on my channel with those.

[@NickHouchin]

Oooo, you’re super right. The zooms look sick. Thanks for heads up on that!

[@CraigMarshall_HDvideo4K]

the 28-85mm should no be discounted. Stunning & versatile F/3.3 zoom.

[@jackthompson5217]

Great video, great song, is it available on something like artist?

[@vincentwong2793]

Thanks, i bought two Contax lenses recently, the 85mm f/1.4 & the 50mm f/1.4 on my Nikon Z mirrorless for stills. I had diffucult time to find how other people bought the cap for the lenses and now I know this is SIMMOD. I already bought the Contax metal caps from Japan, or else, I would order from SIMMOD. Thanks for the information anyway, I am looking at the 28mm f/2 (Hollywood).

[@AaronCabreroJr]

Great video! Was it difficult to get them converted to PL?

[@tomlavenu234]

Thank you, amazing content!!

[@michaelsingJiuJitsu]

4:15 Carolina Beach north end pier

[@smallbrownfox594]

Yes, the 35mm f1.4 MMJ is my favourite, followed by the 85mm f1.4. Just get it…

[@Michaelzurek]

I was wondering if you ever tried the ZE lenses ? I have the BMPCC 6k G2 with 21mm f2.8 ZE, 28mm f2 ZE, 35mm f2 ZE, and 50mm f1.4 ZE. I think that most of them are the same as Contax, but the coating has changed. It would great to get some feedback if it is worth it investing in Contax if I already have a set of ZE. Input from others with experience would be nice. Thanks a lot

[@raksh9]

Is the sample footage, narrative and on the beach with the dog, shot with the Ursa Mini G2?

[@NickHouchin]

Most of the narrative stuff is on the URSA Mini Pro, some on the G1, some on the G2. The beach footage was on the original Pocket 6k.

[@raksh9]

@@NickHouchin Thank you for the reply. All the footage is lovely, I was just curious about what looked like personal/fun footage and if you lugged around the Ursa to do that!

[@bobtronic73]

Great video, thanks so much for putting this together. Very helpful and I think I will pass on these lenses even though the images are great.

[@alexced3923]

Very good and informative...But too expensive! Overpriced maybe. And if they are so good lenses why in some feature films they choose the nikon 28mm 2.8 AIS ...and more cheaper?

[@robertarmero6320]

35mm f1.4 distagon is quite pricey I got it in F mount and seems similarly prices in C/Y mount. Very nice lens tho

[@vibebreaker]

Great video! I am currently building my own set. How close together did you get your serial numbers from lens to lens? I have three lens, #1: 790xxx, #2: 746xxx and #3: 733xxx. Are all of those too far apart from each other?

[@NickHouchin]

I'm guessing you're totally fine. Mine are 739xxx, 725xxx, 738xxx, and 693xxx (that's the 28mm) - you can use the footage here to judge if those are too far away for you. These are vintage so they aren't going to perfectly match anyways - I've noticed the tint/ca varies depending on if I'm wide open or stopped down, and is different from lens to lens. Nothing I haven't been able to correct in post super quickly though.

[@ewangrundey8486]

where did you get those lens caps ?? great video !

[@NickHouchin]

Yeah! They're great. Simmod made them. - There's a link in the description.

[@ramseymellette3169]

Thanks for this video. I’m looking into buying these lenses and this is the video I needed! have a question- when you said you returned some of the lenses as you were building your set, what made you return? Did they not match the others you had purchased up to that point? Like minor differences? Or like- more egregious things- fungus or scratches etc?

[@NickHouchin]

Correct! Lenses that had flaws you couldn’t see in the photos, one of the lenses was advertised as “near-mint” but the focus ring was almost completely stuck. Another was advertised as an MMJ lens, but I was shipped a different AEG lens. It just takes a little patience!

[@colhutchins]

Thanks for the info

[@hanshart1413]

Do you feel that a set of cheap Samyang cinema lenses would be a better pick regarding all the cons you mentioned?

[@NickHouchin]

Great point! I actually came from a set of Rokinon Cine lenses. As I mentioned in the video, optics were my #1 concern, so I’m personally willing to deal with the cons for the sweet sweet image. Otherwise, I’d be stepping up to a real set of cinema glass to get rid of the cons and keep the optics.

[@timpanic]

I swapped all my samyangs for the contax zeisses. Never looking back. The picture is not worse in any case but the building quality is much better. You must spend a lot more to have better cinema glas that´s for sure.

[@bbrunorocha]

absolutely not, the Contax zeiss lenses are miles ahead of this samyang. If you need to match the set and also not have to worry about professional use on set, the NiSi Athena Primes might be the best budget option ( I don't like the DZO primes)

[@pictureworld-DG]

Hi. One Question: Where can i buy this Blue Contax Lens Caps???? It´s Original???

[@NickHouchin]

These are from Simmod Lenses. I customized them to what I wanted.

[@dani_da_vision]

contax lens set under 500$ ? Man I wish could find that deal.. Im scattering through ebay and its around 3000$ for a set and above!

[@testowykana1763]

My problem with Contax Zeiss lenses is, that they are very, very clean looking. Just too similar to the modern age lenses for digital cameras.

[@ericschneider6285]

the 18mm has way less distortion (virtually none) than the 21( a ton of distortion). Something to consider...