Why is this lens SO good? Zeiss Contax 28mm f/2 "Hollywood"

[@matadormartin]

KZbin threw this up somehow. I have the ZE classic 28mm and haven’t been using it much lately as it can be too easy to hover between a 35mm and 50mm for most shoots, but this has made me want to revisit! It’s actually really interesting when you change from the canon 24-70 at 28mm to the Zeiss and I was like wow, the Zeiss just looks so much more interesting.

[@smallbrownfox594]

Yes, I’m collecting both sets: the slower ones for light work/gimbal, but also the ‘super speeds’. Love the 35, 50 and 85 f1.4s, but still looking for a good 28/2. I probably have around a dozen so far.

[@alex-stone]

You have a dozen copies of the 28/2? No wonder they're getting harder to find, you've got them all!

[@sternschnupper]

Something I think wasn't mentioned in the video is that this lens is known to have quite strong field curvature, and it is believed that this does add quite significantly to the "Hollywood" look. I guess it is because the sharpness falloff is exaggerated by it.

[@wolfrainerschmalfuss3515]

Correct, someof the CONTAX lenses are manufatured by KYOCERA in Japan, but still each MTF Meter controlled! 😉

[@toneohm]

very nice lil chat here.. i've been assembling both a set of HFT Contax & a set of Jenas these last few months.. all in PL mount.. i have just a few more to go.. i've already spent so much money on them.. they're all terribly expensive now., lol,, probably cause theres so many videos out in the last few years praising them lol, and i only make roughly 600 usd a week landscaping and put every dollar towards them.. smh,, I also have a 24/2.8 Canon FD S.S.C in EF , a 50mm Rokkor.., and so after the Zeiss set is done, I'd like another FD lens and maybe try a Leica R or two and some Soviet lenses... this stuff is such a money pit though lol..

[@alex-stone]

Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment! Whether you use them yourself or if you sold them one day, they'll no doubt be worth the time and money.

[@toneohm]

​​@@alex-stone I've finally followed through on the 35/1.4 hft after getting the 85/1.4 hft.. i had found out they're the only two that have triangular bokeh like the OG Super Speeds and just felt compelled to get em.. quite expensive for old photo lenses 😅 .. now, I just need the 25/2.8 and/or 28/2 ...., i just don't think i can get the 28/2 in PL.. the hft version is rare and those have the QBM mounts which is either to PL than the C/Y T* versions apparently,,, id rather the 28 but atleast 25mm would coincide with the length the OG B-Speeds were.. (just trying to convince myself i don't need the 28 😆 .. not working..)

[@GlitteratiLive]

Isn’t HFT exclusive to Rollei?

[@icelandic969]

Is this not the same lens as the Pentax 28mm f/2?

[@oliverlison]

The chat has been nice and relaxed. However, the lighting from side burns my eyes.

[@YouTube_can_ESAD]

It looks great, are you ok? 😂😂😂

[@zaymax_7]

Sorry, but are the samples at around 24:11 all shot in fullframe or s35?

[@alex-stone]

These were all Super 35, I'm afraid I didn't have any full frame samples to hand.

[@enriquetoso]

What do you think about a Pentax K set. A 4/20, 2/28 (the contax twin), 2/35, 1.2/50 and 1.8 85 ? There is also a 2.8/24.

[@alex-stone]

I haven't used the Pentax K lenses myself so couldn't comment on their qualities.

[@jackbarron8880]

How does this play with a Speedbooster? Will a speedbooster change the character of the lenS??

[@alex-stone]

The optics in the Speedbooster may alter the flare characteristic very slightly. I used my Contax lenses with a Speedbooster for years and didn't notice any significant difference - certainly nothing that had a meaningful effect on their look.

[@jackbarron8880]

Which 50mm are you referring to? 1.7 or 1.4?

[@alex-stone]

We both have the Contax 50 1.4

[@sternschnupper]

Both are really great, actually, and similar in character.

[@LaurentPlancel]

Hi what do you think about the Zeiss ZF 28mm 2.0? Is similar to the Contax Zeiss 28mm 2.0? Thx

[@alex-stone]

The ZE/ZF 'Classics' are based on the Contax. The 28/2 shares an almost an identical optical design but with more modern coatings.

[@RobinParmar]

@@alex-stone The Classic Distagon 28/2 should indeed render identically to the C/Y lens, since it has the same lens formula. But if you compare the MTF wide open, the later Classic has significantly better performance. This seems (according to others) to have removed the distinctive character! Maybe one day I will have both and can compare.

[@d1m18]

A gap between 28 & 50? 7mm difference for 35 does not seem worth having both from the 28mm

[@alex-stone]

The wider the focal length, the greater the difference in FoV for each millimetre. The difference between say, a 70 and a 77mm lens is negligible, however there is a noticeable difference between 28 and 35 and there are definitely instances where one would be preferable over the other.