ZEISS CONTAX 25mm VS ROKINON 24mm - Can You See a Difference?

In this video we'll be comparing the vintage AEG Zeiss Contax 25mm f/2.8 and a more modern Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, can you spot the difference?
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[@stu9000]

Thanks for the direct comparison. The Contax ‘3D’ pop is made really clear!

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thank you! Check out the Minolta Rokkor video if you love vintage glass (it's from around the same era).

[@toneohm]

its funny how contrast works.. sometimes, you'll see more contrast in cheap lenses.., but its more like a sharpening.. the strong contrast you see with Contax.., is more of a color contrast n saturation

[@fabiopeluso3688]

My eyes did not deceived me: I liked since the beginning pictures labeled as B, and those were taken with the 25 by C. Zeiss! Great video, my compliments

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thank you Fabio!

[@bassgojoe]

Whoa, I was very wrong. Lens A looked more "vintage" to me; softer bokeh, less contrast, warmer, less sharp. The B lens looked more modern: high contrast, cooler, sharper, busy bokeh. Weird!

[@jasonj7904]

Great comparison! The Rokinon's seem to hold their own decently in general, but it definitely appears they only achieve similar results as the Zeiss at smaller apertures than the Zeiss head to head. Not such a big deal unless shallow DOF is critical. It also seems they shoot a bit flatter in certain situations which may be a plus for grading when applicable. The Zeiss definitely have more pop which translates into a perceptible sharpness to the naked eye.

[@LucaBono.Studio]

Nice video Evan! I also own the Rokinon 24mm T1.5 and the Contax Zeiss 28mm f2.8 and the 3D pop from the Zeiss is so amazing that I don't care about the 2 extra stops of lights, that are barely usable regarding sharpness and colour shift. Do you have a Contax Zeiss kit or just this 25mm?

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Hey Luca, thanks for the comment! Currently I have a 25mm & a 50mm. I plan on adding an 18 f/4, 35 1.4, and an 85 1.4. I want to have a similar set to the classic Zeiss Super Speed MkIIs (but on a budget). I agree, I prefer character rather than the extra stops of light in this case. I have a vintage set of Minoltas and will be posting a video of that soon!

[@LucaBono.Studio]

@@EvanMortonFilm check out also the F2.8 line, they are very sharp wide open and really compact... I've a set of 28,35,50,85 and they all share the same size and weight, that's great for gimbal works and for the matte box.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

@@LucaBono.Studio Awesome! And much more affordable too :) I love the Zeiss Contax look, looking forward to seeing more of them on your channel.

[@LucaBono.Studio]

@@EvanMortonFilm yeah it's a very nice look! Thanks buddy, I'll upload more content with them soon!

[@jamesfconley]

I have a Contax 25 f2.8 and love it. Question- did you shot the rokinon at 1.4? Because that is what it appeared to me. Wouldn't it have been better to have shot it in 2.8? There was no guessing for me because one had more contrast and one slightly brighter exposure.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Hey James! For this video everything was shot at the same aperture for every shot to match as close as possible. I wanted as lever a playing field as possible.

[@jd5787]

Glad I pick B! I would have been furious to find the Rokinon better when I have Contax Zeiss being delivered next week 😂

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thank you JD, you're going to love them!

[@MyronDavismd]

Great test! I was able to see a difference however I honest don't know which I preferred more.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thanks for checking it out!!! Obviously the Rokinon out performs the Zeiss in low light, but I really prefer the character of the Zeiss Contax. I sold that Rokinon and recently shot a short on all Zeiss Contax. The 25mm only goes to 2.8, but they have a 50mm 1.4, 35mm 1.4, and an 85mm 1.4 that perform better in low light scenarios. In the day time this 25mm is beautiful and the bokeh seems more dreamy. If you have a camera that can hit 1600 iso without it getting too grainy 2.8 is fine, a little softer than f/4.

[@electonictronic]

Was on the verge of buying rokinon as they are faster. You directed me right. Nice comparison!

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thanks! Super glad you were able to get something out of the comparison. I wanted it to be in the eyes of the viewer rather than push either way. Also I got some awesome shots on my Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 back in the day, great for cropped sensors. I'm dropping a new video in a couple days about some vintage Minolta's you might like!

[@electonictronic]

Damn... I was looking for minolta rokkor... Particularly “like leica” 24mm ones

[@oceansidesounddesign8770]

Late to the party but thank you for the great comparison. I love the Contax here. You don't have a Canon FD lying around for the same test? =)

[@kendrickvarela_]

Oh I surprised myself and guessed correctly! I'm thinking about scooping up the 24mm Zeiss soon!

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thanks, I love the 24mm, I find myself using it more than I think on most shoots.

[@georgedavidla]

Excellent tests. Thanks for doing this.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thanks George! I have some more coming very soon!

[@m.i.andersen8167]

Thanks for your nice video. I can see you made it a long time ago, but I still can not help but comment. I have the Zeis Distagon 25mm so I was never in doubt. As another writes, the "Zeis pop" (3D rendering) revealed it clearly, but also the much higher contrast and the better colors. New is not necessarily better. - The 47 year old Zeiss lenses cost around 450US $ on eBay, exactly the same price as the Rokinon. But you get a lot more for your money with the Zeis lens, and it only gets more expensive, I do not think that is the case for the Rokinon

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thank you for your comment! I definitely agree and sold that Rokinon, it was only nice to be able to go to 1.4, but it also got really soft too. I have an 18mm F/4 Contax that I love, but prefer this 25mm F/2.8 for lower light conditions. The Zeiss definitely hold up!

[@camerafx24]

That’s funny I own a set of rokinons and I shoot with them often. I got the two backwards. I thought A was the Ziess Funny thing is I think A looks better.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

That's why I love not revealing which is which until the end, to make it as non-bias as possible. Solid lenses for low light!

[@jpd4real]

Great comparison!

[@noirprism]

I have and love that book. The 101 Things I learned in Film School. Also, great comparison I'm waiting for some Zeiss glass to come in the mail this week.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

It's a good book! The lenses are great. I recently modded them with simmod mounts and follow focus and step up rings. Pretty easy and now can swap filters much faster. Enjoy the new glass! New videos coming soon!

[@noirprism]

@@EvanMortonFilm what size step up ring did you snag?

[@EvanMortonFilm]

@@noirprism I get all my lenses to a 77mm thread, and 80mm OD from Simmod. I prefer these to step up rings because my first Canon 35mm had the smallest step up ring get stuck to it that never came off. The cheap ones tend to have that issue and being smaller pieces they tend to get stuck easier. This way I can use the same filters on all my glass. Here's a link: www.simmodlens.com/simring

[@noirprism]

@@EvanMortonFilm You the plug bro! I appreciate the help.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

@@noirprism Anytime, that's what this is all about, sharing info! Have a few videos in post for the channel and excited to share them soon!

[@zechenwei1139]

I strongly preferred “A”, and I thought I was certain that’s the more expensive one.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

That's why I love these "blind" comparisons. Takes away the bias and keeps us guessing and allows us to have an honest opinion. Thanks for checking it out!

[@werem369]

Rokinons/ Samyangs they are good for someone who only cares about f stops... lack of sharpness and contrast was so visible here

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Yup, I sold both mine as soon as I could. They do the trick in college, but love all my other glass way more!

[@albancousinie9455]

Thanks for this interesting comparison. The Zeiss obviously exhibits much better contrast and sharpness.

[@marnikovic]

And vignette

[@Robert_Babicz]

That was very interesting

[@EvanMortonFilm]

Thank you so much Robert! Just did a shoot with them yesterday and this morning. Trusty glass on set. Will have some new stuff dropping soon!

[@utube321piotr]

Zeiss is more contrasty for my eye, visibly a better lens

[@shishjhuang]

Wa... I think I love contax 25

[@tanbengjak]

🙋‍♂️Me too..❤ the unique character of Zeiss 25mm.

[@EvanMortonFilm]

@@tanbengjak Absolutely! And for me building a set jumping from 25mm to 35mm seems better than 28mm to 35mm just because it's nice to have more than a 7mm difference. That in mind a 1.7 crop factor does make it a bit more noticeable. I love the 18mm f/4 too, I want to get my hands on that!

[@mathishomerunhub]

the zeiss is a beast compare to the rokinon

[@sixsoxsex1]

Why?

[@mathishomerunhub]

@@sixsoxsex1 in this video is pretty clear if you have a trained eye. the zeiss has a better light transition also you can see separation between the objects the rokinon gives a flat image no separation (objects look a little 3 dimensional on the zeiss lenses)

[@sixsoxsex1]

Which is the sharpest?

[@wiseman9626]

Oops. I've mistakes. Surprise.

[@1Movieticket]

i love b