Zeiss Biotar 75mm 1.5 lens on 5D MK II

<p>Hello</p>

<p>I have a Zeiss Biotar 75mm 1.5 lens, one of the older chrome on brass versions.<br>

It is an Exakta Mount version.<br>

I recently purchased an "Exakta to Canon" adapter on Ebay.<br>

Unforutnately, when I attached the lens and adapter to my Canon 5D Mark II, the rear of the lens or adapter was hitting my mirror. And, I am not talking about "infinty", I mean, it hit my mirror at close-focus.<br>

Maybe I bought a bad adapter.<br>

Can anyone, that has this lens and a 5D MK II, please tell me which adapter they are using and if they have any problems.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p> </p>

<p>You need to put this in the Canon EOS forum, not Classic Manual cameras!</p>

<p>Well, a lot of times those extremely fast lenses have large protruding rear elements. Do you own any other Exakta mount lenses? Try a different one, say a normal lens or telephoto lens, mount it on the EOS via the adapter to see if it clears the mirror, and if it focuses to infinity. I doubt many people own the 75/1.5 Biotar to be able to check it for you.</p>

<p>So besides an "any old crap" forum, this is now a "problems with digital crap" forum too?<br>

;-)</p>

<p>Many Exakta lenses simply won't mount on a 35mm sensor Canon EOS like the 5D because of rearward protruding elements. They work fine on an APS-C body. Quite often this information is posted at the eBay offer by the supplier.</p>

<p>QG, I think a problem with a lovely Biotar lens ought to deserve a little tolerance.<br /> The Biotars are not and never were "any old crap" but are some of the finest lenses ever made. They would be considered "classic" by even the most esthete critic, if they knew what they are, that is. :)</p>

<p>JDM,</p>

<p>The problem is how to put a lens (that happens to be a Biotar) on a digital camera and the Exakta to Canon adapter that was used to try that.</p>

As one poster already mentioned there aren't that many of us that have this...and a 5D! Like JDM said, this is a magnificently conceived and well built optic from CZ! It ain't cheap! It may very well not work! You might also want to try it on an Exakta. There were different generations of Exakta mount gear spanning 50 years and though the mount looks the same, there are I think, four primary types. For some lenses the formula changed slightly and so I suspect the construction did too ! You might find more info searching Exakta + Canon 5D! Oh, and if you find you can't use it this thing, you can send it to me I'll pay the shipping!

If you think this a common thing, then read about it from premier collector Captain Jack http://captjack.exaktaphile.com/Zeiss%20page.htm

<p>QC<br>

Since I actually answered the question as best I could from my own experience with a 58mm Biotar on both Exaktas (a CMC topic) and a 5D, I think it should be clear that I knew what the question was.<br>

This is an extraordinary lens and adapting it for use into the 21st c is of interest to many of us who participate most frequently on CMC. It is the lens that makes this appropriate here, obviously, not the camera body. If the OP had put this on the EOS forum someone like you probably would have complained about the lens not being EOS AF. You are the one who introduced the term <em>crap</em> in relation to this posting. ;)</p>

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<p>There's lots of lenses that hit the mirror on the 5D and 5D MkII when adapted -- that's why there's a cottage industry of mirror shorteners.<br>

Exakta mount cameras, including the Topcon, have rather short mirrors. The top of the image goes dark when you stop down. This is necessary to clear the lens mount and lenses. Plenty of Exakta mount lenses stick out another 3mm from the rear of the mount.</p>

<p>It's been posted here before, but it's an invaluable and ongoing resource for those of us who collect classic lenses for unmentionable purposes... :-)</p>

<p>http://www.panoramaplanet.de/comp/</p>

<p>I didn't realize Q.G. was even allowed out of the MF forum<g>.</p>

<p>Have the very same problem. A cupboard full of Exakta lenses and a Canon EOS 5D Mk II. The first tests were done with a Biotar 5,8 cm f/2 (chrome over brass) with quite unpleasant results.<br>

The problem, at least as far as I can see it, is not in the rear element but in the bayonet of the lens itself. The adapter mounts exactly as an EF lens, but the rear of the bayonet protrudes deeper into the mirror box. Did measurements on some (well, at least 20) lenses and there is some (manufacturing?) tolerance in thickness of tabs. The lenses with thinner ones might just work, the thicker ones jam (and damage) the mirror.<br>

Unfortunately, short of modifying the mirror, nothing can be done to enable Exakta lenses use (with infinity focus) on a 5D MkII in a SLR mode. It is not an adapter problem. On the other hand, Exakta lenses could be used in live-view mode.</p>

<p>Best regards,</p>

<p>Miha</p>

<p>I bought last weekend a Steinheil Quinar 135/2.8 with Exakta mount.<br />At the moment I have no Ef adapter.<br />For me it seems, that the Exakta mount (not the lenses itself) protrudes too much into the camera - an EOS 5D. Becasue of that I am thinking to disassemble the Exakta mount ring from the lens, and make a kind of conversion to use that lens on my EOS camera.<br>

Other possibility could probably be a changed infinity adjustment of the lens itself and a kind of macro adapter that hold the lens housing 1-2 mm further away from the sensor. But it seems such adapters are not avialble?</p>