Seeking for Zeiss

[thierry nguyen cuu - nomad]

Carl Zeiss lenses are not manufactured in EF mount.

Nikon lenses can sit on EOS bodies with adaptor.

 

Has any body put a recent Carl Zeiss (a Planar T* 1.4/85 for example) on an EOS

body here?

 

If so, is it full manual or can it be used in A mode as well (any adaptor in

particular)?

 

Thanks

[shambrick007]

Yes, many have. Manual or Av mode. There ARE Zeiss-Contax to Canon EF adapters.

[shambrick007]

OK, now I assume you were talking about the ZF mount lenses. Maybe not so many in that case, but the manual and Av mode still applies.

[george_lui]

Actually, if you like Zeiss lens or Germany-made lens, you can consider the use of M42 thread mounted cheaper lens, which were made in several many years ago. You can find many in ebay.com, but as the demands for those lens are becoming more and more and the M42 lens are also becoming much popular for its good resolution and colour when compared to its cheaper price, the bidding costs for the lens are very high now.

 

For the use of M42 thread mounted lens, you can easily buy an M42-EOS adaptor so that you can mount the old lens to Canon EOS SLR or DSLR. However, one point you should be aware is that there is no autmatic focusing for M42 lens. That means you need to get used to manual focus by using the present viewfinder. In order to aid my manual focusing works, I have bought a split-type focusing screen and also made another one from Nikon Type-K split-typed focusing screen for my Canon EOS 300D.

 

It's a very nice try and up to now, I have owned 10 or more M42 lens, of which includes the followings:

1. Carl Zeiss Jena pancolar 50/1.8 MC (Carl Zeiss jena is of zeiss company in East Germany)

2. Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50/2.8 MC & SC

3. Aus jena sonnar 135/3.5 SC (Carl Zeiss jena lens for export)

4. ISCO 135/3.5 (made in West Germany)

5. ISCO 50/2.8 (made in West Germany)

6. Pentacon 50/1.8 MC (made in E. Germany)

7. Pentacon 30/3.5 (made in E. Germany)

8. Pentacon 135/2.8 (made in E. Germany)

9. Super Takumar 200/4 (made in Japan, Pentax)

10. Super Takumar 55/2 (made in Japan, Pentax)

11. Super Takumar 35/3.5 (made in Japan, Pentax), etc.

 

From the above, I like Carl Zeiss Jena lens and ISCO lens, which give high resolution and colourful photos. And all the above lens were acquired thru the bidding in ebay.com. At the same time, Carl Zeiss jena Flektogon 35/2.4 is my dream and the bidding price of it is getting higher and higher... and very hot amongst the M42 lens players.

 

If you want to see some photo record for the lens, you can go to my blog (but in Chinese characters) for my testing of different lens:

http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/abugashi-house/archive?l=f&id=13

 

If you do not understand the Chinese characters, just click the subject for viewing the image.

 

On the other hand, you can also buy Contax / Zeiss lens and adopt it to your EOS camera by use of C/Y-EOS mount. Of course, there is no automatic focusing again and those lens are comparatively expensive when compared with M42 lens.

 

For more concerns, we can share thru my email address: georgelui_hh@yahoo.com.hk

 

Hope the above can help.

 

Regards,

George

[thierry nguyen cuu - nomad]

Thank You Sheldon and George for you answers.

 

I'm browsing ebay's catalogue at this time :)

 

Cheers

[jcolwell]

The West German (and Japanese) Contax Carl Zeiss T* lenses with the Contax/Yashica mount are significantly better than their East German "Carl Zeiss Jena" cousins. I've had a variety of both, and sold all of the Jenas because the Zeiss T* are so much better. I use a "focus-confirmation" adapter on my Planar 85/1.4, but simple mechanical adapters do the job for my wider Zeiss T* lenses (28/2.8, 35/2.8, 45/2.8, & 50/1.7). You might want to watch the Fred Miranda <a href="http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/55">Alternative Digital Systems & Lenses forum</a> for a while, and ask your question there.

[fourfa]

You can use M42, contax-yashica, ZF, and presumably ZK lenses all via appropriate adaptors. You can even buy adaptors that activate the focus-confirmation light/beep in the Canon cameras. Manual focus of course, and in Av mode the camera will select an appropriate shutter speed automatically.

 

However it's stop-down metering, meaning you probably need to open the aperture to focus, then close it down again to shoot, as the finder will be unusably dark with the aperture closed. Doing this handheld, particularly with a fast lens like 85/1.4, can be very frustrating. It can very hard to hold the camera perfectly still while working the aperture ring. I've done the same with my Nikon 85/1.4 on Canon, however I usually just try to focus best I can at the working aperture (often f2-f4) instead of trying to use the more precise focus of f1.4.

 

On a tripod, and with a compliant subject that can hold very still, it's a different story. Or with wide angles that can be easily scale-focused.

 

One last caveat - some cameras go wonky in the metering when asked to judge an accurate exposure from the meager amount of light hitting the meter at f16. Sometimes better results are obtained manually metering wide open, then adjusting the shutter the same number of stops as you close the aperture.

[steven_moseley1]

Hi,

 

I think we need to remember that the (very good) reason the Contax/Zeiss lenses fetch so much more money than the M42 screw Zeiss 'Jena' lenses is because, quite simply the M42 'Jena' lenses are not proper zeiss lenses..in fact they have virtually nothing to do at all with Carl Zeiss.

 

cheers Steve.

[thierry nguyen cuu - nomad]

Thank you James, Andy and Steven for your posts.

 

I just got a few Contax lens on ebay (60 f2.8 Macro, 85 f1.4 and 200 f3.5) and tried them out on my 5D with an AF confirm adapter ...

 

I had to grind the back of the lens to prevent the mirror from touching the lens :(

 

However the quality is still there and is impressive.<div></div>

[thierry nguyen cuu - nomad]

Andy,

 

Do you have any shot taken with that Nikon 85 f1.4 (using Canon and/or Nikon body)?

 

I am looking for a (good) used Nikon 85 f1.4 to go with my D200.

Would appreciate some test shots here.

 

Cheers