The most up-to-date guide to almost every Contax lens ever made. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom impress in a lot of ways, but their noise reduction lags the competition and their lens corrections lack a real-world basis. Yupthey go as far 500mm. The only thing I could maybe do later is update the markings on each lens with fluorescent paint like what you see here, by Moritz Schierenbeck on VLFVs facebook group. The only thing I could maybe do later is update the markings on each lens with fluorescent paint like what you see here, by Moritz Schierenbeck on VLFVs facebook group. Are usually 3.5 and F4. Would I be crazy to say I kinda prefer my 85mm f2.8 to my 85mm f1.4. That would be asking a lot of these budget lenses. Thank you! It had five lenses: 28/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.4 and 135/2.8. For that reason I had to make a super tall focus gear that would not slip off when travelling from infinity to minimum focus. This is another trick to make lens swaps faster, since you wont need to adjust your follow focus back and forth on the rig. That's what I'm thinking, though no official sources have been cited on the tests, it may have been pulled from articles or done independently, not sure. Or get a Duclos/Tokina 11-16. send me payment method & how many days it will take? In this buying guide weve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best. On my set some were MMJ, others AEG. Stay current with regular CineD updates about news, reviews, how-tos and more. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . Canon FD's are the predecessors to Canon L glass, and have a superb pedigree. I got all my standard 80mm fronts from him, as well as slip-on lens caps. All I ever had so far was a Canon backpack and that is not a safe way to transport this grade of gear everywhere. Zeiss Ikon was also split apart into Eastern and Western divisions, but these two subsidiaries kept working togetherand Contax rangefinder cameras and lenses continued to be made on both sides of the wall. Zeiss has their own language, their own nomenclature, for lens designs that is very useful to be familiar with as you start hunting for lenses. You NEVER SEE it wide open, because the blades arent engaged. I didnt think too much about them when designing, they just needed to fit around the ring, and our printer was painfully slow (M3D, Im looking at you). The 15mm is a gorgeous rectilinear super wide angle, it shares the same optical formula as the Leica Super-Elmar 15mm f/3.5, with different coatings. smc super takumar lenses are often more available and significantly cheaper than the Contax. In my experience, ALL AEs have the Ninja-Star. These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both speed and focus for capturing fast action and offer professional-level image quality. Just to be clear (think you left that part out, haha). Not too sure but it seems likely. Almost six months after I wrote this guide, I decided to update it with a quick survey of what lenses to consider - a general overview of the Contax lineup, if you will. I like to add 0.3mm to the measurement to give me a little wiggle room after printing. If I know Im not gonna need either the 15 and the 60, I just dont take their case with me. Its a gradual process, guys. The f/2.8 never really impressed me, even though its regarded as one of the best budget 28mm out there. All content, design, and layout are Copyright 19982023 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved. The 15/3.5 took the cake though. Fluorescent paint to make markings easier to spot in the dark, by Moritz Schierenbeck. The last decision I had to make was between the 18mm f/4 and the 15mm f/3.5. These are creative tools, use them as such. However, the optical quality of the Contaxs is certainly very close to ZF/ZEs and many of the designs appear to have only subtly changed over the years, in particular the 21 2.8, 34 1.4, 50 1.4, and 85 1.4. Copyright 2007-2022. DxO PureRAW 3 aims to come to their rescue without totally reinventing your workflow! But Zeiss was so precious about these lenses that some of them were only made in Japan and others in Germany. Zeisss quality control was extremely demanding. And needed a new line of lenses for 35mm still photography. Optically, Ive read numerous reports that show BOTH lines are very sharp, but frequently the Contax equivalent is deemed a tad sharper (stopped down). See the photo below! The lenses were made in two generations. Because the wides are slow, you will almost certainly need to compliment your kit with a Tokina/Duclos 11-16 2.8. Be patient, use heat and sandpaper, and youll get there. The Soviets were good enough for my own projects, but I needed something more reliable on this one. Next came the 60mm f/2.8 Macro. Germany vs Japan? The Canon EOS R10 is compact, mid-level 24MP APS-C mirrorless camera built around Canon's RF mount. In fact, they MOD better than ZF/ZEs believe it or not. to use on my Komodo. Still on the DIY train, a friend and I had just bought a 3d-printer, so I started making my own focus gears. So where Contax wins in coverage (they are FULL FRAME, and will cover Dragon and beyond), they lose out in speed (they are F4 at 18mm! These are stills lenses, and as Ryan De Franco correctly points outare designed to MAXIMIZE their resolution at F4 or 5.6. Leica Rs are much prettier. MM's from 1984 to 2005. You have to keep wiggling them slowly, side by side, until they are in place. After aperture was made smooth and clickless I still had my 3d printer hanging around, so I printed aperture gears as well. But if you guys love circular bokeh and find this bit of personality too intrusive, then do yourself a favor and skip it and get the MMs. It offers the advantage of one of the most sophisticated fully automatic through-the-lens exposure control available during the late seventies. This is another trick to make lens swaps faster, since you wont need to adjust your follow focus back and forth on the rig. In my experience, the gears never fit on the first try. I needed the one extra stop of light though, for consistent f/2 or faster through the main set. All times are GMT-8. Copyright 2007-2022. I'm sure its just due to copy variation and the years its weathered but pretty disappointing. This is a sticky topic. But it's a lens meant for stills and cheap as hell compared to cine glass. I started using these lenses casually. Focal length marked on the rear caps as well. We look into whether it offers more than your smartphone.
Mixing Zeiss Rollei/Contax/Z/Milvus/Otus/645/Sony/etc. Contax Zeiss Survival Guide - REDUSER.net Anyone have/had one? (Nick hope you don't mind my piggy-back!). X. X. I dont want to get into a German war over which is better, Leica R or Contax. The AE's are no longer serviced by Zeiss, keep that in mind. 80mm diameter Cine rings by SIMMOD Lens and 77mm filter threads. If youre not a DIY spirited person or you dont like getting things from a million different places -, I worked with Ron at SIMMOD so he can provide caps with stickers already on them. For me the 35mm F/1.4 has become a go to lens while working as a DP. Its history criss-crosses wars, politics, and conjures up the never-ending battles between Leica and Zeiss. I say that because Ive encountered many people who get confused and think Contax is weird Japanese junk. Filter. Time. They are much more closer to a Super/Standard speed look then the modern zeiss glass including the Cp2s. You can tell them apart because MM have their last aperture number painted green, and they have a small tab on the mount that doesnt exist on AEs. They dilate quite a bit and fit much more easily. E) They are very easy to cinemod. Plus, fitting these is never a one-slip move. That's where my obsession started. My custom made front caps with focal length, f-stop and minimum focus distance. Besides Leica Rs, also give Nikkors (obviously), Canon FDs, and Minolta Rokkors a good look. Luckily for me, out of the five lenses I only messed up really bad on one (the 85mm, which was also the first one I tried). My favorite lens switched to the 85/1.4 after that, though. I won't bore you with the history lesson, but Pentax worked with Zeiss when the Contax series was developed and they came out with a suspiciously similar multi-coated lens at the same time. You know, like a cine lens! Look for an MM with serials in the 8's. Nitze's Affordable Cage for Atomos Shogun CONNECT Introduced, Three Lenses on One Camera at Once VERTIGO by MultiTurret Coming To Kickstarter Soon, MASV Completes AWS Integration with "Send from Amazon S3" Feature, FALCAM Maglink Camera Straps First Look, Aputure INFINIBAR Review - RGBWW Full-Color LED Pixel Bars, Sony ZV-E1 Review - Sony a7S III Lowlight Capabilities, Enhanced Autofocus and Powerful AI, OSEE Megamon 15 Review - Great 1000nits Portable Monitor with few Shortcomings, Filmstro Web App Demonstration with New Features - Make Your Own Soundtracks, Canon EOS R3 Lab Test - Rolling Shutter, Dynamic Range and Latitude Test, Panasonic LUMIX S5 II Lab Test - Rolling Shutter, Dynamic Range and Latitude, Nikon Z 9 N-RAW Lab Test (FW 3.00) - Rolling Shutter, Dynamic Range and Latitude. My 21mm CP.2 is probably my favourite lens that I own, lovely, lovely piece of glass. Back then, not all C/Y Zeiss lenses could be adapted for EOS cameras . some lenses required minor surgery to make them useable. Oh and I believe that where the results are for "Real Aperture" in those tests may actually be the measured T-Stop? The main difference being that a normal human can afford Contax Zeiss but not Leicas. First I measured the slip-on caps I got from SIMMOD and created a Photoshop template with that size. After I got the five Contax I went to look for more info and found Nick Morrison's Contax Zeiss Survival Guide at REDUser. It gains the 40MP sensor and AF system from the X-H2 but in a body with a more stills-focused slant. Also ZF/ZE's tend to. You can use the code CINE at check out for a nifty discount! In Contax, that corresponds to all lenses 35mm and wider (down to 15mm). So I kept using an adapter on that one (the best adapter I had). I started with the 28mm.
Whereas Contax is an F4 at 18mm, and 2.8 at 25mm. You have a wide range of lenses to pick from and equally different price tags. (Heres where I beleive the Leica Rs have a clear advantage, their 19mm is a 2.8which is pretty amazing). (I read the Contax Survival Guide, thank you Nick . Im selling all the gears I made for my set on eBay, I made a tutorial on how to make focus gears, the same formula for the 21mm f/2.8 ZF/ZE primes, I was warned by my followers on Instagram about the edge the AE had over the MM, he can provide caps with stickers already on them, see here, by Moritz Schierenbeck on VLFVs facebook group. Theyre fully manual focus and aperture -, have solid metal construction, long focus throw, and a great feel overall. Leitax mount on the left, original Contax/Yashica mount on the right. The last thing I did was add step rings to normalize all their fronts at 58mm, to make my life easier when swapping NDs and other filters or anamorphic adapters in my case. The bokeh behaves differently than with Sonnars and Planars and I find these can give the image an interesting look. remained behind in the ruins of the city of Jena, trapped behind the Iron Curtain. For a little over a year, this was enough. 80mm is the outside diameter of the rings, and that number is so specific because its a standard size for clip-on matteboxes. Landmine Media, LLC. Informative and equally hilarious in parts :) I'm sure it will prove a resource for many many people over the years. I met amazing businesses with folks that really know how to deal with their customers, I did try out mindblowing glass and I was humbled by all the feedback I got when asking questions about what would be my best options in the middle of the process and posting updates of what I was working on. Thats when I learned of Leitax and their mount replacements. The issue that came up from was the stickers were having a hard time sticking to the material of the lens caps and were peeling off on their own. So far I had been using adapters on them, and they sucked. Give the AC a good follow focus and a . I have no idea why this is so and why they continue to sell this dog which takes until at least 2.8 to get reasonably sharp. Are not only the slowest, but frequently the most classic. Luckily for me, out of the five lenses I only messed up really bad on one (the 85mm, which was also the first one I tried). Quite remarkable sharpness at F2.8 for such a small and cheap lens. Heres the answer to all of this, broken down. After I got the five Contax I went to look for more info and found Nick Morrisons Contax Zeiss Survival Guide at REDUser. Otherwise, you should notice no optical or mechanical difference between the two lines. Mirrorless Camera of the Year 2022 & Other Camera Candidates, Adobe Firefly for Video Announced Bringing Generative AI to Creative Cloud, CineD NAB 2023 Best of Show Awards go to DJI, frame.io, FUJIFILM, LumenArc and ZHIYUN, CineD at NAB 2023 - Visit our Booth, Win Prizes. The 135mm f/2.8 was a great lens. For further details, see our Privacy Policy. I met amazing businesses with folks that really know how to deal with their customers, I did try out mindblowing glass and I was humbled by all the feedback I got when asking questions about what would be my best options in the middle of the process and posting updates of what I was working on. You know, like a cine lens! They rack focus beautifully. I always took the 135 with me and some of my favorite photos come from that time. I know I stopped mentioning how sharp these lenses are, but the 60mm is worth highlighting. D) They are very easy to adapt to EOS mount. Collapse. The Fujifilm X-T5 is the company's latest classically-styled APS-C mirrorless camera. Really haven't tested it enough, but the color rendering of the 85mm f2.8 really seems to have some special magic. What's the best camera for shooting landscapes? Contax Zeiss Survival Guide. For example, the 200 3.5 Tessar was "updated" with a Sonnar 180 2.8. Standard lens, cant really make a set without a 35mm in it, right? If you do have a printer, I made a tutorial on how to make focus gears! I own (or have owned) an AE 25 2.8, 28 f2, 28 2.8, 35 1.4, 45 2.8, 50 1.4, 50 1.7, 60 2.8, 85 1.4, 85 2.8, 135 f2, 135 2.8, and 200 3.5and ALL OF THEM have the Ninja-Star. By giving you that extra latitude in the blacks and highlights, they were letting photographers dial in how much black and contrast they wanted later in the dark roomwhen they were printing. Contax Zeiss Survival Guide In reply to Giovanni_1968 9 months ago While this site is targeted to adapting Zeiss Contax lenses for video, it also seems to be the go-to guide for the rest of us with respect to these lenses. A) They are FULL FRAME and will cover Dragon, and it would seam, even VISTA VISION WEAPON. I plugged in the focal length in white so theyre easy to read in dark sets. Impressive performance and also the fastest 35mm I ever owned.
Contax RTS Series SLR Camera Models - MIR 06-22-2022, 04:47 PM Hey, everybody, I know we have the awesome Contax Zeiss Survival Guide but looking at building a set of Zeiss lenses myself from bargain finds and fixer uppers I've collected, I wondered what anybody's experiences might have been with mixing Zeiss lineups together? Really. People (me included) didn't like the poor performance of the Canon EF wide lenses and the 21mm and 28mm 2.8 Contax lenses filled the gap. All Time Today Last Week Last Month. The 35-70 doesn't move when the camera tilts. LensFinder | NEW way to buy & sell OLD lenses. I get asked lots of questions. On the 918 I keep the main six lenses of the set plus variable NDs and other filters. Whats the best camera for around $2000? Fuck!). All Time Today Last Week Last Month. When the MM's flare, they control it much better (you have to force it more), but when they do, and the coating is overwhelmed by a direct source, the coating will break out into more distinct, tight Zeiss purple flare marks. So all you do is get a Cine Ring with the rear thread of your lens and thats gonna make it standard! I almost went for the wrong one with my MM obsession, but I was warned by my followers on Instagram about the edge the AE had over the MM. I already talked about the mount replacements and focus gears, so Im left with standard fronts and de-clicking. Not saying the 135/2 isnt worth it the investment, its just much heavier and harder to carry as a walk-around lens. The rubber grip on the focus ring of the lenses is awesome because it prevents the gears from sliding, but its also a pain because it makes the fitting a lot harder. The first one is AE and the second one is MM.
Contax Zeiss Survival Guide - REDUSER.net Its regarded as one of the best 21mm ever made, and to this day they still use the same formula for the 21mm f/2.8 ZF/ZE primes. It doesnt really ever pop up on my 25 2.8, 28 f2, 50 1.4, or 135 2.8. These lenses thread the fine line between organic and sharp, a line as thin as depth of field on an 85/1.2 wide open, only second to Leica. Its not. I prefer it, cuz theres an honesty there I appreciate. It's taken me a few years to build this set, and I absolutely love the look I get from them The 21mm is still regarded as one of the best wide angle lenses you can buy, hence why it is one of . Domenic, you are selling your 100 Macro 2.8 right? Page of 320.
These last two are challenging to adapt to EOS because of their. My copy has some fungus in it and other copies might be better. I've noticed these designs are more likely to create punchy, contrasty images, too. No comparison. . I'm liking my 28:2.8 AE. Contax Zeiss Survival Guide In reply to Giovanni_1968 Nov 30, 2021 While this site is targeted to adapting Zeiss Contax lenses for video, it also seems to be the go-to guide for the rest of us with respect to these lenses. 18mm is way too close to 21mm, plus lots of reviews mention its not-impressive performance.
Contax 100mm f/2 vs ZE/ZF - FM Forums AE lenses also show ninja-star bokeh when stopped down, which is a major turnoff for some folks. The Hasselblad we threw up also seemed to have an uncannily similar T* coating too. ALL of my MMs do NOT have the Ninja-Star, so Im going to say this is a Maxim. Back to the story. makes SPECTACULAR permanent mounts for $75 (Duclos uses these, nuff said). You have to keep wiggling them slowly, side by side, until they are in place.
Old against New: Zeiss 2.8/28 vs Sony FE 2/28 vs Minolta MC 2/28 If you wanna follow this path, theres no way to dodge reading the Survival Guide. Then I sent that to be printed at StickerYou in vinyl stickers. There are a lot of photo/video cameras that have found a role as B-cameras on professional film productions or even A-cameras for amateur and independent productions. Almost six months after I wrote this guide, I decided to update it with a quick survey of what lenses to consider - a general overview of the Contax lineup, if you will. After I read stellar reviews about the 28mm f/2.0 Hollywood, I went looking for one. It was a time when I didnt shoot much, but I went on long bike rides. Things can still look beautiful, but Zeisss philosophy is not to make things pretty, but to be true. But Zeiss was so precious about these lenses that some of them were only made in Japan and others in Germany. Conveniently for me as I was finishing the set, SIMMOD Lens came into the picture, with very competitive prices, impressive customer service and super high-quality products. You can spot an MM if the last number on your aperture ring is. The Hollywood is indeed a star and the image that comes out of it is much more appealing than the 28/2.8. These terms refer to all lenses 45mm and up (to 500mm). I personally own the 35mm and the 50mm. Only thing I can add to those going the Contax Zeiss route, is that it is important to understand that because of the age of this lenses, despite their . There is a bit of breathing when rack-focusing. The optics in these Zeiss are very similar, if not the same as the current Zeiss still lenses, a different coating on the glass is the main difference. After I got the five Contax I went to look for more info and found the Contax Zeiss Survival Guide at REDUser. Can't Attend? . I returned to the guide and started eBay hunting. The 60/2.8 AE can do 1:1 magnification, while the MM can only reach 1:2. How can i get those lenses from you? In this guest post, Vancouverbasedfreelance filmmaker and an anamorphic lens freak TitoFerradans,is exposing us to hisContax Zeiss CineTune-Up Guide. Time. Live with it. In my experience, Japanese and German lenses are equally good. You could use it an any focal length and not really have any compromise relative the prime lenses of the time. This gave me a great set of lenses ready for action, all I missed was a way of getting them to said action. It had five lenses: 28/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.4 and 135/2.8. Next up was the 35mm, two stops faster at f/1.4. I'm planning on building a Canon FD or Contax Zeiss C/Y set (I read the Contax Survival Guide, thank you Nick Morrison!!!) One thing I want to mention here is that I have found the new 50/1.4 ZE and ZF's to be MUCH softer wide open than my Contax 50/1.4.
Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* (C/Y) 35-70mm f3.4: A review You can see, Ryan de Franco called my bluff recently, and he let me sit in on his informal test looking into how similar Contax in FACT areto Standards and Super Speeds. Sonnar originally meant "Sunny", because historically these used to be the bright, fast designs when they first came out. Great help. The tab and the last stop in green that mark MM lenses. They dilate quite a bit and fit much more easily. Having them separate also gives me versatility on pricing, since the main set can still go out without them for a more accessible price. Are often more traditional designs. Also because Soviet glass was super cheap. When the ZF/ZEs first came out in 2006, they appear to have been direct re-badges of the Contax line (with small modifications to the designs). Sometimes you have to go with what you can get your hands on. I would take Contax Zeiss over Canon "Cine Primes," Zeiss Compact Primes, or the new "Superspeeds" any day. Also almost twice as big and heavy as the previous one.
KOMODO + Canon FD or Contax Zeiss + Focal Reducer WOW! So I sand the inside down a bit and try again. You have to admit they look sexy. The Contax Zeiss Distagon 'Hollywood' 28mm F2.0 is a classic fast wide for full frame and is incredible on Super 35mm as well. That was probably one of the most stressful experiences of my life with lenses. Its the one I always took with me and it gave me gorgeous shots. The Contax Zeiss version fetches $800 on eBay but there's a $60 wolf in sheep's clothing called the Pentax PK 28mm F2.0 which has a fascinating story behind . freelance filmmaker and an anamorphic lens freak TitoFerradans,is exposing us to hisContax Zeiss CineTune-Up Guide. I shipped all of them to SIMMOD for declicking and a quick checkup. As they were designed for photography, they have clicked stops, which has to be dealt with, but they all feature non-rotating front elements, which is a very valuable feature these days with vari NDs. It all started when I stumbled upon a post on Craigslist from a guy selling his Contax Zeiss set. Back to the story. You can unsubscribe at any time via an unsubscribe link included in every newsletter. Or do what I did and find an affordable Standard Prime 16mm T2. If you are referring to breathing, there is some, but less than in many other still lenses. Wide open the 1.4 is great, but the focusing ring just feels very clunky on my copy. Well done mate. Theyre much cheaper than modern lenses, yet share similar designs and performance. Check it out: Copyright 2007-2022. At this point the price argument was adding a lot of weight. These lenses thread the fine line between organic and sharp, a line as thin as depth of field on an 85/1.2 wide open, only second to Leica. Heres a little short-hand: ". Wake the fuck up. check out the. The questions get dizzying. The process turned out alright and the gears worked great, but later on I learned some useful tricks. Thank you to Tito for a captivating read. Related Topics . As a reference, my main set of lenses at this time was a Soviet kit that I put together because of their imperfections and organic look. The Super Nettel was based on the Contax I, with the same kind of shutter but a folding body, a fixed lens, and a short-based rangefinder. However, I wont argue that having a lens that says Made In West Germany is wicked cool.
Contax Zeiss Survival Guide: Adapted Lens Talk Forum: Digital The Minolta MC 2/28 is the oldest and fastest of the bunch, it was introduced in 1975. While this site is targeted to adapting Zeiss Contax lenses for video, it also seems to be the go-to guide for the rest of us with respect to these lenses. On almost all shoots weve done with Contax lenses, where we have used other glass, be it Leica Rs or Canon EOS, every time the DP has noticed that the waveforms jump.
Thats where my obsession started. This is a guide for people that love handling gear and tweaking little things here and there. I repeated the technique for the rear caps, this time with only the focal length written on them. But if you want SPECIFIC tailored performance, than RPPs, Cookes, or Ultraprimes are probably a better choice (for many times the budget). I went for the fastest lenses and snuffed out the AEGs I had, in favor of the prettier bokeh of the MMJs. Tito Ferradans spent the last six years researching, writing and making videos about the anamorphic format and how to achieve it without breaking the bank on low-budget productions. Next came the 60mm f/2.8 Macro. It's definitely not lens breathing. So far I had been using adapters on them, and they sucked. I think its safe to say all these lenses from this era of Zeiss optics have remarkably similar coatings and magic. Contax Zeiss Survival Guide. Then, near the end of last year I decided to round out the set and make it suitable for renting. thanks for the info! This wraps the first step in building a set of lenses: getting the glass. AE lenses were made between 1975 and 1984. Check out his own blog here and Patreon here. All I ever had so far was a Canon backpack and that is not a safe way to transport this grade of gear everywhere. AgThunderbird A7Riii | A7ii infrared mod | Minolta 7 . I needed a proper case! Then, near the end of last year I decided to round out the set and make it suitable for renting. A) They are FULL FRAME and will cover Dragon, and it would seam, even VISTA VISION WEAPON. thanks Nick im building Contax set in soon :). If thats your deal, then you will love Leica Rs. The 15mm is a gorgeous rectilinear super wide angle, it shares the same optical formula as the Leica Super-Elmar 15mm f/3.5, with different coatings. It was not a problem as a starter set. Contax Zeiss should be on your radar for a couple of reasons. 80mm is the outside diameter of the rings, and that number is so specific because its a standard size for clip-on matteboxes. Speaking of good prices, many links in this post will take you directly to eBay searches of each specific lens! I have used the Nikon 85 1.4, Sony Carl Zeiss 85 and 135, Mino 85, Sigma 85, Canon 85 1.2 for reference. The f/2.8 never really impressed me, even though its regarded as one of the best budget 28mm out there. The 135 mm 2.8 MD lens can keep up with the big boys, some say it is one of the best tele lens of all time. I was not impressed, so I decided to make my own. Its a very charming (or annoying, depending on your POV) design to the aperture blades that looks like a crooked ninja throwing star. This is an endeavor Ive been working on and off for the last two years and now I can see the finish line. If I have a motor on the iris, itll have to be adjusted every time the lens is swapped. Want regular CineD updates about news, reviews, how-tos and more?Sign up to our newsletter and we will give you just that. When designing your focus gears, keep the number of teeth constant for all the lenses. Original Contax Zeiss set on the left, Soviet set on the right. The 35 f2, 25f2, 50 f2 lenses are all completely new and completely superb. X. X. If you are not great at DIY, make sure to check out our sponsors SimmodLens and FollowFocusGears.com for pretty much all the mods mentioned in the article above. Yes, it's one step slower than the its siblings, but it definitely crushes them with razor sharp focus and a beautiful transition into bokeh.