the 21 is magic, worth the price.

I had almost an identical lineup back in early 2000’s although it was for photography purposes. I found 50mm f1.7 a bit better than 1.4 version. You’re right about 18…I had 21 f2.8 and it was spectacular. I know that zooms are not great for your line of work but 35-70 f/3.4 is simply stunning…one of my favourite 3 lenses of all times…and I’ve been photographing things for almost 40 years.

@NickHouchin

7 ай бұрын

Phenomenal! Thanks for sharing. What to you was better about the 1.7 version of the 50? I keep hearing about the 35-70. I tend to use zooms as flexible primes when I’m moving quickly. I’m not doing much live zooming. It seems like it might actually be a good fit.

@BelowZero

7 ай бұрын

@@NickHouchin Less chromatic aberration, sharper wide open and overall better IQ. As per 35-70mm, there is something quite special about that zoom. The colour rendering is simply stunning and out of focus area is incredibly smooth (for f3.4).

Man oh man I’m so lucky I just stumbled on your page. Your footage is 😮‍💨

Thank you, amazing content!!

awesome video ! i've been collecting my contax zeiss set for over 3 years and right now it's my only set and i use it in 90%+ of my jobs and i also pair with a blackmagic camera, but i use the 6k pro. The 28mm is my favorite focal length of this set but i went with the f2 version, it's an amazing lens !

@NickHouchin

6 ай бұрын

Right on, man! So fun to hear other people are using the same combination.

I happen to own a set from my Contax film camera with all lenses from 18 to the 200. They are not soft as many people refer to them. In the film days we refer to them as creamy sharp. On my Sigma FP at 4K they’re still almost clinically sharp. On my BMPCC 4K, they’re creamy sharp. Another pro not mentioned is that they have a longer focus throw than modern lenses. The image that comes out of these lenses are truly magical.

@NickHouchin

6 ай бұрын

Great point on the longer focus throw! The 50 is perfect to pull by hand. Sometimes the throw on the 85 is almost too far to pull by hand without a follow focus.

Great video btw .. I just hope I could get my hands on a set one day , preferably soon lol

Awesome video! Fellow Black magic user here! I bought the 85mm 1.4 MMJ and am currently looking at the 18mm f4. Watching your footage with the 18mm totally sold me on it, pixel peepers online almost talked me out of it. Curious though, what kept you from the 35mm 1.4? It’s going to be the last lens I get in the set but it looks amazing. Again thanks for the great video! Not enough contax Zeiss content out there.

@NickHouchin

8 ай бұрын

Thanks man! Glad it helped you out. Honestly, the thing that kept me from the 35 1.4 at the time was the price. I believe I spent around $350 on the 28, and at the time the 35 was going for around $2k. At some point along the way I talked myself out of the 35. I also remember watching Flo’s video from Of Two Lands on the 28mm and his images sold me on it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a super solid lens, just the wrong choice for the situations I put myself in.

Great video, thanks so much for putting this together. Very helpful and I think I will pass on these lenses even though the images are great.

Thanks for the info

Thanks for this man. I went berserk and an almost full set with the 25 2.8 , 28 2.8, 35 2.8, 50 1.4, 85 1,4 all AEs except for the 25. Looking on to the 15mm for my ultra wide, barely shoot full frame mainly s35 on an FX30 and the pocket 4k with a speedbooster. I think I'm loosing it lol, love these lenses and I can't wait to see how I'll grow old with them.

Nice video! I'm a big fan of this lenses too. Used them a lot on the Blackmagic 6K and they play together really well. Don't sleep on the zooms either! The 35-70 with macro function and the 100-300 are incredible for more doc style shoots, especially outdoors! I did some videos on my channel with those.

@NickHouchin

7 ай бұрын

Oooo, you’re super right. The zooms look sick. Thanks for heads up on that!

@CraigMarshall_HDvideo4K

6 ай бұрын

the 28-85mm should no be discounted. Stunning & versatile F/3.3 zoom.

Im on the Contax rabbit hole and checking out the difference between AE and MM and stumble upon your video. while watching the video I was thinking why wouldn't they use this lens for mainstream and save money it looks awesome. I stopped for a moment and watch Tokyo Vice and notice something I saw while researching Contax Lenses.

For all e mount users. you can just use an adapter directly from contax to emount so you don´t have to to modify anything and have them stable. They are not Sony GM sharp but better than newer cheap lenses.

@iguanacrudafilms

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for this information

Great video! Was it difficult to get them converted to PL?

Thanks, i bought two Contax lenses recently, the 85mm f/1.4 & the 50mm f/1.4 on my Nikon Z mirrorless for stills. I had diffucult time to find how other people bought the cap for the lenses and now I know this is SIMMOD. I already bought the Contax metal caps from Japan, or else, I would order from SIMMOD. Thanks for the information anyway, I am looking at the 28mm f/2 (Hollywood).

Yes, the 35mm f1.4 MMJ is my favourite, followed by the 85mm f1.4. Just get it…

Thanks for this video. I’m looking into buying these lenses and this is the video I needed! have a question- when you said you returned some of the lenses as you were building your set, what made you return? Did they not match the others you had purchased up to that point? Like minor differences? Or like- more egregious things- fungus or scratches etc?

@NickHouchin

6 ай бұрын

Correct! Lenses that had flaws you couldn’t see in the photos, one of the lenses was advertised as “near-mint” but the focus ring was almost completely stuck. Another was advertised as an MMJ lens, but I was shipped a different AEG lens. It just takes a little patience!

I was wondering if you ever tried the ZE lenses ? I have the BMPCC 6k G2 with 21mm f2.8 ZE, 28mm f2 ZE, 35mm f2 ZE, and 50mm f1.4 ZE. I think that most of them are the same as Contax, but the coating has changed. It would great to get some feedback if it is worth it investing in Contax if I already have a set of ZE. Input from others with experience would be nice. Thanks a lot

Great video! I am now looking for a CY wide angle for my set, how do you deal with the quirks of the 18mm? The lack of filter thread, do you have the simmod ring on it? Does it vignette on a full frame with a filter on it? The front element moves with while focusing I reckon, does it bother you at all in a real world shooting scenario? Also, I love that lens names font! Would you mind sharing what is it? Thanks, love the video!

@NickHouchin

4 ай бұрын

I just deal with them honestly. A few thoughts - the first time an AC works with the kit, I have to show them how to take the 18 on and off because the front half of the lens spins to lock before the back half will move. Once they figure it out it's not a real pain. I do have the simmod ring on it. Works great. I usually use 4x5.65 filters, so I'm not sure if it vignettes with screw-ons, but my guess would be it does a little bit. Also I personally never mind a light vignette, I might be crazy. To me, it adds character. The front element moving is just part of dealing with a vintage set of lenses. It feels less sturdy than a proper set of cinema lenses, but hasn't felt like it's gotten in the way or slowed us down on set. The caps are from Simmod as well. They've been great.

@snochmeister2244

4 ай бұрын

@@NickHouchin thank you for your response :) I guess you're right, it's just their character and it has to be dealt with. I may consider going with ZE/ZF for a wide-angle, I shall see.

Great video, great song, is it available on something like artist?

the 18mm has way less distortion (virtually none) than the 21( a ton of distortion). Something to consider...

where did you get those lens caps ?? great video !

@NickHouchin

4 ай бұрын

Yeah! They're great. Simmod made them. - There's a link in the description.

Very good and informative...But too expensive! Overpriced maybe. And if they are so good lenses why in some feature films they choose the nikon 28mm 2.8 AIS ...and more cheaper?

My problem with Contax Zeiss lenses is, that they are very, very clean looking. Just too similar to the modern age lenses for digital cameras.

contax lens set under 500$ ? Man I wish could find that deal.. Im scattering through ebay and its around 3000$ for a set and above!

Do you feel that a set of cheap Samyang cinema lenses would be a better pick regarding all the cons you mentioned?

@NickHouchin

6 ай бұрын

Great point! I actually came from a set of Rokinon Cine lenses. As I mentioned in the video, optics were my #1 concern, so I’m personally willing to deal with the cons for the sweet sweet image. Otherwise, I’d be stepping up to a real set of cinema glass to get rid of the cons and keep the optics.

@timpanic

6 ай бұрын

I swapped all my samyangs for the contax zeisses. Never looking back. The picture is not worse in any case but the building quality is much better. You must spend a lot more to have better cinema glas that´s for sure.

@bbrunorocha

6 ай бұрын

absolutely not, the Contax zeiss lenses are miles ahead of this samyang. If you need to match the set and also not have to worry about professional use on set, the NiSi Athena Primes might be the best budget option ( I don't like the DZO primes)

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