Contax IIa 50/1.5 - wide open

[monochromejrnl]

all shot on TriX@1600 developed in Diafine 3.5/3.5... slight adjustments to levels and curves in PS CS...

[jano]

I miss that lens *sniff*

[Rich Silfver]

It's a great lens.
Here's a re-post of a photo taken with my Sonnar 50/1.5 (on a Contax IIIa) - shot wide open.
It's a bit soft but that has more to do with my own inabilities to focus well than with the sharpness of the lens.

http://www.pbase.com/rsilfverberg/image/68075720.jpg
Contax IIIa, Sonnar 50/1.5

[monochromejrnl]

Rich - same here.. i find the VF on the Contax IIa a far cry from what i enjoy on the M4-P... thinking of getting an adapter and using it on an M3... higher magnification might be help provided the adapter is built to high tolerances to ensure focus accuracy... thoughts?

[Rich Silfver]

Funny. I'm thinking about doing the same thing - getting an adapter for the 50/1.5 Sonnar to use on my M3. I'd also be interested in anyone with any experience on a setup like that.

[furcafe]

A great lens, indeed. Here's an old example of mine taken w/the E. German version (1/6th sec. @ f/1.5):

http://static.flickr.com/7/6935549_99ec6d03f6_o.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/furcafe/6935549/

In the full-frame scan of this shot you can easily make out details of the irises in her eyes & I cropped the negative 33% to make it square.

[furcafe]

As a collector & a devotee of both the Contax & Leica systems, I have some of these adapters & they do work. I think it's much more cost-effective to get the Canon 50/1.5 or 50/1.4 Nikkor-S in LTM as they're just Japanese Sonnars (tweaked/stretched a bit in the case of the Nikkor). The LTM CZJ Sonnars can also be found @ "decent" prices (approx. $400 in excellent optical condition), but there are a lot of fakes coming out of the former USSR & the build quality of the genuine ones is inferior to the Canons & Nikons.

Rich - same here.. i find the VF on the Contax IIa a far cry from what i enjoy on the M4-P... thinking of getting an adapter and using it on an M3... higher magnification might be help provided the adapter is built to high tolerances to ensure focus accuracy... thoughts?

[monochromejrnl]

As a collector & a devotee of both the Contax & Leica systems, I have some of these adapters & they do work. I think it's much more cost-effective to get the Canon 50/1.5 or 50/1.4 Nikkor-S in LTM as they're just Japanese Sonnars (tweaked/stretched a bit in the case of the Nikkor). The LTM CZJ Sonnars can also be found @ "decent" prices (approx. $400 in excellent optical condition), but there are a lot of fakes coming out of the former USSR & the build quality of the genuine ones is inferior to the Canons & Nikons.

there is a fellow named John Luk in HK who makes and sells these adapters on *bay.. i've seen them go for $200-270 at auction... not cheap but i already own the 50/1.5 and not sure i want to buy a japanese or CZJ replica in LTM mount (which would also require an adapter - albeit a $40 one)...

hmmm decisions....

[furcafe]

It all depends on how devoted you are to a single lens. As I've posted before, the Japanese Sonnars are optically just as good as the German ones (though I don't think that they're better). In addition to a modern Japanese Orion copy (used for the shot above) & a Cook & Perkins, both of which are Contax RF-to-LTM, I do have 1 of the new HK Contax-to-M adapters & it works fine, too. I just happen to prefer the LTM adapters for extra versatility, as I have some LTM bodies & already have the LTM-M adapters.

there is a fellow named John Luk in HK who makes and sells these adapters on *bay.. i've seen them go for $200-270 at auction... not cheap but i already own the 50/1.5 and not sure i want to buy a japanese or CZJ replica in LTM mount (which would also require an adapter - albeit a $40 one)...

hmmm decisions....