Contax Zeiss all the way! The colors in your videos are amazing! I just picked up a rare Zeiss Contax 50 1.7 MMJ in excellent condition on ebay for a smoking deal. I know its rumored to have supposedly better optics and pop. some say yes, some say no, so i cant wait to test it out! I really wanted the 1.4 but everywhere I looked were well over $300. Hopefully the 1.7 isn't too far off from the 1.4. Cheers!
Thanks buddy! I never had the pleasure to play with the f1.7 version, but I've saw beautiful images from that lens... you'll enjoy it a lot! I'll probably get one as well for a lightweight setup 😜🤟🏼
Hey Luca, what would you suggest for matching my Leica R 50 mm f2 Summicron with a wider lens for Fuji APSC. I know the 21mm super angulon or 24 mm Leica R are options, but can I get a similar result with Zeiss, Rokkor, or other lenses? I dont' mind the work in post so much, but I love the look of the Leica R when you push the colors in Post.
I agree with all your points stated in this video, I own both, Contax Zeiss lenses are way more easy to operate than Leica R, especially when you're in run and gun shooting/one-man band etc. But i find colour-grading/correction easier with Leica R. Zeiss is true-to-life, 3d pop, saturated colours etc. while Leica R is warmer, less contrast, nice skin tone.
Thank you! I don't know what happened to the audio...before the upload, I checked it both on headphones and the speaker and it didn't have this high gain sound. Another unsolved mystery of RUclips, like the 4K videos stuck at 1080p 😂
The other day I'm compared my contax Zeiss 35-70 f3.5 to my L mount sigma art 1.4 50mm also my 28-105mm lumix l mount. The Zeiss at F4 was just as Sharp as my sigma all shot at 50mm. The Lumix wasn't as Sharp as ever sigma or contax. Very surprised.
The problem of the 24-105 (not only from Panasonic) is the long zoom range (4x zoom)...so it's normal that it doesn't perform as good as the Zeiss 35-70 (2x zoom). At the end of the day, all these lenses will bring home good results 😉
Hi bro, I love your videos, if you could choose only one lens that offers that special cinematic look, would you choose the zeiss distagon 25mm or the distagon 21mm f2.8?
Hi Luca. For photographic B&W work in your opinion which is better? I only have experience in my medium format Hasselblad 500c/m, which I love the 3d-pop look it zeiss T* lenses give always to my photos. There something special about Zeiss glass. Now I want to buy a 35mm SLR camera, and I dont know if try leica R glass or Contax/Yashica glass. All in B&W proyects.
Hey José, you'll probably like the Leica R more...if you want to save some money and get similar results, you could buy the Zeiss classic ZF and a Nikon film camera. I prefer the Leica for portraits, while i prefer the Zeiss classic for landscape
Hello, Is there a difference between the C / T version of the Zeiss Distagon 25mm f2.8 and the ZE (canon), ZS (M42) and ZF.2 (Nikon) version? For doing picture/fotos you prefer the R 24mm or the Zeiss 25mm? Thank you!
Hi, yes there's a difference. The C/Y version looks like you're using a subtle diffusion filter in front of the lens, so it will be less sharp but it will still render a very good image. For pictures, I would get the Zeiss 25mm... you'll have less headaches thanks to the better flare resistance.
Hey Luca, you could know this. Side by side, R 24mm 2.8 vs. Zeiss Classic version 25mm 2.8, which appears to be sharper? I have opportunity to get both right now, I'm ok with R flaring. I have used ZF 25mm f2 in the past and believe it to be far better from C/Y in quality, but never had R 24 in my hands. Thanks!
Hi! I don't have the Zeiss Classic 25mm f2.8 but the 25mm f2. The Leica R 24mm f2.8 I've is very sharp in the center already wide open. If I have to pick one, I would get the Zeiss Classic 25mm F2. Cheers!
Ciao Guilherme! At the moment I'm using many lenses to make the video reviews for you guys, but the lens that I enjoy the most is definitely the Zeiss Classic 25mm f2 ZF! Cheers!
So funny how the vintage lenses seem to divide us shooters, fans and enthusiasts in different camps. I think you have read it all too, from ‘bs’ till ‘the bomb’. Then there is the Leica R and M camp, the Helios camp, The Zeiss camp and so on. Yesterday a guy in a store tried to convince me to buy Sigma primes and use emulation software, because it looks the same..
I believe you. I hope I am not too much inspired by the leica glass, bad for my bank account.. I am testing the f2 90, 50, and 28 and already the lux’es are tempting.
Hi buddy, you can only buy it from china...in Europe we can't find them (avoid Urth adapters). I've 2 links in the description, the one from eBay is the one that I have and it's good enough. Good luck!
Hi Luca! I have the Sigma MC21 and am wondering whether to get separate Contax and Leica R to L adapters, or individual Contax and Leica to EF adapters and keep using the Sigma. What are your thoughts?
Hey buddy! You'll need to change the mount on your lenses if you want to use the mc21 otherwise you will lose the infinity focus. It's way cheaper to buy the C/Y & Leica R to Leica L adapters!
If I only had to get 3 lenses and want them in way that I can do almost any shot with them in mostly filmmaking and not on a huge budget let's say I wanna spend like 1000-1500$ on lenses, would going with 18mm f4, 28mm f2.8 and 50mm 1.4 be my best option? Which 3 would you pick out of this list (18mm f4, 21mm f2.8, 25mm f2.8, 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4)? Also what adapter would I need if I wanted to use these lenses on bmpcc6k or s1h? Thank you so much!
Hi! I never really tried the 18mm f4 but I guess it's also pretty good. The kit of 3 lenses you want seems nice...But with a s35 sensor, the 21mm f2.8 + 50mm f1.4 combo is a bit better. By the way, I don't have the Contax Zeiss anymore... I've jumped to the Zeiss Classic F2 lineup and I'm very happy with them. Cheers!
Which adapters do you use to adapt the Zeiss lenses to l-mount? I can only find urth/ Gobe adapters in Europe and they don’t allow focus to infinity (although they claim differently)?
For me the “3d” effect is most important in my so I love to see the Leica’s have this more then the contax. Was thinking about buying contax but this comparison made me not to. Thanks!
Be careful, this Leica 24mm it's a 100% Minolta design. I'm sure Leica did some minor improvements (coatings, build quality, quality control), but I doubt they changed that much. Same short focus throw as Minolta's (Leica's usually have long focus throw), same 9 elements in 7 groups as MCs and some MDs (later Minolta MD has 8 in 8), even it is known that Minolta supplied the glass for the first 24mm lenses. So maybe what you like is the 3d rendering of Minolta :D. FYI just got a Summilux-R 50mm and a Elmarit-R 35mm V.3 and I'm comparing it (the 35mm) to my Contax 35mm 2.8 and I find it hard to justify the price difference. The Leica it's a bit sharper, but you have to put it side by side and zoom in order to notice it. When I'll compare the 900€ 50mm Summilux-R to my 90€ Contax 50mm 1.7, I'm going to cry because I know it's not 10 times better :| I need to run extensive tests but given the very good options for Contax: 28mm 2.0 (vs Elmarit-R 28mm?? ROLF), 35mm 1.4 (in the price range of the Summicron-R V.2). Marco Cavina showed that the first version of the 35mm Summicron-R is a copy of the Contarex Distagon 35mm 2.0. Then the prototipe of the Contax 35mm 1.4 was a carbon copy of the V.1 Summicron :)), but the final version was improved (floating elements and aspherical surface). Also the 50mm Summicron-R/Summilux-R is a Planar design, the 60mm Elmarit-R it's a Makro-Planar design, the Leica 15mm 3.5 is a Zeiss design. Anyway at this time I have a bit of the buyer's remorse for getting those two Leicas :))
@@bobbykent6556 Yes, what you're saying is 100% true! The main difference between the Leica R and C/Y Zeiss is in the better color accuracy of the Leica R...Check the blacks when you do a comparison between the lenses, you'll see that with the C/Y the blacks are blue while with the Leica R the blacks are black ;) Now I've replaced my set of Contax Zeiss with the Zeiss Classic and the color accuracy is much better on the Zeiss Classic! Cheers!
Thanks for making the video, I enjoyed it. Have been struggling for weeks deciding which set to build / invest in. My heart says Leica, my wallet says Zeiss 😭 I noticed your Leica set have very different serial numbers / were made years apart from each other. I think if you got them all within the same year / serial number the colors would match better Quick question about the focus throw - I’ve always thought a longer focus throw is better for video because it allows you to focus smoothly / precisely - why would a longer focus throw be more difficult?
You're welcome mate! My set of Leica has different serial numbers but the 24 and 50 are matching pretty good and the 35 and 90 are matching perfectly 🤟🏻 so that's fine for me. The longer focus throw is good if you work with a 1st AC. Having a long throw ,while working alone, can be difficult in many situations...I prefer to use the Zeiss when I work alone 😁 Ps The Zeiss ZF are fantastic lenses, you should consider to get them if money is a problem...the Leica R are getting almost untouchable.
1) The Contax lenses you show here are Japan made by either Kyocera or Cosina, they have nothing to do with the old Contax series of Zeiss Ikon which shut down in the 80s. 2) most Leica R lenses are slightly inferior to Leica M lenses many of which have no rival in optical design. 3) lens coating is the best kept secret of both these photographic companies.
Hi Simos, thank you for watching! 1) yes, and it doesn't matter. I have a lot of made in Germany & made in Japan zeiss lenses and there are no differences between them...if you would like to dive more in this topic you can ask Yorgos in the Facebook group "vintage lenses for video" 2) Based on what? I would say that M lenses are inferior because of the compromises caused by the mount design... Walter Mandler engineered the lenses for both system. 3)The coating is the only thing that the competitors can't really copy from eachother...thank good, otherwise we would have the same lenses ahahahs
If you have found this video useful, I'll really appreciate a like to the video and subscribe in the channel to support my work. Ciao!
Contax Zeiss all the way! The colors in your videos are amazing! I just picked up a rare Zeiss Contax 50 1.7 MMJ in excellent condition on ebay for a smoking deal. I know its rumored to have supposedly better optics and pop. some say yes, some say no, so i cant wait to test it out! I really wanted the 1.4 but everywhere I looked were well over $300. Hopefully the 1.7 isn't too far off from the 1.4. Cheers!
Thanks buddy! I never had the pleasure to play with the f1.7 version, but I've saw beautiful images from that lens... you'll enjoy it a lot! I'll probably get one as well for a lightweight setup 😜🤟🏼
Hey Luca, what would you suggest for matching my Leica R 50 mm f2 Summicron with a wider lens for Fuji APSC. I know the 21mm super angulon or 24 mm Leica R are options, but can I get a similar result with Zeiss, Rokkor, or other lenses? I dont' mind the work in post so much, but I love the look of the Leica R when you push the colors in Post.
Hey buddy! From what I've tried, only the Zeiss Distagon Classic 21mm f2.8 can match very well with your 50mm f2 (if it's the V2). Cheers!
The Leica R 21mm is in fact a Schneider lens
Thanks for your review. Which mount do I need to mount Zeiss sonnar T 135mm f 2.8 MM on a canon EF camera?
I agree with all your points stated in this video, I own both, Contax Zeiss lenses are way more easy to operate than Leica R, especially when you're in run and gun shooting/one-man band etc. But i find colour-grading/correction easier with Leica R. Zeiss is true-to-life, 3d pop, saturated colours etc. while Leica R is warmer, less contrast, nice skin tone.
Other than the audio, this is a great Vs review. Thank you
Thank you! I don't know what happened to the audio...before the upload, I checked it both on headphones and the speaker and it didn't have this high gain sound. Another unsolved mystery of RUclips, like the 4K videos stuck at 1080p 😂
The other day I'm compared my contax Zeiss 35-70 f3.5 to my L mount sigma art 1.4 50mm also my 28-105mm lumix l mount. The Zeiss at F4 was just as Sharp as my sigma all shot at 50mm. The Lumix wasn't as Sharp as ever sigma or contax. Very surprised.
The problem of the 24-105 (not only from Panasonic) is the long zoom range (4x zoom)...so it's normal that it doesn't perform as good as the Zeiss 35-70 (2x zoom). At the end of the day, all these lenses will bring home good results 😉
Hi bro, I love your videos, if you could choose only one lens that offers that special cinematic look, would you choose the zeiss distagon 25mm or the distagon 21mm f2.8?
Hi Luca. For photographic B&W work in your opinion which is better? I only have experience in my medium format Hasselblad 500c/m, which I love the 3d-pop look it zeiss T* lenses give always to my photos. There something special about Zeiss glass. Now I want to buy a 35mm SLR camera, and I dont know if try leica R glass or Contax/Yashica glass. All in B&W proyects.
Hey José, you'll probably like the Leica R more...if you want to save some money and get similar results, you could buy the Zeiss classic ZF and a Nikon film camera. I prefer the Leica for portraits, while i prefer the Zeiss classic for landscape
Grazie Luca!
Hello,
Is there a difference between the C / T version of the Zeiss Distagon 25mm f2.8 and the ZE (canon), ZS (M42) and ZF.2 (Nikon) version?
For doing picture/fotos you prefer the R 24mm or the Zeiss 25mm?
Thank you!
Hi, yes there's a difference. The C/Y version looks like you're using a subtle diffusion filter in front of the lens, so it will be less sharp but it will still render a very good image. For pictures, I would get the Zeiss 25mm... you'll have less headaches thanks to the better flare resistance.
Hey Luca, you could know this. Side by side, R 24mm 2.8 vs. Zeiss Classic version 25mm 2.8, which appears to be sharper? I have opportunity to get both right now, I'm ok with R flaring. I have used ZF 25mm f2 in the past and believe it to be far better from C/Y in quality, but never had R 24 in my hands. Thanks!
Hi! I don't have the Zeiss Classic 25mm f2.8 but the 25mm f2. The Leica R 24mm f2.8 I've is very sharp in the center already wide open. If I have to pick one, I would get the Zeiss Classic 25mm F2. Cheers!
Ciao Luca, what would you say is the lens you most reach for, whenever you go out for fun or a job, either vintage or not
Ciao Guilherme! At the moment I'm using many lenses to make the video reviews for you guys, but the lens that I enjoy the most is definitely the Zeiss Classic 25mm f2 ZF! Cheers!
What's your opinion about your Contax Zeiss or Leica R lenses? Do you love them both like me?
looking forward more side by side comparison on the Leica R 35/2 and contax
@@kelvinzyteng yes I'll make it and I will add the Zeiss Classic 35mm F2 as well in the comparison 😉
So funny how the vintage lenses seem to divide us shooters, fans and enthusiasts in different camps. I think you have read it all too, from ‘bs’ till ‘the bomb’. Then there is the Leica R and M camp, the Helios camp, The Zeiss camp and so on. Yesterday a guy in a store tried to convince me to buy Sigma primes and use emulation software, because it looks the same..
Ahahah, yeah it's very true! But in the photography field, you will always see photographers moving to Leica but you'll rarely see the opposite
I believe you. I hope I am not too much inspired by the leica glass, bad for my bank account.. I am testing the f2 90, 50, and 28 and already the lux’es are tempting.
The summilux are the best ones...but they're too expensive and very difficult to justify the extra cost for that 10% more mojo in the bokeh
Hi Luca, what's the brand of your adapter CY to L mount? I'm struggling to find one in Europe...Thanks
Hi buddy, you can only buy it from china...in Europe we can't find them (avoid Urth adapters). I've 2 links in the description, the one from eBay is the one that I have and it's good enough. Good luck!
@@LucaBono.Studio Sorry I didn't see the links. Thx!
Hi Luca! I have the Sigma MC21 and am wondering whether to get separate Contax and Leica R to L adapters, or individual Contax and Leica to EF adapters and keep using the Sigma. What are your thoughts?
Hey buddy! You'll need to change the mount on your lenses if you want to use the mc21 otherwise you will lose the infinity focus. It's way cheaper to buy the C/Y & Leica R to Leica L adapters!
@@LucaBono.Studio Ah, that makes sense. Thank you, Luca!
If I only had to get 3 lenses and want them in way that I can do almost any shot with them in mostly filmmaking and not on a huge budget let's say I wanna spend like 1000-1500$ on lenses, would going with 18mm f4, 28mm f2.8 and 50mm 1.4 be my best option? Which 3 would you pick out of this list (18mm f4, 21mm f2.8, 25mm f2.8, 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4)? Also what adapter would I need if I wanted to use these lenses on bmpcc6k or s1h? Thank you so much!
Hi! I never really tried the 18mm f4 but I guess it's also pretty good. The kit of 3 lenses you want seems nice...But with a s35 sensor, the 21mm f2.8 + 50mm f1.4 combo is a bit better.
By the way, I don't have the Contax Zeiss anymore... I've jumped to the Zeiss Classic F2 lineup and I'm very happy with them. Cheers!
@@LucaBono.Studio Would you say the Zeiss Classic lineup looks closer to the Leica R lenses than the Contax Zeiss lineup having used both? 🙂
Which adapters do you use to adapt the Zeiss lenses to l-mount? I can only find urth/ Gobe adapters in Europe and they don’t allow focus to infinity (although they claim differently)?
Hi buddy, I'm using a non branded adapter... I don't recommend to buy urth/gobe, they're bad
For me the “3d” effect is most important in my so I love to see the Leica’s have this more then the contax. Was thinking about buying contax but this comparison made me not to. Thanks!
Totally agree!
Be careful, this Leica 24mm it's a 100% Minolta design. I'm sure Leica did some minor improvements (coatings, build quality, quality control), but I doubt they changed that much. Same short focus throw as Minolta's (Leica's usually have long focus throw), same 9 elements in 7 groups as MCs and some MDs (later Minolta MD has 8 in 8), even it is known that Minolta supplied the glass for the first 24mm lenses. So maybe what you like is the 3d rendering of Minolta :D. FYI just got a Summilux-R 50mm and a Elmarit-R 35mm V.3 and I'm comparing it (the 35mm) to my Contax 35mm 2.8 and I find it hard to justify the price difference. The Leica it's a bit sharper, but you have to put it side by side and zoom in order to notice it. When I'll compare the 900€ 50mm Summilux-R to my 90€ Contax 50mm 1.7, I'm going to cry because I know it's not 10 times better :| I need to run extensive tests but given the very good options for Contax: 28mm 2.0 (vs Elmarit-R 28mm?? ROLF), 35mm 1.4 (in the price range of the Summicron-R V.2). Marco Cavina showed that the first version of the 35mm Summicron-R is a copy of the Contarex Distagon 35mm 2.0. Then the prototipe of the Contax 35mm 1.4 was a carbon copy of the V.1 Summicron :)), but the final version was improved (floating elements and aspherical surface). Also the 50mm Summicron-R/Summilux-R is a Planar design, the 60mm Elmarit-R it's a Makro-Planar design, the Leica 15mm 3.5 is a Zeiss design. Anyway at this time I have a bit of the buyer's remorse for getting those two Leicas :))
@@bobbykent6556 Yes, what you're saying is 100% true! The main difference between the Leica R and C/Y Zeiss is in the better color accuracy of the Leica R...Check the blacks when you do a comparison between the lenses, you'll see that with the C/Y the blacks are blue while with the Leica R the blacks are black ;)
Now I've replaced my set of Contax Zeiss with the Zeiss Classic and the color accuracy is much better on the Zeiss Classic!
Cheers!
So about 24mm F2.8 Leica it definetly has multicoating :)
For sure it doesn't have a flare resistant coating 👌🏻
@@LucaBono.Studio Leica elmarit 24mm F2.8 is copy of Minolta MC 24mm F2.8...both lenses uses multicoating for their lens elements :)
Going to need to watch
Hai ragione in pieno...
Grazie per la visita!
Thanks for making the video, I enjoyed it. Have been struggling for weeks deciding which set to build / invest in. My heart says Leica, my wallet says Zeiss 😭
I noticed your Leica set have very different serial numbers / were made years apart from each other. I think if you got them all within the same year / serial number the colors would match better
Quick question about the focus throw - I’ve always thought a longer focus throw is better for video because it allows you to focus smoothly / precisely - why would a longer focus throw be more difficult?
You're welcome mate!
My set of Leica has different serial numbers but the 24 and 50 are matching pretty good and the 35 and 90 are matching perfectly 🤟🏻 so that's fine for me.
The longer focus throw is good if you work with a 1st AC. Having a long throw ,while working alone, can be difficult in many situations...I prefer to use the Zeiss when I work alone 😁
Ps
The Zeiss ZF are fantastic lenses, you should consider to get them if money is a problem...the Leica R are getting almost untouchable.
@@LucaBono.Studio Do you think the Leica’s 270 degree focus throw would be easier as a solo shooter with a standard non-electronic follow focus?
@@zacharykepler3567 No with the follow focus it will be ok, but maybe not for really long focus racking.
1) The Contax lenses you show here are Japan made by either Kyocera or Cosina, they have nothing to do with the old Contax series of Zeiss Ikon which shut down in the 80s. 2) most Leica R lenses are slightly inferior to Leica M lenses many of which have no rival in optical design. 3) lens coating is the best kept secret of both these photographic companies.
Hi Simos, thank you for watching!
1) yes, and it doesn't matter. I have a lot of made in Germany & made in Japan zeiss lenses and there are no differences between them...if you would like to dive more in this topic you can ask Yorgos in the Facebook group "vintage lenses for video"
2) Based on what? I would say that M lenses are inferior because of the compromises caused by the mount design... Walter Mandler engineered the lenses for both system.
3)The coating is the only thing that the competitors can't really copy from eachother...thank good, otherwise we would have the same lenses ahahahs
@@LucaBono.Studio Two of the best lenses I have ever used were the Distagon 28/2 and the Sonnar 38/2,8. Unique optics. Cheers.
The best civilian lenses are Schneider
Well my dear friend this is not really true what you are saying here, before talking you should meet the lens first. Meeting a lens set takes time.
Hi! Yeah, it takes time. What are you referring to specifically?