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Contax G 45/2


Youpii
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Hello

 

I made a comparison between the Contax G 45/2, the Zeiss Loxia 50/2, and the Sony 55/1.8.

https://beautifullenses.wordpress.com/2015/03/02/45-50-or-55mm/

 

The Contax is not bad but the newer lenses work better on the A7R.

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The Contax G 2/45 Planar is an awesome lens, back in the time of it's introduction it was dubbed the Leica M killer as it supposedly bested anything Leica had at that time and reigned supreme for years as one of the sharpest lenses one could buy (so I'm a bit surprised of the OPs findings).

 

I use the Kiwi adapter which works nice but as both the adapter and the lens have a little play in their focus mechanism there's some play while focusing the lens, your overshooting both ways to nail the focus which isn't perfect but the IQ makes you forget this (non) issue very quickly.

 

Here's a couple of images of the lens mounted on the a7R (taken with the iPhone 5):

11072152545_bc7bdb8900_b.jpg

 

11072246366_d923fc3e91_b.jpg

 

And of course a couple of images taken with the 2/45 on that same a7R in Spain:

14209001286_e839bd1e20_b.jpg

 

14053306988_0925ecfa91_b.jpg

 

14443507743_9505e70fbb_b.jpg

 

And an OOC JPG in APS-C crop mode of my beloved Nikkor 50/1.2 Ai-S, another great lens:

11081896153_04bdfb7371_b.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

I should do a review on these too, I have the AF Contax G adapter also along with the MF adapters.

 

I found the Contax was just as sharp and work just as well as the newer lenses, and that is for both of the 35mm and 45mm.

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Very good review and consistent with my experience Imatesting/testing 50mm lenses.  Lenses are just better today.  

 

Higher resolution and better CA control.  Design, machining and QC are also higher and this leads to tighter groupings of lens to lens qualities among a given line of production. 

 

The Contax 50mm 1.4 Planar, and 50mm Summicron are two lenses I'd probably use for the way they draw but I prefer using the Otus 55 for its MF characteristics.

 

It is a Sony advantage to be able to use a variety of lenses and avoid the clinical look that Nikon sometimes gives too much of.     Increasing luminance addresses that well enough and one still retains a robust RAW file for other uses.

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  • 1 month later...

I loved the Contax 45mm f2 so much when I tried it on my A7 but there were two MAJOR issues that everyone should be aware of with the contax G adapted lenses:

 

I used the Metabones Contax G to NEX adapter, which is a very expensive and high quality adapter.

 

I used both the 45mm and 90mm lenses with it and was surprised to find the focus turned clockwise to infinty (nikon style).

 

This is backwards for anyone that uses Canon, Leica or most any other system- and it is surprisingly hard to adjust your brain to work that way after years of practice. 

 

The second issue was that the focus mechanism was not entirely smooth- there was a sense of coarseness or roughness to the focus wheel and at times it would require inconsistent amounts of force to turn. I searched and searched for a solution but it seems like this was just "the way it is" because of the mechanical coupling.

 

These two things paired together meant that I returned all three- even though the glass in the 45/2.0 and 90/2.8 were both fantastic and a great value. 

 

For someone who shoots A7R, and things that aren't moving this setup could be an option. For those of us who shoot A7s and things that move quite fast- look elsewhere!

 

I have seen some youtube videos of autofocus adapters for the Contax G lenses, could be another good solution.

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The Contax G 2/45 Planar is an awesome lens, back in the time of it's introduction it was dubbed the Leica M killer as it supposedly bested anything Leica had at that time and reigned supreme for years as one of the sharpest lenses one could buy (so I'm a bit surprised of the OPs findings).

 

I use the Kiwi adapter which works nice but as both the adapter and the lens have a little play in their focus mechanism there's some play while focusing the lens, your overshooting both ways to nail the focus which isn't perfect but the IQ makes you forget this (non) issue very quickly.

 

Here's a couple of images of the lens mounted on the a7R (taken with the iPhone 5):

11072152545_bc7bdb8900_b.jpg

 

11072246366_d923fc3e91_b.jpg

 

And of course a couple of images taken with the 2/45 on that same a7R in Spain:

14209001286_e839bd1e20_b.jpg

 

14053306988_0925ecfa91_b.jpg

 

14443507743_9505e70fbb_b.jpg

 

And an OOC JPG in APS-C crop mode of my beloved Nikkor 50/1.2 Ai-S, another great lens:

11081896153_04bdfb7371_b.jpg

I have the G2 and love the IQ in film with these lenses.

 

I would get the adapter but already have the Sony 2/28 and 1.8/55 so don't want to waste money on adapters.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • 7 months later...

Strange I have found the zeiss to perform perfectly in extreme corners from f2.8 and forward on my a7r.

I have compared it to sony zeiss 55mm f1.8 and found them very comparible except for corners @f2

 

extreme corner @ f2.8

far%2520focus%2520f4%2520corner.jpg

 

I almost always use my 45mm in f2,8 and I have never found a lens that gives the same Wow- feeling when looking at the results. Hard to discribe why but I really like it.

Way better in the corner @2,8 than for instance zeiss CY 50 f1,4 in my tests

 

I have made my review here:

http://lenshound.iblogger.org/?p=233

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