New member in Manchester, UK

[Dan Germain]

Good evening. New member here, just about to go for a mooch around. Love of Contax, but also have a few others, Leicaflex, Nikon F, Canon F1. Then an Autocord and an Olympus Trip, amongst others. Most are trying to avoid SLRs relying on electric gubbins. I own a 5D mark3 and several L lenses, but film is where my passion is, first camera (and one I have recently added to the collection) was a Zenit EM.

 

[biggles3]

Good evening. New member here, just about to go for a mooch around. Love of Contax, but also have a few others, Leicaflex, Nikon F, Canon F1. Then an Autocord and an Olympus Trip, amongst others. Most are trying to avoid SLRs relying on electric gubbins. I own a 5D mark3 and several L lenses, but film is where my passion is, first camera (and one I have recently added to the collection) was a Zenit EM.

Welcome to the Forum! Always good to know another Contax fan. And it's great to find someone with a broad appreciation of classic film cameras. Having been taking piccies since the 1950s, I too have acquired quite a few different cameras in a variety of formats. But my passion ever since the Contax RTS was introduced has been that marque - and latterly its less exalted cousin Yashica. I have every Contax model produced and most of the Zeiss catalogue, including the exotics like the f1.2 Planars and a 500mm f4.5 Mirotar. But the Contax that gets daily use is the 645 - undoubtedly the smoothest medium format shutter ever made - and amazing lenses! And always in my pocket is a Contax i4R or SL300RT - just in case...

But it's hard not have a soft spot for those East European cameras like your Zenit EM. I have a Zenit 122K which is big and clunky but that Helios 44K-4 lens is very pleasing. I have a weakness for the cameras of my youth - especially the Dresden-made Ihagee Exakta models. Awesome engineering and build quality - awful ergonomics! And I love oddball cameras that can deliver amazing quality like the two 'cyclops' models attached. They are a great conversation starter!

• OLYMPUS CORPORATION - E-M1MarkIII
• OLYMPUS M.30mm F3.5 Macro
• 30.0 mm
• ƒ/3.5
• 1/60 sec
• Center-Weighted Average
• Auto exposure
• ISO 1250

 

[Dan Germain]

Thanks so much for the welcome, really nice. Got to say, in 1993 my mission was best glass on best body. Minolta had brought out some silver lump that was all bells and whistles, but reading a photography magazine I saw THE advert. 50mm 1.4 on a 167MT, £700 back then. Best money ever spent.

"every Contax model produced and most of the Zeiss catalogue,"..I'm available for adoption...

Recently got a first edition Canonet and a clean Pentax MX, so cute

 

[biggles3]

I think the 167MT is one of the most under-appreciated cameras out there. I managed to cheat with a few of mine by switching their backs to those of the ST which meant that they now have a ceramic back-plate. Those not paired with the ST back are paired with the D-7 Data-Back which is a very clever piece of kit. And your 50 1.4 Planar is a gem of lens.

The only thing I have yet to do is replace the internal battery in all my 167s; that needs a specialist as the camera requires partial disassembly for this. Julian Abel will be able to help with them as he's an ex-Contax technician.

Probably the best thing about the C/Y system is the glass; I was a snob back in the 1970s and 80s and didn't give Yashica a glance. Idiot! They have some stunning lenses too, one or two of

• OLYMPUS CORPORATION - E-M1MarkIII
• OLYMPUS M.30mm F3.5 Macro
• 30.0 mm
• ƒ/3.5
• 1/60 sec
• Center-Weighted Average
• Auto exposure
• ISO 6400

which rival the quality of their more illustrious Zeiss cousins; indeed, a few actually outperform their Oberkochen counterparts! Yashica make the best 500mm f8 mirror lens ever made in their ML version (the standard Yashica Reflex 500mm is pretty good too but the ML is in a league of its own) which is superior to the Zeiss Mirotar 500 f8. For your amusement, I've added a photo of the two best 500mm mirror lenses ever built - the Zeiss 500mm f4.5 and the Yashica ML 500mm f8; the difference in size one-and-a-half stops makes is impressive. You get a free hernia repair kit with every Zeiss lens...

I'm glad you still enjoy using film but your Planar works beautifully on your EOS 5D MkIII too as you probably know to good effect. If you wish to extend your C/Y glass without breaking the bank, try some of the Yashica ML lenses. I'll happily list the ones worth having - though beware, prices are rising as the word is now out. And acquiring this old glass and then putting it to good use can easily become addictive!

 

[pfharrison]

You think that the Yashica 500 mm ML is better than the 500mm Mirotar F8, I find that hard to believe.

 

[biggles3]

You think that the Yashica 500 mm ML is better than the 500mm Mirotar F8, I find that hard to believe.

Hi. The ML is an outstanding lens. It was a complete optical redesign of the previous Yashica Reflex 500 f8 - itself a very fine performer. I have used all three versions of the Yashica 500 mirror lenses and both Zeiss ones. Like you, I was sceptical when I read reviews claiming the primacy of the tiny Yashica but after buying a couple and using them, I sold the Zeiss f8 but kept the f4.5.

Unfortunately, the word is out on the quality of the Yashica lens and its price continues to rise - and they are becoming very hard to find. Perhaps the latter is not surprising - why would you sell one when it's so good? Usually with any direct comparison between like lenses from Zeiss and the Yashica ML range, the T* coating edges it over the ML coatings but not in this case. Another example of this can be found in the VS 70-210 f3.5 and the ML 70-210 f4 (very rare) - I have multiple copies of both and you'd think they came off the same production line; where the Zeiss wins is having a macro capability but in terms of both build and image quality, there's nothing to choose between them.

 

[Dan Germain]

Really appreciate the 'chat' here, thanks!

May start looking at Yashica, always steered away through lack of knowledge. Planar actually fell apart at the eclipse in Plymouth 1999, simply 'came apart'. My back up was the Autocord and on the same day the aged stitching on the leather camera case gave way and the camera fell to the ground flinging the back open and obviously the film (wasn't quick enought to squeeze the film back in, I fear it may have become light damaged, lol!)

Planar onto 5D...never considered it...converter no doubt needed?

 

[biggles3]

Hi Dan,
I have an old 5D that I use for testing old Zeiss and Yashica lenses as it's a full frame model. There are lots of adapters available to use C/Y lenses on the EOS mount; it's worth investing in a good one though as some of the cheap ones from China can give you problems. Funnily enough, it's been Canon users adopting Zeiss and certain Yashica lenses that have pushed s/h prices northwards. I regularly see Canon users with classics like the Zeiss 50 & 85 f1.4 Planars, Yashica ML 24mm and Zeiss 21mm. It's a wonderful way of extending the use of legacy glass.

 

[Dan Germain]

Hi Dan,
I have an old 5D that I use for testing old Zeiss and Yashica lenses as it's a full frame model. There are lots of adapters available to use C/Y lenses on the EOS mount; it's worth investing in a good one though as some of the cheap ones from China can give you problems. Funnily enough, it's been Canon users adopting Zeiss and certain Yashica lenses that have pushed s/h prices northwards. I regularly see Canon users with classics like the Zeiss 50 & 85 f1.4 Planars, Yashica ML 24mm and Zeiss 21mm. It's a wonderful way of extending the use of legacy glass.

Again, huge thanks! Never knew about the adapters (don't get out much, and when I do it is on my own over the Pennines.). This broadens things a whole lot. Had a Canon 50 1.2L that had a focus issue (apparently a known issue) so I sold it, but now I can experiment with the Contax on the 5D. Thanks again!