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02-05-2024, 08:20 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-05-2024, 08:23 AM by Rover.)
Alright, the old reviews are mostly gone now but those with 15+ years of reading Photozone may remember that Klaus once did review a batch of Contax N lenses converted to Canon EF by Conurus (the fact that this conversion had been available was foreshadowing the era of adapters that set in once the mirrorless mounts have become the norm rather than curiosity, 10+ years later, for the mind behind Conurus, Bo-Ming, later lent his work to Metabones to produce the first practical EF-E adapter). Among the reviewed lenses was a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5, a pretty decent standard zoom that was sharing mostly only the FL/aperture with the crop of outwardly similar consumer wonders from Canon, Nikon and Minolta...
Long story short, last night (insomnia is a biatch...) I was browsing the listing of a big local second-hand photo gear online shop, and found a 24-85 listed there for a paltry $300, but unconverted - still in the original Contax N mount. That piqued my interest, and it appears there are functional Contax N to E mount adapters by (who else?) Metabones, although one is listed on their site for $400 - costlier than the lens itself would be. Still, I thought that if I had had some extra cash, I would've totally snagged that lens just for fun. Another con for me is that there is no adapter to Nikon Z (crazy much for even thinking about that, Rover?) but it would have been quite an adventure to try that lens if there had been such an adapter. "Adventure" is how Klaus used to define converting the Contax N lenses back in the good old days of 8MP tests anyway...
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02-05-2024, 11:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-05-2024, 11:46 AM by Klaus.)
Oh well, nostalgia ... ;-)
However, I'd say that a Leica M AF adapter is an even more modern vintage gadget.
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Already thinking of restoring the 8/10MP reviews, Klaus? 
Oh well, a man can dream. 
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The deletion of these ancient reviews seems to have hurt you a lot ;-)
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Yeah, because I was going to save them but missed the time. :-(
I quite liked reading some of them (were they reminding me of the times when I was young and hopeful, lol). Even reread the one of Sigma 180mm f/3.5 macro recently because I saw this unit on sale locally and began wondering if it would've been a good idea for a macro lens (since the lack of IS is not as relevant now...)
But of course it's ultimately none of my business, I guess. :-)
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It's a recurrent thing happening with me : a lens that was in the past a dream lens you can't afford emerges and you can easily afford it, the problem is that lens was a dream lens at the time now it isn't, but inside you, there's this urge to get it and finally you end up getting it, enjoying it for some time them it starts collecting dust, as the joy of getting a dream item fades off and you have better alternatives.
I did buy Canon 40mmf2.8 pancake for instance I enjoyed it for a few days, but frankly with adapter on EOSRP when you already have the RF35mmf1.8, it doesn't make a lot of sense...
The RF 35mmf1.8 itself was my dream lens few years ago, so I bought it because I found it in mint condition for a low price , I bought RF 25mmf1.8 while I already owned the 35mmf1.4L I had bought in summer because it was my dream lens maybe 15 years ago....
So if like me money is not an issue and you want just to accomplish your previous photography dreams why not ? however if you are getting it for professional work better look somewhere else....
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Well, not that the Contax was my dream lens in any way... If I had one, that had to have been the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 (the original one): I was eyeing it for years, but never quite had the chance to buy it, and when I did get a fast 85mm, it was the Tamron instead. So no happy ending on this one either (although I'm completely happy about the Tamron 85mm f/1.8, which was one of the select lenses that didn't get done in by the 5DSR sensor in the testing here at PZ, which is saying something...)
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A blast from the past hitting on me too.... I found Sigma 12-24f4.5-5.6 listed for less than the cost of tonight Valentine dinner with my wife.....
Should I get bit especially I already have the Tokina 16-28f2.8?
This lens was my dream to get in 2005 when I used to use 300D, couldn't afford this one so I had to setlle on Sigma 14mmf2.8 I found used
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02-14-2024, 11:25 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-14-2024, 11:30 AM by wim.)
(02-14-2024, 08:56 AM)toni-a Wrote: A blast from the past hitting on me too.... I found Sigma 12-24f4.5-5.6 listed for less than the cost of tonight Valentine dinner with my wife.....
Should I get bit especially I already have the Tokina 16-28f2.8?
This lens was my dream to get in 2005 when I used to use 300D, couldn't afford this one so I had to setlle on Sigma 14mmf2.8 I found used
It depends on how acceptable you'll find the smearing of details in the corners and edges, light fall-off, and overall sharpness. I got one in 2009, from the only shop which had it in stock at the time, 200 km away from my home town. After trying it out, I rushed back as fast as I could, and exchanged it for a Nikon 14-24 F/2.8, with adapter, for my Canon 5D Mk II.
2009_08_21_5DII_iso_400s.jpg (Size: 136.29 KB / Downloads: 3)
Not the best of images, but it was for testing only, and with the large contrast, and detail in the foreground, it was fine for that.
smearing.jpg (Size: 145.48 KB / Downloads: 3)
The crop from the lower left corner shows the problem in more detail.
Look at how detail is lost in the lower parts of the picture due to smearing.
If you can live with that, by all means, do get it. Personally I could not.
BTW, I replaced the Nikon with a TS-E 17 eventually, and in addition I got a Samyang 10 mm F/3.5 XP Premium, and I still own and use both. The 10 mm even has become quite a big favourite, as it is very good at F/8, corner to corner, and I just love UWA.
HTH, kindest regards, Wim
Gear: Canon EOS R with 3 primes and 2 zooms, 4 EF-R adapters, Canon EOS 5 (analog), 9 Canon EF primes, a lone Canon EF zoom, 2 extenders, 2 converters, tubes; Olympus OM-D 1 Mk II & Pen F with 12 primes, 6 zooms, and 3 Metabones EF-MFT adapters ....
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02-14-2024, 02:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-14-2024, 02:56 PM by Rover.)
The 12-24 (first gen) sure made a splash when it was released, and it was quite popular for a decade or so. Especially so with the users of Canon 1D series bodies because it was quite good within the APS-H frame, and only fell off the cliff beyond. It also paired well with a 24-70 / 24-105 zoom of any kind, on whichever format. Many people I knew were using this lens, but very few had it on FF.
I went the 14/2.8 route - though for a different reason: that is, because my other wide lens at the time was the Canon 17-35L. Would've been too much of an overlap to get both.
The first gen 12-24 was never tested on FF here but I imagine it would not look pretty...
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