Topic: Inherited Cameras and Lenses: Can I use them with Digital bodies?

[NOLAfishwater]

Hi everyone, I have inherited some old 35mm equipment and was wondering if any of the lenses can be used with a new digital body or should I refit the old Contax. Here is an inventory of the equipment:

Contax RTS 35mm body 085835 and following lenses:
•   (in Nikon case) Carl Zeiss, Planar  1,4/50 T* serial#6025659
•   Yashica ML Fish-Eye, 15mm 1:2.8 serial#A1600321
•   (in leather Contax bag) Carl Zeiss, Sonnar 2,8/135 T*    serial# – 6142658
•   Kenko Teleplus 2X CX  serial#5210261
•   Yashica ML Zoom 80-200mm 1:4 serial# A7910525



Nikon Nikomat 35mm body serial# FT 3577271 along with the following lenses:
•   Nikkor-H Auto 1:2 f=50mm Nippon Kogaku Japan serial#810180
•   Tokina AT-X 35-200mm 1:3.5-4.5 067  serial#8303696
•   Tokina AT-X 28-135mm 1:4-4.6 067  serial#8302792
•   Soligor Auto Zoom 70-222mm F:3.5 Macro 67 serial#3788201
•   Nikkor-H Auto 1:1.8 f=85mm serial#262317
•   Nikon Lens Series E 50mm 1:1.8 serial#1759567 (it is the only lens that has a tiny scratch)
•   Nikon Pro-Multi Coated Auto Tele-Converter 2X for Nikon AI




The Contax was my Father's and the Nikon was my Grandfather's. I currently use a 4MP Canon point and shoot, but would love to be able to use those old lenses. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Frank in JC]

Congratulations on such a nice gift! 

I don't know anything about the Contax other than it's a really nice camera... better than the Nikkormat. 

The Nikon stuff?  I've read that modern equivalents tend to be better lenses, optically.  However, you can probably put any of them on a Nikon D80, D200, D300, or any of the pro bodies if you wanted to.   You obviously don't get auto-focus, which may not be a big deal.  On the other hand, I don't think any of those lenses are 'AI' so you'll have to use them in the camera's manual metering mode which may not be the experience you're looking for. 

But if you're thinking of getting a DSLR, a Nikon would obviously make sense if you're willing to play around with this stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikkormat

[sunjan]

Contax RTS 35mm body 085835 and following lenses:
•   (in Nikon case) Carl Zeiss, Planar  1,4/50 T* serial#6025659
•   Yashica ML Fish-Eye, 15mm 1:2.8 serial#A1600321
•   (in leather Contax bag) Carl Zeiss, Sonnar 2,8/135 T*    serial# – 6142658
•   Kenko Teleplus 2X CX  serial#5210261
•   Yashica ML Zoom 80-200mm 1:4 serial# A7910525

Nikon Nikomat 35mm body serial# FT 3577271 along with the following lenses:
•   Nikkor-H Auto 1:2 f=50mm Nippon Kogaku Japan serial#810180
•   Tokina AT-X 35-200mm 1:3.5-4.5 067  serial#8303696
•   Tokina AT-X 28-135mm 1:4-4.6 067  serial#8302792
•   Soligor Auto Zoom 70-222mm F:3.5 Macro 67 serial#3788201
•   Nikkor-H Auto 1:1.8 f=85mm serial#262317
•   Nikon Lens Series E 50mm 1:1.8 serial#1759567 (it is the only lens that has a tiny scratch)
•   Nikon Pro-Multi Coated Auto Tele-Converter 2X for Nikon AI

Congrats, there are some real gems there. Your old folks must have spent a fortune on this back in the days. I've always dreamt about an RTS body, that's a very nice camera.

As an overall remark, the two T* lenses are stunning, and worth working on. The Nikkor lenses are average, and fairly aged. The OEM branded zooms are fun to play around with, but don't expect great quality. If you buy a Nikon DSLR you'd get an AF zoom bundled, that would be much more user friendly and sensible to use.

For all things Nikon, this is the ultimate chart:
http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html#chart

If you look into the AI column of the DSLR cameras, you'll see the remark MF4, which you'll want to avoid. This means that the body doesn't support any metering.
If you have the money, go for a D2(x varieties), D200 or D300 (new, not listed in the chart). If you're strapped for cash, a D40(x) gives you access to non-AI (Nikkor H) lenses at least.

Summary: you can use the lenses, but I don't see much reason to do it, IMHO.
A) The zooms quality will be inferior to any later AF-D zoom. B) The lack of metering for the Nikkor H will drive you nuts in a field situation, unless you're very patient. Maybe for studio work or in an otherwise "controlled" environment, doing macro photography etc. But I wouldn't bring them to a concert.

Here's a chart over which lenses are AI or not:
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html

For the Contax lenses, you can fit them on a Canon or a Olympus DSLR, but only with an adapter, and there are some limitations to the results:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic2/306575
http://www.dslrexchange.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-310.html

Since I haven't tried the adapter way myself, I can't judge whether this would be as user friendly as the Nikon system, but I doubt it, after reading the thread...

I'd say, keep the Contax system just for shooting film, esp with the super sharp T* lenses.
If you sell the Contax system, you'll have enough cash to get a Nikon body...

/Jan

[Frank in JC]

I'd say, keep the Contax system just for shooting film...

Ditto, I think it would be fun to use as well. 

[NOLAfishwater]

+T's all around. Thanks for your input. I guess I might be holding off on buying any digital bodies for a while. However, I will be seding off the Contax body for an overhaul and replacement of the rubber eye piece which has dry rotted. Here a response I received from a gentleman who makes/sells the lens adapters:

the Contax lenses can be used on Canon EOS digitals and 4/3 digital cameras

the Nikon lenses can be used on 4/3 digitial cameras, and some Nikon digital cameras if they are AI  mounts
if not AIS, your lenses would probably have to be modified to AI for some compatibility

carefully read adapter info at and linked from http://cameraquest.com/adaptnew.htm

I contacted a Contax specialist and this is what he told me regarding the lenses, repair, and fitting to new digital bodies:

Thank you for writing. I'm sorry to have to say I don't work on your model of camera. The people who do are identified on the front page of my web site. They are the successors to the Kyocera company service department. With regard to your question about digital use of your lenses patience is required right now. Digital is in its infancy and the entire photographic sitution is in a great state of change. I'm absolutely certain that before too long adapters will be made so that just about every lens ever made can be used on a digital camera. If you are interested in photography over the long run I'd hold on to Zeiss lenses. None of them have been allowed to become obsolescent over the past 120 years.

By his statement I think it might be best to wait for advancement in the field of adapters. I did also call another Contax repair shop and they said they would not even take a look at the camera b/c it is too old and they do not have any parts for it. So that means that I need to buy some 35mm film and take a few pictures with it.  Well, at least if I take some good ones, they film can be converted to digital files. Question, what range of digital megapixels is a 35mm equal too?

[Frank in JC]

Question, what range of digital megapixels is a 35mm equal too?

It depends entirely on the film, but if I took a wild-ass guess, I'd say that slow slide film (ISO 50 or 100) has a resolution equivalent to about 20-megapixels in the digital world. 

As far as waiting goes, there's no point waiting for the "next" camera because there will always be a better one in the pipe.  Affording one is another issue!

[Sanjay]

I have a Nikon D50 body you can borrow if you want.  Since I got the D300 it's been sitting on a shelf.  That will let you play with all your nikon lenses.

Oh and keep the Contax.  One place you can call to see if they'll work on it is Pro Photo in D.C.  They're a bit on the expensive side but they would know someplace to service it if they don't.

[NOLAfishwater]

I have a Nikon D50 body you can borrow if you want.  Since I got the D300 it's been sitting on a shelf.  That will let you play with all your nikon lenses.

Oh and keep the Contax.  One place you can call to see if they'll work on it is Pro Photo in D.C.  They're a bit on the expensive side but they would know someplace to service it if they don't.

+T Thanks, Sanjay. I will take you up on that offer, as I do not have the money for a digital body at the time being. Will call you next time I am coming down to DC for a show. Going to take the Contax to Ritz photo to see if they will clean it for me. Gonna run some 35mm film through the camera after I get it back.

[Sanjay]

cool.

I'm going away for a few weeks on monday.  So I'll be unavailable till February I think.  But if you want it before I am sure I can arrange something.

[sunjan]

Question, what range of digital megapixels is a 35mm equal too?

It depends entirely on the film, but if I took a wild-ass guess, I'd say that slow slide film (ISO 50 or 100) has a resolution equivalent to about 20-megapixels in the digital world. 

Yeah, this is still a contested question on all photography forums. Most experts says 20-25MP, given ideal circumstances (ultra sharp lens, tripod, even ISO 25 film, etc). But in real life, most photographers never achieve that. Which means that an average guy could compare a 10MP printout from his DSLR and prefer it to what he produced on film earlier on...

Here's a very good overview of the issue:
http://www.dansdata.com/20d_res.htm

/jan

[NOLAfishwater]

So I just got back from Ritz Camera. The guy there was super helpful and even cleaned all the lenses and mirror at no charge. He was truly interested in the camera and thought that it was cool that I was wanting to learn how to use the older film camera. He also did confirm that the Contax set is still worth a pretty penny. He found 2 problems: 1) Internal the mirror is starting to show signs of wear. He said there is still at least 2000 pictures left in it. 2) the seal that blocks the light out where the film winds into its canister has deteriorated into small particles. So, I went to the hobby store and bought a thin sheet of dense and an exacto knife. Also bought some two sided tape so that I can make sure that it fits before I permanently affix it with superglue. Removing all the old foam will be tricky. Guess the exacto knife will help there. All in all, I am really excited about the opportunity to use my Dad's camera. Sanjay, I will wait until you get back in Feb to catch up. This week is really bad for me. Thanks again for the offer. You will be one of the first to get one of my first pictures that is worthy of blowing up.

[Frank in JC]

Question, what range of digital megapixels is a 35mm equal too?

It depends entirely on the film, but if I took a wild-ass guess, I'd say that slow slide film (ISO 50 or 100) has a resolution equivalent to about 20-megapixels in the digital world. 

Yeah, this is still a contested question on all photography forums. Most experts says 20-25MP, given ideal circumstances (ultra sharp lens, tripod, even ISO 25 film, etc). But in real life, most photographers never achieve that. Which means that an average guy could compare a 10MP printout from his DSLR and prefer it to what he produced on film earlier on...

Here's a very good overview of the issue:
http://www.dansdata.com/20d_res.htm

/jan

My experience tells me he differences are not night-and-day for most subjects, and digital allows us to capture images we would miss if shooting film.  I never imagined I'd be able to change "film" speed on the fly!  Then of course there's the ability to take thousands and thousands of photos for no additional cost.

[Frank in JC]

All in all, I am really excited about the opportunity to use my Dad's camera.

I know how you feel.  Right now I'm looking across the room at my Grandfather's Nikon F3HP   

[sunjan]

All in all, I am really excited about the opportunity to use my Dad's camera.

I know how you feel.  Right now I'm looking across the room at my Grandfather's Nikon F3HP   

Good stuff. That's also a very able camera, esp. with the dedicated flash mounted on the left side.
I got this as a hand-me-down from my dad, and shot a few rolls. I guess I'm getting, old, this is pre-war gear... But it actually works!

http://kameramuseum.de/1zeiss/nettar-515-16.html

Re. the megapixel debate: I agree that digital offers far more advantages in real life situations. The comparison with film is just something to have as a yardstick.

/Jan

[bugg100]

 2) the seal that blocks the light out where the film winds into its canister has deteriorated into small particles. So, I went to the hobby store and bought a thin sheet of dense and an exacto knife. Also bought some two sided tape so that I can make sure that it fits before I permanently affix it with superglue. Removing all the old foam will be tricky. Guess the exacto knife will help there.

 

Hey Louie,

I'd be careful, wary even of working on the light seals with superglue and exacto knives.  The value of many of the European brands is closely tied to "collectability"......  Either send this out and get a CLA (clean, lube, adjust)at the same time, or try it out without any repair and see if it leaks badly enough to worry about right now....

Now, that Nikkormat, feel free to hack away in any way you need to on the body.....  And you van have a lot of fun with manual lenses on digital bodies by shooting 1 frame and evaluating histograms to determine proper exposure.  Soon yoyu pick up on what Sunny/16 means and move right along...

Good luck and have fun!