Sony NEX-7 with Contax G 35mm F2.0 Planar
This is the Third of 4 Contax G lenses that I will be reviewing for the Sony NEX-7. This lens is the Contax G 35mm F2.0 Planar.
Equipment Used:
Setup
This is the second time that I will be using this setup for posts to please contact me or use the comments section at the end of this post to give me some feedback of wether or not you like this system of posting the results. I’ve used this system of frame edge crops and center crops all in one file because many readers have told me they want to be able to judge edge to edge sharpness vs. center sharpness. I want to bring relevent information to you the readers, and I continue to strive to make this site better and better. So please any feedback will be greatly helpful.
Here are the two set ups.
Setup one: Sony NEX-7 on a tripod with Contax G 35mm lens attached. Wide view of the house. Camera set to ISO 100, an exposure was made at every aperture. For each aperture a crop was made on the left edge, Center, and right edge of the frame. These crops are arranged side by side all on one file. The location of these crops are indicated by the red outline on the full image file.
Setup two: Sony NEX-7 on a tripod with Contax G 35mm lens attached. Close-up view of the flowers. Camera set to ISO 100, an exposure was made at every aperture. For each aperture a crop was made of the left edge, Center, and right edge of the frame. These crops are arranged side by side all on one file. The location of these crops are indicated by the red outline on the full image file.
Setup One: Wide View Results
Contax G 35mm "Setup One: Wide View" Full Image Review Results
Contax G 35mm "Setup One: Wide View" Review Results
This Contax G 35mm F2.0 Planar lens is a 52mm equivalent is a good match for the Sony NEX-7. It’s different from the Contax 45mm lens in that it has a more even sharpness plane. As we saw on the Contax 45mm lens at f2.0 the edges of the frame were slightly out of focus while the center was still relatively sharp. On the Contax 35mm at F2.0 you can see that over all sharpness is slightly soft and at F2.8 the softness virtually disappears. The plane of focus on the Contax 35mm is even while the Contax 45mm is circular. On the Sony NEX-7 having an even plane of focus for a “normal” lens is advantageous. It’s good for landscape, street, architecture, and at this focal length its a good general, and “one lens” setup.
Setup Two: Closeup Results
Contax G 35mm "Setup Two: Close Up" Full Image Review Results
Contax G 35mm "Setup Two: Close Up" Review Results
In this example you can see that because of depth of field the flower on the left side is not on the same plane as the center flower and the flower on the right. It’s somewhat of an optical illusion because the flower on the right is in the middle of the frame and the center flower is near the bottom. This is because I’m shooting at a downward angle, and the flowers in the center and on the right are actually pretty similar distance from the lens. This is great at F4.0 where the flowers are both sharp and the rest of the scene has a nice soft bokeh. This lens as well as the Contax G 45mm are great for close up shots because with the minimum focusing distance is around 12 inches.
Conclusion
This Contax G 35mm F2.0 should be a popular on with the Sony NEX crowd. It has a relatively even field of focus, it’s versatile, it has a “normal” angle of view, it’s small and compact, and the price is right. The performance is great even to F2.0. Anything F2.8 and above is sharp and at F16 there is little to no visible signs of diffraction. I feel the bokeh at F4.0 and above is beautifully smooth and silky. In the edges this lens performs slightly better than the Contax G 45mm at F2.0, so if you plan on shooting lots of wide open shots, you may want to consider the Contax G 35mm over the Contax G 45mm. I’m a little bit different, I prefer the Contax 45mm circular plane of focus over the Contax G 35mm even plane of focus because in my style of shooting I tend not place my 1st read subjects on the edge. I also love to shoot portraits and shallow depth of field images, and the circular plane of focus lens, has better bokeh wide open than an even field of focus lens. This is why it’s been such a stretch for me to provide my readers with edge to edge sharpness examples, when in my mind it doesn’t really matter in “real world” shots. Thanks just me though. For some of you it’s important and that’s a fair point. You can get this Contax G 35mm F2.0 Planar used for about $300-400 USD.
So what’s the verdict? Based on performance, construction, cost, and ease of use, I give the Contax 45mm F2.0 Planar:
High Value to Cost Ratio
You can find used Contax G series equipment at Adorama and all the other items used in this review under the Equipment heading above. Thanks for your support!
Please contact me or use the comments below to let me know if you like this style of crop and comparison
Part 1 of 4: Contax G 90mm F2.8 Sonnar Review
Part 2 of 4: Contax G 45mm F2.0 Planar Review
Part 4 of 4: Contax G 28mm F2.8 Biogon Review
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Your tests and comments are very impressive. Like you, I have whole set of the G lens (except the 35-70mm) which I bought at a very good price a few years ago before Nex was invented. I am so lucky to have them to use on my Nex 7 (actually the main lens except a 180mm/4 Voit and a 50mm/1.4 Takuma). The only thing annoys me is my 21mm/2.8 which performs great but has color shift. Would you please test the G21mm, and see how to get ride of the color shift. Does Nex 5n + G21mm has serious color shift?
Thank you, and appreciate very much for your efforts and guidance to other pros and amateurs.
XU, Thanks for your comment. My Contax 21mm F2.8 is not modified so I can’t use it on my NEX-7. From the samples that I’ve seen the NEX 5N with Contax 21mm F2.8 is not as bad as the NEX-7. You can use a free program called cornerfix to fix your problem with the 21mm and color shift on the NEX-7 here’s the link. http://sites.google.com/site/cornerfix/ Many readers have reported great results, its just an extra step that you have to do, but the results seem worth it. I’m curious about your Voit 180mm F4. Do you have any sample images I can see?? That would be awesome! 😉
Photohead,
I believe that if you mount your Contax G 21 to your adapter BEFORE you put the adapter on the camera, the G21 should fit without alteration. Of course, try at your own risk. Thanks for the reviews!
GH, Thanks so much for your comment. I’ve tried it all ways. The Plastic just sticks out too much for me to even insert into the camera body. 🙁 I want it to work so much. I may consider cutting the plastic….Scary thought. See picture below:
Will let you know if I ever get it to work. I know I may have a little more space for the Fuji X-Pro1. So I may have a test of that combo. Thanks again for commenting.
Interesting. My friends with the lens were able to attach the G21 with this method. Granted, it does leave some scuff marks on the black shroud surrounding the sensor. Hmm…
GH, Thanks for your comment, I’ve heard of people forcing it but as you can see from the pictures. My shroud around the sensor is getting scratched already…and there is a large gap that I don’t want to force the lens in. Maybe your friend has a different adapter?? Metabones maybe?? Check out the pics below you’ll see what I’m talking about.
