About a year ago, the allure of vintage lenses captivated me when I stumbled upon images of a modified Zeiss Contaflex Pro Tessar 4/115 lens. Its aesthetic appeal was undeniable, and while some collectors might acquire lenses purely for their beauty, my intention was to put this glass to work on a camera. The question lingered: could this lens, along with its siblings – the 3.2/35 and 3.2/85 I also managed to acquire – actually deliver decent image quality? The answer, unequivocally, is yes.
Adapted Contaflex Pro Tessar lens on M42 helicoid
Zeiss Contaflex Pro Tessar 4/115 front element
Zeiss Contaflex Pro Tessar lens family
Fueled by typical lens-addict behavior, my initial online discovery quickly led me to Google and eBay searches. Within minutes, I’d secured a bargain – a 3.2/35 lens bundled with the 4/115 for a mere 30 euros. The seller mentioned a non-functional focusing mechanism, justifying the low price. At the time, I optimistically thought a focusing helicoid would easily solve this. However, I soon realized my purchase was not intended for standalone focusing. It was only the front element of a lens, essentially “half” a lens. This realization dawned as I understood adapting this lens wouldn’t be as straightforward as initially imagined. My partial lens was incomplete, requiring the rear component attached to the camera body to function.
The Contaflex system, introduced in 1956 with the Contaflex III, employed a unique two-part lens and shutter design. The camera body housed the rear lens element, focusing helicoid, aperture diaphragm, and shutter. Only the front lens elements were interchangeable. My acquisition was solely this interchangeable front portion. Fortunately, a good number of Contaflex camera bodies were available, often sold cheaply “as is” due to shutter malfunctions – understandable given their age exceeding 60 years. I acquired a Contaflex III (or possibly IV) body for an additional 15 euros. This model choice is crucial for simpler adaptation. The Contaflex I and II lack interchangeable front elements, and later models likely present more complex adaptation challenges. This conclusion stems from my own experience and online resources, such as Leo Roos’s excellent yet intricate guide.
To make these lenses functional and adaptable to modern camera systems, extracting the rear lens component from the Contaflex body is essential. In my experience with the Contaflex III/IV, this process proved relatively simple, primarily involving a screwdriver. The lens mount assembly, located at the rear of the camera, can be unscrewed. While specific details from a year prior are hazy (and regrettably undocumented with photos), the core steps remain in memory.
After detaching the mount, which includes the shutter and rear lens element (let’s call it the mount), the next hurdle is shutter removal. In my case, this was surprisingly straightforward. The rear lens element was accessible for removal without delving deeper into the mount’s internal mechanism. A spanner wrench easily unscrewed it.
Adapter Rear View with Accessible Lens Element
With the aperture fully opened (easily done by setting it on the mount), the shutter leaves become accessible and can be carefully extracted using pliers. While perhaps not the most refined method, it’s the quickest and easiest, avoiding a complex disassembly of the lens/shutter unit. Care must be taken to avoid damaging the aperture blades during this step.
The subsequent challenge involves attaching the Contaflex mount to a focusing helicoid. Again, simplicity was my guiding principle: glue. I opted for an M42 to M46 macro reverse ring, which fit into my M42 helicoid and snugly into the Contaflex mount. An M42 to M52 ring might even be a better choice, potentially fitting over the mount’s exterior. A secure fit for the chosen ring is crucial for centering the mount accurately on the macro ring. Ensure the ring sits flush against the mount, without any intervening screws. In my case, some filing was necessary to achieve a perfect fit, as illustrated in the image above, indicating where a round file was used.
Next, I bonded the macro ring to the mount using two-component epoxy glue, taking care to prevent any glue from seeping into the mount assembly’s openings. Once the adhesive cured, my adapted lens was ready for use. I attached my M42 helicoid and an M42-NEX adapter to it, and it was ready to mount on my Sony E-mount camera.
Macro Inversion Ring Glued to Lens Mount
If this simplified approach isn’t appealing, Leo Roos’s more intricate method provides an alternative. Exploring the images he captured with the 4/115 Pro Tessar is highly recommended. For German speakers, Dieter’s (Ulganapi’s) detailed “How-to” guide on the German Digicamclub offers further insights. Additionally, a blog post with a review and numerous sample images provides another valuable resource.
Once the adapter is complete, a world of interesting lenses opens up. The Contaflex mount typically comes with a Pro Tessar 1:2.8/50 front element, interchangeable with several other common front elements:
- 4/35 and 3.2/35 (two distinct versions of the 3.2/35 exist)
- 4/85 and 3.2/85
- 4/115
- 1:1 Macro 50mm (f/5.6)
For those venturing deeper into the Contaflex lens system, additional specialized front elements exist:
- Steritar (for stereo image capture, with different versions; “813” or Version B is required for Contaflex III, IV, etc. mounts)
- Close-up Steritar (for stereo macro photography)
- Monocular 8x30B (a 400mm telescope that functions as a front lens element)
Performance and Image Quality of the Adapted Lenses
My experiences using the 4/115, 3.2/85, and 3.2/35 lenses on a Sony A7 camera reveal several consistent characteristics (my 2.8/50 is unfortunately unusable due to severe damage and serves only as a mount cap):
- Vibrant and Saturated Colors: These lenses produce beautifully saturated colors, even without post-processing. The color rendition wide open differs slightly from stopped-down apertures, but both deliver a charming “vintage” aesthetic.
- Impressive Micro-Contrast: Surprisingly good micro-contrast for their age, often negating the need for post-processing enhancements.
- Dreamy Wide-Open Look: Shooting at wider apertures, especially at close range, creates a pleasingly dreamy image quality, ideal for portraits and artistic shots.
- Center Sharpness: Sharp in the center even wide open, and remarkably sharp when stopped down slightly, particularly at closer focusing distances.
- Unique Vintage Bokeh: Exhibiting a distinct vintage bokeh character, which can also become remarkably smooth depending on the subject distance and aperture.
- Minimal Chromatic Aberration (CA): In my images, CA is virtually absent at normal viewing sizes. Some lateral CA might be perceptible near image borders at 100% magnification, such as on tree branches against the sky, but overall performance in CA control is exceptional for vintage lenses.
- Edge Softness: Achieving good edge-to-edge sharpness on a full-frame sensor requires stopping down significantly. These are not ideal lenses for landscape or architectural photography unless used at smaller apertures like f/11 or on APS-C or smaller sensors where corner sharpness is less critical.
- Portrait and Bokeh Potential: The aforementioned characteristics make these lenses excellent candidates for portraits (people, flowers, insects) and capturing compelling “city bokeh” scenes. They also possess a notable 3D rendering capability.
Sample Images Captured with Adapted Contaflex Lenses
The following are sample shots taken around my hometown. Unless specifically noted, these images are essentially unprocessed. Captured in RAW format, they were imported into Lightroom and exported with minimal adjustments:
- Minor exposure adjustments (using the basic exposure slider, no individual shadow or highlight adjustments).
- No sharpening or other image manipulations applied.
- No adjustments to clarity, contrast, or color.
- Slight cropping in some images to correct tilt or refine composition.
- Butterfly images are heavily cropped, shown close to 100% view to highlight lens sharpness, with no sharpening or clarity adjustments applied.
3.2/35 (Small, Older Version):
DSC04394
DSC04390 Open Aperture
Sample image taken with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/35 lens at its maximum aperture, showcasing the lens’s bokeh and shallow depth of field capabilities.
DSC04392 Closed Down Aperture
Image captured with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/35 lens with a stopped-down aperture, demonstrating increased sharpness and depth of field compared to wider apertures.
DSC04332
DSC04343 Open Aperture
Another example using the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/35 lens at its widest aperture, emphasizing the lens’s ability to create background separation and pleasing bokeh in everyday scenes.
Strongly Cropped Samples (3.2/35):
DSC04400 Wide Open
Heavily cropped image taken with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/35 lens wide open, demonstrating the center sharpness and detail even under magnification.
DSC04413
DSC04399
DSC04424
3.2/35 (Large, Newer Version):
DSC04386
DSC04370
DSC04326
DSC04377
DSC04385
DSC04479
Strongly Cropped Samples (3.2/35, Aperture Series):
DSC04446 Open Aperture
Heavily cropped image taken wide open with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/35 lens, illustrating sharpness and bokeh quality at f/3.2.
DSC04441 Open at f/3.2
Cropped image at f/3.2 aperture, further demonstrating the detail and shallow depth of field achievable with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/35 lens.
DSC04443 Two Stops Down
Cropped image with the aperture stopped down two stops, showing the increase in depth of field and maintained sharpness of the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/35 lens.
3.2/85 Lens Samples:
DSC03370
DSC04452 Stopped Down Close Focus
Image taken with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/85 lens stopped down and focused at a close distance, highlighting sharpness and controlled depth of field.
DSC04477
DSC03385
DSC04449
DSC04455 Stopped Down Infinity Focus
Sample image with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/85 lens stopped down and focused at infinity, illustrating landscape and distance sharpness performance.
DSC04451 Open Aperture Close Focus
Image taken with the Zeiss Contaflex 3.2/85 lens wide open and focused closely, showcasing the lens’s bokeh and shallow depth of field in portrait-style shots.
DSC03376
4/115 Lens Samples:
DSC04294
DSC04463
DSC04466
DSC04467
Processed 4/115 Lens Samples:
DSC05057 Funky Bokeh No Fringing
Processed image demonstrating the unique and funky bokeh rendering of the Zeiss Contaflex 4/115 lens, free from bokeh fringing.
The Three Graces Funky Bokeh No Fringing
Processed shot highlighting the Zeiss Contaflex 4/115 lens’s ability to produce artistic and visually appealing bokeh without color fringing.
DSC05091
Grüne Schwerter
DSC05080 Beautiful Bokeh
Processed image emphasizing the beautiful and smooth bokeh characteristics of the Zeiss Contaflex 4/115 lens.
Efeu Beautiful Bokeh
Another processed sample showcasing the pleasing bokeh produced by the Zeiss Contaflex 4/115 lens, ideal for creating soft backgrounds.
DSC04472 Lens Flare Sample
Example image demonstrating lens flare characteristics when shooting against the light with the Zeiss Contaflex lenses.
DSC04471
One limitation of the Pro Tessars is corner-to-corner sharpness on full-frame cameras; the extreme corners remain soft regardless of aperture. This is a compromise inherent in their design. Also, while generally flare-resistant, shooting directly against strong light sources might induce flare, as illustrated in the church tower image.
Final Verdict: Zeiss Contaflex Pro Tessars – Vintage Value Champions
Hopefully, this exploration has demonstrated that these vintage Zeiss Contaflex Pro Tessar lenses, particularly the 4/115, 3.2/85, and 3.2/35, are indeed worthy of the Zeiss legacy, even by today’s optical standards. They deliver vibrant, punchy colors, excellent center sharpness, pleasing contrast and micro-contrast, near-apochromatic performance, and all at an incredibly affordable price point – especially considering their Zeiss pedigree. You can often find a set of these lenses and a Contaflex body for around 100 euros, which translates to approximately 115 US dollars, making them an exceptional value for photographers seeking vintage character without breaking the bank. For around $115, investing in these adapted Zeiss lenses opens up a world of creative possibilities and unique image aesthetics.
