Rediscovering Vintage Zeiss Lenses: A Bargain at Around 60 Euros to Dollars

About a year ago, I stumbled upon images of a modified Zeiss Contaflex Pro Tessar 4/115 lens. Its aesthetic appeal was instantly captivating. While some collect lenses purely for their visual charm, my aim is to use them practically on a camera. The crucial question then arose: Are these lenses, including the 3.2/35 and 3.2/85 models I also acquired, actually any good? My immediate answer is a resounding YES.

Like any lens enthusiast, my initial discovery quickly led me to scour Google and eBay. Within minutes, I found a deal, securing a 4/115 and a 3.2/35 lens together for a mere 30 euros. The seller mentioned a non-functional focusing mechanism, hence the low price. At the time, I was confident I could overcome this with a focusing helicoid. However, I soon realized my purchase was not even designed to be a complete, standalone lens. It was just the front element, essentially “half” a lens. This marked the beginning of understanding that adapting this lens would be more intricate than initially anticipated. Furthermore, this partial lens was unusable without the rear component that originally attached to the camera body.

The Contaflex system, starting with the Contaflex III in 1956, employed a unique two-part lens and shutter system. The rear lens element, along with the helicoid, diaphragm, and shutter, was integrated into the camera body. Only the front lens elements were interchangeable. My purchase consisted solely of these front elements. Fortunately, numerous Contaflex camera bodies were available, often sold “as is” due to shutter malfunctions—understandable given their age of 60 years and older. I managed to acquire a Contaflex III (or possibly IV) body for an additional 15 euros. This particular model is crucial for simpler adaptation. The earlier Contaflex I and II models lack interchangeable front elements, and later models are likely more challenging to adapt, based on my experience and online resources, including Leo Roos’ detailed guide.

To make the lens operational and adaptable, the rear lens assembly needs to be detached from the camera body. In my case, this was relatively straightforward, primarily requiring a screwdriver. The lens mount assembly, located at the rear of the camera, could be unscrewed. Regrettably, details from a year ago are hazy, and I failed to document the process with photos. However, I’ll outline the key steps I recall.

Once the mount, including the shutter and rear lens element (referred to as the mount), is detached, the next challenge is removing the shutter. If memory serves, this was also quite easy. The rear lens element was accessible without further dismantling of the mount. It could be unscrewed using a spanner wrench. After fully opening the aperture using the mount’s settings, the shutter leaves become accessible and can be carefully removed with pliers. While not the most refined method, it’s quick, easy, and avoids disassembling the complex lens/shutter mechanism. Care must be taken to avoid damaging the aperture blades.

The subsequent step involves attaching the mount to a helicoid. Again, I opted for the simplest approach: glue. I used an M42 to M46 macro reverse ring that fit my M42 helicoid and snugly fit into the mount. An M42 to M52 ring might be even better, potentially fitting over the mount’s exterior. A precise fit of the ring is essential for centering the mount on the macro ring and ensuring it sits flush without any screws interfering. In my case, some filing was necessary to achieve a perfect fit. The image above illustrates where and why I used a round file.

Next, I glued the macro ring to the mount using a two-component epoxy, carefully preventing any glue from seeping into the mount assembly’s openings. After the adhesive cured, my adapted lens was ready. I attached my M42 helicoid and an M42-NEX adapter, and it was ready for use.

If my straightforward method isn’t appealing, Leo Roos’ more intricate approach, mentioned earlier, is an alternative. While exploring lens adaptation, his images taken with the 4/115 Pro Tessar are worth examining. For German speakers, Dieter’s (Ulganapi’s) guide on the German Digicamclub offers further instructions. Additionally, a blog post provides a review and sample images.

Upon completing the adapter, you gain access to a range of intriguing lenses. Typically, the mount comes with a Pro Tessar 1:2.8/50 front element, interchangeable with these common options:

• 4/35 and 3.2/35 (I have two versions of the 3.2/35)
• 4/85 and 3.2/85
• 4/115
• 1:1 Macro 50mm (f/5.6)

For those fully embracing the Contaflex lens system, additional specialized front elements exist:

• Steritar (for stereo images, version “813” or B compatible with Contaflex III, IV mounts)
• Close-up Steritar (for stereo macro photography)
• Monocular 8x30B (a 400mm telescope element mountable as a lens front).

Performance

Based on my experience with the A7, general observations about the 4/115, 3.2/85, and 3.2/35 lenses (my 2.8/50 is unusable, serving only as a mount cap):

• They produce beautifully saturated colors, even without post-processing. Wide open, colors differ from stopped-down images, yet retain a charming “vintage” quality.
• They exhibit surprisingly good micro-contrast for their age, often negating the need for post-processing.
• Wide open, they create a dreamy aesthetic, especially in close-up shots.
• Center sharpness is excellent wide open, becoming exceptionally sharp when slightly stopped down, especially at close range.
• They deliver unique vintage bokeh, which can also be very smooth depending on the subject distance.
• Chromatic aberration (CA) is minimal in my photos at normal viewing sizes. Some lateral CA might be visible near borders at 100% magnification, such as on tree branches against the sky, but this is remarkably well-controlled for vintage lenses.
• Significant stopping down is needed for good edge-to-edge performance, which can be desirable for corner fall-off effects. They are not ideal for landscapes or architecture unless stopped down to f/11 or used with an APS-C sensor (or smaller).
• These characteristics make them well-suited for portraits (people, flowers, insects) and city bokeh shots. They also possess great 3D rendering potential.

Samples

The following unedited samples (unless otherwise specified) were taken around my hometown. Shot in RAW and imported into Lightroom, they are exported without adjustments, except for minor exposure tweaks in some cases. No sharpening, clarity, contrast, or color adjustments were applied. Some images are slightly cropped for tilt correction or better composition. Butterfly images are heavily cropped, shown near 100% to highlight lens sharpness, with no sharpening or clarity enhancements.

3.2/35 (small, older):

3.2/35 (large, newer):

3.2/85:

4/115:

A limitation of the Pro Tessars is corner-to-corner sharpness on full-frame cameras, where corners remain soft, regardless of aperture. Also, lens flare can be an issue when shooting against strong light sources, as demonstrated in the church tower image.

Final Words

I hope this exploration demonstrates that these lenses truly deserve the Zeiss name, even by today’s standards. They offer beautiful, vibrant colors, excellent center sharpness, pleasing contrast and micro-contrast, near-apochromatic performance, and can be acquired for a fraction of the cost of modern Zeiss lenses – often for around 60 Euros To Dollars for a set, making them an incredible value for photographers seeking vintage charm without breaking the bank.