When comparing a Contax lens to a Canon L lens, I think the “cooler colors” statement is generally true; however, I do not think the Zeiss lenses are “cooler” in terms of poor color reproduction. I find their color rendition closer to the actual scene, whereas Canon’s greens and reds tend to be over-saturated. Sometimes the Canon color palette works, such as for sunsets, but not so much for portraits. On Canon lenses the purplish magentas tends towards a red, whereas here the Contax 100N produced a wonderful array of subdued purples and magentas. When shooting the test images, most of time the lens was pointed towards the sun and flare was not an issue for the 100N.

Some of the images have a double image bokeh (background blur). This is fairly common with the 100N and one area that I wish was better. I am noting the double image bokeh because I have seen it in many Zeiss lenses - even the famed Hasselblad CFE 110mm F2 Planar. Given the right conditions, any lens can produce double-imaged edges in the bokeh. Some lenses draw more attention to this trait because they may mix in color fringing as well. Since my intended use would be portraits, I think Contax 100mm F2 Planar and Zeiss 100mm F2 Makro-Planar ZE are better options since their bokeh is smoother.

On the other hand the Contax 100N’s bokeh is very unique. The bokeh has a soft diffusion, even when the lens is stopped down to F8 or F11. The bokeh is different from other Contax (Zeiss) lenses. The 100N’s color palette was a great surprise, but after using the lens for several more months, the bokeh is probably my favorite aspect of the Contax 100N. The lens has its own one-of-a-kind fingerprint, and it really showcases this ability with product photography.

When it comes to product photography, the Contax 100N is king. The images have great detail and strong contrast for good “pop”. Tonality is even and balanced, nothing jarring, harsh or overly contrasty. Up to this point, that description sums up most people’s expectations for any macro lens. Where the Contax 100N sets itself apart from the competition is in the softness of its bokeh.

The ingress and egress to the DOF is quite long, so neighboring objects are recognizable, but still nicely blurred. If photographing an ensemble of objects and the background objects should be blurred, but recognizable, the Contax 100N does an excellent job. It is a subtle nuance in bokeh, but the look is distinctive. And I find it very easy to get a nice separation between the subject and the background. With good lighting it is very easy to pull-off a 3D feel. Medium format has a reputation for producing a 3D look; I feel the Contax 100N is capable of going head-to-head with medium format in this particular aspect.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

During my year with the Contax 100N it trouble-free, and the conversion had one major benefit which I missed at first - on the aperture steps in 1/3 stop increments. The original Contax 100N lens steps in 1-stop increments.

The Contax 100N is a macro lens first and foremost. In that realm it excels and if trying to produce distinctive product shots, the Contax 100N definitely deserves consideration. As a portrait or landscape lens, I suggest the Zeiss 100mm F2 Makro-Planar ZE, Contax 100mm F2 Planar or Canon 135mm F2 L. If looking a true macro lens, I give the Contax 100N a big thumbs-up, and I like the Contax 100N much more than the Canon 100mm F2.8 L IS.

Given the Contax 100N’s unique bokeh, one other area where it may excel is video. I do not shoot video, so this is just some speculation on my part.