Contax N System and Its Revival on Sony Alpha

In 2000, Kyocera launched the Contax N film camera series, but discontinued it in 2005, leaving a legacy of high-quality Carl Zeiss lenses. The 2019 Metabones adapter revived these lenses for Sony Alpha cameras, enhancing their autofocus and performance, allowing them to outperform their original specifications in modern photography.

In 2000, Kyocera introduced the Contax N system film cameras. However, an unfortunate event occurred—on April 12, 2005, Kyocera announced the discontinuation of the CONTAX camera series, leaving behind many precious optical legacies. In 2019, Metabones released the “Contax N to Sony E” electronic mount adapter, allowing these lenses to be revived in digital systems.

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Contax N Carl Zeiss Lens Adaptation to Sony Alpha

The camera shown in the image is a Sony A7R3 with a titanium silver Contax logo skin.

The Contax N system consisted of three camera models and nine lenses. The author owns the N1 and five of these lenses.

Contax N Cameras

  • CONTAX N1
  • CONTAX NX
  • CONTAX N Digital

Contax N Carl Zeiss Lenses

  • Planar T* 1.4/50
  • Planar T* 1.4/85
  • Makro-Sonnar T* 2.8/100
  • Tele-Apotessar T* 4/400
  • Vario-Sonnar T* 2.8/17-35
  • Vario-Sonnar T* 3.5-4.5/24-85
  • Vario-Sonnar T* 3.5-5.6/28-80
  • Vario-Sonnar T* 3.5-4.5/70-200
  • Vario-Sonnar T* 4.0-5.6/70-300

The Fleeting Contax N Digital

(Contax N Digital, Image Source: Dpreview)

Launched in 2002, the Contax N Digital featured a 35mm full-frame CCD sensor (approximately 36×24mm), whereas most digital cameras at the time used APS-C sensors (about 24×18mm). This meant that a 50mm standard lens retained its original field of view without the crop factor of smaller sensors.

Additionally, the NAM-1 adapter was introduced, allowing Contax 645 lenses to be mounted onto Contax N cameras (N1, NX, and N Digital), further expanding the available lens selection. However, due to high pricing and poor market response, Kyocera discontinued the CONTAX camera division on April 12, 2005. This high-quality autofocus Zeiss lens system, though ahead of its time, vanished like a fleeting dream, becoming a relic of the past.

Digital Revival: Sony Alpha 7R3

At the 2014 CP+ event in Yokohama, Kipon introduced an electronic adapter enabling Contax N lenses to be mounted onto Sony Alpha 7 series cameras. Early versions could only control the electronic aperture while focusing remained manual. Later, Fringer released an adapter that supported autofocus (now discontinued).

In January 2019, the author purchased the Fringer adapter and embarked on a two-week journey from Tokyo to Nagasaki with a Sony A7M2 (custom-modified) and a Contax N Carl Zeiss 24-85mm lens. The resulting photos were compiled into an article titled The Revival of a Bygone Era: Contax N 24-85.

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Metabones Contax N to Sony Alpha E Mount Adapter

At the end of 2019, Metabones released the “Contax N to Sony Alpha E” electronic adapter. It featured a rubber gasket for dust and moisture resistance, improved autofocus algorithms, support for PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus), IBIS (In-body Image Stabilization), and eye autofocus for enhanced subject tracking. The author switched to this adapter as the primary tool for their digital photography setup.

Summary and Evaluation

The author owns the following five Contax N Carl Zeiss lenses, all of which perform exceptionally well on the Sony A7R3’s 42.4-megapixel sensor.

  • Planar T* 1.4/50
  • Planar T* 1.4/85
  • Makro-Sonnar T* 2.8/100
  • Vario-Sonnar T* 3.5-4.5/24-85
  • Vario-Sonnar T* 4.0-5.6/70-300

When mounted via the Metabones adapter, autofocus speed and accuracy surpass those of the original Contax N1. Thanks to modern AF algorithms and processing power, these lenses perform better than they did on their native 20-year-old cameras.

  • Planar T 1.4/50 & 1.4/85*: Fast and precise autofocus, excellent tonal gradation in highlights and shadows, and beautiful bokeh.
  • Makro-Sonnar T 2.8/100*: A unique Sonnar-designed macro lens with 1:1 magnification. As expected in macro photography, manual focusing is preferred.
  • Vario-Sonnar T 24-85 & 70-300*: Autofocus struggles in low light due to their smaller maximum apertures. The 24-85mm lens exhibits some field curvature when wide open, making edge focus challenging. However, overall optical quality remains high.

Among them, Planar T 1.4/50* is the author’s most frequently used and favorite lens, offering fast AF, rich highlights and shadows, and smooth bokeh—an excellent standard lens.

Individual Lens Evaluations

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Planar T 1.4/50*: Fast and accurate focus, excellent tonal reproduction, and soft bokeh.

LEI00340 Contax P50 1
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Planar T 1.4/85*: Superior highlight retention and soft bokeh, but slower AF and noticeable motor noise.

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Makro-Sonnar T 2.8/100*: The only Sonnar-designed macro lens, featuring internal focusing and superb resolution.

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Vario-Sonnar T 3.5-4.5/24-85*: Excellent distortion and chromatic aberration control. Superior image quality across the zoom range.

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Vario-Sonnar T 4.0-5.6/70-300*: Heavier than comparable zoom lenses but offers superior image quality and remains versatile, even for photographing fast-moving birds in dense foliage.

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Conclusion

When adapted to Sony Alpha cameras, Contax N lenses benefit from modern autofocus technology and in-body stabilization, surpassing the capabilities of the original Contax N1. These legendary lenses, once thought to be relics of the past, have found new life in the digital era, revealing new levels of performance and beauty.

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