[Fenwoodian]

Said no one ever....there is always another lens .

For example - what say David at Leitax was able to produce a mount to covert the Zeiss Otis lenses to K-mount......

.
.

I asked David at Leitax if his adapters would work on Zeiss "MILVUS" lenses. He said YES!!!!!

Lens Score.com rates the Milvus 85mm higher than the Zeiss classic 135mm lens. The new optics in the Milvus 85mm f/1.4 are up there with the Otis lenses! I'm not much for the 135mm field of view, but I do like the 85mm field of view. I do think that the next lens I purchase might be a used Milvus 85mm.

[NZ_Ross]

I asked David at Leitax if his adapters would work on Zeiss "MILVUS" lenses. He said YES!!!!!

Now that is very good news, given the Milvus lenses have really good updated optics, and weather/dust sealing. I will be very interested to hear how the conversion goes if you do purchase a Zeiss Milvus lens.

[Fenwoodian]

Now that is very good news, given the Milvus lenses have really good updated optics, and weather/dust sealing. I will be very interested to hear how the conversion goes if you do purchase a Zeiss Milvus lens.

Here's the exact email that David at Leitax sent me:

Hello David,

The conversion for the Milvus lenses is similar that the one for the former Zeiss ZF lenses. I believe that it will work on all models.
The Leitax mount already has an extra hole to allow the operation of the declicking screw with the Pentax camera.

Nikon and Zeiss ZF lenses for Pentax cameras

The Milvus 50/1.4 needs special longer screws, please remind it to me when ordering.

Best regards; David
Leica & Pentax & Nikon | Leitax


Ross, the Leitax mount is not weather proof. So... if you end up doing a Leitax conversion on a Milvus lens, you will loose the protective weatherproof seal that the Milvus originally came with.

However, the 3 Leitax mounts I've installed on Zeiss ZF lenses have such a extremely tight and finely made metal mount, that I think that raindrops would have a very difficult time entering the camera.

Dave

[NZ_Ross]

Ross, the Leitax mount is not weather proof. So... if you end up doing a Leitax conversion on a Milvus lens, you will loose the protective weatherproof seal that the Milvus originally came with.

Thanks Dave, I appreciate that - but the lens itself will still have the sealing, which means it is more likely to survive being used challenging conditions

Ross

[Fenwoodian]

More information from Dave at Leitax about converting Zeiss Milvus lenses -

ME - "I intend to purchase the Zeiss Milvus 85mm lens. Here is a link to some photos of this lens. Please see that its' mount is attached to the lens body with 4 screws. Do not your Leitax mounts use only 3 screws to attach the mount to the lens body? Would using only 3 screws to attach the Leitax mount to this large and heavy Milvus 85mm lens be too few screws to make a secure connection?"



DAVID at Leitax' response - "Hello David, that is correct, the Leitax mount uses only the three standard screw positions of the Nikon mount. That is enough for the heavy lenses since these are M2 screws.
The fourth screw of the Milvus lenses is shorter than the other three at the standard positions.

Please tell me the total length of the screw (for instance) at the top of the mount to send the correct screws for the Leitax mount. For example, this is the one from a Milvus macro 50/2:"

[zzeitg]

I went out chasing stars instead of motorbikes and along the way went hunting for a place to capture a sunset. Stumbled across this little beauty facing the setting sun.



Tas

I simply love this lens and what you're able to do with it. (Should you ever decide to sell it, just let me know )

[dariobrozzi]

I'm really concerned about lost the seal of a +1000$ lens

[Tas]

One of the things I love about the Zeiss lenses is how they render when wide open.

This is the Makro Planar T* 2/50mm ZK at f2. I'd not been out with my Zeiss lenses in a while so a ride up to the northern end of Moreton Bay was as good an excuse as any to crack out a Zeiss.

This is a K-1 DNG exported from LR6 with no PP.

[Tas]

It's been good to get the Zeiss out again.



The Flickr version is much larger.

Tas

[blan01]

Zeiss 28

Nice shot!
BTW, for some reason, I actually prefer the look from your K28 shot

[ranchy]

Nice shot!
BTW, for some reason, I actually prefer the look from your K28 shot

Thanks..

oh..... on the same scene ? Somehow, i felt K28 and Zeiss 28 are quite similar but K28 tends to be warmer.

[asamimasa]

Managed to get my 28 ZF Leitax converted without any issues. From order date, it took about a week to reach me from Spain to California. Spent a bit of time in customs.
Installation took about 30min total, but I sharpen my leathercraft knives quite often, so the muscle memory reflects the time saved in shaving down; I'd recommend taking it quite a bit slower. I took it all the way to 7000 grit to start to approach a mirror polish (the line on the shaved down portion of the last photo is a reflection), so that added a bit of time.


A digital caliper is an absolute must have here. Thanks to Fenwoodian for listing out some shortcomings on the Leitax instructions. I'd say the 28 may be one of the easier ones to convert, especially the ZF.1 version.

I'm so much more enamored with the K-1's implementation of live view over anything offered in the mirrorless realm, and I'm in love all over again with the Zeiss 28 knowing I can consistently nail focus without too much effort or modification like on the D800.

[dariobrozzi]

I love the pictures, thanks. CZ lenses are unique. Tones, colors and sharpe!!

Remember to sign the petition pleassee!
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/169-pentax-full-frame/328834-petition-car...tax-mount.html

[Tas]

I came across this update to three lenses that didn't receive a Milvus update earlier: Three new Zeiss Milvus DSLR lenses announced: 2.8/15, 2.8/18 and 2/135 | Photo Rumors

Something to note with this release is the 3.5/18mm has been redesigned to become a 2.8/18mm. The original 3.5 Distagon was a bit hit and miss with the reviews tending to rank it's performance lower than it's 15mm & 21mm stablemates. The reviewes on this one will be interesting.

Will need to compare the price of these to finding good quality used lenses for a Leitax conversion...actually, I'll need to find some money first.

Tas

[Fenwoodian]

The new Milvus 18mm is supposed to cost over $2000. I don't expect we'll be seeing used ones at discounted prices for years.

I'm plenty happy with my Leitaxed ZF 21mm and don't think that I'll be getting the 18mm new one.