DZO Vespid Cine Prime & Zeiss Contax Prime Comparison
Are the Vespids as good as the hype says they are? And how do they compare against the classic and similarly priced (for a set of five) vintage Zeiss Contax lenses.
The two focal lengths tested were the 35mm and 50mm because that’s what I had consistent across both sets. Plus they both opened up to T2.1 or equivalent.
The camera used was the Canon R5C (Full Frame) balanced to 5600k with 800 ISO (Base 800) for the daylight shots. Then balanced to 4300k with 400 ISO (Base 800) for the nighttime shots.
Capture in Clog 3 and exposed for mid grey both at T2.1 and shots were black balanced in post but no other grading was done.
Note: I purchased the Vespids with my own hard earned pennies from the team at CineGearPro (London). My Contax set was sourced from various sellers on eBay, mostly from Japan.
Sample images below…
Vespid 35mm T2.1
Contax 35mm T2.1
Vespid 35mm T2.1
Contax 35mm T2.1
Vespid 35mm T2.1
Contax 35mm T2.1
I’ve tried to split the test into useful sections below, but if you have any other questions then feel free to hit me up.
Bokeh
Contax had smooth and clean hexagonal bokeh.
Vespids had smooth and clean circular bokeh.
Vignetting
Both Contax and Vespids looked evenly illuminated across the frame.
Field of view
Vespids had a slightly wider field of view than the Contax.
Chromatic aberration (green)
Contax had it across most of the frame in high contrast areas.
Vespids was restricted to the very edges of frame in high contrast areas.
Contrast and resolution
Contax has good contrast but loses out to the Vespids on resolution edge to edge.
Vespids have more contrast and holds resolution really well edge to edge.
Focusing breathing and distortion
Contax had noticeable focus breathing and minimal distortion.
Vespids had zero focus breathing and no visible distortion even at wider focal lengths.
Colour rendition
Contax are just a touch warmer and deliver a little more saturation than the Vespids.
Vespids were very accurate on colours with everything vectoring in the right direction when looked at on scopes.
Images above shot with Vespid 35mm on the R5C (Full Frame)
Final thoughts…
Are the Vespids as good as the hype says they are? And how do they compare against the classic and similarly priced (for a set of five) vintage Zeiss Contax lenses.
My Zeiss Contax lenses have been around the block a few times but they’re in good shape and clean. So, I’m confident they are a good representation of the signature Contax look.
Both pair of lenses are great and surprisingly similar in colour accuracy. When compared to the Contax the DZO Vespids share similar vintage tones but the Vespids win on resolving power every time.
The Vespids provide a true, colour accurate image but with enough character to lift your images. They are sharp but not too sharp and deliver a great consistent looking image across all focal lengths. The Contax do feel warmer but not in a way that most people will notice unless they are pixel peeping.
The Vespids feel more controlled than character full. They have a gentle, round bokeh style that looks very organic. They do have plenty of character but it’s subtle. If you’re a lens lover that dreams of Panavision B Series style character then these probably aren’t the lenses for you.
You can see from the shots above the Contax displays a more hexagonal bokeh shape. At some apertures it does begin to look like a ninja star pattern but to be honest both look great to me. It just comes down to personal preference.
When working on set you’ll find the consistent weighting and size of the Vespids much more suited for gimbal work. Making small adjustments to the gimbal rather than a complete rebalance every time you swap focal lengths is something to be very thankful for.
The Contax have to be cine modified to fit modern camera mounts whereas DZO offer a few mounting options. It’s worth noting that DZO no longer ship the lenses with both PL and EF mounts so you’ll have to decide or spend a little more to get both.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a set of affordable cine primes that are consistent, colour accurate and has the option to switch mounts then the Vespids could be the lenses for you.