Black and White Photography with CONTAX Zeiss Lenses

Today I spent some time with an old friend. I took along the CONTAX Zeiss 28-85mm f3.3-4 because it was going to be a hike into the unknown and I like the zoom range the lens offers. My friend has recently become the owner of a brand new Triumph motorcycle, and I figured what better way than to capture this nostalgic beast than with a great nostalgic lens. We took a bunch of candid shots but as I’m writing this I realize I didn’t get his model release so here’s a pic of the bike 🙂

CONTAX Zeiss 28-85mm f3.3-4 B&W Motorcycle
CONTAX 28-85mm f3.3-4 shot at 50mm wide open. Profile: Adobe Monochrome.

The 28-85mm really is like having a bag of primes in one lens. The micro contrast of Zeiss lenses really shows itself in black and white photography. Some shoot in black and white in camera, but I tend to shoot raw and convert to black and white in Adobe Lightroom. I like having the color photo as well. Could a newer lens achieve these results? Sure, but where’s the fun in that? Here’s a modern Triumph paying homage to another era, shot on a modern Nikon Z6, paying homage to another era with the CONTAX Zeiss 28-85mm. How cool is that! What a fun day.

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