by René Pawlitzek, rpawlitzek@hotmail.com

In the early eighties, Fuji Photo Film released the X-Fujica camera system comprising the Fujica AX-5, AX-3, AX-1, STX-1, thirty X-Fujinon lenses, and a bunch of accessories. My dad bought several bodies and a number of lenses, including the f2.8/24mm, the f3.5/55mm Macro, the f1.6/50mm, the f1.6/55mm, the f4.5/200mm, the f3.5-4.5/42-75mm, the f3.8/80-200mm, the extension tubes, the teleconverter, and the wonderful XD adapter to mount M42 lenses. This adapter allowed the reuse of old M42 lenses in P and S mode on the Fujica AX-5! I received one of my dad's Fujica AX-5 as a replacement for my own Fujica ST-901 in 1982.The X-Fujica camera system served us well for many years. We were very happy with the results from the Fujica cameras, the Fujinon lenses, and the Fujichrome slide films. Out of the blue, Fuji Photo Film ceased the production of the X-Fujica camera system in 1985, but we continued to use our equipment for many more years.

In 1996, I decided to invest in a new camera system which was at least as good or even better than the existing one regarding optical quality. I purchased a Contax 167mt with a Carl Zeiss f2.8/45mm Tessar. I bought my dad the same camera but with the f1.4/50mm Carl Zeiss Planar. When the Contax Aria was released, I bought my Aria with the Carl Zeiss f3.5-4.5/28-70mm Vario Sonnar and my dad bought his Aria with the terrific Carl Zeiss f3.3-4.0/28-85mm Vario Sonnar. Later, we purchased two f2.8/60mm C Macro lenses to enjoy Macro photography. And again, out of the blue, the maker of Contax cameras, the Japanese company Kyocera, decided to end the production of all Contax equipment. Our hopes that Kyocera would ever release a digital camera body never materialized. This situation left us with two sets of excellent lenses from Fuji and Carl Zeiss, but no digital body to make use of them.

Contax Aria with Carl Zeiss f3.5-4.5/28-70mm Vario Sonnar

To get our feet wet with digital photography, I bought a Fujifilm F30 for my dad and a Fujifilm F31d for myself. While enjoying my Fujifilm compact camera to the fullest (it still is a great little 6MP camera), I was always looking for a way to reuse the old SLR lenses on a digital body. Carl Zeiss lenses can be used with a Contax/EOS adapter on Canon DSLR bodies (like the Canon 5D). However, focusing and metering are cumbersome. Zeiss lenses for Contax can also be modified to be reused on Nikon cameras by changing the lens mount. The conversion process can be reverted but I stayed away from modifying my precious Zeiss gear.

Fujifilm F31d and Fujifilm F30

In 2010, Sony, Olympus, Samsung and others started to sell camers with an Electronic Viewfinder and Interchangeable Lens, so-called EVIL cameras. EVIL cameras don't have a mirror box. That's why, they are also called mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILC). No mirror has two major consequences: a) There is no longer an optical viewfinder and an electronic viewfinder is used instead. b) The distance from sensor to mount is much shorter. The Sony NEX system for example has a flange focal distance of only 18mm. In contrast, the X-Fujica system has a distance of 43.5mm and the Contax system has a distance of 45.5mm. The short flange focal distance allows the construction of adapters to mount pretty much every lens ever produced.

In December of 2011, I came across a X-Fujinon/NEX adapter from Fotodiox and a Contax/NEX adapter from Novoflex. At that time, it was clear to me that an EVIL camera system was able to revive my large set of old SLR lenses and that the time was right to get a digital camera body. I bought myself a Sony NEX-5N and the two lens mount adapters, and started to reuse my old SLR lenses. So after waiting for more than 10 years, I was finally able again to enjoy the excellent X-Fujinon lenses and the awesome Carl Zeiss lenses. A dream came true! The future of legacy had finally arrived.

The Sony NEX-5N features an APS-C type sensor. It is not a Full Frame (FF) sensor and therefore a crop factor of 1.5 results. This means that the focal length of each lens is changed by a factor of 1.5. A 24mm lens becomes a 36mm lens, a 200mm lens becomes a 300mm lens. Photographers who use telephoto lenses will love this, but photographers who use wide angle lenses will hate this. I belong to the second group. For most of my pictures I use a focal length between 24-85 mm. 45mm is actually my favourite focal length. So even though I was able to reuse all my old lenses, it didn't feel right. I waited for a Full Frame (FF) Sony NEX camera to arrive.

Sony NEX-5N with kit lens

The release of the Sony A7 is, in my opinion, a turning point in photo history. It is a Full Frame (FF) mirrorless camera which is capable to reuse almost every lens ever made on the planet due to the NEX system's short flange range. Full Frame means that a 35mm lens will be a 35mm lens. The electronic viewfinder and the focus peaking greatly simplify the process of manual focusing. In June of 2015, I bought the Sony A7 Mark II, a slightly improved version of the original A7. Ever since, I noticed that the fun to take pictures is back and the results live up to my high expectations. The Carl Zeiss f2.8/45mm Tessar for example creates spectacular photos with the Sony A7 Mark II. Thank you Sony for producing such a great camera! I am sure that my dad would also have enjoyed the A7.

Sony A7 Mark II with Carl Zeiss f2.8/45mm