We have become used to old lens formulas being revived and sold for occasionally huge sums of money to collectors and photographers hoping to create images with a magical vintage look. All of us here have been very sceptical about this. Mostly they have been simple lenses in simple bodies with poor technical qualities being sold for more than the price of the latest and greatest glass. From one perspective the legendary C-Sonnar from Zeiss is like this. It’s a classic design dating from 1932 whose principal design goal at the time was to reduce the number of air glass surfaces because the coatings of the day were so primitive. Why do we need it now? But Zeiss bought it back in 2006 in M mount as part of the ZM series. The optical design is not much changed, but it comes with modern coatings. Many prize it for magical rendering and flattering portraiture, others think it shows that not even Zeiss is above trying to rip off nostalgic hipsters. Read on and find out who is right!
Specifications
| Diameter |
56 mm |
| Length |
45 mm |
| Filter Thread |
46 mm |
| Weight (w/o adapter) |
250 g |
| Max. Magnification (w/o close focus adapter) |
1:15 |
| Close Focusing Distance from the sensor (w/o CFA) |
0.9 m |
| Number of aperture blades |
10 |
| Elements/ Groups |
6/4 |
The Carl Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 can be purchased via our affiliate links at Amazon.com or else B&H Photo Video. You can get it new on eBay.com here, or you can get it used on eBay.com here.
Image Samples
Continue reading Carl Zeiss C-Sonnar T* 50mm f1.5 ZM: A Detailed Review →
