{"id":16310,"date":"2019-02-02T10:17:54","date_gmt":"2019-02-02T09:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=16310"},"modified":"2026-01-14T09:27:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T08:27:05","slug":"carl-zeiss-vario-sonnar-t-c-y-35-70mm-f3-4-a-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/carl-zeiss-vario-sonnar-t-c-y-35-70mm-f3-4-a-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* (C\/Y) 35-70mm f3.4: A review"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* (C\/Y) 35-70mm f3.4 was a standard zoom lens designed for the Yashica and Contax series of film SLR cameras. It was, perhaps, the first standard zoom of truly decent quality throughout its range. You could use it an any focal length and not really have any compromise relative the prime lenses of the time. That clich\u00e9 “a tube full of primes” was (for once) true of it: at least in its day.<\/p>\n

It’s since acquired a kind of cult reputation. Some think it remains the finest standard zoom you can get. But how much of this reputation is due to it being so amazing by the standards of when it was designed in 1982, and how much because it still deserves a place in the kits of some modern photographers? Read on to find out!<\/p>\n

Specifications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diameter<\/td>\n70mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/td>\n80.5 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Thread<\/td>\n67 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight (w\/o adapter)<\/td>\n475 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Minimum Focusing Distance<\/td>\n0.7m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maximum Magnification<\/td>\n1:2.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number of aperture blades<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/ Groups<\/td>\n10\/10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
The Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* (C\/Y) 35-70mm f3.4 can be purchased used on eBay.com<\/a> here.<\/address>\n
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Image Samples<\/h3>\n

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Build quality and handling<\/h3>\n

This is a trombone zoom lens; sometimes called a “one touch”. A single mechanism when pushed and pulled zooms, and when turned focusses. It’s no longer fashionable, and indeed for precision I prefer separate zoom and focus rings. It may have made things faster in the field, but these days people looking for speed in the field are using AF lenses: anyone using this lens is likely looking for precision.<\/p>\n

As you can see in this image, there is relatively little difference in overall length between 40mm (where it is close to \u00a0longest) and tele. This is because the zoom mechanism does not extend the lens for as you zoom from 70mm out to about 50mm, and only then starts extending slightly.<\/p>\n

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But if you can live with that the lens is very solidly built from metal and rubber. The fact that most samples are still working now is testament to that.<\/p>\n

Focusing Ring<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Nicely damped with a rubberised grip that works well. Tnly issue is that focussing without making small changes to focal length takes a bit of practice. It focusses from the standard close focus distance of 70cm to infinity in about 240 degrees.<\/p>\n

Aperture<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The aperture ring is a nice metal ring at the back of the lens and it stops down from f3.4 to f22. There is a first click that takes you from f3.4 to f4, and then its one stop clicks to f22. Intermediate positions are fairly easy to set.<\/p>\n

Hood<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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The official Zeiss hood is the CONTAX metal Hood 1 combined with the CONTAX 67\/86 ring. You can often find these on eBay. I have one for the fun of it: it’s a lovely solid kit, though very large and not that cheap. Frankly, though, these Contax hoods were a bit too big. They do give about the best shading you can get from a fixed circular hood because of that, but realistically a folding rubber hood for almost nothing from eBay in a 67mm mount is a more practical option.<\/p>\n

Adapting the lens to Sony<\/h5>\n

I use the Rayqual adapter, which is in my opinion the best dumb adapter you can get when the exact length of the adapter matters. It also has better baffling than any others I know. Exact length probably does with this lens because of the complex zoom movements. With unit focussing lenses Novoflex is just as good (they tend to be a bit short, but that doesn’t matter in that case.) Of course you can try your luck with a cheaper adapter. The second generation K&F adapters are my choice for cheaper ones. Have a look \u00a0at our article here. You can get one via our affiliate link at B&H<\/a><\/p>\n

Size and Weight<\/strong><\/h5>\n

This lens is neither small nor light. With adapter it extends 12cm, and weighs more than a half kilo. But that’s still less than three primes, and less than one modern f1.4 35mm or 50mm fast prime. As a single lens landscape hiking option, it still makes sense.<\/p>\n

Optical performance<\/h1>\n

These results are based on use with a Sony Alpha A7rIII.<\/p>\n

Infinity Resolution<\/strong><\/p>\n

The resolution section is here a little bit different from how we have usually done things at PhillipReeve. Rather than sections from a single diagonal image I have moved the camera and taken separate aperture sequences in each position (corner, rule of thirds intersection, centre). This is slightly more work, but means that because it is the same infinity subject in the different positions, it is easier to compare.<\/p>\n

As this is likely to be used for landscape, I show the crops with the focus on centre: thus the corners are showing the effect of a very small amount of field curvature. Very slightly better corner results could be achieved by focussing on the corner or midfield.<\/p>\n

The results are remarkable for a zoom lens of this vintage. The centre and midfield results are outstanding at every focal length and aperture. The extreme corner is a little worse, especially at wide aperture and 35mm (as Zeiss own MTF shows) but at most apertures and focal lengths remains very good, and as good or better than decent primes of the era. The extreme corner shows a bit of contrast drop off as well. There is a touch of primary LoCA (Purple fringing) but much less than many fine primes of the era.<\/p>\n

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Flare Resistance<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Flare resistance was amazing for a zoom \u00a0by 1982 standards. But by contemporary standards it is a mixed bag. On the one hand it’s remarkably free of distracting coloured artefacts and distracting flare effects: more so than many beloved modern lenses, and comparable with the very best. On the other hand with the sun in the frame there’s a fair bit of overall glare and loss of contrast. With the sun outside the frame judicious use of a hood and hand shading can deal with it really well, and its’ good enough that you should never get much trouble if you are good at shading. But of course there’s nothing you can do if the sun is in the frame.<\/p>\n

The following aperture series are all taken with the maximum shadow lifting, and exposure boosted by a stop in post, so they represent a worst case for the overall glare.<\/p>\n

This is not bad performance; but it is performance that the best modern lenses will easily exceed. On the other hand, this lack of fancy modern methods of predicting where non image-forming light will go is \u00a0also the probably the cause of the slightly lower overall contrast which many like about a good classic lens.<\/p>\n

70mm. Sun\u00a0in centre<\/i><\/p>\n