ljsegil
Well-known
B&H and Adorama are both showing the Zeiss Ikon 85mm f/2.0 T* ZM Sonnar lens on their websites (for a paltry $2759). Is this for real? Has anyone gotten their hands on one? (If, in fact, one exists). What may be going on here?
LJS
LJS
spysmart
Established
Can't help but thing Zeiss got it wrong with the 85 f/2 : Trying to beat Leica at their own game.
Too late, large and expensive ( doubt the will recover their development costs ). Too close to the APO-Summicon's price.
The should have put a M mount on the Contax-G 90mm f/2.8 and been done with it. I would have bought one as a lower cost carry around lens.
Too late, large and expensive ( doubt the will recover their development costs ). Too close to the APO-Summicon's price.
The should have put a M mount on the Contax-G 90mm f/2.8 and been done with it. I would have bought one as a lower cost carry around lens.
S
Socke
Guest
Why should Zeiss make a lens cheaper than anybody else? This one is meant to be one of the best in it's focal length. And they have a tradition with fast portrait lenses.
They are not in the market for lower cost lenses.
They are not in the market for lower cost lenses.
darkkavenger
Massimiliano Mortillaro
Excuse me, but there are people who will fairly disagree with the spreadout thought that Leica produces the ultimate optics. 
I talked with Zeiss last week about the lenses. They said it never came to market and is being re-designed.
Rob Skeoch
www.bigcameraworkshops.com
Rob Skeoch
www.bigcameraworkshops.com
darkkavenger
Massimiliano Mortillaro
Hmm sorry, seems that I interpreted spysmart's words through a very distorted "perception" lens
S
Socke
Guest
Bryan Lee
Expat Street Photographer
There are plenty of the 90 2.0 Canadian Leicas on the market for 500 bucks. I needed a longer faster lens for a project and tried one out but for me they are not worth the hassle. Even a 75 is pushing the limitations of a Rangefinder. No offense to the forum but there are way to many great and cheep SLRs and long lenses on the market right now. What is crazy marketing here is you can buy a Zeiss ZF 85 1.4 and put it on about anything for under a grand. I would like to see some kind of high speed 60 or even 62 at 1.4 to 2.0, I would jump all over that in M Mount but 85s and 90s I use SLRs exclusivley. I just got this off their website but the dates are unclear.
Don't forget about this 100mm 2.0 Makro that would be about half the price of a a 85 M mount when it comes on the market according to sources.
Don't forget about this 100mm 2.0 Makro that would be about half the price of a a 85 M mount when it comes on the market according to sources.
S
Socke
Guest
Bryan Lee said:
One could use a body with a longer effective base length
"Excuse me, but there are people who will fairly disagree with the spreadout thought that Leica produces the ultimate optics."
yeah, but we all know that we're supposed to "know" that they're wrong ,-)
yeah, but we all know that we're supposed to "know" that they're wrong ,-)
Bryan Lee
Expat Street Photographer
Socke said:One could use a body with a longer effective base length
Nichts verstehen! Das ist Verboten!
We must have both been on the Zeiss website at the same time but you beat me to the post on the 85. I can say my Zeiss 50 2.0 is fantastic but I would love to have a 60 in M-Mount and I will be buying the ZF 100 for sure.
S
Socke
Guest
Bryan, the first camera I bought from self earned money was a Rollei 35TE, the next a Yashica FX-D with the intention to mate it to Zeiss glass.
Now I have a 167mt and a RTS in usable condition which I use with a 35/2.8 Distagon, a 50/1.7 Planar and a 135/2.8 Sonnar. For my Contax Gs I have the 28/2.8 Biogon, 35/2 Planar, 45/2 Planar and 90/2.8 Sonnar, even my FSU lenses are Zeiss designs. The Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 50/2.8 on the Robot Royal is pretty close to a Zeiss Tessar.
One day I have to try something different, there is this other Lensmaker, what was its name, they work for Panasonic mostly but have a line of cameras off their own
Oh, the Yashica FX-D is usable too, but with a winder only. I lost the wind lever after more than 20 years.
Now I have a 167mt and a RTS in usable condition which I use with a 35/2.8 Distagon, a 50/1.7 Planar and a 135/2.8 Sonnar. For my Contax Gs I have the 28/2.8 Biogon, 35/2 Planar, 45/2 Planar and 90/2.8 Sonnar, even my FSU lenses are Zeiss designs
. The Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 50/2.8 on the Robot Royal is pretty close to a Zeiss Tessar.One day I have to try something different, there is this other Lensmaker, what was its name, they work for Panasonic mostly but have a line of cameras off their own
Oh, the Yashica FX-D is usable too, but with a winder only. I lost the wind lever after more than 20 years.
Bryan Lee
Expat Street Photographer
Socke said:Bryan, the first camera I bought from self earned money was a Rollei 35TE, the next a Yashica FX-D with the intention to mate it to Zeiss glass.
Now I have a 167mt and a RTS in usable condition which I use with a 35/2.8 Distagon, a 50/1.7 Planar and a 135/2.8 Sonnar. For my Contax Gs I have the 28/2.8 Biogon, 35/2 Planar, 45/2 Planar and 90/2.8 Sonnar, even my FSU lenses are Zeiss designs
One day I have to try something different, there is this other Lensmaker, what was its name, they work for Panasonic mostly but have a line of cameras off their own
Oh, the Yashica FX-D is usable too, but with a winder only. I lost the wind lever after more than 20 years.
I knew you were a Zeiss fan but I didn't know you were drinking their koolaid! Long live Zeiss and if I see anything with a red dot on it around here Ill dump a 30 round clip into it,,,,,,,,,,, Just kidding of course
I sold off what little Leica stuff I had over the last year and I think I'm now down to one camera strap at the moment.
spysmart
Established
Sorry I wasn't trying to belittle Zeiss, or put Leica on a pedestal:
I bought a ZM50 f/2 because my Leica 50M f/2.8 ( current model ) flares really badly. To counter: the ZM50 does not feel as good as Leica, it has a bit of backlash in the focussing.
Also just bought a VC 35 pancake because my 35 Summilux ASPH is too often just too large ( and is also a bit reflection prone ).
The Zeiss 15mm, and 85mm seem to be cases of 'we can do better than anyone else : if we so choose' - which can sometimes be just what's required.
As I had a 90 f/2 M for a while, I know it's a bit large for wandering around with.
So if Zeiss had first put effort into a practical compact 90 f/2.8, it would have been much more useful to me than the ever delayed showcase 85 f/2 with IF.
I bought a ZM50 f/2 because my Leica 50M f/2.8 ( current model ) flares really badly. To counter: the ZM50 does not feel as good as Leica, it has a bit of backlash in the focussing.
Also just bought a VC 35 pancake because my 35 Summilux ASPH is too often just too large ( and is also a bit reflection prone ).
The Zeiss 15mm, and 85mm seem to be cases of 'we can do better than anyone else : if we so choose' - which can sometimes be just what's required.
As I had a 90 f/2 M for a while, I know it's a bit large for wandering around with.
So if Zeiss had first put effort into a practical compact 90 f/2.8, it would have been much more useful to me than the ever delayed showcase 85 f/2 with IF.
ferider
Veteran
Bryan Lee said:
There is a Hexanon 60/1.2, I believe in LTM.
While I am waiting to buy an affortable modern Zeiss ZM 85/2, I am happily using my Nikkor 85/2 and 105/2.5 on my M3.
Life is too short to be loyal to one brand. For > US 2000, I would think twice if I shouldn't get a black LTM mount Nikkor 85/1.5
instead.
Roland.
S
Socke
Guest
spysmart said:
Yes, most probably.
S
Socke
Guest
shutterflower said:
Or a ZI, saves another 1000
Mazurka
Well-known
spysmart said:
Which 90 Cron are you talking about? I have the pre-ASPH model which is just a hair longer than the 75 Cron. It's more compact than you might think and actually weighs the same as the current Elmarit-M. I bought it after runnning out of f/stops a few times on the thin TE.
What the 15 and 85 ZM have are floating elements for close-range correction, a first for any RF lens (and is clearly what the C-Sonnar needs.
) The mechanism interacting with the RF cam is complicated enough that Zeiss decided to do it themselves, rather than entrusting the process to Cosina. And don't forget that the Zeiss Ikon camera itself was also delayed because of a re-design of the RF which focuses less closely than originally announced.OTOH, if Zeiss just re-mounted the G Sonnar, I'm sure there'd be even more jeering, especially from those who already own the G or C/Y version (which were basically the same lens.) Many others would also scoff and insist that the 90 Hexanon, the Apo-Lanthar, the Tele-Elmarits or even the Elmar-C as "more cost-effective", and thus better, solutions.
G Sonnar and 90 Hexanon-M:
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Mazurka
Well-known
Bryan Lee said:
My 90 Cron focuses perfectly at f/2 and 1 m on my 0.85 M6TTL, thank you very much.
Bryan Lee
Expat Street Photographer
Mazurka said:My 90 Cron focuses perfectly at f/2 and 1 m on my 0.85 M6TTL, thank you very much.
No criticism intended for anybody else. For me I started with SLRs so when I go long I'm more comfortable using one. In the end everybody has to sort out what works for them and go for it. This is interesting to type about anyway and I am looking hard at the ZF long lenses.