New. C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM

[Huck Finn]

lens shades are 7500 yen, which is the same price as the other shades, which sell for $85 at Popflash.

I see the same price as you for the lens. Tony doesn't carry the 25 right now, so looking at B&H for a comparable price, using the 25 for comparison, it's $1152. Same lens is selling for $1100 from Robert White, but you'll probably pay the difference in shipping to the USA.

My guess is that there will still be grey market available somewhere in September when it hits the market, but you may have to go to someone like Dr. Yao in Hong Kong if Tony doesn't have it. I'm guessing that the grey market price will be somewhere around $950.

 

[Sparrow]

The FT says 105000 yen is £494.74 or $909.17.

 

[leafy]

The Japanese MRSP is 105,000, the same as Biogon 25/2,8 (which makes it quite expensive for a 50/1.5 lens)

 

[ghost]

The FT says 105000 yen is £494.74 or $909.17.

i called it!

 

[Tony Rose]

New. C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM

Just to let everybody know we have the 25mm in stock along with the 25/28 finders.

We will be taking order/deposits on the 50mm 1.5 ZM lens in August or sooner. We are also figuring on the lens to be priced between the 21mm and the 25mm ZM.

TR

 

[SDK]

The Japanese MRSP is 105,000, the same as Biogon 25/2,8 (which makes it quite expensive for a 50/1.5 lens)

Not compared to recently bought, minty 50mm Summiluxes on eBay. Newer Summiluxes mostly seem well over US $1000. It looks like the C Sonnar will be a considerably better performer too. It is a fast, reasonably well corrected lens, so I'm not surprised it's the same in expense to the 25mm.

I'm glad I don't care for 50mms too much! I hope they make an economical 85mm/2.8 Sonnar for those who don't want to spend US $2.7K on the 85mm/2 Sonnar ZM.

 

[Beniliam]

I always love compact lens. I love my Elmar, -but its not fast- I never like carry heavy lens and was one of the reasons for why I sold my 50 mm Nokton. The Nokton ´only focus´ 0.9 meters too and the Elmar can focus 0.7 I have many doubts about if can be better lens than the Planar... Its different lens, different conception lens. I think that we can not talk about which is best, we must talk about character. The impressionist are better than the hyperrealist? I like more the impressionist, but I cant say than one is better than others... I like the Sonnar for the reason that explain later.

During the time that I had the Nokton, I really enjoy with the lens. Have a bit harsh bokeh but the favorable points were more than the negative...

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

I always love compact lens. I like the Sonnar for the reason that explain later.

David,

If you are interested in ...

1) compact;
2) personality in signature;
3) low-light ability;
4) and incredible build quality

... no reason to get a new lens for ($800-$1000) ... get the Canon 50/1.5 LTM . I have two of these (got the 2nd one as part of a large trade), and they are stellar lenses to use.

It always amazes me that these lenses render as beautiful an image as my favored 50/cron (tabbed). Different, but equally beautiful.

I agree, it is about a lens' impressionist signature, not its sharpness that gives it personality 😉

 

[Beniliam]

You are right Tom.

Rover have too this lens.

I love this lens, called too Serenar.

I see in Dante Stella website some images and words about it. Its a great, great lens. Based on the old Sonnar formula too.

http://www.dantestella.com/technical/canoleic.html

Thanks for refresh my memory. 😉

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

Glad you like the Canon 50/1.5 too ! 🙂

Dante's website and images were what lead me to try the lens in the first place. It had a lot more punch and creaminess to its signature than the 50/1.4 Nikkor LTM.

Would love to see some of your shots with your canon 50/1.5 lens.

Of course, you could probably make ANY lens look pretty good. Your 'Street Stories' series is simply terrific ... fantastic mood and compositions !

 

[Harry Lime]

Not compared to recently bought, minty 50mm Summiluxes on eBay. Newer Summiluxes mostly seem well over US $1000. It looks like the C Sonnar will be a considerably better performer too.

And you are basing this statement on what?

A little history:

The 1.5/50 Sonnar was the best 50 money could buy from the mid 1930's until about 1950 when Nikon introduced a variation on the design, the Nikkor 1.5/50, which performed as good or better at a lower price.

A flurry of fast 50's followed and a few years later Nikon introduced the Nikkor-S.C 1.4/50 which remained the lens to beat until 1962 and the introduction of the Summilux.

After that it was pretty much a three way race for the next 2-3 decades between the Planar 1.4/50 (contax) Canon 1.4/50 (FD and Eos) and 1.4/50 Summilux (M), with the Nikon 1.4 (F-mount) thrown in for good measure.

There wasn't a lot of movement until recently with the introduction on the second generation 1.4/50 Summilux-R and 1.5/50 Nokton (LTM).

Then last year we saw the introduction of the new Lux ASPH (M), which from all accounts appears to be in a class of it's own.

I suspect that the Zeiss ZF will be a very strong performer on par with the new Summilux-R and Canon 1.4/50 (EOS).

So, while the Sonnar is a classic design that produces beautiful results it does show it's age from a techincal standpoint. Until the lens is released and tested any estimation of its performace is pure speculation, based on what we know about the original model.

 

[xabi]

Just to stir things up, a recent shot I took with my old 50 lux. Who said that 50 lux is not a good performer =).

But I would be tempted to get the 50 sonnar if I haven't buy the 50 lux.

 

[SDK]

So, while the Sonnar is a classic design that produces beautiful results it does show it's age from a techincal standpoint. Until the lens is released and tested any estimation of its performace is pure speculation, based on what we know about the original model.

Well we can estimate a lot of performance based on the MTF curves from the C Sonnar and the pre-ASPH Summilux, and older Sonnars which shows the new lens will probably be a bit better (resolution wise) than older Sonnars and the Summilux, but well behind the Summilux ASPH. We can see that both the C Sonnar and the pre-ASPH Summilux have a higher level of uncorrected aberrations than the the Summilux ASPH (or the Summicron and ZM Planar 50mms).

I'm not saying the new C Sonnar lens is going to be perfect (or trash) but it is a comparatively economical, high speed alternative to old Summiluxes. No doubt it will have a different "fingerprint," which may be preferable to some people, and not to others. I should not have said that it would be much better than the old Summilux, but unless the MTF curves are wrong, there will be a bit of an edge to the C Sonnar for resolution and contrast wide open.

 

[Harry Lime]

Well we can estimate a lot of performance based on the MTF curves from the C Sonnar and the pre-ASPH Summilux, and older Sonnars which shows the new lens will probably be a bit better (resolution wise) than older Sonnars and the Summilux, but well behind the Summilux ASPH. We can see that both the C Sonnar and the pre-ASPH Summilux have a higher level of uncorrected aberrations than the the Summilux ASPH (or the Summicron and ZM Planar 50mms).

That may be true, but then again the Summarit and Summar resolve very high levels, well over 100 lines, but as we all know they aren't stellar performers wide open.


Here is an interesting article:

http://www.imx.nl/photosite/technical/lensdesigns/t003.html

What ever the perfomance turns out to be I'm excited to see a re-release of the Sonnar. Wouldn't it be interesting if Zeiss released a single or uncoated version of this lens?

 

[Beniliam]

If Enrich Salomon with one Ermanox (1924) and one Ernostar lens can do excellent photos with inner light, we with ´best´ lens and ´best´ film ... would have make better photos... but its not true.

http://www.cicero.de/331.php


You are right Tom. The Nikkor maybe is sharper at 1.4, but have more confused out focus areas.

 

[Paul T.]

Mmm, love that photo. Do you mind if i...

 

[SDK]

If Enrich Salomon with one Ermanox (1924) and one Ernostar lens can do excellent photos with inner light, we with ´best´ lens and ´best´ film ... would have make better photos... but its not true.

http://www.cicero.de/331.php


You are right Tom. The Nikkor maybe is sharper at 1.4, but have more confused out focus areas.

Wasn't the Ermanox one of the first "fast lens" cameras? I bet it cost a lot at the time it was made. Of course the photographer's eye and brain are the most important tools in photography, followed by the film, then the lens and camera last. Still, it's wonderful to have improved products to work with to make one's photos the best they can be technically.

I recently got a black Jupiter-9 85mm/2 Sonnar copy in Leica thread mount, and am floored by how good it is for a lens made in 1972 with a pre-WWII design. It is really not far behind the ultra-modern Leica Apo-ASPH 75mm and 90mm Summicrons to which I have compared it, and it has very lovely out of focus rendition. Not bad for a lens 1/10th the price of the Summicron telephotos. Now I need to make the most of it!

 

[Huck Finn]

Just to let everybody know we have the 25mm in stock along with the 25/28 finders.

We will be taking order/deposits on the 50mm 1.5 ZM lens in August or sooner. We are also figuring on the lens to be the same price as the 25mm ZM.

TR

Thanks for the correction, Tony. Sorry I missed this on your site.

So, if the Sonnar sells for the same as the 25, then it's $900 grey market at Popflash.

 

[back alley]

i hope it's less. 900 is a touch over the budget for a 50 for me.
maybe if i sell the 50/2...

 

[Huck Finn]

I have the same dilemma, Joe. Unfortunately I don't think it replaces the 50/2, given the closer minimum focus distance of the latter as well as the different fingerprints.