A modern interpretation of Biogon: BIOGON 35ZM
Cosina/Zeiss M-mount wide-angle lens, Biogon ZM 35mm / F2 review and photo examples
Table of contents
Gallery
- For this example, a Rollei 35RF camera was used and Fujifilm SensiaIII 100 (reversal film) and KODAK Kodachrme 64 (KR64) film were used.
Review
1．Overview
The Biogon 35mm F2 ZM is a Carl Zeiss-branded lens manufactured by Cosina that was released in 2005.
The main specifications are as follows, and detailed specifications are listed in the table.
- Lens construction: 9 elements in 6 groups
- Aperture blades: 10
- Aperture click stops: Every 1/3
- Minimum focusing distance: 0.7m
- Linked with Leica M-type rangefinder rangefinder over the entire range
- Hood: Bayonet hood sold separately
2．Usage
The lens fully meets the standards required for modern lenses, and thanks to Cosina’s latest design and advanced lens coatings, it produces very good images without any mysterious light or loss of contrast, even in backlight.
The weight balance is good when attached to rangefinder cameras such as the Zeiss Ikon or HEXAR RF, and there are no problems with the operability of the focus ring and aperture ring.
When attached to the Epson R-D1, due to the sensor magnification conversion, it becomes a standard lens with a focal length equivalent to 50mm. Although the depiction tendency is different, it can be used as a substitute for the Planar 50mm in terms of focal length.
3．Add Info.
The ZM lens series has a total of 13 lenses, with the first being the standard Planar 50mm, followed two months later by the Biogon 35mm.
The CONTAX G 35mm F2, released by Kyocera Contax in 1996 under the same Carl Zeiss brand, was released under the Planar name, and the lens is very compact due to the difference in lens structure.
This ZM Biogon 35mm has a symmetrical lens structure, but due to the design with a long back focus, it is slender and long for a 35mm lens for rangefinders, and it is a little disappointing that it gives the impression of being stretched out when attached to a camera for a 35mm lens.
The wide-angle Biogon 21mm and 25mm lenses in the same ZM lens series also have a slender style, but considering the focal length, it can’t be helped, but the Biogon ZM 28mm released later has a compact lens barrel while keeping in mind the symmetrical shape of the lens structure, so I wish the Biogon ZM 35mm had been designed with a little more effort.
Perhaps not as a result of reflection, the 21mm and 35mm lens barrels of the later released ZM C series were compact and had a style that suited rangefinder cameras.
- The lens construction diagrams are quoted from each company’s PDF, and the sizes have been adjusted by us, so they are not exact.
Specification and Competition Lenes
| Lens name | BIOGON | C BIOGON | PLANER |
| Focal length(mm) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Max aperture | 2 | 2.8 | 2 |
| Min aperture | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Lens Construction | 9elements 6groups | 7elements 5groups | 7elements 5groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.44 |
| Lens length(mm) | 43.3 | 27.8*1 | 29 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 52 | 52 | 56 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 43 | 43 | 46 |
| Weight(g) | 230 | 200 | 160 |
| Release date | 2005.3 | 2008.5 | 1996 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ￥95,000 | ¥78,000 | ¥47,000 |
ZM Lens list
- Distagon T✻ 15mm ƒ/2.8 (Made in Germany)
- Distagon T✻ 18mm ƒ/4
- Biogon T✻ 21mm ƒ/2.8
- C Biogon T✻ 21mm ƒ/4.5
- Biogon T✻ 25mm ƒ/2.8
- Biogon T✻ 28mm ƒ/2.8
- Distagon T✻ 35mm ƒ/1.4
- Biogon T✻ 35mm ƒ/2
- C Biogon T✻ 35mm ƒ/2.8
- C Sonnar T✻ 50mm ƒ/1.5
- Planar T✻ 50mm ƒ/2
- Tele-Tessar T✻ 85mm ƒ/4
- Sonnar T✻ 85mm ƒ/2 (Made in Germany)
Reference links
- Zeiss.com lens datasheets biogon 35mm
- Zeiss.com lens datasheets C biogon 35mm
- Zeiss.com lens datasheets Planar 35mm
Update
- 2025.3.20
- 2024.04.20:Update the article
- 2024.01.10:First draft
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