ZEISS PLANAR ZM T* 50mm F2

Zeiss advances to M mount

COSINA / Carl Zeiss M-mount standard lens, Planar ZM 50mm review and photo examples

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Review

Overview
Usability
Add info

1．Overview

The Planar 50mm F2 ZM is a standard lens manufactured by Cosina and released on January 15, 2005 under the Carl Zeiss brand.

Its main specifications are a Gaussian configuration of 6 elements in 4 groups, 8 aperture blades, and a minimum shooting distance of 0.7m.

A dedicated bayonet hood, the Lens Shade 35/50mm, is available for 7,500 yen (excluding tax) JAN 4530076 855359, which is the same as the BIOGON 35mm F2, released at the same time.

2．Usage

This is a monumental lens that officially launched the ZEISS brand into the Leica M mount. In the past, there was the L39 screw mount, and manufacturing was contracted to Cosina, but I was a little surprised that a lens officially licensed by ZEISS for use as a brand was released in the M mount.

At the time of its release, it was the latest 50mm lens, and compared to the Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.5, it is half a stop slower in brightness, but I was surprised at the sharp depiction of the photos taken with reversal film. I think reversal film seen through a light box has a real appeal.

I have used many M-mount 50mm prime lenses, starting with non-Leica, but this lens is close to the best of them in terms of cost performance, and it has been useful for a relatively long time among the standard lenses I have owned.

The lens structure is a standard double Gauss type, and there is nothing particularly noteworthy about it. It seems that the performance has improved due to the evolution of the coating and improved manufacturing precision. The size is about the same as a very common 50mm, so there are no problems with portability.

3．Add Info.

This can’t be helped due to the sensor size, but when using a lens with a focal length of 50mm on the EPSON R-D1, it becomes equivalent to 75mm and feels narrow. The LEICA M8.2 is 1.3x and 65mm, so the narrowness is alleviated and it is easier to use.

The difference becomes clear when you line up the lens configuration diagrams of the Planar 50mm ZM and the C Sonnar 50mm ZM. The Sonnar has a recessed rear lens, which allows the lens barrel to be compact, and you can see that the lens configuration is suitable for rangefinders.

PLANAR 50 ZM 図はCarlZeiss lens datasheetsから引用

C SONNAR 50 ZM 図はCarlZeiss lens datasheetsから引用

Specification

Items	Planar	C Sonnar
Focal length(mm)	50	50
Max aperture	2	1.5
Min aperture	22	16
Lens Construction	4群6枚	←
Min distance(m)	0.7	0.9
Lens length(mm)	43.5	38.2
Max diameter(mm)	52	55.6
Filter Size(mm)	43	46
Weight(g)	210	250
Release date	2005.1.15	2006.8.4
Price(Yen/No-tax)	￥75,000	¥105,000