SONNAR 140 for CONTAX645

Review of using the SONNAR 140mm(Kyocera/CONTAX) with a Leica S digital camera.

Gallery

Photo example by LEICA S Typ007

Review

Usage
Lens overview
Comparison with competitors

1．Usage

The Sonnar 140mm F2.8 is a medium telephoto lens with a focal length of 140mm released by Kyocera for the medium format camera Contax 645. When used with the Leica S series, it has a focal length of 112mm in 35mm format, and produces a natural depiction with a moderate sense of compression and good front and rear bokeh. When used with a Contax 645 film camera, it has a magnification of 0.6 times in 35mm format, making it an 84mm equivalent portrait lens.

Lenses with a focal length of 140mm are rare in 35mm format, so I had been interested in them every time I saw them at a second-hand store, but since they were Contax 645 mounts, I had not had the chance to buy one for a long time. I got the 16038 [Leica S Adapter C] for the LEICA S, and since the Sonnar 140mm was a cheap Contax 645 lens, I got it and used it.

When used with a LEICA S, the autofocus (AF) speed is slow, and if the subject has low contrast, it may not focus. This is likely due to the poor autofocus performance of the LEICA S, so I hesitate to blame the lens alone.

The AF is not great, but the lens barrel has a wide focus ring, so manual focusing is easy, but again, a camera with an EVF is probably more satisfying in terms of focusing accuracy. The maximum aperture of F2.8 is on the bright side for a medium format lens, and the round bokeh is beautiful when open, but when stopped down, the edges of the blades appear in the bokeh, which can be annoying.

The biggest problem with this lens is that the minimum shooting distance is 1.3m, almost the same as the SONNAR 210mm (minimum shooting distance 1.4m), so you cannot get close to the subject. You can also use the optional Mutar x1.4 to extend the shooting distance, but the focal length is 196mm and the maximum aperture is F4, which is the exact same as the SONNAR 210mm, so I don’t feel like using it this way either.
When using an auto extension tube, the length is 13mm=0.9m /26mm=0.8m /52mm=0.7m. Although it is a hassle to attach the tube, close-up performance is only slightly improved.

It is one of the less popular lenses on the second-hand market, and if it is in average condition, it can be purchased for less than 50,000 yen. The one I have is worn out and doesn’t even have the white dot for the lens index. As I had little use for it, I sold it.

2．Lens overview

The Sonnar 140mm F2.8 has a lens configuration of 7 elements in 5 groups, and the image circle of the lens is compatible with the 645 format, so it can easily cover the 45x30mm sensor of the Leica S and the 35mm full-frame sensor.

The lens is equipped with an aperture ring, but when used with a Leica S using 16038 [Leica S Adapter C], the aperture ring is ignored and the aperture value is set on the camera.

The hood is the GB-73, which is also used with the APO Macro Planar 120mm.

It looks very similar to the M42 mount Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 135mm F3.5, which gives the impression that this lens is also of Zeiss pedigree.

3．Comparison with competitors

The Sonnar 140mm and the Hasselblad HC150mm have similar specifications, so here is a table comparing them. The difference of 10mm in the telephoto focal length is not that great when it comes to image creation. The Sonnar has a simple lens configuration of 7 elements in 5 groups, while the HC 150mm has a luxurious lens configuration of 9 elements in 8 groups.

The Sonnar weighs 688g, while the HC150 weighs 970g, with the HC150 being about 30% heavier. This is thought to be due to the fact that the Hasselblad HC lens has a built-in shutter mechanism and a focal length that is 10mm longer. As you can see from the comparison photo below, the CONTAX 645 Sonnar 140mm is also a size smaller.

Specification and Competitor

Lens name	CONTAX SONNAR 140	HASSELBLAD HC 150
Local length(mm)	140	150
Max aperture	2.8	3.2
Min aperture	32	45
Lens Construction	7elements in 5group	9elements in 8group
Min distance(m)	1.3	1.3
Lens length(mm)	98	124
Lens Max diameter(mm)	81	86
Filter Size(mm)	72	77
Weight(g)	688	1410
Release date	Y 1999	–
Price(Japan-Yen)	Y2023 Uesd ¥50,000〜	Y2023 Used ¥100,000〜