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

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.
The lens bears the name Sonnar, but as you can see from the lens configuration diagram below, there is no trace of the 50mm Sonnar, which has three elements bonded together in the rear group, and the lens borrows the brand name.

Lenses with a focal length of 140mm are rare in the 35mm version, so I was curious about it every time I saw one at a second-hand store, but since it was a Contax 645 mount, I had no interest in it for a long time.
I got the S adapter C for the LEICA S, and since the Sonnar 140mm was a cheaply available Contax 645 lens, I got it and used it.
When used with the Leica S, the focal length is 112mm in 35mm equivalent, which provides a moderate compression feeling and provides a clear image with good front and rear bokeh.
When used with a Contax 645 film camera, the magnification is 0.6x when converted to a 35mm version, making it an 84mm equivalent portrait lens.
As long as I use the LEICA S, the autofocus (AF) speed is slow, and if the contrast of the subject is low, it may not focus, and this seems to be due to the poor autofocus performance of the LEICA S. Therefore, I’m reluctant to blame the lens alone.
AF isn’t the best, but the lens barrel has a wide focus ring, which makes manual focusing easy, but I think a camera with an EVF would be 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 rounded bokeh is beautiful when wide open, but when stopped down, the edges of the blades appear in the bokeh, which can be distracting.

The biggest problem with this lens is that the minimum focusing distance is 1.3m, which is almost the same as 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 since the focal length is 196mm and the maximum aperture is F4, which is the same spec as SONNAR 210mm, I don’t feel like using this method actively.
When using an Auto Extension tube, 13mm = 0.9m / 26mm = 0.8m / 52mm = 0.7m, and although it is a hassle to attach the tube, the close performance is only slightly improved.

The Sonnar 140mm has similar specs to Hasselblad’s HC150mm, so I compared it.

The Sonnar 140mm has similar specs to Hasselblad’s HC150mm, so I compared it.
I don’t think the difference in focal length of 10mm during shooting is that big, although it depends on the photographer’s thoughts.
The lens construction of the Sonnar is simple with 7 elements in 5 groups, while the HC150mm has a luxurious lens construction of 9 elements in 8 groups.
The weight of the Sonnar is 688g and the HC150 is 970g, which is about 30% heavier than the HC150. This is likely due to the Hasselblad HC lens’ built-in shutter mechanism and 10mm longer focal length. As you can see in the third comparison photo, the CONTAX 645 Sonnar 140mm is one size smaller.

It is one of the less popular lenses on the used market, and if it is in average condition, you can get it for less than 50,000 yen. The one I had was worn out and didn’t have the white dots on the lens index. I ended up selling it because I found no use for it.

Specification

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〜