VARIO SONNAR 45-90 for CONTAX 645

A review and Photo example of the VARIO SONNAR 45-90mm(Kyocera/CONTAX) with a Leica S digital camera.

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Gallery

Sample photo taken with the LEICA S Typ007.

1．Overview

The Vario-Sonnar 45-90mm F4.5 (hereinafter referred to as VE45-90)1 is a zoom lens for medium-format cameras with a zoom range of 45mm to 90mm and maximum aperture of F4.5.
When used with the LEICA S typ007, it covers the standard range of 36mm to 72mm by multiplying the sensor size by 0.8.

Lenses with a constant F-number follow the image of high-end zoom lenses from the era of manual cameras, but when used in the current P mode with the advancement of electronic cameras, the change in F-number of a zoom lens is not a big problem. Rather, it is better to have a variable F-number to increase the brightness on the wide-angle side.
However, since this lens has a double zoom range, even if the F-number is variable, the lens size means that the F-number at the wide-angle side of 45mm is only about F3.5 to 4, so a constant F4.5 aperture would be more realistic.

The lens is not an internal zoom, and the overall length changes slightly when zooming. The length changes irregularly when zooming, extending about 5mm at the 45mm position, the shortest at the 55mm position, and the longest at the 90mm position, extending about 9mm forward.

The zoom ring is located at the front and the focus ring is located at the tip of the lens.

When used with the LEICA S typ007 + 16038 [Leica S adapter C], the focal length is recorded in the EXIF of the image file, so you can check the focal length at which the photo was taken after shooting, making it as easy to use as a modern zoom lens. With this combination, the aperture ring on the lens does not function, and the aperture value must be set on the camera.

2．Usage

The VE45-90 is a zoom lens for 645 format cameras that was released in 2002, three years before the end of the CONTAX 645 camera. It is one of my favorite lenses because of its visual match with the LEICA S Typ0072.

The lens’s depiction is as expected, and when I checked the images developed from DNG, the F-number was dark, but the sharpness was comparable to that of a prime lens.

With a focal length of 45mm, distortion was hardly noticeable at infinity, but at a shooting distance of about 1m, which is common to all lenses, barrel distortion was observed when shooting a brick-like grid.

The distortion is straightforward, so it should be easy to correct with image processing software. As it is a minor lens, the lens name does not appear in the lens correction candidate list of Affinity Photo 2, which I usually use.

Since it is an AF lens, the focus is left to the camera except for close-up shooting, which will be described later, so you can concentrate on framing. However, like other CONTAX 645 lenses, the autofocus (AF) focusing speed is not very fast. The biggest drawback is the action of determining the focus when it returns beyond the AF focal point.
It would be nice if it stopped exactly at the first AF focal point, but it usually goes back and forth once and stops at the in-focus position.
There is no problem with the focusing accuracy at the AF stop position.

When shooting using the Auto Extension tube 13mm for close-up photography, AF can be used but the focusing accuracy is poor and there were several times when the shutter could not be released, so I used MF mode.
In my experience when shooting close-up, the AF of the LEICA S typ007 depends on how you align the subject and AF frame, but I often use MF because the focusing accuracy drops when shooting close-up.
Also, although it may be a problem specific to the lens I own, the AF drive sound of the lens can be a little harsh with a high-pitched sound.

This is because it is used via a mount adapter, but there is a one-beat lag between turning on the power and actually being able to shoot, and it takes a while for the camera and lens to establish communication when waking up from sleep, which is the same as other 645 lenses. I have seen posts on the web saying that the combination of Leica S and CONTAX 645 lens causes the camera to freeze when waking up from sleep, but I have never had the camera freeze when waking up from sleep because I turn off the main switch of the camera after using it and do not use the sleep function.

I had passed on purchasing this lens because I already had the HCD35-90, but since the DISTAGON 55mm and Planar 80mm seem to be difficult to obtain at a price, I purchased it in the hope that the ZEISS lens would cover that range. It overlaps with the DISTAGON 45mm that I own, but I was going to overlook that, but because of the versatility of this lens, I decided that I did not need the DISTAGON 45mm and sold it. However, after that, I found the DISTAGON 55mm at a cheap price at a sour shop in Ginza and bought it, so my lens ownership policy is unstable.

The dedicated hood for this lens, GB-1043, is scarce on the used market and expensive. I got a new dead stock GB-104 on June 2, 2023. It’s a shame to use it as it’s in perfect condition, but I’ll try it out outdoors at some point.
The GB-101 for the DISTAGON 35mm has a hood diameter of φ100 and the bayonet claw position is the same as the GB-104, so it can be used in the same way. The hood length of the GB-101 is not long enough for the focal length, but it’s better than nothing, so I use it outdoors during the day.

Like the DISTAGON 55mm, it is said that there are only a few made, but it seems that there are always a few on the secondhand market, so if you search carefully at a secondhand store, you should be able to find this lens.

3．Add info.

There are zoom lenses for medium format cameras such as the HASSELBLAD HCD35-90 and the LEICA VARIO ELMAR 30-90, but the Vario-Sonnar has the narrowest focal length range.

The HASSELBLAD HCD35-90 is large and heavy, while the LEICA VARIO ELMAR has a wider focal length range of 30-90mm, the lens size is the same as the Vario-Sonnar, and the maximum aperture is bright at F3.5, making the Leica Vario-Elmar the best spec out of the three lenses. This is probably due to the new lens design and the fact that it is optimized for the digital medium format sensor 45*30mm. However, there are a lot of things written about it on the Akamaru Forum, where enthusiasts gather, and I was a little taken aback by the people who had high expectations for the zoom lens.

Leica may have believed the words of the company itself, “Apart from the slightly darker maximum aperture, it can be used effectively and is difficult to compare with a prime lens.”4 and went head-to-head with a prime lens. As zoom lens technology advances, the image quality of prime lenses should improve as well, so it’s only natural that a prime lens will have better image quality if they are designed the same year.

Zoom lenses have always sacrificed image quality in exchange for convenience.

The reason why the focal length range of this Vario-Sonnar was 45-90mm and not 35-90mm is because the wide-angle end would have been 35mm, which would have made the lens larger, and because if a zoom lens covered 35mm at the wide-angle end, the Distagon 35mm would have no place in the product lineup, so I speculate that this lens specification was chosen. However, this is a wild guess and it could simply be a technical or price issue.

HCD35-90mm lens configuration diagram (taken from the official Hasselblad page)

VARIO SONNAR 45-90mm lens construction diagram (taken from the official ZEISS page)

Specification and Competitor

Lens name	CONTAX VARO-SONNAR45-90	HASSELBLAD HCD35-90	LEICA VARIO ELMAR 30-90
Local length(mm)	45.9〜87.5	36.3〜87	30〜90
Max aperture	4.5	4.5(5.6)	3.5(5.6)
Min aperture	32	32	32
Lens Construction	12elements in 10group	13elements in 11group	14elements in 11group
Min distance(m)	0.5	0.65	0.65
Lens length(mm)	115	167	113.5
Lens Max diameter(mm)	102	102.5	101
Filter Size(mm)	95	95	95
Weight(g)	1140	1410	1030
Release date	Y 2002	Y 2016(Orange dot)	Y2012
Price(Japan-Yen)	¥379,000 Y2023 Uesd ¥150,000〜	¥1,024,000 Y2023 Used ¥300,000〜	¥1,220,000 Y2023 Used ¥500,000〜