ZEISS BIOGON ZM T* 25mm F2.5
Cosina / Zeiss M-mount wide-angle lens, Biogon ZM 25mm review and photo examples
Table of contents
Gallery
- Film photo examples are Zeiss Ikon and KODAK E100VS, film scanned with COOLSCAN V (LS-50)
- Digital photo examples are taken with LEICA M8
Review
Biogon 25mm F2.8 ZM is a Carl Zeiss branded lens manufactured by Cosina.
I feel that the image is flat all the way to the edges, which is common to ZM lenses, but it doesn’t seem to have any special characteristics. He’s a humble honor student.
In order to prevent color cast in the digital age, the lens barrel is thin but long, similar to the Biogon ZM 35mm, in order to achieve a focal length of 25mm without bringing the rear element close to the film surface while adopting a symmetrical lens configuration. It has become a style.
Looking at the size, you can clearly see that it is a long and narrow lens, as the length of the Elmarito M 46mm ASPH. is exactly the same as the lens barrel diameter of the Elmar M 46mm ASPH.
This 25mm focal length, which is located between 21mm and 28mm, has been swallowed up by wide-angle zoom and standard zoom lenses in modern times, and has little presence as a single focal length lens. If you’re using the zoom, you won’t be as motivated to shoot with 25mm as you’ll probably use it by chance to cut out unnecessary things.
I actually used this lens for about a year, but there were very few situations where I needed it, and it was only used at 21mm for wide shots, and 28mm for snapshots.
Zeiss’s 25mm focal length is interesting because Leica, which has a large lineup of prime lenses, uses 24mm, and Zeiss’s focal length is slightly different. Although there is a 1mm difference, the feeling of shooting with both is almost the same. However, I think this 1mm difference in the notation is a strange excuse for lens gourmets to buy a different lens.
Japan’s Sigma and Sony also use 24mm, and Zeiss’s 25mm is a maverick.
The Biogon 25mm is cheaper and can be used up to 0.5m, making it more versatile than the Elmarit 24mm. I think it’s a good introductory lens with a focal length that fills the gap between 21mm and 28mm.
Also, it goes well with the LEICA M8’s equivalent focal length of 1.3x, and although it’s a delicate number of around 33mm, it gives you the feeling that you’re using a wider-angle lens than 28mm.
Specification
| Items | ELMAR | ELMARIT | BIOGON |
| Focal length(mm) | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| Max aperture | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| Min aperture | 16 | ← | ← |
| Lens Construction | 8 elements in 6groups | 9elements in 7groups | 9elements in 7groups |
| Leaf blade | 8枚 | ← | 10 |
| Min distance(m) | 0.7 | ← | 0.5 |
| Lens length(mm) | 40.6 | 46 | 46.6 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 53 | 58 | 53 |
| Filter Size(mm) | E46 | E55 | E46 |
| Lens hood | 12465 (Same as 21mm) | 12592(Same as 21mm /hood) 14041(Same as 21mm /Hood front cover) | Lens Shade 21/25mm Lens Shade 25/28mm |
| Release date | 2008 | 1996 | 2005 |
| Production number | – | About 7,000- | – |
| Weight(g) | 260 | 388(Silver) 290(Black) | 260 |
| List Price(Yen/No-tax) | ¥320,000- | – | ¥110,000- |
Reference links
Update
- 2024.04.20
- 2024.01.28
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