ZEISS BIOGON ZM T* 35mm

Koshina/Zeiss M-mount wide-angle lens, Biogon ZM 35mm / F2 review and photo examples

Gallery

For this example, a Rollei 35RF camera was used and Fujifilm SensiaIII 100 (reversal film) and KODAK Kodachrme 64 (KR64) film were used.

Review

Planar 50mm F2 ZM is a Carl Zeiss branded lens manufactured by Cosina.
At the time of its release, it was the latest 50mm lens, and although it was half a step less bright than Cosina Voigtlander’s Nocton 50mm F1.5, I was surprised by the sharpness of the images taken with reversal film. I think reversal film viewed through a light box is really interesting.

I’ve used many non-Leica M mount 50mm single focal length lenses, but this lens is close to the best in terms of cost performance, and has been useful for a relatively long period of time among the standard lenses I’ve owned.

The lens construction is a standard double Gauss type, and there is nothing special about it. It seems that performance has improved due to advances in coating and improved manufacturing precision. The size is about the same as a very common 50mm, so there are no problems at all, including portability.
This can’t be helped due to the sensor size, but if you use a 50mm focal length lens on the EPSON R-D1, it will be equivalent to 75mm, making it feel narrower. LEICA M8.2 is 1.3x and 65mm, making it less narrow and easier to use.

If you compare the lens configuration diagrams of Planar 50mm ZM and C Sonnar 50mm ZM side by side, you can clearly see the difference. The Sonnar has a recessed rear element, which allows the lens barrel to be made compact, making it suitable for rangefinders.

BIOGON 35ZM
Figure taken from ZEISS History product

PLANAR G 35
Figure taken from ZEISS History product

Specification

Lens name	BIOGON	C BIOGON	PLANER
Focal length(mm)	35	35	35
Max aperture	2	2.8	2
Min aperture	22	22	22
Lens Construction	9elements 6groups	7elements 5groups	7elements 5groups
Min distance(m)	0.7	0.7	0.44
Lens length(mm)	43.3	27.8*1	29
Max diameter(mm)	52	52	56
Filter Size(mm)	43	43	46
Weight(g)	230	200	160
Release date	2005.3	2008.5	1996
Price(Yen/No-tax)	￥95,000	¥78,000	¥47,000