ZEISS BIOGON ZM T* 28mm F2.8
Go Beyond the CONTAX G
A review and Photo example of the Cosina/Zeiss M-mount wide-angle lens, Biogon ZM 28mm / F2.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The photo examples were taken with LEICA M8.
Review
1．Overview
The Biogon 28mm F2.8 ZM is a Carl Zeiss brand lens manufactured by Cosina. This 28mm ZM lens was announced at the same time as the ZM 50mm, 35mm, 25mm, and 21mm in the same series, but was released a little later than them.
The lens construction is symmetrical, and while the Contax G Biogon 28mm has three elements in the front group and four in the rear group, with one more lens in the rear group, this lens has four elements in the front group and four in the rear group, making it a completely symmetrical design.
The aperture ring is located at the front of the lens, and from F2.8 to F22, it is divided into 1/3 sections, which is common to the Zeiss ZM series.
The back focus is also designed to be as short as possible, and thanks to this, the lens length from the mount surface is compact at 37mm. Compared to the Biogon 35mm ZM and Biogon 25mm ZM in the same series, the design is preferable as it does not look stretched when attached to a Leica M-type camera.
The cylindrical Carl Zeiss Lens Shade 25mm/28mm is available as a lens hood. Since the bayonet shape on the front of the lens is the same, the square Carl Zeiss Lens Shade 21mm/25mm can also be attached. However, since this lens has a longer focal length, there is no need to worry about vignetting, but the light blocking effect is reduced. However, from a styling perspective, it may be worth considering attaching a square hood.
2．Usability
The Biogon 28mm F2.8 ZM has no distortion or vignetting, as far as the sample images taken with the Leica M8, which has an APS-H size sensor with cropped edges, are concerned.
I can’t speak to the actual results because I didn’t take the photos with a 35mm full-frame sensor camera, but looking at the sample images on the web from a 35mm full-frame sensor camera, I can’t see any distortion or vignetting.
The high resolution of the images captured with the M8 is a characteristic of ZM lenses, and the minimum shooting distance of 0.5m is also less of a dissatisfaction when used with a mirrorless camera. If you use a mount adapter with an auxiliary helicoid, you can get even closer.
The focus ring of the lens I was using had just the right amount of torque, and the mountain-shaped focus knob common to ZM lenses was easy to grip, so I was able to focus comfortably.
I bought this at the transition between film and digital cameras, but I regret not using it with film.
This lens has the same lens format and the same maximum aperture as the Contax G Biogon 28mm, an old lens that had earned a certain level of acclaim, and its specifications make it a head-to-head competition, so it is likely that Cosina had thoroughly refined the design before selling it.
3．Add Info.
The Contax G Biogon 28mm has a rear lens that is closer to the film and sensor than this lens, so depending on the camera sensor, it can cause color casts on the periphery of the captured image, making it difficult to use. However, this lens was designed for the digital age, so there doesn’t seem to be any problem in that regard.
Figure taken from ZEISS History product
Figure taken from ZEISS History product
Specification
| Items | ZM BIOGON | G BIOGON | ELMARIT-5th |
| Focal length(mm) | 28 | ← | ← |
| Max aperture | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| Min aperture | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Lens Construction | 8elements in 6groups | 7elements in 5groups | 8elements in 6groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.5 | 0.44 | 0.7 |
| Lens length(mm) | 37 | 31 | 30.7 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 55 | 56 | 52 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 46 | 46 | 39 |
| Hood | 25/28 common bayonet type | 46mm screw-in type | Screw-in type (Old type is hook type) |
| Weight(g) | 220 | 150 | 175 |
| Release date | 2005.4 | 1994 | 2016 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ￥95,000 | ¥57,000 | ¥355,000 |
Reference links
Update
- 2024.06.24
- 2024.04.20
- 2024.01.16
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