Carl Zeiss Opton Sonnar 85mm f/2

Carl Zeiss Opton Sonnar 85mm f/2

For most of the Contax rangefinder system's life the 85mm f/2 Sonnar stood as one of its most coveted lenses, a large and imposing short telephoto that was both expensive and unusually popular [1]. The "Zeiss-Opton" marking identifies the postwar West German production released by Zeiss Ikon in 1950, after the company had been split between East and West Germany. By this point the optic carried the famous Sonnar name first applied by Zeiss to Ludwig Bertele's fast lens designs of around 1929, a family celebrated for combining a bright aperture with comparatively few air-to-glass surfaces [2].

The lens follows a seven-element, three-group Sonnar arrangement, a reformulation of the original six-element prewar design [1]. It was built in an aluminium barrel, was T coated to improve transmission and reduce flare, and used a double-diaphragm aperture, and it carries a 49mm front filter thread, focuses to roughly a metre, and mounts on the Contax rangefinder. Compared with the very similar 1946 Carl Zeiss Jena postwar lens, the Zeiss-Opton barrel can be distinguished near the mount, where the Jena lens has a groove between the barrel body and the mount that the Opton version lacks [1].

The Zeiss-Opton lenses were produced in relatively small numbers, recorded across several serial-number batches, before a final variant marked simply "Carl Zeiss" appeared with the barrel section in front of the aperture ring made as a single piece rather than two; that last version remained T coated but no longer carried the "T" marking, and was made in still smaller quantity [1]. Because the postwar Contax 85mm Sonnars exist in Jena, Zeiss-Opton, and Carl Zeiss forms that look broadly alike, the engraving and the barrel detail near the mount are the practical points of identification for collectors [1].

Optical qualities

Rendering Detailed independent test data for this specific postwar version is limited, so claims should be kept conservative. The 85mm f/2 was regarded within the Contax system as a high-performing optic that outclassed the contemporary Leitz 73mm f/1.9 Hektor, and contemporaries valued it for the reach and drawing of a fast short telephoto [1]. As a coated Sonnar-type design it benefits from the T coating's improved contrast and flare control relative to uncoated prewar examples [1].

History

Development and Launch The Sonnar lineage traces to Ludwig Bertele, who developed fast lenses for Ernemann and then continued the work after that firm was absorbed by Zeiss Ikon, with the first f/2.0 Sonnar patented in 1929 [2]. The 85mm f/2 entered the Contax line in 1933 and was, from the outset, treated as one of the system's crown jewels [1]. After the Second World War, Carl Zeiss Jena resumed production in 1946 with cosmetic barrel changes but the prewar optical design, in an alloy barrel and T coated, and in 1950 Zeiss Ikon released its own revised seven-element, three-group version marked Zeiss-Opton [1].

Production Evolution The prewar lens went through numerous changes, including a shift from black-and-nickel to heavy chrome finish and the addition of a 49mm filter thread around 1936, plus a change in minimum aperture and the removal of milled rings in later batches [1]. The postwar story splits between Jena and Zeiss Ikon: the 1946 Jena lenses kept the prewar formula, while the 1950 Zeiss-Opton lenses adopted the seven-element layout, aluminium barrel, T coating, and double diaphragm; the closely related final "Carl Zeiss" version simplified the barrel construction in front of the aperture ring [1].

Special editions No major factory special editions of the postwar Zeiss-Opton version are widely documented. The more unusual factory variants belong to the prewar and wartime period, when Zeiss experimented with lighter aluminium barrels and produced specialised bodies, including fixed-focus lenses for the Luftwaffe and barrels shaped for use with gloves [1].

Collector Notes The Jena, Zeiss-Opton, and later Carl Zeiss postwar 85mm Sonnars are easy to confuse because they share a similar appearance, so buyers should check the engraving and the area near the mount, where the Jena lens shows a groove between barrel and mount that the Opton lacks [1]. The final "Carl Zeiss" lenses are T coated despite lacking the "T" engraving, which can mislead buyers judging coating by the marking alone [1]. Original Contax-mount examples are also encountered converted to Leica M mount by specialist workshops, a route taken because of the lens's reputation and the desire to use it on modern rangefinder bodies, so originality and mount type are worth verifying before purchase [3].

Sources

• [1] Pacific Rim Camera. 85/2 Zeiss Sonnar for Contax. https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/zicontax85f2.htm
• [2] Wikipedia. Zeiss Sonnar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeiss_Sonnar
• [3] Skyllaney Opto-Mechanics. Carl Zeiss Jena 8.5cm f/2 Sonnar T – Converted to Leica M – Gloss Black Patina. https://skyllaney.com/product/carl-zeiss-jena-8-5cm-f-2-sonnar-t-converted-to-leica-m-gloss-black-patina/