Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8 (C/Y)

Carl Zeiss · Contax/Yashica · 1975

Also known as: Contax Distagon 25mm f/2.8 · Contax Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm F2.8 · Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8 C/Y · Zeiss Distagon 2,8/25 T* · Distagon 2.8/25 Contax · Contax 25mm F2.8 MMJ · Contax 25mm F2.8 AEG · Distagon T* 25mm F2.8 AEJ · Distagon T* 25mm F2.8 MM · コンタックス ディスタゴン 25mm F2.8 · CONTAX Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm F2.8 MMJ · ディスタゴン T* 25mm F2.8 MM · Contax Yashica Distagon 25mm 2.8

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
AE (West Germany and Japan, 1975–) Contax/Yashica 1975 — —
MM (Japan, –2005) Contax/Yashica — — —
  1. Construction, close focus, dimensions, weight and filter size: 8 elements in 7 groups (7群8枚), 0.25 m, 62.5 × 56 mm, 360 g and 55 mm are given identically by Kyocera's 2002–03 product page for the MM, by Japanese Wikipedia for both AE and MM, by English Wikipedia's Contax lens table and by apotelyt (which rounds to 63 mm). Kyocera and the Zeiss datasheet both give an 80° angle of view; the datasheet (catalogue no. 10 48 37, seen only as a search snippet) adds a 59 mm clip-on filter and a 60.2 mm distance from the last vertex. The number of diaphragm blades is not given by any source consulted and is left empty.
  2. Whether the MM lens is a different optic: apotelyt writes that the Distagon 2.8/25 and 2.8/28 'according to Zeiss were optically improved in the MM-version', and English Wikipedia says early production was soft and Zeiss 're-engineered the lens', with a citation-needed tag. Neither points to a Zeiss document, and the element and group count is unchanged, so the two barrels are recorded as generations of one design rather than two designs. The Fred Miranda thread repeats the same claim from a buyers' guide.
  3. Where the MM was made: the trade listings seen show only Japan-made MM copies (MMJ), and Kyocera's page is a Japanese product page; the single report of a German-made MM is a Kakaku.com user review. The AE was made in both countries.
  4. Price: ¥85,000 with case is the maker's list price on Kyocera's Japanese page as captured in 2002–03, a late price for the MM lens, not a launch price. No 1975 list price in any currency was found. Used, apotelyt gives US$400–700; aucfan's Yahoo! Auctions average was about ¥26,000.
  5. Dates: 1975 is Japanese Wikipedia's date for the AE; no source gives the year the MM barrel of this lens appeared (the MM generation arrived with the 159 MM in 1984–85), and 2005 is the end of Kyocera's Contax camera business, not a date published for this lens. It was in Kyocera's February 2001 Carl Zeiss lineup as an MM lens.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • Front ring reads Carl Zeiss, Distagon 2,8/25 and a red T*, with the serial number; 55 mm filter thread on a 62.5 mm barrel 56 mm long, about the size of the Planar 50mm f/1.4 (Kyocera page; Kakaku.com reviewer)
  • White minimum-aperture figure for the AE, green for the MM; 'Lens made in West Germany' on Oberkochen copies and 'Lens made in Japan' on the rest (apotelyt; eBay listing titles)
  • Aperture ring clicks at 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 and 22, with half positions usable between the clicks (Kyocera page; Kakaku.com reviewer)
  • Not the Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/25 ZF, ZK or ZE of 2006 onward, which sit in Nikon F, Pentax K or Canon EF mounts: the Contax lens has the Contax/Yashica bayonet with its aperture-simulator lever and no electrical contacts. Rollei's Distagon 25mm f/2.8 HFT for the QBM mount is a different lens for a different camera
  • Takes the No. 1 metal hood on a 55/86 adapter ring or the 55 mm G-12 soft hood (neither with a filter fitted), the K-51 snap cap, and the Mutar T* I converter but not the Mutar II or III (Kyocera page)

AE (West Germany and Japan, 1975–):

  • Minimum aperture figure 22 in white on the aperture ring, the mark of every AE lens; no MM coupling, so the body cannot set the aperture for shutter-priority or program modes (apotelyt)
  • Barrel engraved either 'Lens made in West Germany' (Oberkochen; sellers' AEG) or 'Lens made in Japan' (sellers' AEJ): both are traded (eBay Germany titles 'Distagon T 25mm f/2.8 AEG' and 'AEJ')
  • Stopped down two or three stops the diaphragm opening forms the 'ninja star' of the AE lenses rather than a polygon (apotelyt)

MM (Japan, –2005):

  • Minimum aperture figure 22 in green, and the MM coupling that lets the 159 MM and later bodies set the aperture for shutter-priority and program modes (apotelyt)
  • 'Lens made in Japan' on the barrel (sellers' MMJ); Kyocera's own page titles it Distagon T*25mmF2.8 (MM), 'MMタイプ'

Specifications

Formula
Distagon — retrofocus wide-angle, 8 elements in 7 groups, 80° angle of view
Construction
8 elements / 7 groups
Aperture range
f/2.8–f/22
Min. focus
0.25 m
Dimensions
62.5 × 56 mm
Weight
360 g
Filter
55 mm
Years manufactured
1975–2005
Country
West Germany and Japan
Coating
T*
Original price
¥85,000 with case (2003, MM): the maker's list price on Kyocera's Japanese product page as captured in 2002–03, a late price for the final version; no 1975 launch price was found (today ¥97,000)

What reviewers say

No reviews aggregated yet — this family is still in the research queue. Written one? We'd love to index it.

Optical formula — Distagon — retrofocus wide-angle, 8 elements in 7 groups, 80° angle of view
ⓘ What these charts mean

MTF (modulation transfer function) shows how much contrast the lens keeps at a given fineness of detail, from the center of the frame to the corner — the coarse curves track punch, the fine ones resolving power, and a gap between solid and dashed lines means astigmatism. Relative illumination (falloff) shows how much darker the corners are than the center at each aperture. Manufacturers only began publishing these for modern lenses; no 1950s maker issued them, which is why older families here cite period magazine bench tests instead.

History

The Distagon T* 2,8/25 was the 25 mm lens of the Contax/Yashica system from its launch in 1975, between the Distagon 21mm f/2.8 and the two 28 mm lenses, and it stayed in the catalogue until Kyocera ended Contax production in 2005. It is a retrofocus design of eight elements in seven groups covering 80°, focusing to 0.25 m, with a 55 mm filter thread on a barrel 62.5 mm across and 56 mm long that weighs 360 g, about the size of the Planar 50mm f/1.4 by a Japanese owner’s account. Zeiss’s historical datasheet lists it as catalogue number 10 48 37 with a 59 mm clip-on filter, and Kyocera’s page pairs it with the No. 1 metal hood on a 55/86 adapter ring or the G-12 soft hood, neither usable with a filter, and allows the Mutar T* I converter but not the II or III. The number of diaphragm blades is not published by any source consulted.

Two barrels carry the same optics. The AE of 1975, with the white 22 on its aperture ring, was made at Oberkochen and then in Japan, and both AEG and AEJ copies circulate, the German ones at a premium that apotelyt attributes to collectors rather than to any difference in quality control. The MM barrel, with the green 22 and the coupling that lets the 159 MM and later bodies set the aperture for shutter-priority and program exposure, was made in Japan and was still on Kyocera’s Japanese product page in 2002–03 at ¥85,000 with case. Apotelyt writes that Zeiss said the 2.8/25 and 2.8/28 were optically improved in MM form, and English Wikipedia that early production was soft and the lens re-engineered; neither cites a Zeiss document, Japanese Wikipedia gives the same seven groups and eight elements for both, and the Fred Miranda thread passes on the same claim at second hand. One Kakaku.com reviewer says a Germany-made MM exists and performs best; nothing else consulted mentions an MMG 25.

Kyocera’s blurb praised the centre contrast and resolution at full aperture and called it a lens for the connoisseur, and the three Kakaku.com owners broadly agree: the centre is sharp from f/2.8 while the edges are softer and tend to front-focus, one reviewer finds it needs f/8 to look sharp across the frame, colour rendering is praised, and flare and ghosting are said to be rarely a problem. No blog or video review of the C/Y lens itself was found; the reviews that turn up in searches concern the Zeiss ZF and ZE 2.8/25 of 2006 onward, which are different lenses in different mounts. Used, apotelyt puts the lens at US$400–700 and aucfan’s Yahoo! Auctions average at about ¥26,000.

When buying, read the aperture ring: a white 22 is an AE lens, which works on every C/Y body but gives only aperture-priority and manual exposure on the multi-mode bodies, and whose diaphragm forms a ninja-star shape two or three stops down; a green 22 is an MM. The country engraving on the barrel settles G or J. Left open: the blade count, the launch price, a serial table, and whether any Zeiss document supports the re-engineering claim.

Expand Collapse

This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

Sample photo wanted — shot with a Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8 (C/Y)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Show 10 more listings

Buying from Yahoo! Auctions outside Japan. It is a domestic marketplace: sellers ship within Japan, and most will not register an overseas buyer. A proxy service bids on your behalf, receives the item and forwards it, for a fee and a wait. Buyee, Jauce and ZenMarket each accept a Yahoo auction number directly. Listed alphabetically for information — none is recommended over another, and none of these is an affiliate link.

Listings updated 2026-11-02. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: Distagon T* 18mm f/4 (C/Y) · Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 (C/Y) · Distagon T* 28mm f/2 (C/Y) · Distagon T* 28mm f/2.8 (C/Y)

Sources (8)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.