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

Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 (C/Y)

Carl Zeiss · Contax/Yashica · 1975

Also known as: Contax Planar 85mm f/1.4 · Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F1.4 · Contax Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm F1.4 MMJ · Contax Zeiss Planar 85mm F1.4 AEG · Planar T* 1,4/85 · Planar 1.4/85 T* C/Y · Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 C/Y · Contax 85mm 1.4 Planar · コンタックス プラナー 85mm F1.4 · CONTAX Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F1.4 MMJ · カールツァイス プラナー T* 85mm F1.4 AEG · Planar 85/1.4 Contax

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
AE (West Germany, then Japan, 1975–) Contax/Yashica 1975–1985 — —
MM (Japan, with some West German copies, 1985–2005) Contax/Yashica 1985–2005 — —
  1. Element and group count (5群6枚), angle of view 28°30', closest focus 1.0 m, weight 595 g, 70 × 64 mm and 67 mm filter are from Kyocera's own product page for the MM lens, archived 2002–03. Japanese Wikipedia, apotelyt and English Wikipedia give the same figures. The 2002 page also lists the accessories: adapter ring 67/86 with metal hood No. 4, soft hood G-13 (67 mm), cap K-61, case No. 2; the Mutar T* I teleconverter fits, the Mutar II and III do not.
  2. Generation dates: AE from 1975 (Japanese Wikipedia, with the RTS), MM from 1985 (with the 159 MM). The AE end date of 1985 is the year the MM replaced it in the catalogue; no source gives a last shipping date for AE lenses. The MM's 2005 end is the end of Kyocera's Contax camera business, not a published discontinuation date for the lens.
  3. Price: ¥109,000 with case is Kyocera's Japanese list price as still shown in 2002–03 for the MM lens; no 1975 launch price in any currency was found. Used prices quoted by reviewers: about US$500 or €500 for a good MM copy (fleckintosh, undated).
  4. Where each generation was made: Japanese Wikipedia says early production was West German and later production Japanese without giving a changeover date or serial. Dealers' AEG/AEJ/MMG/MMJ labels follow the engraving on each barrel.
  5. Number of diaphragm blades is not given by Kyocera, Wikipedia or apotelyt, so the field is left empty.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • Engraved Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4/85 T* on the front ring with the serial; the C/Y bayonet has no electrical contacts. The Contax N Planar 85mm f/1.4 of 2000 has an autofocus bayonet with contacts and no aperture-ring coupling; the ZF, ZE, ZK and ZS Planar 1,4/85 lenses of 2006 on are Cosina-made and engraved with those mount names
  • AE or MM: the colour of the 16 on the aperture ring (white AE, green MM) and the extra MM cam at the rear flange
  • Country: 'Made in West Germany' or 'Made in Japan' is engraved on the barrel; the Japanese market prices German copies higher
  • Takes 67 mm filters, the same as the Planar 100mm f/2; the Sonnar 85mm f/2.8 takes 55 mm and the 85mm f/1.2 anniversary lens 77 mm

AE (West Germany, then Japan, 1975–):

  • Minimum-aperture numeral 16 engraved in white on the aperture ring; no MM coupling cam at the rear
  • 'Made in West Germany' on the barrel on the early lenses, 'Made in Japan' on the later ones (Japanese Wikipedia: German production first, Japanese later)
  • Diaphragm opening takes a windmill ('ninja star') shape when stopped down to about f/5.6 (Japanese Wikipedia; FredMiranda users)

MM (Japan, with some West German copies, 1985–2005):

  • Minimum-aperture numeral 16 engraved in green; an extra cam at the rear that lets the 159 MM and later bodies set the aperture for program and shutter-priority modes
  • Rounded-hexagon diaphragm opening in place of the AE windmill
  • 'Made in Japan' on most copies; 'Made in West Germany' MMG copies also appear in dealer listings

Specifications

Formula
Planar double-Gauss, 6 elements in 5 groups; angle of view 28°30'
Construction
6 elements / 5 groups
Aperture range
f/1.4–f/16
Min. focus
1 m
Dimensions
70 × 64 mm
Weight
595 g
Filter
67 mm
Years manufactured
1975–2005
Country
West Germany and Japan
Coating
T*
Original price
¥109,000 with case (Kyocera's Japanese list price as still shown in 2002–03 for the MM lens; no 1975 launch price found) (today ¥124,000)

What reviewers say

History

The Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 was one of the lenses launched with the Contax RTS in 1975, the fast portrait telephoto of the new Contax/Yashica bayonet. It is a six-element, five-group double-Gauss design with Zeiss T* multicoating, focusing to 1 m, with a 67 mm filter thread and a weight of 595 g in a barrel 70 mm across and 64 mm long. Kyocera’s product page gives an angle of view of 28°30’ and an aperture scale from f/1.4 to f/16, and lists the Mutar T* I teleconverter as usable with it and the Mutar II and III as not. Japanese Wikipedia records that production began in West Germany and later moved to Japan, which is why the second-hand market sorts copies as AEG, AEJ, MMJ and the rarer MMG.

Two barrel generations exist around the same glass. The AE lens of 1975 has a white minimum-aperture numeral and couples only for aperture-priority and manual exposure; its diaphragm, stopped down to around f/5.6, opens in a windmill shape that prints as angular out-of-focus highlights, and the same Japanese source notes focus shift on stopping down that makes precise focus at full aperture difficult. The MM lens introduced with the Contax 159 MM in 1985 adds a cam at the rear flange so that the 159 MM, 167 MT, RTS III, ST, RX, AX and Aria can set the aperture themselves in program and shutter-priority modes; its numeral 16 is green and its diaphragm opening is a rounded hexagon. Users comparing the two on FredMiranda call the AE iris bad for its zig-zag bokeh at intermediate stops and prefer the MM. Kyocera still listed the MM lens in 2002–03 at ¥109,000 with case; no launch price has been found.

Reviewers agree on the character more than on the numbers. The fleckintosh review of an MM copy finds the bokeh smooth and round at f/1.4, the blade shape appearing from f/2, f/2.8 the favourite stop and f/5.6 the sharpest, with contrast that never catches a Canon nFD 85mm f/1.8 as the one real weakness. Joe D’Agostino, shooting a West German copy on a Contax RTS II and adapted to a Fujifilm GFX 50S, does not test sharpness at all and writes about contrast, three-dimensional rendering and the fall-off the lens gives on the larger sensor, where it covers the frame with only a light vignette. Fleckintosh puts a good MM copy at about US$500 or €500 on the used market.

Buying: the generation is read from the colour of the 16 on the aperture ring and the MM cam at the rear, the country from the engraving on the barrel. An AE lens on an MM-era body works only in aperture-priority and manual modes. Check that the large front element is free of cleaning marks and the diaphragm snaps shut cleanly, and expect the 1 m closest focus, which every reviewer names as the practical limit. The blade count, any serial-to-year table and a production total are not published by the sources consulted.

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 Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 (C/Y)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $390 across 94 fixed-price listings on 2026-11-02 (middle half $350–$450). Tracked since 2026-11-01, 2 days: unchanged from $390.

By day
DateMedianMiddle halfListings
2026-11-02$390$350–$45094
2026-11-01$390$350–$45094

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

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

Related: Planar T* 85mm f/1.2 anniversary editions (C/Y) · Sonnar T* 85mm f/2.8 (C/Y) · Planar T* 100mm f/2 (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.