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

Sonnar T* 135mm f/2.8 (C/Y)

Carl Zeiss · Contax/Yashica · 1975 · Sonnar, 5 elements in 4 groups

Also known as: Contax Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F2.8 · Contax Sonnar 135mm f/2.8 · Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135mm 2.8 C/Y · Contax 135mm f/2.8 Sonnar T* · Sonnar 2,8/135 T* · Sonnar 135mm F2.8 AEG · Sonnar 135mm F2.8 AEJ · Sonnar 135mm F2.8 MMG · Sonnar 135mm F2.8 MMJ · Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm F2.8 MM · Zeiss 135/2.8 C/Y · コンタックス ゾナー 135mm F2.8 · ゾナー T*135mm F2.8 MM · Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135mm F2.8 ヤシカ コンタックス

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
AE (1975–1985) Contax/Yashica 1975–1985 — —
MM (1985–) Contax/Yashica 1985 — —
  1. Construction (4群5枚), angle of view (18°30'), closest focus (1.6 m), weight (585 g), dimensions (68.5 × 93 mm), filter thread (55 mm), aperture scale (2.8–22) and the built-in sliding hood are from Kyocera's Japanese product page for the MM lens, archived 2002–03. apotelyt's table gives the same with the diameter rounded to 69 mm; English and Japanese Wikipedia give the same construction, 1.6 m and 55 mm. The blade count is not given by any source consulted.
  2. AE and MM: Japanese Wikipedia dates the AE lens to 1975 and the MM to 1985. apotelyt asserts that the MM version was optically improved; Kyocera's page for the MM lens gives the same five elements in four groups as every description of the AE lens, and neither Wikipedia nor Zeiss material consulted mentions a recomputation. apotelyt's claim stands unverified.
  3. Price: ¥56,000 with case, before tax, is Kyocera's list price for the MM lens as shown on its product page in 2002–03, late in the lens's life, not the 1975 launch price, which has not been found.
  4. Teleconverters, from the same Kyocera page: the Mutar T* I rated good (良好), with fall-off or vignetting at small apertures; the Mutar T* II and III rated especially good (特に良好). Hood: built in, sliding, with the No. 5 metal hood as an alternative through the 55/86 adapter ring; no soft hood; snap cap 55mm K-51.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • Front ring engraved Sonnar 2,8/135 T*; a sliding hood built into the barrel, a 55 mm filter thread, 68.5 mm across and 93 mm long at 585 g (Kyocera 2002)
  • Against the Planar 135mm f/2: that lens takes 72 mm filters, is 75 mm across and weighs about 790 g; a Contax 135 with a 55 mm thread is the Sonnar
  • Not the Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 for M42 and Exakta, the Rollei QBM Sonnar 135mm f/2.8, the Contax RF Sonnar 13.5cm f/4, or the Batis 2.8/135 of 2017 for Sony E, an autofocus lens with the Apo Sonnar name

AE (1975–1985):

  • Minimum-aperture figure 22 in white and no MM coupling pin
  • 'Made in West Germany' or 'Made in Japan' on the barrel; both are common, written AEG and AEJ by sellers, and no source dates the move of production

MM (1985–):

  • Minimum-aperture figure 22 in green and the MM coupling that lets the 159 MM, 167 MT, RTS III, ST, RX, AX and Aria set the aperture in shutter-priority and program modes
  • 'Made in West Germany' (MMG) or 'Made in Japan' (MMJ) on the barrel

Specifications

Formula
Sonnar, 5 elements in 4 groups
Construction
5 elements / 4 groups
Aperture range
f/2.8–f/22
Min. focus
1.6 m
Dimensions
68.5 × 93 mm
Weight
585 g
Filter
55 mm
Years manufactured
1975
Coating
T*
Original price
¥56,000 with case, before tax, Kyocera's list price for the MM lens as still shown on its product page in 2002–03 — a late price, not the 1975 launch price³ (today ¥63,000)

What reviewers say

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

History

The Sonnar T* 2,8/135 is the ordinary 135 mm of the Contax/Yashica range, launched with the RTS system in 1975 and still in Kyocera’s catalogue in 2002–03: five elements in four groups, 18°30’ of view, f/2.8 to f/22, 1.6 m closest focus, a 55 mm filter thread shared with the Sonnar 85mm f/2.8 and 100mm f/3.5, a sliding hood built into the barrel, 68.5 × 93 mm and 585 g, all from Kyocera’s own product page. It is the lighter and far cheaper of the two Contax 135s; the Planar 135mm f/2 is a 72 mm-filter lens of about 790 g.

Two barrel generations exist. The AE lens of 1975 has the white 22 and works in aperture-priority and manual; the MM lens of 1985 has the green 22 and the coupling that lets the 159 MM and later bodies set the aperture in shutter-priority and program. Both were made in West Germany and in Japan, which the market writes as AEG, AEJ, MMG and MMJ, though no source consulted says when production moved. apotelyt states that Zeiss optically improved the lens for the MM version; Kyocera’s page for the MM lens gives the same five elements in four groups as every description of the AE lens, and no other source mentions a recomputation, so apotelyt’s claim stands unverified. Kyocera listed the MM lens at ¥56,000 with its case in 2002–03, among the cheapest Zeiss lenses in the catalogue, and rated the Mutar T* II and III teleconverters “especially good” with it and the Mutar I good, with some fall-off or vignetting at small apertures.

No blog or video review of the lens was found in the sources searched; what exists is forum discussion, a user-ratings page and a mention in a portrait-lens roundup, which agree on sharpness and solid build and differ on the amount of colour fringing at f/2.8 and f/4. Used copies are plentiful and inexpensive, dealers’ asking prices in 2026 running from about $150 to $220. Left open: the number of diaphragm blades, the 1975 launch price, when and whether German production gave way to Japanese, and whether anything in the glass changed with the MM barrel.

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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 Sonnar T* 135mm 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: Planar T* 135mm f/2 (C/Y) · Sonnar T* 180mm f/2.8 (C/Y)

Sources (5)

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.