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

Sonnar T* 85mm f/2.8 (C/Y)

Carl Zeiss · Contax/Yashica · 1975 · Sonnar, 5 elements in 4 groups; angle of view 27°30'

Also known as: Contax Sonnar 85mm f/2.8 · Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 85mm F2.8 · Contax Carl Zeiss Sonnar 85mm F2.8 MMJ · Contax Zeiss Sonnar 85mm F2.8 AEG · Sonnar T* 2,8/85 · Sonnar 2.8/85 T* C/Y · Zeiss 85mm f/2.8 Sonnar C/Y · Contax 85mm 2.8 Sonnar · コンタックス ゾナー 85mm F2.8 · CONTAX Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 85mm F2.8 MMJ · カールツァイス ゾナー T* 85mm F2.8 · Sonnar 85/2.8 Contax

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
AE (1975–) Contax/Yashica 1975–1985 — —
MM (1985–2005) Contax/Yashica 1985–2005 — —
  1. Element and group count (4群5枚), angle of view 27°30', closest focus 1.0 m, 230 g, 61 × 46.5 mm and 55 mm filter are Kyocera's own figures for the MM lens from its product page archived 2002–03. The same page lists adapter ring 55/86 with metal hood No. 5, soft hood G-11 (55 mm), cap K-51 and case No. 1, and says the Mutar T* I fits while the Mutar II and III do not.
  2. Weight: Kyocera gives 230 g; English Wikipedia's table gives 255 g; minolta.su weighed its copy at 232 g and Theatre of Noise gives about 220 g. Kyocera's figure is the one used here, the maker's own and within a few grams of the two weighed copies.
  3. Diaphragm blades: minolta.su counts six on its copy (serial 8435525); Kyocera's page does not give the number, so the field is left empty on that one count.
  4. Price: ¥75,000 with case is Kyocera's Japanese list price as still shown in 2002–03 for the MM lens; no 1975 launch price was found. Theatre of Noise puts a used copy at about €300–400 in 2023, the MM dearer than the AE.
  5. Generation dates are Japanese Wikipedia's (AE 1975, MM 1985); the AE's 1985 end is the year the MM replaced it, the MM's 2005 end is the close of Kyocera's Contax camera business.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • Engraved Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2,8/85 T* with the serial on the front ring, in a short 61 × 46.5 mm barrel with a 55 mm thread, about a third the weight of the Planar 85mm f/1.4
  • Not the Sonnar 85mm f/2 of the Contax rangefinders (a 1930s–50s design in a chrome mount with no C/Y bayonet) nor the Contax G Sonnar 90mm f/2.8 (autofocus bayonet with contacts); the ZM Sonnar 85mm f/2 and ZF/ZE Planar 85 lenses are Cosina-era products engraved with their mount names
  • AE or MM: white or green 22 on the aperture ring and the MM cam at the rear; country engraved on the barrel

AE (1975–):

  • Minimum-aperture numeral 22 in white on the aperture ring; no MM cam at the rear flange
  • 'Made in West Germany' or 'Made in Japan' engraved on the barrel; both appear in the used market and no source gives the changeover

MM (1985–2005):

  • Minimum-aperture numeral 22 in green; MM cam at the rear flange for program and shutter-priority bodies
  • 'Made in Japan' on most copies; MMG copies also listed by dealers

Specifications

Formula
Sonnar, 5 elements in 4 groups; angle of view 27°30'
Construction
5 elements / 4 groups
Aperture range
f/2.8–f/22
Min. focus
1 m
Dimensions
61 × 46.5 mm
Weight
230 g
Filter
55 mm
Years manufactured
1975–2005
Coating
T*
Original price
¥75,000 with case (Kyocera's Japanese list price as still shown in 2002–03 for the MM lens; no 1975 launch price found) (today ¥85,000)

What reviewers say

History

The Sonnar T* 85mm f/2.8 was launched in 1975 with the Contax RTS as the compact portrait lens of the Contax/Yashica range, two stops slower than the Planar 85mm f/1.4 and less than half its weight. It is a five-element, four-group Sonnar with T* multicoating, focusing to 1 m, with a 55 mm filter thread, an aperture scale from f/2.8 to f/22 and, by Kyocera’s figures, 230 g in a barrel 61 mm across and 46.5 mm long. Kyocera’s product page sold it as a lens for mountain and travel photography, light to carry and sharp to the corners from full aperture, and lists the Mutar T* I teleconverter as usable with it. Both West German and Japanese copies exist; no source consulted says when production moved.

The AE barrel of 1975 was followed by the MM barrel in 1985, with the green minimum-aperture numeral and the rear cam that lets the 159 MM and later bodies set the aperture in program and shutter-priority modes; the optics did not change. Kyocera was still listing the MM lens in 2002–03 at ¥75,000 with case. Sources disagree slightly on its weight, from Kyocera’s 230 g to English Wikipedia’s 255 g, with two reviewers weighing their copies at 220 and 232 g.

Reviewers treat it as the sleeper of the two 85s. Robin Parmar’s MM copy on a Panasonic S5 gives sharp, contrasty images every time, with micro-contrast wide open nearly at the level of f/5.6, smooth circular bokeh and no flare, which he contrasts with the AE version’s readiness to flare; the 1 m closest focus is his only complaint. Tony at minolta.su, testing a copy on a Sony A7 II, calls it sharp from f/2.8 and concludes that the lens has no weakness. Users on FredMiranda say it renders differently from the Planar and is very sharp from wide open. Parmar puts used copies at €300–400 in 2023, with the MM dearer than the AE.

Buying: it is a small, light lens, so the MM cam and the green 22 are the generation check, and the engraving on the barrel the country. Minolta.su counted six diaphragm blades on its copy; Kyocera does not state the number. No serial table, production total or launch price has been found for either generation.

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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* 85mm f/2.8 (C/Y)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live 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* 85mm f/1.4 (C/Y) · Planar T* 85mm f/1.2 anniversary editions (C/Y) · Planar T* 100mm f/2 (C/Y)

Sources (7)

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.