Makro-Sonnar T* 100mm f/2.8 (N)
Carl Zeiss · Contax N · 2001
single source, unconfirmedAlso known as: Contax N Makro-Sonnar 100mm f/2.8 · Contax N 100mm F2.8 Makro · Carl Zeiss Makro-Sonnar T* 100mm F2.8 N · Contax Makro Sonnar T* 100mm f2.8 N mount · Makro-Sonnar 2,8/100 T* · Contax N1 100mm Macro · Zeiss Macro-Sonnar 100mm f/2.8 Contax N AF · コンタックス N マクロゾナー 100mm F2.8 · CONTAX Nマウント Makro-Sonnar T* 100mm · マクロゾナー T* 100mm F2.8
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Zeiss Makro-Sonnar T* 2,8/100 for Contax N (2001–2005) | Contax N | 2001–2005 | — | — |
- Construction (12 elements in 8 groups), 0.32 m closest focus, 72 mm filter, 960 g, release month and the ¥168,000 list price are from Japanese Wikipedia's Contax N lens table, which names Kyocera as the maker and is the only source reached for the numbers. Zeiss's data sheet (file 28100) is no longer served by Zeiss; its indexed text calls the lens an all-round high-performance autofocus lens covering infinity to life-size 1:1, with anomalous-dispersion fluor-crown glass in three elements to hold performance across the focusing range.
- Blade count, minimum aperture, dimensions and the hood designation were not found; Japanese Wikipedia says only that the hood was sold separately. Dirk on the dprforum N thread puts the weight at about 1 kg, consistent with 960 g.
- A Makro-Planar 100mm f/2.8 for the N mount is reported to have been announced with the N1. On the dprforum N thread in June 2002 Dirk wrote that it 'was replaced last year by the Makro-Sonnar', which he connected with faster autofocus; Simon replied that the Makro-Planar 'was never released for the N1'. Japanese Wikipedia's N lens table lists no Makro-Planar, only this lens. Whether any N Makro-Planar was built is unresolved.
- Prices: ¥168,000 is the Japanese list price at release (Japanese Wikipedia). No European or US price was found.
How to tell them apart
- The only Makro-Sonnar: a 100mm macro with an autofocus motor inside and the electronic Contax N bayonet. The manual-focus Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2.8 for the Contax/Yashica mount is a different optical design with a mechanical bayonet and no motor
- Not the Makro-Planar 100mm f/2 Zeiss later sold in ZF, ZE and ZK mounts, nor the Contax 645 Apo-Makro-Planar 120mm f/4, which is manual focus
- Copies converted to Canon EF by Conurus carry an EF bayonet and no longer fit the N1 or NX (photozone, describing Conurus conversions of N lenses)
Carl Zeiss Makro-Sonnar T* 2,8/100 for Contax N (2001–2005):
- Makro-Sonnar 2,8/100 on the front ring with a red T*: the only lens Zeiss ever sold under the Makro-Sonnar name, and the only macro lens for the Contax N bayonet (Japanese Wikipedia's N lens table)
- 72 mm filter, closest focus 0.32 m for life-size 1:1, about 960 g (Japanese Wikipedia; the Zeiss data sheet as indexed)
- Carl Zeiss Makro-Sonnar T* 2,8/100 for Contax N (2001–2005): The only version. Released in Japan in August 2001 at ¥168,000 and sold until Contax production ended in 2005. No optical revision, finish change or special edition is recorded by any source reached.
Specifications
- Formula
- Makro-Sonnar, 12 elements in 8 groups, focusing to 1:1, with anomalous-dispersion fluor-crown glass in three elements
- Construction
- 12 elements / 8 groups
- Aperture range
- f/2.8
- Min. focus
- 0.32 m
- Weight
- 960 g
- Filter
- 72 mm
- Years manufactured
- 2001–2005
- Coating
- T*
- Original price
- ¥168,000 (today ¥189,000) in Japan at release in August 2001 (Japanese Wikipedia). No European or US price was found.
What reviewers say
- Guest author, Casual Photophile (Contax N1 review) (blog) — A body review by an owner of seven of the nine N lenses, this one among them. No lens-specific verdict: the N lenses as a group are credited with "great color rendition, clarity and contrast" and a micro-contrast "pop", with flare and fringing well controlled.
History
The Makro-Sonnar T* 2,8/100 is the only lens Zeiss ever sold under that name and the only macro lens for Kyocera’s Contax N autofocus bayonet. Japanese Wikipedia dates its Japanese release to August 2001 at ¥168,000 and gives 12 elements in 8 groups, a closest focus of 0.32 m, a 72 mm filter and 960 g, with the hood sold separately. Zeiss’s data sheet, now offline, described it as an all-round high-performance autofocus lens covering infinity to life-size 1:1, with anomalous-dispersion fluor-crown glass in three of its elements to hold performance across the whole focusing range; that reach to 1:1 without a tube sets it apart from the manual-focus Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2.8 for the Contax/Yashica mount, a different optical design.
Its origin is tangled. A Makro-Planar 100mm f/2.8 for the N mount is reported to have been announced with the N1, and on the dprforum N thread in June 2002 Dirk wrote that it “was replaced last year by the Makro-Sonnar”, which he connected with faster autofocus from the Sonnar layout; Simon answered that the Makro-Planar “was never released for the N1”. Japanese Wikipedia’s lens table lists no N Makro-Planar at all. Whichever is right, the Makro-Sonnar is the lens that shipped, in one version, until Contax production ended in 2005.
Like every N lens it is electronic through and through, with a focus motor inside, an aperture ring read by the body and nothing mechanical at the bayonet. The 2002 forum verdicts are warm: Dirk found it “excellent” but too heavy for a fixed focal length at about a kilogram, and Simon called it “the best N lens in the line up”. Casual Photophile’s N1 reviewer owns it and credits the line as a whole with strong colour, contrast and a micro-contrast “pop” without singling it out. No dedicated test report was found; blade count, minimum aperture and dimensions are not recorded in any source reached. As with the other N lenses, a share of survivors were converted to Canon EF by Conurus after the system ended, and a converted copy no longer mounts on an N1 or NX.
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 Makro-Sonnar T* 100mm f/2.8 (N)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
- **Carl Zeiss Makro-Sonnar T* 100mm F2.8 レンス゛(N mount)*
- **Carl Zeiss Makro-Sonnar T* 100mm F2.8 レンス゛(N mount)*
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