Tele-Apotessar T* 400mm f/4 (N)
Carl Zeiss · Contax N · 2002
Also known as: Contax N Tele-Apotessar 400mm f/4 · Contax N 400mm F4 · Carl Zeiss Tele-Apotessar T* 400mm F4 N · Contax Tele Apotessar T* 400mm f4 N mount · Contax 400mm f4 Zeiss Tele-APO Tessar T* N · Tele-Apotessar 4/400 T* · Zeiss 400mm f/4 Contax N AF · Contax N1 400mm · コンタックス N テレアポテッサー 400mm F4 · CONTAX Nマウント Tele-Apotessar T* 400mm · テレアポテッサー T* 400mm F4
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Zeiss Tele-Apotessar T* 4/400 for Contax N (2002–2005) | Contax N | 2002–2005 | — | — |
- Construction (8 elements in 7 groups), 6.2° diagonal field, apertures f/4 to f/32, 2.9 m (9.4 ft) closest focus, 112 mm screw-in front filter with a 46 mm insertable filter, the slip-on 4/400 metal hood, 120 × 292 mm, approximately 3,580 g, lens cap, rear cap and case as standard accessories, and the $3,830 street price are from Kyocera Optics' US press release of 2002 announcing this lens with the Planar 85mm f/1.4. The release lists the rear filter as 'insertable' in its table and as a slot taking 46 mm screw-in filters in its text. Japanese Wikipedia gives the same 8/7, adds that two elements are anomalous-dispersion glass, and dates the Japanese release to 23 November 2002, with no yen price, weight or filter size.
- Simon, reporting first impressions on dprforum in January 2003, described the front filter as 102 mm and the hood as close to eight inches long; Kyocera's release gives 112 mm. Stronger: Kyocera. He also described a filter drawer at the rear, a focus ring about five inches long, a solid tripod collar with adjustable tension, and a backpack-style case.
- Prices: $3,830 is the street price in Kyocera's US release. In January 2003 Simon quoted £3,995 in the UK and about $3,500 advertised in the US. No Japanese list price was found. Blade count and the type of focus motor were not stated by any source reached; Simon credited the fast, hunt-free autofocus to 'a large motor'.
How to tell them apart
- The only Zeiss 400mm for a Contax SLR: a Tele-Apotessar 4/400 with an autofocus motor inside and the electronic Contax N bayonet. The manual-focus Contax/Yashica telephotos stop at the Tele-Apotessar 300mm f/2.8 and the Mirotar mirror lenses; the Contax 645 Tele-Apotessar is a 350mm f/4 with a 95 mm thread
- 112 mm front filter, 46 mm rear filter slot, rotating tripod collar, slip-on metal hood engraved 4/400 (Kyocera Optics; dprforum)
- A copy converted to Canon EF by Conurus carries an EF bayonet and no longer fits the N1 or NX (photozone, describing Conurus conversions of N lenses)
Carl Zeiss Tele-Apotessar T* 4/400 for Contax N (2002–2005):
- Tele-Apotessar 4/400 on the front ring with a red T*; a 112 mm front thread, a rear filter slot for 46 mm filters, a slip-on metal hood marked 4/400 and a rotating tripod collar (Kyocera Optics press release; dprforum first impressions)
- About 120 mm across, 292 mm long and 3.58 kg: the largest lens of the N system (Kyocera Optics press release)
- Carl Zeiss Tele-Apotessar T* 4/400 for Contax N (2002–2005): The only version, and the last lens added to the N system: released in Japan on 23 November 2002 and sold until Contax production ended in 2005. Kyocera's US announcement gave a street price of $3,830. No optical revision or special edition is recorded.
Specifications
- Formula
- Tele-Apotessar apochromatic telephoto, 8 elements in 7 groups, two of anomalous-dispersion glass
- Construction
- 8 elements / 7 groups
- Aperture range
- f/4–f/32
- Min. focus
- 2.9 m
- Dimensions
- 120 × 292 mm
- Weight
- 3580 g
- Filter
- 112 mm, 112 mm screw-in at the front, plus a rear slot for 46 mm filters
- Years manufactured
- 2002–2005
- Coating
- T*
- Original price
- US$3,830 (today $6,680) street price in Kyocera Optics' US announcement of 2002. Simon on dprforum quoted £3,995 in the UK and about $3,500 advertised in the US in January 2003. No Japanese list price was found.
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 Tele-Apotessar T* 4/400 was the last lens added to Kyocera’s Contax N autofocus system and the largest: Kyocera Optics’ US announcement of 2002, which paired it with the Planar 85mm f/1.4, gives 8 elements in 7 groups, a 6.2° diagonal field, apertures from f/4 to f/32, a closest focus of 2.9 m, a 112 mm screw-in front filter with a slot behind for 46 mm filters, a slip-on metal hood marked 4/400, 120 mm across by 292 mm long, about 3,580 g, and a street price of $3,830. Japanese Wikipedia dates the Japanese release to 23 November 2002 and adds that two of the eight elements are anomalous-dispersion glass. Kyocera described it as an apochromatic telephoto for sports, wildlife, photojournalism and fashion, fast enough yet handy enough to use without a tripod, with sharpness and “luster” high at full aperture across the frame and nearly constant from infinity to close-up.
It arrived late. In May 2002 the poster Dirk on dprforum listed a “400/x ?” whose optical design existed on paper while its production was still unsettled, and a fortnight later Uli reported that it would be a 4.0/400 Tele-Apotessar. It shipped in Japan that November and was sold in one version until Contax production ended in 2005. Like every N lens it carries its own focus motor and an aperture ring read by the body, with nothing mechanical at the bayonet.
No test report exists. The one first-hand account is Simon’s first impressions on dprforum in January 2003, from a three-week-old used copy about 38% under its new price: nearly four pounds, a hood close to eight inches long, a five-inch focus ring with well-judged tension, a solid tripod collar, a rear filter drawer and a backpack-style case, which he called one of the best-built lenses he had handled. The autofocus “never hunted once, just snapped into place”, locking across the full range in under a couple of seconds, which he put down to a large motor. His Provia 100F samples, mostly at f/4, showed “very creamy bokeh”; his optical judgement was otherwise a guess, since his slides had not yet come back. He gave the front filter as 102 mm against Kyocera’s 112 mm, and quoted £3,995 in the UK and about $3,500 advertised in the US. Casual Photophile’s N1 reviewer, who owns seven of the nine N lenses, does not own this one. As with the other N lenses, Conurus converted some survivors to Canon EF after the system ended, and a converted copy no longer mounts on an N1 or NX; the blade count, the motor type and any Japanese list price are not recorded in a source reached.
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 Tele-Apotessar T* 400mm f/4 (N)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
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