Sonnar 150mm f/4 (6000)
Carl Zeiss · Rollei 6000 · 1976
Also known as: Rollei Sonnar 150mm f/4 HFT PQ · Rollei Sonnar 150mm f/4 HFT PQS · Rollei Sonnar 150mm f/4 HFT EL · Rollei 150mm f4 Sonnar HFT · Rolleiflex 6008 Sonnar 150mm · Rolleiflex SLX Sonnar 150mm F4 · Zeiss Sonnar 4/150 HFT Rollei 6000 · Sonnar HFT 150mm F4 PQS · ローライ ゾナー 150mm F4 HFT PQ · ローライ ゾナー 150mm F4 PQS · ローライフレックス 6008 ゾナー 150mm · ローライ 150mm F4 ゾナー
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT, original SLX lens (cat. no. 201-306 in the United States) | Rollei 6000 | 1976 | — | Not published by any source consulted |
| Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQ (item no. 86 756) | Rollei 6000 | 1988 | — | Not published by any source consulted |
| Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQS (order no. 59 602) · Rollei direct-drive electronic leaf shutter, 30 s–1/1000 s and B (PQS) | Rollei 6000 | 1990 | — | Not published by any source consulted |
| Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT EL (order no. 86 757) | Rollei 6000 | — | — | Not published by any source consulted |
- Construction, closest focus, size and weight are the same in every source and for every version: 5 elements in 3 groups, 1.4 m, 81.5 mm across, 102 mm long, 890 g (1984 Berkey sheet for the original; 1993 and 2003 Rollei tables for the PQ, PQS and EL; Wikipedia; Japanese Wikipedia's 1982 and 1998 yearbook citations, 3群5枚). The Hasselblad Sonnar 150 mm f/4 of 1957 and the SL66 Sonnar of 1966 are the same five-element design; the Rollei lens is heavier for its shutter, linear motors and electronics (the SL66 lens, with no shutter, is 545 g).
- Dates. 1976 is the SLX launch (camera-wiki's lens list). The PQ and PQS first years are the generation dates Wikipedia gives, 1988 with the 6008 and 1990, not dates documented for this focal length; the lens is in the January 1993 brochure in both forms. The EL has no published date. The PQ is absent from the May 2003 brochure.
- Blades and prices. Not given by any source consulted. For used prices, posters on dprforum in February 2005 put a 150 at around $1,000 and a 180 mm f/2.8 nearer $1,800; one of them also claimed that a PQS shutter replacement cost about $1,000 against about $100 in parts for a PQ, which no other source confirms.
- What the users say. Nobody has published a review in the sense of a test; the record is forum opinion. In the February 2005 dprforum thread one poster chose the Sonnar as 'reputed to be the sharpest/finest lens ever made for the Rollei' and a day later called it 'decidedly not sharp' but 'ideal for portraits' with a 'soft Zeiss look'; a second, who had tested it against the Schneider Tele-Xenar 150 mm f/4, found the Schneider 'only marginally better' at the edges wide open and the Sonnar 'absolutely fine for studio work'; a third called the two 'every bit as good', the Schneider resolving slightly better at f/4 and the Sonnar at f/5.6.
- Successors. Rolleigraphy.eu lists the AF Tele-Apogon 4/150 PQS and the AFD Tele-Apogon 4/150 PQS, Rollei-branded autofocus lenses of 5 elements in 3 groups described as an 'improved Zeiss design'; the AFD version was in the Hy6 Mod2 line-up of March 2013 at ¥798,000 (Digital Camera Watch). Being 5/3, they continue the Sonnar's design rather than the 5/5 AF Tele-Xenar 150.
How to tell them apart
- A Rollei 6000 lens: leaf shutter and ten contacts in the bayonet, Sonnar HFT engraving without the Carl Zeiss name; the Hasselblad Sonnar 4/150 reads Carl Zeiss and carries a Synchro-Compur or Prontor with a speed ring, and the SL66 Sonnar has no shutter (rolleigraphy.eu; Rollei brochures)
- Version by marking to the right of the aperture numbers: none (original), PQ, PQS, or EL in white; by filter mount: Bayonet VI on all but the EL, which has an M67 thread (rolleigraphy.eu; Rollei 2003 brochure)
- Not the Rolleigon 150 mm f/4, the Tokina-built economy lens with a 67 mm thread, 5 elements in 4 groups and 760 g, nor the Schneider Tele-Xenar 150 mm f/4 (rolleigraphy.eu; Wikipedia)
- Fit: original lens on SLX, 6006, 6002 fully and 6008-series in shutter-priority and manual; PQ and EL on every body, with the SLX, 6006 and 6002 limited to those two modes and the Hy6 to manual focus; PQS only on the 6008, 6003, 6001 and, manually focused, the Hy6 (Wikipedia compatibility table)
Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT, original SLX lens (cat. no. 201-306 in the United States):
- No PQ, EL or PQS marking: the original lenses carry none and support manual and shutter-priority exposure only (rolleigraphy.eu)
- Engraved Sonnar HFT 4/150 without the Carl Zeiss name; Bayonet VI filter mount (rolleigraphy.eu; 1984 sheet)
Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQ (item no. 86 756):
- 'PQ lens' engraved or printed to the right of the aperture numbers; A position on the aperture ring for the body's automatic modes (rolleigraphy.eu)
- Otherwise the original lens: 5/3, 81.5 × 102 mm, 890 g, Bayonet VI (1993 brochure table)
Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQS (order no. 59 602):
- 'PQS lens' engraved or printed to the right of the aperture numbers (rolleigraphy.eu)
- Same glass, size and weight as the PQ (Rollei 2003 table)
Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT EL (order no. 86 757):
- 'EL lens' printed in white to the right of the aperture numbers (rolleigraphy.eu)
- An M67 × 0.75 filter thread in place of the Bayonet VI; the outside bayonet remains for the hood (Rollei 2003 brochure; rolleigraphy.eu)
- Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT, original SLX lens (cat. no. 201-306 in the United States): A launch lens of the SLX in 1976 and, by the 1984 US lens sheet, one of the focal lengths 'made entirely by Rollei under license from Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen'. It works fully on the SLX, 6006 and 6002, in shutter-priority and manual modes on the 6008-series bodies, and not on the Hy6.
- Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQ (item no. 86 756): The PQ version adds the lens-side support for the 6008's aperture-priority and program modes. Rollei's January 1993 brochure lists it at item no. 86 756 as 'the standard tele lens for the fastidious photographer'. Rolleigraphy.eu notes that where a focal length was offered in both PQ and PQS, the PQ was sometimes 'down graded' to EL to widen the price gap, and names this Sonnar and the Planar 80 as the examples; the PQ is gone from the May 2003 brochure, which lists only the PQS and EL. The first year is that of the PQ line, not a date documented for this lens.
- Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQS (order no. 59 602): The 1/1000 s version, one of the five focal lengths the 1993 brochure says had been fitted with the new direct-drive shutter, 'designed exclusively for the Rolleiflex 6008' because only that body could set, meter and display the faster speed. Both brochures recommend it for flash: its top speed 'makes this standard telephoto a favorite for rapid flash shots'. It does not work on the SLX, 6006 or 6002; on the Hy6 it focuses manually. Wikipedia dates the PQS generation to 1990.
- Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT EL (order no. 86 757): The economy-line version: technically a PQ lens, with the same optics, size, weight and 1/500 s shutter and the same support for the automatic modes, but with a 67 mm screw thread for filters and close-up lenses instead of the bayonet (Rollei 2003 brochure: 'highly recommended for portraiture and close-ups'). No introduction date is published; it is in the May 2003 brochure, absent from the January 1993 one.
Specifications
- Formula
- Sonnar, 5 elements in 3 groups, unchanged through every version (1984 sheet; Rollei brochures 1993 and 2003; rolleigraphy.eu; Japanese Wikipedia 3群5枚)
- Construction
- 5 elements / 3 groups
- Aperture range
- f/4–f/32
- Shutter
- Rollei direct-drive electronic leaf shutter in the lens, 30 s–1/500 s and B (original, PQ, EL); 30 s–1/1000 s (PQS); timed and powered by the body through ten gold-plated contacts
- Min. focus
- 1.4 m
- Dimensions
- 81.5 × 102 mm
- Weight
- 890 g
- Filter
- Rollei Bayonet VI (EL: M67 thread inside, size VI bayonet outside for the hood) (Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT, original SLX lens (cat. no. 201-306 in the United States), Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQ (item no. 86 756), Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT PQS (order no. 59 602)) · 67 mm, M67 × 0.75 thread inside; size VI outside bayonet for the hood (Sonnar 150 mm f/4 HFT EL (order no. 86 757))
- Years manufactured
- 1976
- Country
- West Germany
- Coating
- HFT multicoating
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 150 mm f/4 is the system’s standard short telephoto from the first day to the last. Zeiss’s five-element, three-group Sonnar of 1957 for Hasselblad, made for the SL66 from 1966, came to the SLX in 1976 as one of its seven launch lenses, built entirely by Rollei under licence with the electronic leaf shutter, its two linear motors and the lens electronics inside. The glass never changed: every version has the same five elements, focuses to 1.4 m, is 81.5 mm across and 102 mm long, and weighs 890 g. Rollei’s 1993 brochure calls it ‘the standard tele lens for the fastidious photographer’, meant above all for portraiture and for frame-filling detail from a distance; the 2003 brochure says the same.
What changed was the shutter and the body’s control over it, and the four versions are told apart by a marking to the right of the aperture numbers. The original lens has none and supports only manual and shutter-priority exposure, so on a 6008 it gives up the aperture-priority and program modes. The PQ, item no. 86 756, adds those modes for the 6008 of 1988. The PQS, order no. 59 602, has the lighter 1/1000 s shutter of 1990, which Rollei’s brochures recommend for flash work and which only the 6008, 6003, 6001 and Hy6 can drive. The EL, order no. 86 757, is a PQ with a 67 mm filter thread in place of the Bayonet VI, the economy line’s one economy; rolleigraphy.eu says the PQ Sonnar was among the lenses ‘down graded’ to EL to widen the price gap below the PQS, and by the May 2003 brochure only the PQS and EL remained. Rollei’s last 150s, the autofocus AF and AFD Tele-Apogon 4/150 PQS, keep the Sonnar’s five elements in three groups under the house name.
In use the forum consensus of the 6008 era is that it is a portrait lens rather than a resolution champion. In a February 2005 dprforum thread one owner called it ‘reputed to be the sharpest/finest lens ever made for the Rollei’ and the next day ‘decidedly not sharp’ but ‘ideal for portraits’ with a ‘soft Zeiss look’; another, who had tested it against the Schneider Tele-Xenar 150 mm f/4, found the Schneider ‘only marginally better’ at the edges wide open; a third called the two ‘every bit as good’, the Schneider slightly ahead at f/4 and the Sonnar at f/5.6. The same thread puts a used 150 at about $1,000 in 2005 against $1,800 for the 180 mm f/2.8, and advises the 150 for hand-held work because the 180 is ‘a lot heavier’. No list price has been found. A buyer should match the version to the body, a PQS to a 6008-series camera and not to an SLX or 6006, and test the shutter at its top speed and the diaphragm through its range, since both run only on the body’s current through the contacts.
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 150mm f/4 (6000)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
- Rollei 150mm f4 Sonnar EL Lens
- Rollei SLX 1:4/150mm Sonnar
- 値下げ◆美品☆Rollei Sonnar 150mm f4 HFT PQ Lens ローライ ゾナー 中判カメラ用 レンズ Rollei 6000 シリーズ ###oz13483
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.