Zeiss Ikon
C Sonnar T* 50mm f/1.5 ZM Black
Zeiss Ikon C Sonnar T* 50mm f/1.5 ZM Black
The Fast and Compact Photojournalist
This standard focal length offers special qualities which make it well-suited for portraiture. The ‘C’ designation in the C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM name means both ‘compact’ and ‘classic’. The lens design and aperture geometry reflect its predecessor from the 1930s, the Sonnar 1,5/50, which was the fastest standard lens of its time. The excellent flare control inherent of the Sonnar lens design is further optimized with the ZEISS T* anti-reflection coating. This new lens stays true to its heritage, physically resembling the objectives of by gone days. With its fast aperture, taking photographs with a beautiful ‘bokeh’ that reflect the ambiance of the golden age of rangefinder photography is as simple as pressing a button.
Why M-mount?
For more than 50 years now, passionate 35 mm photographers have been embracing the M-mount rangefinder camera system. From the lens designer’s perspective, a rangefinder camera offers an exciting advantage over single lens reflex (SLR) cameras: more space. After all, there is no moving reflex mirror and drive mechanism. This allows for a short distance between the last lens element and the film meaning more opportunities for designing of superior lens types, including high performing wide-angle lenses.
A passion ready for the challenge
For our lens designers, the chance to develop the Carl Zeiss family of T* ZM-mount lenses was a dream come true. They were free to follow their passion in pursuit of perfection in lens performance, taking full advantage of our uncompromising symmetric lens designs. The only limitation was to reserve 15 mm in front of the film for the TTL exposure metering, commonplace in M-mount cameras. The result is a complete range of the most advanced M-mount lenses ever made.
Superior in every way
The Carl Zeiss range of T* ZM-mount lenses offers the highest possible standards in terms of performance, reliability and, of course, image quality. Quite simply, they are superior in every way. You can count on highly advanced flare control for crisp and brilliant images, for example. And virtually zero geometric distortion, ensuring precise accuracy when reproducing shapes – especially useful when photographing products and architecture.
Carl Zeiss T* ZM-mount lenses are specifically designed to minimize focus shift with aperture changes – an important innovation with big benefits for rangefinder photography. As a result, you can expect improved accuracy of the rangefinder-defined focus. While the precise 10-blade aperture with 1/3 stop interval click stops ensures exact exposure. For reliable performance, Carl Zeiss T* ZM-mount lenses are designed with a wear resistant filter mount and an extremely accurate rangefinder coupling mechanism.
Key Features
- Virtually zero geometric distortion for accurate reproduction of object shapes, particularly products and architecture
- Reduces unintended focus shift with aperture variation for improved accuracy of rangefinder defined focus
- Precise 10-blade aperture with 1/3 stop interval click stops ensures exact exposure
- Wear resistant filter mount for long-term reliability in tough conditions
- Highly advanced flare control that ensures crisp, brilliant images
- Extremely accurate rangefinder coupling mechanism ensures optical precision, contributing to superior image quality
