Skip to content
Menu

Contax Contax/Yashica mount Short telephoto prime

Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T*

Quick answer

The Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T* is a short telephoto prime lens covering 85mm at f/1.4 for the Contax/Yashica mount. Its very wide maximum aperture suits low light and shallow depth of field with strong background blur.

  • Full frame
  • APS-C (128mm equiv.)
  • Micro Four Thirds (170mm equiv.)
  • Other systems via mount adapter
Focal
85mm
Aperture
f/1.4–16
Weight
595g
Filter
67mm
Min focus
1m
AF motor
None

What 85mm sees

Full frame crop 1.0×
28.6° 23.9° horizontal
APS-C crop 1.5× → 128mm
19.3° 16.1° horizontal
Micro Four Thirds crop 2.0× → 170mm
14.5° 12.1° horizontal

Diagonal angle of view. Frames drawn to scale at 85mm. Calculated from the focal length and crop factor (adapted mount, so sensor size depends on your camera), not measured.

Open the field-of-view calculator

Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T* specifications

Optics

Focal length
85mm
Maximum aperture
f/1.4
Minimum aperture
f/16
Format coverage
Full frame
Optical construction
6 elements in 5 groups

Focus

Autofocus motor
None
Minimum focus distance
1 m

Physical

Filter thread
67 mm
Weight
595 g
Length
64 mm
Diameter
70 mm

General

Brand
Contax
Lens type
Prime

Specification source: en.wikipedia.org

What can you shoot with the Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T*?

At 85mm this is a short telephoto prime, which typically suits:

  • Portraits with a flattering perspective
  • Events and weddings
  • Isolating subjects from the background

Its very wide maximum aperture suits low light and shallow depth of field with strong background blur.

Frequently asked questions

What mount does the Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T* use?

It uses the Contax/Yashica mount, so it fits Contax/Yashica cameras directly and can be used on other systems through a mount adapter.

What is the focal length of the Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T*?

It is a fixed 85mm lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4. That makes it a short telephoto lens.

Is the Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T* a prime or a zoom lens?

It is a prime lens with a fixed 85mm focal length. Primes usually open wider than zooms; this one opens to f/1.4.

What is the Contax Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T* equivalent on a crop sensor?

On APS-C (1.5x crop) it frames like 128mm on full frame, with a 16.1° horizontal and 19.3° diagonal field of view. On Micro Four Thirds (2x crop) it frames like 170mm on full frame, with a 12.1° horizontal and 14.5° diagonal field of view. These figures are calculated from the focal length and crop factor.