Carl zeiss 50 1.7 review

Firstly, I’m a collector of things. My other passion, aside from photography, is the collecting of rare soul/funk original vinyl records, so I guess it was only natural that I wouldn’t just buy one camera. But for this post I thought I’d share a few of my feelings toward the Contax 167MT coupled with the excellent Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.7 lens.

I enjoy the ergonomics of the Contax. It’s very sleek, and just about the perfect size; not too big, and not too small, so it fits comfortably in my hand. I tend to shoot in aperture priority mode and find the LCD top plate readout is very handy for quick meter checks. It has a simple viewfinder display, containing the frame number, shutter speed and aperture, which is all i need. There is a useful exposure compensation dial next to the sensitive shutter button which helps in tricky light situations. The automatic advance of the film is a a plus when you want to capture the fluid moments of the day, I keep it on single shot, but a rapid continuous mode is available.

I’m a fan of Carl Zeiss lenses, having had both a Contax T2 and Contax T, the 50mm Planar T* is a great, sharp performer. I tend to just shoot black & white, as I develop and print my own film. Having used film cameras for over 40 years the Contax family always been attractive to me. It’s a premium brand that oozed class without arrogance – I’d highly recommend the 167MT for those who haven’t had the chance to handle the system.

I’m fortunate to have been asked many times to DJ here in the UK and abroad – a trip to Stockholm in the summer for a Soul weekend was a good chance to take photographs, so I packed the Contax 167MT. The First image below was taken on that trip. I’m also a regular around the streets of London, and since my photography usually happens within the confines of my capital city, the other 4 images were shot there. For the purpose of this post, the budget Czech Fomapan 400 was used, it’s never let me down but I’ve no real loyalty and will shoot a myriad of 35mm negative emulsions.

Recently picked up one heck of a deal in a camera. Seems appropriate to find deals when it comes to lenses for it. I typically get three primes when I purchase a film system. A normal. A portrait. A wide. This is the normal. The Contax Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.7.

Why did I buy it?

$133… Why a bargain compared to the previous 2 lenses…
Three words. Carl, Zeiss, and Planar. And this lens does not disappoint.
That is about all I needed.
There are faster normal Zeiss lenses, but I am not willing to pay over twice as much for them.
Looked nice enough in the KEH listing.
…Planar.

Then I received it.

It may be that Zeiss Pixie dust clouding my vision, but this lens is amazing. The other two are far more than good, but this lens is the best. Other focal length Zeiss C/Y lenses can get quite pricey so it is nice that there is a relatively affordable variant.

There is a pattern here.

Sharp.
Great colors.
Pleasing out of focus bits.
And I need to add a fourth important bullet for this lens courtesy of that f/1.7 aperture. Great low light performance.

All like the previous two, but this one goes to 11. Thought I might want to spring for a pricer variant after I got this, but I am quite pleased.

Below are some sample shots and here is a link to an ongoing album.

Happy shooting.

-ELW

Photography, Baritone, Industrial Engineer, IT person. View all posts by Eric L. Woods

Manufacturer Carl Zeiss Model Planar T* 50 mm f/1.7 Lens style Normal Focal length 51.9 mm Maximum aperture f/1.7 Angle of view 47 o Closest focusing distance 0.6 m Maximum magnification Minimum aperture 16 Number of diaphragm blades 0 Auto focus type MF Lens Construction 7 elements / 6 groups Filter diameter 55 mm Macro No Available mounts Contax & Yashica Dimensions 36 x 59 mm Weight 195 g Additional information

Average rating (7 owners reviews)