OVERVIEW

The Contax C/Y 100mm F2.0 Planar is my favorite telephoto. In my opinion the Contax 100mm F2.0 Planar easily trumps the well-known Canon 85L (both the original and new Mark II version), Contax N 85mm F1.4 Planar and the Canon EF 135mm L F2. It is easy to talk about sharpness and rank lenses solely on their resolving capabilities, but there is much more to a good lens than its sharpness. Other important considerations are contrast, coloring, distortion, light gathering, light fall off, bokeh (background blur), etc. The 100mm Planar represents a nice balance of the above traits and can easily transition from shooting portraits to outdoor  landscapes. So yes, the Contax 100mm F2 Planar is sharp, but that is such a small part of what makes the 100mm F2 Planar special.

I have owned three different Contax 100mm F2.0 Planars and all were excellent. Being an older lens there will be good and bad copies depending on how well the previous owner(s) cared for them. Optically I did not see any difference between the AE vs MM variants; however, Zeiss no longer services AE lenses, so I would suggest paying a bit more and finding a newer MM version. I purchased my current 100mm Planar from KEH as a LN- (Like New Minus) and the lens looks & operates like new. Expect to budget $700 to $1100 (USD) for a Contax 100mm Planar. Add in the adapter, metal lens hood (67-86 Ring + Metal Hood #4) and the K-84 metal lens cap, and the total price can be expensive. If buying a used lens troubles you, then there are the new Zeiss ZF lenses (also available in Pentax, Sony and M42 mounts). These new Zeiss lenses offer the classic performance - but are new. There are some differences - the new Zeiss lenses are new optical designs, not re-issues of the original Contax designs. (Update - Zeiss 50mm F2 Makro-Planar ZF review available)

LENS PERFORMANCE

Some key stand out areas are the Planar’s micro-contrast, its depth of field (DOF) and overall flexibility. In the case of the 100mm Planar the micro-contrast results in better gradients and more detailed textures. Compared to Canon L lenses such as the EF 135mm L F2 and EF 85mm L F1.2 (Mark I and II), the 100mm Planar produces subtler gradients and shows more detail. Where the Canon lenses tend to rush to deep blacks (courtesy of Canon’s exaggerated macro contrast), the 100mm Planar holds more mid-tones and captures more detail in the shadows. In general the Planar has a gentler roll-off.

Another key difference between the 100mm Planar and its Canon counterparts is DOF. The 100mm Planar has proven to have a thinner DOF than the Canon 135mm L F2 when shot at equal apertures. Test shots were taken at the same distance and at the same aperture. According to the DOF tables the 100mm Planar should have more DOF; however, it proved to have 1 to 2 stops less DOF than the Canon 135L.

Keep in mind that DOF is not a standardized metric. A Leica 100mm F2.8 Elmarit-R Macro APO, a Contax 100mm F2 Planar, a Canon EF 100mm F2, etc., will all have a different DOF at F4. The resulting DOF is a function of the lens design. On-line DOF calculators at various websites ESTIMATE the DOF for given focal length, aperture and distance. This can be misleading because the user thinks all 100mm lenses will perform in the same manner, and that’s simply not the truth. There are also dramatic differences in how various lenses in and out of the DOF.

The 100mm Planar’s shallow DOF makes for wonderful outdoor portraits - even at F5.6 there is terrific separation between the subject and the background (as shown above). The 100mm Planar shots often have a very 3D feel to them. In contrast I do not like the 100mm for product shots because it lacks the needed DOF. Sharpness & resolution peak around F5.6 and seldom does F5.6 have enough DOF for a product shot. Factor in the Planar’s ultra narrow DOF and it is losing battle.

The 100mm Planar performs equally well whether shooting close-up portraits or landscapes at infinity. The micro contrast plays its role which results in deep, rich textures. The added texture in leaves and foliage have the illusion of extra resolution. Overall the Contax 100mm Planar and Canon 135mm L F2.0 have similar resolution, but Zeiss’ superior contrast out-classes the 135L and gives the Planar images more snap. This Zeiss images “pop” and respond very well to post processing in Photoshop.

Stiff focus rings has been a hot topic on the photography forums, so... As of August 2008 my current manual lenses are: Contax 18/4, Zeiss 50/2 Makro-Planar and Contax 100/2. By far the 18/4’s focus ring has the lightest touch. The 50/2 has pretty light too and the 100/2 feels stiff in contrast to the other two lenses. The “new” Zeiss 100mm F2 Makro-Planar has been described as having a stiff focus ring; I wouldn’t describe the Contax 100/2 as stiff, but it’s not a light touch other and it will rock the adapter on the Canon lens mount.  (Continue to next page)