Finding fault with zooms is easy due to their optical design and subsequent compromises. Round up a group of people seeking the best lenses (such as the photographers reading this website) and zooms are quickly categorized as consumer rubbish. From an optical standpoint the purists have some good points, but there is value in utility. Many times weather conditions make lens changes impossible - especially with dSLRs and the risk (or concern) of dusting land on the sensor. Other times traveling light is more important. And sometimes you just have no idea what to expect - would normal prime be best, or a telephoto, or something wider?

The Contax 35-135mm Vario-Sonnar is not spectacular at anything specific, but overall it is a well thought out lens with a very useful zoom range on full-frame dSLsR such as the Canon 5D or 1Ds-series. It won’t replace a camera bag full of high quality primes, but the Contax 35-135mm zoom will do a fine job. The lens has 16 elements, so that alone suggests some compromises (potential light loss, aberrations, etc).

In my experience with the 35-135mm the Macro function is the lens’ stand-out feature with very, very good performance - well worth the price of the lens alone.

HANDLING

The Contax 35-135mm Vario-Sonnar is a large lens. The size specifications listed on the Contax U.K. website are wrong - they show weight at approximately 1.6 pounds; the true weight is 2 pounds. The lens is about 5 inches long at 35mm, and about 7 inches when zoomed to 135mm. Like its twin brother the 28-85mm Vario-Sonnar, these are big lenses which feel front-heavy or nose-heavy when mounted on a Canon dSLR. In comparison the Canon 24-70mm L F2.8 is a very large lens too, and it is a good reference when trying to visualize the 35-135mm’s overall volume and weight. The 35-135mm’s diameter is similar to a Canon 70-200mm L F2.8, so it is difficult to label the Contax 35-135mm as a compact walk-around lens. The Contax is great for that purpose, but it will feel heavy as the day wears on.

The Contax 35-135mm is a one-touch zoom - meaning the focus ring is also the zoom ring. The lens employs a push-pull design. Some photographers like this design because they can zoom and focus very quickly without moving their hand from one ring to another. Other photographers prefer the a separate zoom ring which turns opposed to the push-pull layout.

Like all Contax RTS lenses the 35-135mm feels very well built with a nicely dampened focus ring. The only thing that seems bit awkward or kludgy is the secondary focus ring for the macro function. The 35-135mm has to be in the 35mm position before the macro-function focus ring can be engaged. The secondary ring has to pulled backed and locked into position. This action is not very smooth. That said, it works fine and it does not feel “cheap”. But, if you want to go from normal operation to macro operation, you will probably have to pull the camera away from eye, etc.

LENS PERFORMANCE

Across its entire focal range, Contax 35-135mm Sonnar-Vario 135mm Sonnar is a solid performer. The 35mm side has nice resolution, distortion is well controlled and the images have the typical Zeiss coloring. Compared to primes, the contrast is a bit lower. When it comes to resolution the 35mm is on par with a lens such as Canon’s 24-70mm L F2.8. The 135mm side is a bit more exciting as the 135mm focal length does offer nice bokeh for portraits and such. Zeiss lenses typically have a nice, diffused bokeh (background blur). For walk-around use the Contax is a solid option, its image quality is neither bad nor exceptional. For the most part its value is the zoom range. If you tend to shoot more on the telephoto side, then its extra reach will be a nice addition to your lens kit.

The Contax 35-135mm’s macro function is amazing and has impressed me most about the lens. The Contax 35-70mm Vario has a simple macro function which engages when the focus is turned fully to the left and past a soft-stop. To engage the macro function on the 35-135mm, the focus ring is set at 35mm, then the lower ring is pulled towards the camera until the secondary ring locks into position (see pictures on the next page).

Once in the macro mode the the focal length has a small zoom range - probably in the 35-45mm range. The minimum focus distance is ~12”, but I think Zeiss measures this from the rear element. The Contax 35-70mm macro mode is nice, the Contax 35-135mm macro mode is much more refined - the adjustability and range is greater, with more precision. I used the zoom for a number of product shots because its macro view had a very unique, somewhat wide angle feel. The light fall off in the corners can be pretty high on full-frame dSLRs, so shooting F8 or F11 is a good plan. At times there can even be some vignetting in the extreme corners. The 35-135mm’s weight can make handheld shooting difficult - especially in the macro mode. Likewise, when the light is falling, shooting at 135mm can also be tricky. With 16 elements the light loss is noticeable and in waning light the shutter speeds dip quickly. During the last couple hours of daylight, plan on bumping ISO to around 400. (continue to next page)