There is some light fall-off in the corners. The degree of fall-off is typical for most zoom lenses. When stopped down to F5.6 or F8, any light fall off that remains is not noticeable. There can be some strong vignetting in macro mode in the extreme corners - expect to crop the last 2-3% of the image in each corner. The images have nice contrast and sharpness, and (surprisingly) sometimes there is the classic Zeiss 3D effect. Coloring is neutral and pictures tend to have nice greens and blues. Post processing can add the wow-factor (for color) if desired.

Coloring fringing (CA) is evident, but is minor and is definitely less than my Canon 24-105L. What bit of CA that does show up, is easily eliminated in Phase One C1 Pro. The Contax will flare if shot into the sun. The flare has been the pretty type with nicely stacked shapes & colors. I have not experienced any ugly flare spots that look like a burnt tear drop. The front element does NOT rotate, so using polarizers and graduated filters is trouble-free.

MACRO MODE

The Contax 35-135mm’s macro function is amazing and the most impressive feature of the lens. The Contax 35-70mm has a simple macro function which engages when the focus is turned fully to the left and past a soft-stop. The 35-70mm’s macro function is a neat parlor trick; whereas the 35-135mm is a serious macro lens. The Contax 35-135mm macro mode is much more refined - the adjustability and range is greater, with more precision. 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 it locks into position. Engaging the macro mode may take a small amount of force to click into place.

Once in the macro mode the the focal length has a small zoom range - probably in the 35-45mm range. Yes, you read correctly - a ZOOM range in macro. The secondary ring (the one used to engage macro mode) is also the focus ring for the macro mode. The big focus ring controls the zoom by rotating the ring. The minimum focus distance is ~12”, but I think Zeiss measures this from the rear element. I use the zoom for 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. There can be actual vignetting in the extreme corners (totally black from the lens hood), so some minor cropping might be needed. This probably sounds horrible, but it really is just the most extreme corners.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

There are two basic swiss army knives. There is the little one with two blades, tooth pick and tweezers. Many companies use these as giveaways at trade shows, etc. Then there are mega versions with 20 different fold out blades and tools. Knife stores will often have jumbo sized versions in their display window with mechanized blades automatically opening and closing. Do you need all those blades and gizmos? No. After all, who wants to carry that brick in their pocket? But if you find yourself on a deserted desert island, you’ll sure as heck wish you had 1 pound mega knife. The Contax 35-135mm is that mega swiss army knife.

The Contax 35-135mm’s optical performance is in the same category as the Canon’s 24-70L and 24-105L. I think “my” 35-135mm is appreciable better than “my” 24-105L, but that could be sample variation. The Canon zooms offer auto focus, stabilization, weather sealing and auto aperture. And the Contax doesn’t... But the Contax does have a very useful 35-135mm range which covers everything from landscapes to portraits to light tele work. And then there is the macro mode. Despite its lack of modern amenities, I have always loved the Contax 35-135mm. For me the big selling points are the build quality, the 135mm reach and the macro mode.  Also, its rendering styling blends well with the Leica M and Leica M9.