OTHER LENS OPTIONS

Of all the Contax lenses, I have been most pleased with the Contax C/Y 100mm F2 Planar. It has consistently delivered very good results and a distinctive look. The downside to the Contax 100mm Planar is availability. The B&H shopping list below has a list of suggested alternative lenses to Contax N 85mm F1.4 Planar.

Out of that list lenses - the new Zeiss 85mm F1.4 Planar ZF has not been reviewed yet, so it is an unknown quantity right now. Used Contax 85mm F1.4 Planars sell for $500-$600 on Ebay, the new Zeiss is $1000 - ouch! Preliminary user reports suggest the Zeiss 85mm F1.4 Planar produces moderate amounts of CA at faster apertures.

The Zeiss 100mm F2 Makro-Planar is also expensive. The Zeiss 100mm F2 Makro-Planar reviews sound promising; however, nothing has indicated that the new Zeiss outperforms the original Contax C/Y 100mm Planar. Obviously the new Zeiss macro sports a shorter minimum focus distance, so the  new Zeiss does have that advantage.

The Canon 85mm L F1.2 II is not been among my favorite lenses - very heavy, too much CA wide open, blows out skies on landscapes and it is a delicate lens. I am always scared of scratching the front and rear elements during lens changes. It also has a floating lens design which needs to be in perfect alignment for optical performance. When traveling with the Canon 85L I am worried that the floating element will be knocked out of tolerance while bouncing around in the camera bag.

The Canon 85mm F1.8 is a very popular lens amongst Canon users. At ~$350 new, the Canon 85mm F1.8 is by far the most economical choice listed. When it comes fringe (CA) at faster apertures and corner/edge sharpness, the 85mm F1.8 will not test as well as its big brothers, but does take a nice picture.

That leaves the Canon 135mm L F2.0 USM. If the added reach (ie - 135mm vs 85mm) is not a problem, I would recommend the Canon 135L. The 135L is among Canon’s best lenses - focuses quickly, feels light and well built. The 135L has excellent bokeh and is very sharp at F2. That said, I very seldom used it as a travel lens because 135mm was usually too long. If most of your portrait pictures are indoors, then a 85mm lens makes more sense - especially when shooting with a cropped-body dSLR like the Canon 40D.

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Photozone posted their converted Contax 85N awhile back, click here for the review. While their test seems thorough, for some unknown reason they test on a Canon digital Rebel. These lenses should be tested on a full frame dSLR in my opinion. Conurus’ website also has a user forum. That is a great place to post questions and look for samples. The forum does not see much traffic, so it may take a couple days for people to respond to your question(s).  Published January 2008.