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| The Carl Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM |
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| An Extraordinary Lens for Extraordinary Photos |
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Thanks to their compact design and discreet shutter release noise,
rangefi nder camera systems such as the Zeiss Ikon enable photographers to work in situations where reflex camera photographers, with their large cameras and lenses and noisy mirror slap, are regarded as disruptive or even intolerable. In addition, rangefinder cameras have the capacity to produce unusual pictures, which are often taken unnoticed and therefore succeed in capturing a natural, true-to-life mood. In this context, selecting the right lens is as important as the choice of camera.
The ZEISS C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM lens with M-bayonet mount is the perfect solution in such situations. It is based on the design of the legendary Sonnar 1.5/50 lens from the 1930s, which, at that time, was the fastest lens available. For many decades, it was highly valued for its imaging performance, in particular due to its resistance to stray light and good distortion correction, and not least, thanks to its compact design. These qualities are also found in the new ZM lens. In homage to its historical predecessor, the C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM lens features a ”C” in its name, referring to both its ”Compact” and ”Classic” qualities.
As a fast standard focal length lens, it can be employed for a wide range of multi-purpose uses. Equipped with appropriately fast fi lm material, photographers can take handheld shots without the disruption or unwanted properties of fl ash, which would otherwise have been blurred due to camera shake.
As is typical of lenses of this speed, the C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM produces a particularly shallow depth of field with the aperture wide open. Additionally, the lens provides excellent bokeh thanks to the shape of its diaphragm blades. As a result, picture details in out-of-focus zones are depicted in a particularly soft and harmonious way. Especially in combination with black-and-white film, this produces an additional stand-out effect even when there is a large degree of tonal similarity between the main subject and the background.
Due to its very nature, our threedimensional world offers numerous shooting situations that are particularly appropriate for these characteristics of the C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM lens. Portrait and stage photography, the famous look behind the scenes, still lives, and even otherwise quite ordinary situations frequently gain their distinctive character only when this particular lens is used.
Stopped down to 5.6 or more, the imaging performance of the lens is noticeably enhanced across virtually the entire focal field, meaning that it is also perfectly suited to other applications such as travel or landscape photography. |
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May 2007 |
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