Contax G Planar 45mm f/2 Reviews

Aug 25th, 2006JG

Price Paid
Not Specified

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
More than a year

The sharpest lens I have ever used. The contrast is amazing.

Sep 27th, 2006mcardlec

Price Paid
$200

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
More than a year

Very good at f2, stunning at f4-f8. Equal in optical quality to a Leica but has a differnt look - particularly, out of focus background is distintively Zeiss. Considering you can pick these up in mint condition for less than $200 (and a G1 body for similar), it must have one of the best value/quality ratios of any lens.

Dec 12th, 2006gehringj

Price Paid
Not Specified

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
More than a year

Very fine lens. A little jewel.

Oct 5th, 2007Rijuer

Price Paid
$150.00 US

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
Less than a year

Stunning lens with great sharpness, clarity and "feel." The G lens to own if you can only afford one. Used on my vintage G1 camera.

May 31st, 2008craiu

Price Paid
$150

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
More than a year

What an awesome little lens. I got the 45/2 after owning the 35/2 for a while, which was a bit disappointing. Quite on the opposite, this lens is razor sharp at all f's, while bokeh is absolutely stunning at f:2 (it gets a bit ugly when stopped down).

Used it to shot all kinds of films, but I particularly enjoyed the look of slides (they just sparkle!) and high contrast BW film.

Oct 11th, 2008pascalf

Price Paid
$126

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
Less than a month

Simply one of the best lenses that I've ever used. It is very sharp and the contrast is extremely High. They are going for less that $150 used in EX+ condition. You will be amazed at the resolution of this lens. A great place to buy them used is KEH (www.keh.com) and great place to develop and and get a 15 megapixel scan per roll for under $12 is North Coast Photographic.

Dec 13th, 2008teeharbor

Price Paid
$325.00

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
More than a year

Even with so many excellent lenses being made today, this vintage 45mm Zeiss lens still holds its own and I actually use it as a benchmark for other lenses to match. The classic design is hard to beat; in day to day use it is impeccably sharp, even wide open. Compare this to so many digital lenses that are simply awful wide open. If I only had one lens on a 35mm body, this would be the one, hands down. I shoot with film & scan it if I need larger prints, and just use a DSLR if I need anything smaller than 16x20. I paid around $325.00 new years ago, and it could be had for less than half of that now. It is probably one of the most understated lenses out there, very humble looking.

Mar 24th, 2011RobGrune

Price Paid
?

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
More than a year

Superb. Stunning images. One of the finest lenses ever made, for any format, by anyone. Far exceeds Nikkor. Such a pity Kyocera made it without basics such as focus ring, specifically for the G2 body. I hope for the day someone somewhere makes either a new body for this lens, or a new digital back for the old G2.

May 24th, 2014alanz

Price Paid
Not Specified

Product Understanding
Good

Time Owned
More than a year

Also, it is fabulous as a legacy lens on the Sony A7R (with Metabones adapter). The resolution is incredible. See Flickr for photos, and search for A7RwithG45. This is likely the reason why this lens has increased in price dramatically. The only lens that is superior is the Zeiss Otus.