Contax G Planar 45mm f/2 user reviews

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.

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.

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.

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.

Very fine lens. A little jewel.

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.

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