SHOOTING THE ZEISS DISTAGON T* 55MM F/3.5

As much as I love my Zeiss Planar T* 80mm ƒ2.0, it is truly a legend in my own camera bag. I soon felt it wasn’t enough… not wide enough, to be precise. Previously, using my Hasselblad, with its standard 80mm it always seemed sufficient for both portraiture and topography. I think this was because of its square format, which satisfied me for both purposes. But now, shooting in 4:3, I found myself missing some width. Time to consider another lens.

When the CONTAX 645 debuted in 1999, the original lens lineup included the Distagon T* 45mm ƒ2.8 the equivalent of 28mm on a 35mm camera. A couple of years later, they released the Distagon T* 55mm ƒ3.5 equivalent to 33mm on a 35mm camera. Ironically, the 55mm is now more expensive than the 45mm. Originally made as a lower-cost wide lens, perhaps as an alternative to the 45mm, the 55mm was produced in far smaller numbers which is why it is now both rarer and pricier than the 45mm, the exact reverse of 25 years ago.

Slower and more expensive than the 45mm today, the 55mm was still my preferred lens of the two. The focal length felt more natural, the proportions more balanced. At 75mm long and 500 grams, it’s far more compact than the 45mm’s 98mm and 825 grams.

Having now used it for a few months, I’m definitely happy with its lightweight design and like all Zeiss lenses I’ve used, it’s flawlessly built and is a joy to handle. The image quality is excellent, it’s bright from corner to corner and, even at ƒ3.5, sharp. Best of all, being a moderate wide lens, its distortion is barely noticeable, making it okay for my portraits too!

All photographed with the Zeiss Distagon T* 55mm ƒ3.5 & CONTAX 645 on Kodak TMAX 400 & Kodak Portra 160