Contax/Yashica lenses

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Contax/Yashica (C/Y) lenses are manual-focus lenses marketed by Contax, Yashica, and Zeiss sharing a common bayonet-style mount.

Overview and History

Contax/Yashica (C/Y) manual-focus lenses with a common bayonet mount were introduced in 1975 simultaneously on the Contax RTS and on the Yashica FX-1. The Yashica range of lenses included a premium range of lenses for the more serious photographer (termed 'ML' for multi-layered or 'MC' for multi-coating), while consumer SLR cameras were usually equipped with 'DSB' lenses, which had single-coated optics. The top of the line was the renowned Zeiss AE series of lenses, intended for the Contax SLR cameras, each of which displayed a T* for Zeiss' proprietary multi-coating. Some Carl Zeiss lenses were made in Germany and the rest in Japan under Zeiss license. But all of these lenses were interchangeable with any Yashica or Contax camera equipped with the C/Y bayonet lens mount.

In 1983, Kyocera acquired Yashica, and continued to manufacture Yashica ML lenses, as well as the Carl Zeiss AE T* lenses under license. The C/Y mount was slightly modified in 1985 with the new Zeiss 'MM' design lenses, which permitted the use of program and shutter-priority on the Contax 159MM and subsequent bodies. The new MM lenses are distinguished visually by the color of the f-stop markers: the highest f-stop on the MM lenses is marked in green. (On the older lenses, also called AE lenses, it is marked in white.) The newer MM lenses are still backwards-compatible with all Contax and Yashica cameras, but with older AE lenses one cannot use all available programmed and shutter-priority exposure functions on the post-1984 Contax bodies. Unfortunately, the program mode of later manual-focus Yashica (Kyocera) bodies (FX-103, 107/108/109 MP) does not have full MM compatibility.

One of the more interesting adaptations of the Zeiss AE/MM lenses is to the Contax AX camera, built by Kyocera. This camera allows autofocus of the manual-focus Zeiss lenses, by actually moving the film plane (rather than the lens) back and forth. The AX can also be used with other lens mounts, via adapters.

Later Contax SLR lenses for the auto-focus Contax N series built by Kyocera use a completely different and dedicated AF lens mount, aptly called "N mount."

While every brand has its adherents, optical testing has generally shown that Zeiss AE/MM lenses were among the sharpest ever made for a production 35mm SLR. Adapters to use Zeiss T* AE/MM lenses on other cameras, most notably Canon digital SLR's, have proved popular.

While not to Zeiss standards, Yashica ML and MC multi-coated lenses for the C/Y bayonet mount have also earned a reputation for high quality. Yashica already had a reputation for fine optics dating from the early 1960s with its optics supplier (later subsidiary), Tomioka Optical, and is also believed to have benefited from its licensing and manufacturing relationship with Carl Zeiss.

Yashica

DSB

prime

  • DBS 24mm f2.8
  • DSB 28mm f2.8
  • DSB 50mm f1.9
  • DBS 55mm f2
  • DSB 135mm f2.8

zoom

  • DSB 28-80mm f3.8-4.8
  • DSB 35-105mm f3.8-4.8
  • DSS 38-90mm f3.5
  • DSB 70-180 f4.5
  • DSB 70-210mm f4
  • DSB 75-150mm f3.9
  • DSB 75-200mm f4.5

DX

  • DX 50mm f1.7 (very rare - see YashicaForum.com for related discussion)
  • DX 100mm f4 Dental/Medical (internal ring-flash and portable Power Pack)

YUS

ML

prime

  • ML 15mm f2.8 Fisheye
  • ML 20mm f3.3
  • ML 21mm f3.5
  • ML 24mm f2.8
  • ML 28mm f2.8
  • ML 28mm F2.8c
  • ML 35mm f2.8
  • ML 50mm f1.4
  • ML 50mm f1.7
  • ML 50mm f1.9
  • ML 50mm f1.9c
  • ML 50mm f2.0
  • ML 55mm f1.2
  • ML 55mm f2.8 Macro
  • ML 55mm f4 Macro
  • ML 100mm f3.5 Macro
  • ML 100mm f4 bellows
  • ML 135mm f2.8
  • ML 135mm f2.8C
  • ML 200mm f4
  • ML 200mm f4C
  • ML 300mm f5.6
  • ML 300mm f5.6C
  • ML 400mm f5.6
  • ML 500mm f8 Reflex
  • 500mm f8 reflex
  • 1000mm f11

zoom

  • ML 28-50mm f3.5
  • ML 28-85mm f3.5-4.5
  • ML 28-210 f3.5-5.6
  • ML 35-70mm f3.5
  • ML 35-70mm f3.5-4.8
  • ML 35-70mm f4
  • ML 35-105mm f3.5-4.5
  • ML 42-75mm f3.5-4.5
  • ML 70-210mm f4
  • ML 70-210mm f4.5
  • ML 70-210mm f4.5-5.6
  • ML 75-150mm f4
  • ML 80-200mm f4
  • ML 100-300mm f5.6

MC zoom

  • MC 28-70mm f3.8-4.8
  • MC 28-80mm f3.9-4.9
  • MC 35-70mm f3.5-4.5
  • MC 70-210mm f 4.5-5.6
  • MC 75-200mm f4.5

Carl Zeiss T*

  • 15mm f3.5 distagon
  • 16mm f2.8 f-distagon fisheye
  • 18mm f4 distagon
  • 21mm f2.8 distagon
  • 25mm f2.8 distagon
  • 28mm f2 distagon
  • 28mm f2.8 distagon
  • 35mm f1.4 distagon
  • 35mm f2.8 distagon
  • 35mm f2.8 PC-distagon
  • 45mm f2.8 tessar
  • 50mm f1.4 planar
  • 50mm f1.7 planar
  • 55mm f1.2 Planar
  • 60mm f2.8 Makro-planar
  • 60mm f2.8 C Makro-planar
  • 60mm f2.8 S-Planar
  • 85mm f1.2 Planar
  • 85mm f1.4 planar
  • 85mm f2.8 sonnar
  • 100mm f2 planar
  • 100mm f2 C Makro-planar
  • 100mm f3.5 sonnar
  • 135mm f2 planar
  • 135mm f2.8 sonnar
  • 180mm f2.8 sonnar
  • 200mm f2 aposonnar
  • 200mm f3.5 tele-tessar
  • 300mm f2.8 teleapotesser
  • 300mm f4 tele-tessar
  • 500mm f4.5 mirotar
  • 500mm f8 mirotar
  • 600mm f4 Tele-ApoTessar
  • 1000mm f5.6 mirotar

Voigtländer

Aetna

  • Aetna Rokunar MC Auto f=24mm 1:2.8, 52mm filter
  • Aetna Rokunar MC Auto 1:4.5 f=80-200mm, 55mm filter

Katana

  • Katana MC Auto Zoom 1:3.5-4.8 35-75mm, 55mm filter

Kiron

  • Kiron 28-210mm f/4-5.6 Macro
  • Kiron 70-210mm f/4.5 Macro
  • Kiron 80-200mm f/4.5 Macro

Midori

  • Midori Zoom MC 80-200mm f/4.5

Phenix

  • Phenix MC 50mm f1.7

Tokina

  • Tokina SD 35-200mm 1:4.5-5.6, 62mm filter