Incredibly well built, finish is beautiful and the operation is silky smooth. Of course the lens is incredibly sharp and even performs well with a 2x converter at 270mm. The built-in lens hood is convenient.

None, I prefer to stand back when taking portraits and this does a fantastic job with portraits.

This is one of my favourite lenses. I took it to our local zoo to get some shots of the Siberian Tigers in their outdoor enclosure. I took the roll into my local lab for processing and picked them up the next day. When I came in the envelope wasn''t in the usual bin and they asked the technician about them. He had kep the shots back because he needed to ask me what lens I had used. He then showed me HIS favourites of my shots and asked if it was all right that he had made prints for himself. I said it was OK and he gave me an 8x10 enlargement of one of my shots for free. He must see thousands of pictures everyday but it was the shots that were taken with THIS lens that grabbed his attention.

Customer Service

Never a complaint

Similar Products Used:

Zeiss 85/f1.4

You don''t have to sit on peoples lap to get a portrait

As I say I don''t think mine is so good I shall take it back I think!

I think I may have a duff version of this lens I have never been happy with the results unlike the other review I find it is not a patch on my others, Lousy minimum focus too

Customer Service

About to find out!

Similar Products Used:

none

Unbelievably sharp wide open! Built in lens hood. Colors and textures in photos look very live (you are there!) Cheapest telephoto in the Contax line-up (as most 135mm''''s are) makes this thing a BARGAIN! Smooth focus has wonderful feel. The photos! Did I mention that I love the look of the photos taken with this lens?

minimum focusing distance 5.5 feet rather long, but not as much of an issue as I thought it would be. The added distance from the subject actually gives them more space, and makes them less aware of your presence. The lengthy review I posted, trying to describe how wonderful this lens really is!

found this lens on ebay, and got it just in time for x-mas, for family shots. Over two days, I shot with both setups, my Canon, with it''''s 50mm and 100mm lenses, and my Contax, with it''''s 50mm and 135mm lenses. I swear, the more I shoot with Contax lenses, the more it makes me want to sell off all my Canon equipment. This lens exhibits the same sharpness familiar to me with the 50mm planar, and the same deep blacks, and beautiful tones and textures that all my Contax equipment possesses, and none of my Canon equipment can seem to manage. Wide open, this lens is sharp! The eyes really snap(!) in portraits. The textures in skin, and all the subtle shading, make the photos look wonderful. By comparison, my Canon 100mm looks lifeless and soft, and the colors look boring. My only complaint with this lens, is the minimum focusing distance, which doesn''''t allow for tight head shots, but for candid shots, it''''s no problem. shooting for two days over X-mas, there was only one time when I was too close to the subject, and had to back away about half a foot. That said, this lens is outstanding! All the shots I took with it, I used consumer Fuji 800 speed film, and the results were AMAZING! (I''''ve never seen that film look so wonderful, and I''''ve used it alot) I still can''''t believe how sharp the pictures are, or how the colors look so strong without being overstated. But, it''''s not just shaprness. It''''s hard to explain in a scientific way, what I see in photos taken with my Contax equipment that I never see in my Canon equivilants, but I see it. So does my mom. So does anyone i show the photos to. I don''''t care if MTF graphs see it. I see it in my photos. The differences between the two systems seems to dissapear when the lenses are closed down, but wide open, the Contax lenses really shine (and, I tend to shoot that way more ofen than not) After seeing the photos I took with this lens, I''''m really looking forward to owning it for a very long time. If you use medium telephotos often, and can find one of these at a decent price, by it! The photos you take with it will reward you plenty.

Customer Service

never used, never needed

Similar Products Used:

various Canon and Contax equipment