The Carl Zeiss Sonnar 200mm 2.8 is a very solidly build tele lens that was manufactured in East Germany by Carl Zeiss Jena. It offers sharpness, a good bookeh and great colour rendering – in a very heavy package.

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 200mm 2.8 Versions

The 200mm Sonnar 2.8 is an all-metal lens that was manufactured in M42 mount. All Lenses have a black finish. Some lenses use the branding “electric” meaning that they have three electric connectors at the back of the lens. On modern digital cameras both types will be identical. All the lenses are multi coated (MC). It uses an all metal lens shade.

• Mounts available:
  • M42 / Pentax Mount
• Made in east Germany
• Lens elements: 6
• viewing angle: 12.5°
• minimum focusing distance: 220 cm
• Filter mount: M77 x 0.75
• Multi Coating: Yes

Carl Zeiss Sonnar 200mm 2.8 Review

I was very positively surprised by the 200mm Sonnar lens. Normally I am not really a telephoto user but the 200mm Sonnar was a joy to shoot with. Yes it is heavy and its size will make you very noticeable to pedestrians. If you are willing to carry the extra weigth you will be able to shoot stunning images.

PROs:

The 200mm Sonnar is a very sharp fixed focal length all-metal construction telephoto lens. It delivers great results on full frame cameras. It produces great crisp images and vivid colours, even when shot wide open at f2.8. The bookeh is also very creamy. When it comes to sharpness and image details the 200mm Sonnar it a top performer that can take up the challenge of modern telephoto lenses such as the Nikon 70-200mm.

• sharp, even when shot wide open
• nice, creamy bookeh
• build like a tank – quality is excellent

CONs:

The main disadvantage of this lens is certainly its size and weight. It really is build like a tank and you will think twice of going for a stroll with the 200mm Sonnar lens. Its all metal construction makes it heavier than most zoom lenses. The fixed focal length of 200mm is best geared towards full frame cameras. If you want to use this lens on a cropped sensor camera I would recommend using a tripod.

• super heavy and cumbersome
• fixed focal length
• not ideal for cameras using a cropped sensor