Carl Zeiss 250mm f/5.6 Sonnar

**ljsegil** · 10-Aug-2007, 15:09

Anybody have any experience or know anything about this lens? Just kind of curious, and my google search didn't turn up much.
Thanks,
LJS

**Eric Brody** · 10-Aug-2007, 17:17

Is this a LF lens or are you referring to the well known 250mm f/5.6 Zeiss Sonnar for MF cameras such as Hasselblad and Rollei? I have one for my Hasselblad.

Eric

**ljsegil** · 10-Aug-2007, 21:18

I'm interested in the lens for LF, although I also have the MF version for the Rollei SL66 and like it very much. I'm curious how the LF version compares, or can it stand on its own qualities.
LJS

**Gene McCluney** · 14-Aug-2007, 11:00

The Sonnar name was usually used on lenses for 35mm and roll film cameras. Cameras that did not require a large image circle, as the lenses were not able to shift. While the Sonnar design produces outstanding results on small and medium format cameras, I am not aware of a Sonnar for LF.

**David A. Goldfarb** · 14-Aug-2007, 11:07

I've never tried one, but by all accounts, it's supposed to be an excellent lens. The Zeiss Biogon-Planar-Sonnar sets for Linhof were all designed for good performance at wide apertures for handheld use, but they all had fairly tight image circles for their focal length. There was a 180mm Sonnar for 2x3" and a 250mm for 4x5".