According to photographers such as Martin Henson and Zach Horton the Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8 is a joy to shoot wide open. Sharp where it counts and a dreamy bokeh. The 180mm f/2.8 was one of the first Carl Zeiss Jena lenses I bought to complement my Pentax 645 set. As my example of this lens had slow moving aperture blades (when they were inclined to move at all...) it didn't get as much use as some of my other Carl Zeiss Jena lenses. But seeing the results of this lens wide open at f/2.8 I decided to take the 645Z - 180mm combo out for a spin.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8
My version predates the 'zebra' design and is one of the older models of this lens. It was produced from 1961 to 1963 and is single coated. The 180mm is somewhat on the heavy side but little wonder as this lens is built like a tank. I found that, when coupled to my Pentax 645 cameras, it is fine to shoot hand-held but I might be biased as I am used to shooting long telephoto lenses hand-held - one of the perks of aviation photography. To fit this lens - or any lens with the Pentacon Six mount - on my Pentaxes I use a P6-645 adapter. There are plenty of these on eBay where they sell for about € 30.
In the field
In the field, or rather, in the quiet serenity of the Naarden Old Cemetery I set out to see what this lens could do. I am quite pleased with the results. Good separation at f/2.8, the bokeh is pleasing and not distracting and the lens has that dreamy look you can't seem to get with modern optimized-for-digital lenses. The fact that this lens has only single coating is no doubt responsible for that. There is surprisingly little CA on the images this lens produces which surprised me. I found it difficult to focus at times without the aid of a split-screen focusing screen though but that is more the result of fitting this lens to my digital Pentax (which lacks a split screen focusing screen) than anything else.
I'll leave you with a few shots from today's outing.
