Contax/Yashica is a common lens mount for 35mm film cameras introduced in 1975 by Contax, Yashica and Carl Zeiss. It is a bayonet mount with three tabs, a focal flange distance of 45.5mm, and a throat diameter of 48mm. Lens mount had two major variations – original specification AE lenses, with tabs enabling manual and aperture-priority exposure, and MM lenses introduced in 1985, with additional tabs enabling shutter-priority and fully programmed exposure.
The greater introduction of autofocus led to the demise of the Yashica part of the mount, at that time under new corporate ownership by Kyocera. Contax and Carl Zeiss continued to produce cameras and lenses until the early 2000s, until the introduction of the Contax N system.
Jump to: Yashica DSB lenses, YUS lenses, ML lenses, MC lenses, Carl Zeiss T∗ lenses.
Yashica DSB lenses
Yashica DSB lenses are earlier and/or cheaper options, they have no support for program and shutter-priority modes. DSB lenses have single-coated optics.
- Yashica DSB 24mm F2.8
- Yashica DSB 28mm F2.8 🔗
- Yashica DSB Zoom 28–80mm F3.8–4.8
- Yashica DSB Zoom 35–105mm F3.8–4.8
- Yashica DSB Zoom 38–90mm F3.5
- Yashica DSB 50mm F1.9
- Yashica DSB 55mm F2
- Yashica DSB Zoom 70–180mm F4.5
- Yashica DSB Zoom 70–210mm F4
- Yashica DSB Zoom 75–150mm F3.9
- Yashica DSB Zoom 75–200mm F4.5
- Yashica DSB 135mm F2.8 🔗
Yashica YUS lenses
Yashica YUS lenses are DSB lenses sold on the North American market, YUS stands for Yashica US.
- YUS Automatic 28mm F2.8
- YUS Automatic 135mm F2.8
- YUS Automatic 75–150mm F3.9
Yashica ML lenses
Yashica ML lenses are later, multi-layer coated lenses, with no support for program and shutter-priority modes. C version lenses have recalculated lens formulas, and are more compact than previous lenses without the C designation. Confusingly, there are the same, compact version lenses without the C designation, meaning the lenses without the C designation are either the earliest or the latest designs.
- Yashica ML 15mm F2.8 Fisheye fisheye lens
- Yashica ML 20mm F3.5
- Yashica ML 21mm F3.5
- Yashica ML 24mm F2.8
- Yashica ML 28mm F2.8 🔗
- Yashica ML 28mm F2.8 C
- Yashica ML Zoom 28–50mm F3.5
- Yashica ML Zoom 28–85mm F3.5–4.5
- Yashica ML Zoom 28–210mm F3.5–5.6
- Yashica ML 35mm F2.8
- Yashica ML Zoom 35–70mm F3.5
- Yashica ML Zoom 35–70mm F3.5–4.8
- Yashica ML Zoom 35–70mm F4
- Yashica ML Zoom 35–205mm F3.5–4.5
- Yashica ML Zoom 42–75mm F3.5–4.5
- Yashica ML 50mm F1.4
- Yashica ML 50mm F1.7
- Yashica ML 50mm F1.9
- Yashica ML 50mm F1.9 C
- Yashica ML 50mm F2 🔗
- Yashica ML 55mm F1.2
- Yashica ML 55mm F2.8 Macro macro lens
- Yashica ML 55mm F4 Macro macro lens
- Yashica ML Zoom 70–210mm F4
- Yashica ML Zoom 70–210mm F4.5
- Yashica ML Zoom 70–210mm F4.5–5.6
- Yashica ML Zoom 75–150mm F4
- Yashica ML Zoom 80–200mm F4
- Yashica ML 100mm F3.5 Macro macro lens
- Yashica ML 100mm F4 Bellows bellows lens
- Yashica ML Zoom 100–300mm F5.6
- Yashica ML 135mm F2.8
- Yashica ML 135mm F2.8 C
- Yashica ML 200mm F4
- Yashica ML 200mm F4 C
- Yashica ML 300mm F5.6
- Yashica ML 300mm F5.6 C
- Yashica ML 400mm F5.6
- Yashica ML 500mm F8 Reflex catadioptric lens
- Yashica 500mm F8 Reflex single-coated version, catadioptric lens
- Yashica 1000mm F11 Reflex single-coated version, catadioptric lens
Yashica MC lenses
Yashica MC lenses are the same as ML lenses, except for the designation and later production dates.
- Yashica MC Zoom 28–70mm F3.8–4.8
- Yashica MC Zoom 28–80mm F3.9–4.9
- Yashica MC Zoom 35–70mm F3.5–4.5
- Yashica MC Zoom 70–210mm F4.5–5.6
- Yashica MC Zoom 75–200mm F4.5
Carl Zeiss T∗ lenses
Carl Zeiss lenses are multi-coated and most come in two versions – AE and MM, the latter providing shutter-priority and fully programmed modes on compatible Contax bodies. Newer MM lenses are distinguished visually – the highest f-stop on the MM lenses is marked in green.
The N-Mirotar lens has a powered image intensifier module and is capable of producing only monochrome images because of that. Only 43 copies were made, presumably all for government use. It used two AA batteries to power a three-stage image intensifier module, which, when turned on, emitted a very high-pitched whine.
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 15mm F3.5 T∗
- Carl Zeiss F-Distagon 16mm F2.8 T∗ fisheye lens
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 18mm F4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 21mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 25mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 28mm F2 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 28mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 28–70mm F3.5–4.5 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 28–85mm F3.3–4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm F1.4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss PC-Distagon 35mm F2.8 T∗ tilt-shift lens
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 35–70mm F3.4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 35–135mm F3.3–4.5 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 40–80mm F3.5 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Tessar 45mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm F1.4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm F1.7 T∗ 🔗
- Carl Zeiss Planar 55mm F1.2 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar 60mm F2.8 T∗ macro lens
- Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar 60mm F2.8 C T∗ macro lens
- Carl Zeiss S-Planar 60mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 70–210mm F3.5 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Varion-Sonnar 80–200mm F4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm F1.2 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm F1.4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Sonnar 85mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Planar 100mm F2 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar 100mm F2 C T∗ macro lens
- Carl Zeiss Sonnar 100mm F3.5 T∗
- Carl Zeiss S-Planar 100mm F4 T∗ bellows lens
- Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 100–300mm F4.5–5.6 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Planar 135mm F2 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Sonnar 180mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Aposonnar 200mm F2 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 200mm F3.5 T∗
- Carl Zeiss N-Mirotar 210mm F0.03 T∗ with powered image intensifier module, catadioptric lens
- Carl Zeiss Tele-Apotessar 300mm F2.8 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 300mm F4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Mirotar 500mm F4.5 T∗ catadioptric lens
- Carl Zeiss Mirotar 500mm F8 T∗ catadioptric lens
- Carl Zeiss Tele-Apotessar 600mm F4 T∗
- Carl Zeiss Mirotar 1000mm F5.6 T∗ catadioptric lens
References
- Contax/Yashica lenses on Camera Wiki
- Zeiss C/Y Lenses on Apotelyt.com
- Cees De Groot’s Yashica SLR FAQ, or copy
- Carl Zeiss N-Mirotar lens info here, here and here
Last update: 5. 9. 2021.