Document the real.\n\nThe ‘C’ designation in the C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM name means both ‘compact’ and ‘classic’. The lens design and aperture geometry reflect its predecessor from the 1930s, the Sonnar 1,5/50, which was the fastest standard lens of its time. The excellent flare control inherent of the Sonnar lens design is further optimized with the ZEISS T* anti-reflection coating. This lens stays true to its heritage, physically resembling the lenses of the past. With its fast aperture, taking photographs with a beautiful ‘bokeh’ that reflects the ambiance of the golden age of rangefinder photography is as simple as pressing a button.\n\nHigh-Speed Lens\n\nGreat low-light shots start with a great lens for your DSLR camera. A high-speed lens captures as much light as possible. A lens with a wide maximum aperture offers the best results in difficult lighting conditions.\n\nSmooth, precise focusing\n\nManually focusing a lens means controlling the image result from your fingertips. A good ergonomic design makes all the difference. The user-friendly focusing ring on ZEISS lenses with an ergonomic finger rest is perfect for fast, precise focusing. Changes are immediately visible in the viewfinder. The high-quality focusing mechanism moves smoothly without play, thus also supporting the intuitive interaction with the focal plane.\n\nIdeal aperture properties\n\nPhotographers want to guide the observer through the image. Minimal depth of focus is often used as a design element. This keeps the background intentionally blurred to keep the attention of the observer on the main subject. The ZM lenses feature ten aperture blades. The almost circular aperture helps to create a particularly harmonious effect in the out-of-focus areas of the picture (bokeh).\n\nCarl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating\n\nAll lens elements in SLR lenses from Carl Zeiss feature the T* anti-reflective coating and an optical design that produces brilliant pictures even in unfavorable lighting conditions. We vacuum deposit very thin, transparent coats on the surfaces of the lens elements to make them anti-reflective. Special substances, one by one, are vaporized with very high energy in a high vacuum, which are then deposited on the glass surface as a coating with precisely controlled thicknesses to achieve the desired reduction of reflections. The first coatings were applied by Carl Zeiss back in the 1930s.\n\nRobust design\n\nThe mount and control elements of all ZM lenses are made of metal and are designed for decades of intensive use. The high-quality craftsmanship of the all-metal mounts, the easy-to-grip metal focus and aperture ring and the robust front bayonet and filter threads ensure an amazing photographic experience.