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![]() $899 SAVE $100 = 10.0% Voigtlander 75mm f/1.5 Nokton Aspherical Lens (Silver) IN STOCK in Lenses: Rangefinder
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Zeiss ZM 85mm f/2 Sonnar T*
Related: distortion, Leica, Leica M, optics, Zeiss Lenses, Zeiss ZM, Zeiss ZM 85mm f/2 Sonnar
The Zeiss ZM 85mm f/2 Sonnar (about $3350) is an ultra high performance 85mm lens hand-built in Germany, and thus is one of the premium optics of the Zeiss ZM line.
Its low distortion and ultra-high imaging quality make it eminently suitable for true-to-life imagery.
Focusing
Like all lenses over 50mm, your primary challenge on a rangefinder like the Leica M9 will be accurate focus and framing, just as with the Leica 75mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M. In essence, perfect 20/20 vision is needed, along with perfect rangefinder focus adjustment.
Leica M9/M7/M8 users should consider the Viewfinder Magnifier 1.4X for use with 75/85/90mm lenses.
Image quality
This lens offers very high performance, but please see the Guide to Leica for commentary.
Specifications
Per Zeiss. See the datasheet.
Focal length: | 85mm |
Aperture scale: | f/2 - f/16 in 1/3 steps |
Focusing range: | 1m - infinity |
Angular field, diag./horiz./vert | 29/24/16 ° |
Coverage at close range: | 23 cm x 35 cm |
Image ratio at close range: | 1:10 |
Number of elements/groups: | 6 elements in 6 groups |
Filter thread: | M 58 x 0.75 |
Weight: | 500g |
Dimensions (with caps): | ø 70 mm, length 100 mm |
Distortion
A faint trace of pincushion distortion is all there is.
This is effectively zero distortion for any practical purpose, and much less distortion than the Leica offerings in the 75mm - 90mm range.

Conclusions
Please see discussion in Guide to Leica.