Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Planar T* 45mm f/2 (Contax G)

Carl Zeiss · Contax G · 1994 · Planar — double Gauss, 6e/4g

Also known as: Contax G Planar 45mm f/2 · Planar 45mm f/2 G · Planar T* 2/45 · Contax G 45mm · Zeiss Planar 45mm Contax G

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Planar T* 45mm f/2 (Contax G) Contax G 1994–2005 — Unpublished — Kyocera released no figures
How to tell them apart (expand)

Planar T* 45mm f/2 (Contax G):

  • Titanium-finish or black; 41 mm long; six straight blades — hexagonal highlights

Specifications

Formula
Planar — double Gauss, 6e/4g
Construction
6 elements / 4 groups
Aperture range
f/2–f/16
Diaphragm blades
6
Min. focus
0.5 m
Weight
190 g
Filter
46 mm
Years manufactured
1994–2005
Country
Japan
Coating
Carl Zeiss T* multicoating
Original price
US$420 (1995, Popular Photography via Wikipedia) (today $864)

What reviewers say

History

The kit lens, and by Photodo’s measurement the sharpest lens ever tested for 35mm: six elements in four groups, 190 grams, 46 mm filter, six blades, 0.5 m close focus, $420 alone in 1995 or bundled with every G1 and G2. James Tocchio: “sharpness is beyond comparison… subjects pop, especially when centered,” with the T* coating all but abolishing flare and colour fringing, and hexagonal bokeh that is textured rather than creamy.

It is the lens the autofocus was tuned for — the bodies rarely miss with it — and the reason the G system’s reputation survived the 90’s focusing trouble. Adapted to digital it has no focus ring, so an adapter with a helicoid does the work; the pictures are worth it, the handling is not.

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This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

Sample photo taken with the Planar T* 45mm f/2 (Contax G)
Planar 45mm f/2 on a Contax G2 — Lordcolus, via Openverse (flickr) (BY 2.0)

Sample photo wanted — shot with a Planar T* 45mm f/2 (Contax G)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $580 across 41 fixed-price listings on 2026-10-19 (middle half $530–$650). Tracked since 2026-09-10, 9 days: down 2% from $600.

By day
DateMedianMiddle halfListings
2026-10-19$580$530–$65041
2026-10-18$580$530–$65041
2026-10-17$580$530–$65041
2026-10-16$590$530–$65041
2026-10-15$580$520–$65040
2026-09-21$620$530–$90038
2026-09-18$620$530–$90040
2026-09-11$600$500–$75036
2026-09-10$600$500–$69034

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

Show 60 more listings

Buying from Yahoo! Auctions outside Japan. It is a domestic marketplace: sellers ship within Japan, and most will not register an overseas buyer. A proxy service bids on your behalf, receives the item and forwards it, for a fee and a wait. Buyee, Jauce and ZenMarket each accept a Yahoo auction number directly. Listed alphabetically for information — none is recommended over another, and none of these is an affiliate link.

Listings updated 2026-10-19. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: Planar T* 35mm f/2 (Contax G) · Sonnar T* 90mm f/2.8 (Contax G)

Sources (4)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.