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

Vario-Sonnar T* 35–70mm f/3.5–5.6 (Contax G)

Carl Zeiss · Contax G · 2000 · Vario-Sonnar zoom, 13e/8g

Also known as: Contax G Vario-Sonnar 35-70mm · Vario-Sonnar 35-70mm f/3.5-5.6 G · Vario-Sonnar T* 3.5-5.6/35-70 · Contax G 35-70mm · Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 35-70 Contax G

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Vario-Sonnar T* 35–70mm f/3.5–5.6 (Contax G) Contax G 2000–2005 — Unpublished — Kyocera released no figures
  1. The family's focal length and aperture are the wide end; 35–70mm f/3.5–5.6 is the range.
How to tell them apart (expand)

Vario-Sonnar T* 35–70mm f/3.5–5.6 (Contax G):

  • G2 only — the G1's five contacts cannot read it; 54 mm long; zoom ring, no focus ring

Specifications

Formula
Vario-Sonnar zoom, 13e/8g
Construction
13 elements / 8 groups
Aperture range
f/3.5–f/22
Diaphragm blades
7
Min. focus
1 m
Weight
290 g
Filter
46 mm
Years manufactured
2000–2005
Country
Japan
Coating
Carl Zeiss T* multicoating

What reviewers say

No reviews aggregated yet — this family is still in the research queue. Written one? We'd love to index it.

History

The first zoom lens ever made for a rangefinder camera, and the last Contax G lens: thirteen elements in eight groups, 35 to 70mm at f/3.5 to f/5.6, 290 grams, 46 mm filter, one-metre close focus, sold from 2000. It works only on the G2, whose finder zooms with it and whose seven contacts carry the focal length; a G1, even green-labelled, has five contacts and cannot use it.

Few were sold and fewer reviewed; it is the completist’s lens, and the one that shows how far Kyocera took the idea before the system ended in 2005.

Expand Collapse

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 wanted — shot with a Vario-Sonnar T* 35–70mm f/3.5–5.6 (Contax G)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $460 across 16 fixed-price listings on 2026-10-19 (middle half $360–$630). Tracked since 2026-09-10, 9 days: up 12% from $410.

By day
DateMedianMiddle halfListings
2026-10-19$460$360–$63016
2026-10-18$460$360–$63016
2026-10-17$460$360–$63016
2026-10-16$460$360–$63016
2026-10-15$400$360–$57029
2026-09-21$410$370–$55029
2026-09-18$410$370–$55030
2026-09-11$410$370–$50030
2026-09-10$410$370–$54029

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

Show 7 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: 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.