Lens Comparison: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonar 85/2 T vs Jupiter-9 85/2 MC

2026年5月16日星期六

Lens Comparison: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonar 85/2 T vs Jupiter-9 85/2 MC

2026/5/16

After taking the Soviet Jupiter-9 85mm f/2 MC (M42) out for a photo walk last time, I thought it would be interesting to compare it directly with the West German Zeiss-Opton Sonnar 85mm f/2 T (Contax RF), which led to this test record.　I mounted both lenses on Sony E-mount adapters for the comparison. In terms of physical size, the Jupiter-9 is about 1–2 mm taller. When stopped down to f/4, the Jupiter-9 maintains an almost perfectly circular aperture shape, while the Zeiss-Opton produces a more polygonal, star-like diaphragm opening. As for weight and handling, the two lenses feel fairly similar in hand.

上次帶著蘇聯 Jupiter-9 85/2 MC (M42) 外拍後，想到應該要與西德 Zeiss-Opton Sonnar 85/2 T (Contax RF) 比較一下，所以就做了這次的測試記錄。我將兩顆鏡頭都裝上了Sony E轉接環，就高度而言，Jupiter-9 約高了1~2mm，縮光圈至 f4 時，Jupiter-9呈現近乎圓形，Zeiss-Opton則是多角星芒狀，重量手感則是差不多。

These test shots were taken indoors under mixed lighting conditions, combining tungsten bulb lighting with daylight coming through a window. Comparing both lenses wide open at f/2, I personally find the Jupiter-9’s background rendering more pleasing, with stronger subject separation and a greater sense of three-dimensionality. The Zeiss-Opton Sonnar, on the other hand, stands out for its superior sharpness and contrast. When stopped down to f/4, it becomes even clearer that the horizontal lines behind the text are actually composed of dotted segments. I’ve also included both full-frame images and enlarged crops for reference.

All test photos below were taken with a Sony A7C with in-body image stabilization enabled (85mm setting).

這次的測試照片是在室內燈泡光源和窗戶室外光源混和的條件下拍攝的，以光圈f2來比較，我覺得 Jupiter-9 對背景虛化的處理比較令人討喜，也較有立體感，而Zeiss-Opton Sonnar 則是勝在銳利度和反差，縮光圈到 f4 時更可以清晰地看到文字後的橫線是點狀虛線所組成。同時附上全幅和放大裁切後的相片給大家參考。

以下測試照片均以 Sony A7C + 防手震啟動(85mm) 拍攝