Zeiss Telephoto 85mm f/2 Sonnar T* ZM Manual Focus Lens for Zeiss Ikon and Leica M Mount Rangefinder Cameras - Black

Comments about Zeiss 85mm f/2 ZM Lens - Black:

I was given the whole ZM lineup (except 2.8/15) by Carl Zeiss USA for a month as I needed it for a review article. Since i have many years of experience shooting with Zeiss lenses, both SLR and RF, optical and build quality of the ZM lenses came at no surprise. 2/85 Sonnar, however, was even better than I thought. I don't know if it beats Leica 2/90 APO in price/performance ratio, but the way it renders tonal gradations and out-of-focus areas is simply outstanding and distinct. Colors are somewhat muted, but microcontrast is very high. This is consistent with the lens intended use: portraiture. If you want to know what "lens with a signature" means, try this one.
The lens is rather heavy, although not as heavy and bulky as 2/90 Summicron of any model. Moreover, due to internal focusing, it has remarkably short extension from minimal focusing distance to infinity.
It's a bit long for portraits on Leica M8 body due to 1.33 crop, which is more of Leica fault, not Zeiss.
There are two things that I did not like about it: its strange conical shape (I guess, it's just a matter of getting used to it) and a price tag, which one can hardly get used to :)