• Lens: Zeiss T* 1.2/85 Planar '60 years'

Coming to represent the core of my bokeh arsenal since moving to the larger sensor of the A900, short teles have become my weapon of choice. Among them, Zeiss Planars in various forms have featured prominently. My interest in them has taken me through four versions and as of spring 2011, the esoteric 60th anniversary edition (commemorating Contax 60th year in 1992) has become the latest to draw in the gallery.

Offering the widest aperture of all the Planars and IQ from wide open to rival even the newest versions (and indeed, any short tele) this Planar presents an opportunity to resolve finer details at an even shallower depth of field. While rendition of out of focus area highlights smooths out when closer in to ones subject, standing back against more distant backgrounds tends to render a slight Nisen (two-line) effect, creating more texture.

Also, more than any other Planar I've experienced, the anniversary model exhibits a hint of vortexing when presented with so many highlights to show around the edges of the frame.