Kimono Roboto
Nice expo in the basement of Omotesando Hills in Tokyo: Kimono Roboto.
The Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2 is a classic manual-focus lens known for its beautiful rendering, exceptional sharpness, and high-quality build, making it a favorite among rangefinder and mirrorless photographers. In this review, we’ll explore why the Biogon design remains highly regarded by photographers who value character-rich images and a timeless aesthetic.
With a 35mm focal length, the Biogon offers a versatile field of view (52mm equivalent on crop sensors) that’s ideal for street photography, portraits, landscapes, and everyday scenes. The bright f/2 aperture allows for good low-light performance and moderate depth of field, giving subjects natural separation and a subtle, pleasing bokeh. This lens is part of Zeiss’s classic rangefinder lineup, and while it’s a manual focus lens, its precision focusing ring offers smooth, tactile control that photographers enjoy for both quick adjustments and slow, deliberate focusing.
Optically, the Biogon 35mm f/2 shines with a design that minimizes distortion and aberrations, giving high sharpness and contrast from edge to edge. Its 9-element, 6-group layout, combined with Zeiss’s T* anti-reflective coatings, ensures superb clarity, color accuracy, and resistance to flare and ghosting, even in challenging lighting. The Biogon design provides a unique “3D pop” to images, adding depth and separation to subjects in a way that is distinctly Zeiss.
The all-metal build quality of the Biogon 35mm f/2 feels luxurious and durable, with a compact, lightweight profile that pairs beautifully with mirrorless or rangefinder systems, making it a pleasure to carry for extended shooting. Weighing just 240g, it’s highly portable, and the classic design with Zeiss’s signature knurled focus ring adds a touch of elegance to any setup.
While it lacks modern autofocus and image stabilization, the Biogon’s manual focus and sharp optics make it ideal for photographers who appreciate a hands-on approach and prioritize image quality and creative control. Its unique rendering and classic feel make it an excellent choice for photographers seeking a lens that produces character-rich, timeless images.
Explore how well this lens performs with high-quality, real-world samples, so you can decide for yourself with my carefully crafted shots!
Nice expo in the basement of Omotesando Hills in Tokyo: Kimono Roboto.
Festive lighting at Omotesando Hills for Christmas. For reference, the same scene but in focus – sometimes, it is useful to play with the focus ring!
Large Japanese house in Happo-En. Looks… very cold – based on personal experience.
As mentioned earlier, playing with the focus ring of the little Zeiss Biogon is a treat, and here a defocused road while waiting at a traffic light in Tokyo.
The focus ring of the Zeiss Biogon 35mm is such a pleasure to use that I often play with it.
Love how the little Zeiss Biogon (35mm) blurs the background at large aperture.
Trying the little 35mm Zeiss Biogon on the Fuji X-T2, this time at night a few steps away from home in Kagurazaka. No post-processing (red filter aside): love the result.
One of my favorite temples in Tokyo, only a few steps away from home: Tokyo Daijingu. Mostly visited by women praying for a good relationship. Shot with the Biogon 35mm.
Ever since I got my X-T2 I have been tempted to try some Leica M-mount lenses. While I love the performance of my XF lenses, I feel they lack personality: it’s always sharp, no vignetting, low distorsion. Besides, I am not a fan of how they handle: the metal coating is too slippery, the focus-by-wire…