Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2.8 QBM-Mount

Man @ Work -- NEX-5N & Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2.8 QBM @ f8. Click for larger.

Finally got a chance to take out the Rollei QBM [Quick Bayonet Mount] lens for a spin.  It's been a while since I bought this lens at the photo show.  I was wondering if this older lens would perform similarly as the Yashica/Contax version of the Distagon 35mm f2.8.  Although I was kind of expecting the contrast may not be as good as the Y/C version, as this one does not have the HFT coating, where as the Y/C version has the famous T* coating.  I got what I expected.  While it's a nice lens, the contrast and sharpness of the Carl Zeiss 35mm f2.8 Distagon QBM is behind the Y/C counterpart.  Of course, this could be a copy variant, since I don't have another copy to test.  I think this lens has de-centering issue as the left side is slightly more blurry at the edges than the right edge.  It could also be the cheap QBM to NEX adapter too.

Cityscape -- NEX-5N & Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2.8 QBM @ f8. Click for larger.

In terms of build quality, both the Y/C and the original Carl Zeiss Distagon are excellent.  The Y/C version is slightly larger with a 55mm filter size whereas the other has a 49mm.  Looking at both lenses, the Y/C version has almost no reflection while the other shows far more reflection.  Both focus very smoothly and a joy to use.

I think I prefer the Yashica/Contax version of the Distagon over the non-HFT QBM from the image quality perspective.  They are both excellent lenses.