The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 4/85 ZM and the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T2/85 ZM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Carl Zeiss Sonnar T2/85 ZM is the longer of the two lenses at 100mm. The Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 4/85 ZM with a length of 95mm, is 5mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T2/85 ZM also has a larger diameter of 70mm compared to the Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 4/85 ZM's 54mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 4/85 ZM weighs 310g, which means it is 190g (38%) lighter than the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T2/85 ZM which has a weight of 500g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Prime Lenses in Leica M Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Prime Lenses in Leica M Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 4/85 ZM and the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T2/85 ZM has the same Leica M lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Leica M lenses are Leica M11 Monochrome, Leica M11 and Leica M10.
Focal Range
Both lenses have the same focal range of 85mm but while Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 4/85 ZM has the fastest aperture of F4.0, the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T2/85 ZM's widest aperture value is F2.0.