If using a tripod and Live View, the keeper rate is good - but that sort of defeats the purpose of a “walk-around” lens. With F4.5 there is alot of DOF, so images do not “snap” into focus. Focusing in dim light levels, such as the last couple hours of daylight, is challenging. At 135mm the viewfinder is dim and seems more like a F5.6 lens - and so do the resulting shutter speeds. When using the Canon 24-105L (an F4 lens) the viewfinder seems brighter than the Contax 35-135mm. The Contax 35-135mm is rated F3.3 at 35mm and F4.5 at 135mm, but I suspect the lens has a lower T-stop rating. With today's dust shakers, dust is less of an issue today than it was in the early 2000's. I have used the Canon 28-300L IS and 100-400L IS the Contax 35-135’s pumping action is more subdued in comparison. While others fear the push-pull leads to dust being stirred up in the chamber and eventually landing on the digital sensor. Some photographers like this design because they can zoom and focus without moving their hand from one ring to another. The push-pull action is very smooth, nicely dampened and with no zoom creep. The Contax 35-135mm is a one-touch zoom - meaning the focus ring is also the zoom ring. Sure, it is great for that purpose, but it feels heavier and heavier as the day wears on, especially with a beefy dSLR like the Canon 1Ds Mark III. It is dubious to label the Contax 35-135mm as a “compact” lens (as Zeiss did in their original marketing literature). Like its twin brother the 28-85mm, these are big lenses which feel front-heavy or nose-heavy when mounted on a Canon dSLR. The sliding action can be a bit rough though, my latest 35-135mm engages the macro mode without much effort at all. To engage the macro mode, the 35-135mm has to be at 35mm and then the secondary ring pulled towards the camera body. The only thing that seems a bit awkward is the secondary focus ring for the macro function. The focus ring feels very smooth and really is a joy to use. The focus ring action is light - lighter than my Contax 100mm F2 Planar. Like all Contax RTS lenses the 35-135mm feels well built with a nicely dampened focus ring. MM - Fully Automatic (on a Contax camera)
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