Contax · Contax/Yashica (C/Y) · From about 1976
Zeiss built this compact Distagon for photographers who wanted a 74-degree view without paying for speed, and called it a universal lens for all kinds of photography. As a Distagon it's a retrofocus design, built so the reflex mirror can swing clear, with seven elements in seven groups, a 55mm filter and a 0.25 m close focus that gets you near small things. It went on sale around 1976. Most copies were made in Japan. When the MM version arrived in the mid-1980s, Zeiss also revised the optics, which makes it one of the few C/Y lenses that changed inside rather than just at the mount. MM copies show a green 22 on the aperture ring. On a mirrorless body it's a light, short 28 that shares its 55mm filters with the Planar fifties, and a plain C/Y adapter is all it needs.
On a mirrorless camera
It’s a Contax/Yashica (C/Y) lens, and its mount sits 45.5 mm from the film. Every mirrorless mount below sits closer than that, so a plain adapter ring fills the gap and the lens still focuses to infinity. On a smaller sensor it frames tighter, like a longer lens.
Versions
Two versions, AE and then MM from the mid-1980s. This is one of the few C/Y Zeiss lenses whose optics Zeiss revised for the MM version, so the two aren't quite the same lens. MM copies have a green 22 on the aperture ring. Most copies are marked Made in Japan; collector lists disagree on whether any early AE ones were German. The faster Distagon 28mm f/2 is a different, bigger lens.
Expect the usual age problems of haze, fungus and oily blades. People who service Zeiss C/Y lenses say haze turns up more often in MM lenses than in AE ones.
New to old glass? How to check a used vintage lens covers haze, fungus and the rest in detail.
Buying guide
We'd buy an AEJ copy from a Japan dealer at the low end, like the one graded Near MINT with both caps at $215 delivered, or pay $294 for one titled working. There are at least 135 for sale, nearly all from Japan dealers under their own MINT and Near MINT grades, and most ask $290–420 delivered, with AE copies mostly $215–369 and MM copies $290–556. Zeiss revised the optics for the MM version, so the two aren't quite the same lens, and people who service these see haze more often in MM ones. A green 22 on the aperture ring means MM and a white one AE, so ask for a photo of it along with a flashlight photo through the back and one of the blades at f/8, and skip the $649 copy titled AE whose photo shows a green 22. It needs a Contax/Yashica adapter, and the model page lists the adapters by camera.
![[Near MINT] Contax Carl Zeiss Distagon 28mm f/2.8 AEJ Lens C/Y From JAPAN](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bEcAAeSwHgdquFsn/s-l500.jpg)
$214.99est. delivered
The lowest delivered copy here at $215, an AEJ graded Near MINT by the Japan dealer, with both caps in the photo. Treat the grade as a claim and ask for a flashlight photo through the back.
[Near MINT] Contax Carl Zeiss Distagon 28mm f/2.8 AEJ Lens C/Y From JAPAN
$294.00est. delivered
An AEJ titled working at $294 delivered, at the bottom of the band, and one of the few here with a working claim rather than only a grade. Ask what the check covered and for a photo of the blades at f/8.
Contax Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 28mm f2.8 AEJ C/Y Mount MF Lens Works Japan
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$214.99est. delivered
$189.99 + $25.00 shipping
Buy It Now$189.99
Good buy
AEJ. Near MINT is the Japan dealer's grade, caps in the photo.
Seller: jnoc_52
100% positive
Used$294.00est. delivered
$249.00 + $45.00 shipping
Buy It Now$249.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
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Good buy
AEJ, titled works.
Seller: eggjapan
100% positive
![[MINT] Contax Carl Zeiss Distagon 28mm f/2.8 AEJ Lens C/Y From JAPAN](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/cXsAAOSwJKRl-R4g/s-l500.jpg)
Used$262.00est. delivered
$227.00 + $35.00 shipping
Buy It Now$227.00
Our take
AEJ. MINT is the Japan dealer's grade, caps in the photo.
Seller: mayumingo
100% positive
![[Near MINT] Contax Carl Zeiss Distagon 28mm f/2.8 MMJ Lens C/Y Mount From JAPAN](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/s14AAOSwHatoDIBb/s-l500.jpg)
Used$289.98est. delivered
$249.99 + $39.99 shipping
Buy It Now$249.99
Our take
MMJ. Near MINT is the Japan dealer's grade.
Seller: kazuto_7
100% positive
Used$305.99est. delivered
$245.99 + $60.00 shipping
Buy It Now$245.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
AEJ titled tested, Exc+5 by the dealer's grade. The first photo is a sample shot, not the lens.
Seller: mochi_jp
100% positive
![[NEAR MINT] Carl Zeiss Distagon T 28mm F2.8 C/Y MMJ Contax Lens JAPAN](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/JzYAAeSwk7Bqvits/s-l500.jpg)
Used$349.99est. delivered
$279.99 + $70.00 shipping
Buy It Now$279.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
MMJ. NEAR MINT is the Japan dealer's grade, front cap in the photo.
Seller: rodia-aiko-japan
100% positive
Used$350.00delivered
$350.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$350.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
AEJ, free shipping from Japan. No grade in the title.
Seller: japansecondhand55
100% positive
Used$649.03delivered
$649.03 · free shipping
Buy It Now$649.03
Priced high
Titled AE, but the photo shows a green 22, which means MM. About 1.9 times the median.
Seller: ei-hanabusa
100% positive
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