{"overview":"The Contax 140mm f\/2.8 Sonnar is a medium-telephoto Sonnar-formula lens made for the Contax system. Sitting just beyond the classic 135mm portrait length, it was intended for portraiture, candid work and short-range telephoto shooting where the Sonnar design's smooth rendering is valued.","market_narrative":"Hammer prices at UK auction are thin on the ground for this lens, with a single recorded sale at £230 in 2023 setting the only firm reference point as of today. As wholesale saleroom results (excluding buyer's and seller's commission), that figure suggests a clean copy is worth broadly in that region, though with so few data points the lens's true value and what it sells for at retail can vary noticeably with condition and completeness.","buying_guide":"Inspect the front and rear elements under a strong light for fungus, haze and cleaning marks, and check internal elements for any signs of separation showing as edge discolouration. Work the focus through its full travel to confirm it is smooth rather than stiff or sticky, and rotate the aperture ring while watching the blades for oil residue or sluggish action that would indicate a service is needed.","specs":"Specific specifications beyond the 140mm focal length and f\/2.8 maximum aperture of this Sonnar-type lens are not documented in the data provided.","faq":[{"q":"What is a Contax 140mm f\/2.8 Sonnar worth today?","a":"Based on the limited UK auction record, a clean example sold for £230 at hammer in 2023, which is the best available guide to its current price."},{"q":"How much does a Contax 140mm f\/2.8 Sonnar sell for at auction?","a":"Only one verified UK auction sale is on record, at £230 hammer, so the value of any individual copy will depend heavily on condition, glass clarity and mechanical health."},{"q":"What should I check before buying one?","a":"Look closely for fungus, haze, oil on the aperture blades, coating scratches and any element separation, and confirm the focus helicoid moves smoothly across its full range."}],"confidence":35,"reasoning":"Only a single sales record and no SPECS or variant data are provided, which limits confidence in both pricing and technical detail."}

{"overview":"The Contax 180mm f\/2.8 Sonnar T* is a medium telephoto prime in the Contax\/Yashica bayonet system, built around the classic Sonnar optical concept and carrying the multi-coated T* treatment. It was aimed at portrait, sports and available-light work on 35mm SLRs, offering a fast aperture in a focal length favoured for compressed perspective.","market_narrative":"At UK auction, hammer prices for this lens have been modest: recent results sit at £162 (October 2022) and £188 (March 2023), with an older 2006 sale at £300 marking the high end of the recorded data. The median hammer is around £188, and as of today in 2026 clean, fungus-free copies are what the market will pay for — these are wholesale saleroom figures rather than dealer retail, so a tidy example is typically worth a little more when bought from a shop. Buyers asking what a 180mm f\/2.8 Sonnar T* sells for should expect most honest examples to trade in the mid-to-high £100s at the hammer.","buying_guide":"Inspect the front and rear groups under a torch for fungus and haze, as long teles in this class commonly suffer from internal bloom after decades of storage. Check the aperture blades for oil migration, confirm the focus helicoid turns smoothly without stiffness or grittiness, and look along the element edges for any sign of separation or balsam discolouration. Coating scratches on the large front element, dented filter threads and a sluggish aperture stop-down lever are the other faults that most affect value.","specs":"Key specifications from the supplied data are limited to the model designation: a 180mm focal length, f\/2.8 maximum aperture, Sonnar optical layout and T* multicoating in the Contax bayonet mount.","faq":[{"q":"How much does a Contax 180mm f\/2.8 Sonnar T* sell for at UK auction?","a":"Recent hammer prices have been £162 and £188, so most copies sell for somewhere in that range before commission is added."},{"q":"What is a Contax 180mm f\/2.8 Sonnar T* worth today?","a":"Based on the available sales history the lens is worth roughly £160–£190 at the hammer, with cleaner examples pushing toward the upper end of that price band."},{"q":"Does condition change the value of this lens?","a":"Yes — fungus, haze, oily aperture blades or a stiff focus ring will push the price below the median, while a clean, smooth-focusing copy tends to achieve the higher hammer results recorded."}],"confidence":45,"reasoning":"Only three auction records are available and no SPECS or variant data were supplied, so the response is constrained to general Contax\/Sonnar context plus the limited sales evidence."}