Zeiss's long Contax tele zoom — the Vario-Sonnar T* 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6, manual-focus glass for the C/Y mount.
The Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 was a long telephoto zoom for the Contax/Yashica mount, one of the later zooms in the line released in the mid-1990s. The Vario-Sonnar name marks it as a Zeiss zoom design.
This is a manual-focus C/Y-mount zoom spanning 100-300mm with a variable maximum aperture of f/4.5 to f/5.6 across the range. It reached deep into the telephoto range for a Contax zoom. Further specifications are omitted where they cannot be verified.
The 100-300mm range suits wildlife, sport and distant subjects where reach is the priority, with strong compression at the long end. The variable aperture keeps the lens more portable than a constant-aperture design of similar reach.
Used copies offer long telephoto reach in a Contax Zeiss body at moderate prices. Check the zoom and focus for smooth travel, look for internal haze, fungus and coating wear, and confirm clean aperture blades and any tripod collar. It adapts to mirrorless with a C/Y adapter.