Originally intended to be a close up and reproduction lens, this is an excellent lens for portraiture and general photography as well.

The maximum sharpness is located between 1:1 and 10:1 magnification (objects ranging from 6cm to 60cm width (2 1/4" to 2'). This lens is also very suitable for retro mounting on SL66 cameras for greater magnification. The S-Planar is practically distortion free. The optical design is similar to the standard lens Planar 2.8/ 80mm. Due to the recessed front lens element, the front lens is not easily exposed in sun light.

The picture at left shows a close up of the front of the Makro Planar f4 lens. This lens was designed with HFT coating in mind.

The aperture range runs from 5.6 to 45, ensuring a great depth of field in close up.