The Planar 55mm f/1.4 is a lens manufactured by Carl Zeiss for the Contarex system, featuring a black finish.
It was available from 1961 to 1970.
At the time, it was considered a very expensive lens, yet 8,275 units were produced — making it the third most-produced lens in the Contarex lineup, after the Planar 50mm f/2 and Distagon 35mm f/4.
It features an optical construction of 7 elements in 5 groups.
The minimum focusing distance is 45 cm.
The measured weight of the lens alone is approximately 370g.
The Planar series is highly regarded for its beautiful image rendering.
Today, with a wide variety of mount adapters available, this lens can be enjoyed not only on Contarex bodies but also on mirrorless cameras and other modern systems.

There are some minor scuffs, but overall the lens shows little sign of use and maintains a fairly clean appearance.
The aperture, helicoid, and other mechanisms operate smoothly and reliably.
There is some coating deterioration on the front element, and slight haze and coating deterioration can be seen around the edges of the inner elements when viewed under strong LED light.
However, these issues are unlikely to noticeably affect actual shooting performance.
The lens comes with a genuine UV filter, front and rear caps, and a hood compatible with 50mm to 135mm lenses.