ZEISS Classic Planar ZE T* 50mm f/1.4 Standard Camera Lens for Canon EF-Mount SLR DSLR Cameras, Black

This is probably the best 50mm lens I have yet used so far and I've used/owned the Canon 50 f/1.8, Canon 50 f/1.2L and Sigma 50 f/1.4. I must say that the quality and build of this lens is top notch. The all metal lens and lens hood feels like a piece of art. The focus ring is smooth and you're able to make minor turns with this barrel with ease (unlike the other lens) and the infinity focus is where it should be, at the very end and not a half millimeter or so from the end (once again like the lenses). But I must say that I am pretty disappointed in the plastic/cheap lens cap (front and back). The front lens cap isn't all that great and tends to fall out if you don't make sure that it's in. The color that this lens produces is just magical. I'm sure you'll read this at other places but it's comparable to the Leica version. Now, I'm not saying that they're exactly the same, but this lens definitely gives you that Leica look and feel in how the lens captures color. CA is minimal and focus is razor sharp. Granted once you get into the f/2.0 or higher, it's unbeatable. Now there are reasons why I decided to buy this and sell all of my other 50mm lenses. Comparing with the Canon 50 f/1.8, though a great, less expensive lens, the color reproduction wasn't quite what I was looking for. With the Canon 50 f/1.2L, even though it's an awesome lens, for it's price, I was hoping for more sharpness without having to dial up the f-stops too high. Also, because I'd become accustomed to autofocus in general and manual focus on that lens is mediocre at best, the focusing on the 50L was just way too slow. I found I was able to focus faster manually with the Zeiss lens than with the Canon 50L, especially in low light situations. Yes, I will miss the extra stop on the L lens but considering that it's so slow in focusing (and I've missed many opportunities). And the Sigma 50, is a good lens, and a beefy one at that too, but I just had way too much to deal with especially since it was front focusing. I did have to mail in the lens for new ones 3 times and the one I ended up keeping had the least amount of front focusing issue, but over time, the lens started to front focus more and more often and severely. This is priced pretty much in the middle of all these lenses. Being almost 2x cheaper than the Canon 50L, it's an amazing deal. Size wise, the Canon 50L is probably the largest and heaviest lens and the Sigma 50 comes very close to it as well. This is definitely a lot more compact than those two but larger than the Canon 50 f/1.8 Word of caution though, you probably already know that this is a manual focus lens, I would highly recommend switching out your focusing screen to the the Eg-S version. It's about $40 dollars and it takes less than 20 seconds to switch it out from you camera. Once you switch them out, to focus, since the lens is made to communicate with the camera, either choose your focus point on the camera or just use all, press the shutter button halfway and focus until you see/hear the red beep in your viewfinder. It'll take practice but you'll learn to focus faster and appreciate the lens even more. I must say, I've own(ed) several L series lenses and was a diehard Canon L guy but this Zeiss lens and a few others that I've tried out have made me a convert. Another absolutely amazing lens by Zeiss is the 21mm. Probably the best wide angle lens, hands down. This lens will most likely rarely come off of my 5DM2.

It's a good price, but this is a gray market item. The language of the warranty, instruction manual, and all accomanying literature was in an Asian language, I believe Japanese. If I find redeemable qualities or service, I will consider changing my review. Revision 4/27/2014: The dealer has good turnaround time in responding to my emails. Unfortunately, the information that DavisMAX is providing is proving to be false. If you are concerned about protection under the warranty, you should know that DavisMAX is not an authorized seller of Zeiss lens. Therefore, the warranty shouldn't work. Here is information about the Zeiss warranty as I have copied and pasted it from the Zeiss Terms and Conditions which you agree to when you register your lens through their website: • The Product must be bought from an authorized Carl Zeiss Dealer. You will find a list of the authorized Carl Zeiss Dealers under: http://www.zeiss.com/photo • The Warranty is only valid in the country where the Product was purchased. If you purchased the Product via the Internet, the Warranty is only valid in the country where your Carl Zeiss Dealer from whom you purchased the Product is located. I've contacted Zeiss, and a representative has confirmed with me that DavisMAX is not an authorized seller of this lens. The warranty, he wrote, would be void. He gave me a list of authorized dealers which I will put here: http://www.zeiss.com/camera-lenses/en_de/website/dealer_search/dealer_search_photo.html?address=&x=5&y=3 Ultimately, the choice is yours. If you feel like saving $100 and don't think you will end up using the warranty service or aren't phased with the fact that this is not a US model, buy it through DavisMAX, AnotherDealSite, or whatever this company decides to call itself (its name changed since my purchase of it which was less than a week ago). After all, the lens barrel is completely metal, or so was advertised to me when I interacted with a Zeiss official at a trade show. If you are concerned about gray market items and want more peace of mind with the manufacturer's 2-year warranty (with an option to extend the service an additional 3 years), then buy it from somewhere else.

I just got this lens today and am actually very happy with it. It certainly has character. The bokeh it provides at wide open almost looks like a painting - seriously it’s unreal. The colors are nice as well. My only issue with it is the sharpness, even at f4+. I did buy this lens used from KEH Photo and the description said “Excellent - Almost New”. I have great vision and am used to shooting manual focus, but every photo was just slightly out of focus no matter what I did. I don’t know if this is a result of buying the lens used or this is just how the lens is. Not sure if one can calibrate a manual focus lens, I’ll have to look into that. But if I’m being honest though, I kinda like the slightly out of focus look. It just adds to the character of the lens and provides a similar look to the Contax 645 with the Zeiss 80mm f/2. Anyways, the lens is great and will help you become a better photographer in the sense that you’ll slow down and be more in the moment trying to nail focus, rather than just shooting quickly relying on autofocus all the time. It’s a great lens and would highly recommend if you’re looking for a new experience with a classic look. Hope this helps.

I purchased the Zeiss 50mm 1.4 about eleven months ago and have used it regularly since then. I initially used it with the 7D but then upgraded to the 5D3. I am not a professional but do enjoy photography. I first started photography in the days of the canon AE1 with the 50mm FD lens, later I did purchase the EOS-1 with the 1.4 50mm and did loved it. Due to the cost of processing film in those days, I did try to improve my hobby by making every shot count. Currently, I have a moderate assortment of gear including the canon 17-55 2.8, and the 35mm 1.4 L, 24-105 L, the new 100mm 2.8 L IS and the Zeiss 85mm 1.4. I purchased the Zeiss 50mm 1.4 because it reminded me of the old 50mm FD lens with its depth-of-field scale. I still enjoy using the hyper-focal scale. I also enjoy seeing my friends trying to focus with this lens, it causes one to slow down while trying to get the subject in-focus. To me it brings back the joy of manually focusing. The Zeiss 50mm renders beautiful saturation with biting sharp images when stopped down a little especially at f4, 5.6 and 8, lovely indeed. It gives the wow factor. I loaded one of my landscape shots from the Zeiss 50 1.4 and my 5D3 as my desktop in my office, a colleague entered my office as I was powering up my computer and saw the photo, he was amazed with jaw dropped, he exclaimed wow!! Such clarity he said. Off-course I had to explain especially as he knew the scene as he too passed by it everyday on his way to the office, but never saw it as the Zeiss had expressed it. The built quality of this lens is excellent, I use it with the Zeiss 58mm UV filter for protection of the front element. I however will only recommend this lens likewise the 85mm 1.4 to those who can slow down and spend some time with it, rewarding indeed. Well done Zeiss, 5 Stars.

I upgraded to this lens having used the Contax 50/1.4 Planar as my main lens for about 20 years. Upgrade well worth it. If there is one lens to have, this is it. Razor sharp to a degree that can be unbelievable. Bokeh that is smooth and silky. Excellent for nearly any type of work. Super solid construction, smooth focusing, perfect sharpness except wide open at 1.4 Canon viewfinders do not match the resolving power and thus when critical focus is needed with razor thin DOF additional tools can be necessary. Not fault of lens, quite the opposite. Manual focus can be daunting but gives faster better performance when you're accustomed to it.

Sadly, it's not really that sharp a lens for a Zeiss. It's built well, a big piece of glass, but it should be a lot sharper. At f1.8, only the very center of the lens is in focus, literally everything else is fuzzy. But this effect can be really cool and I've taken some great shots with it. The only reason I kept this lens is it's got the best bokeh of any lens I've ever owned in the wider open f's. It really is exceptional. But for the price, it should also be sharp... so for me, it's really a one trick pony, not nearly versatile enough...

Great build quality and optics. The only negative is the hood, which while solid in construction can not be used with my filters (i.e B+W). The only way to attach the hood is to do so before screwing on the filter, which then makes attaching the filter darn near impossible.

I compared this 50mm with Canon and Sigma. The Sigma macro at normal distances was tack sharp. The Canon was acceptable within a narrower f stop range. This Zeiss had bad chromatics from wide open to a two stops down. It was only sharp within a narrow f stop range. And nowhere near as sharp as Canon and Sigma. Overpriced and overhyped using the Zeiss name. Actually made by a third party lens maker in Japan licensed to use the Zeiss name. The workmanship and quality and "feel" of this lens is outstanding. I really wanted to like it. But performance is just not up to all the hype.

Es wurde hier ja eigentlich schon alles von meinen Vorrednern sehr treffend beschrieben. Deshalb werde ich jetzt nur noch meinen persönlichen subjektiven Eindruck schildern. ALSO: Nach einem halben Jahr mit diesem Objektiv kann ich sicher sagen, daß es tatsächlich als oft genannte Schwäche nicht diese Superauflösung bei Offenblende hat wie manche 50er und es stimmt auch, daß man bei Offenblende eine Vignettierung deutlich erkennen kann. Aaaaber...genau diese Eigenschaften geben der Aufnahme letztendlich den Charakter von einem FOTO und nicht nur von einer möglichst hochauflösenden Kopie des Motivs bis in die Ränder. Oft werden ja Bilder mit einem Retro-Look nachbearbeitet weil sie sonst wie soll ich sagen, ZU ECHT wirken und nicht wie eine schöne Erinnerung. Aber versteht mich nicht falsch! Die Abbildungsqualität ist zeitgemäß hoch. Und was die Retro-Eigenschaften betrifft; sie sind auf den Fotos nicht sichtbar aber ich kann sie beim ansehen fühlen. Jaaa... ich mag diese Linse :-)

Absolutely one of the best quality lens on the market today. I love it. However,I do wish it had an auto focus feature but no Zeiss lenses do

El objetivo está muy bien, construcción solida, boke estupendo y muy buen desenfoque pero le falta la nitidez que tiene el CZ Macro planar 50mm 2.0.

It’s Zeiss. A time-tested brandname. Manual focus, full frame, metal body, extremely well optimised (Milvus ZE is even better) lens. Planer design is more towards softer side compared to extremely sharp Sonnar.

I bought this 50mm lens after looking at alternatives from Canon and Sigma. I'd read mixed reviews about the lens and just how easy it would be going from auto-focus to manual only. Let me say firstly that it's not that hard at all. I purchased an eg-s focusing screen (essential I feel for faster than f2.8 lenses) for my 5D Mkii and have had absolutely no issues in nailing focus even in very low light. Images come into focus very easily through the viewfinder with the precision matte screen and focus assist does give you an blink and a beep which will tells you when the camera thinks the subject is in focus. Image quality is excellent, easily on a par in terms of sharpness with L designation Canon lenses which I normally shoot with and exceeding them in colour rendition. The lens is a little soft from f1.4 up to around f2, but nothing that can't be easily enhanced in post production, which if your dropping £600 on a prime, you're likely to have a workflow in place for sharpening anyway - so it isn't really an issue. Build quality is exceptional, from the smooth focus ring to the bayonet hood, it's a very well made piece of equipment. Some people have said that the bokeh the lens produces is ugly. I think it gives the images produced a slightly retro feel to them, especially when doing black and white stuff. I would recommend this lens for anything from portraits to travel to street photography. Take the plunge, embrace the old-world charm of this lens and revel in some truly fantastic results.