Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Planar T* ZE Series Lens for Canon EOS Cameras

by Zeiss

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001RL2OF0
• Item model number: S-001720
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 29, 2009

Product Description

The Zeiss 50mm 1.4 is a bright and compact standard lens with precise manual focusing mechanism and large rotation angle for precise control. The Planar T* 1.4/50 is designed for medium and longer distances and provides high-performance wide open, which only improves as the lens is stopped down. The lens construction controls flare and ghosting artifacts, resulting in a brilliant image with excellent contrast and natural color rendition. Combined with a DSLR with a 1.5 crop factor, the lens becomes a compact, lightweight 75 mm portrait lens.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, but demands you slow down., March 26, 2011

By 

Jak C. Wonderly (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Planar T* ZE Series Lens for Canon EOS Cameras (Electronics)

I fell in love with the lens on my old Rolleiflex camera, a 75mm planar, which on a medium-format camera is about the same field of view as this 50mm planar on my 5D Mark II. It has that magical, hard-to-describe 3D look. Super-sharp in the middle, softer on the edges. Wait, is it softer in the corners, or is the contrast just lower? Beyond my technical expertise. But it looks fabulous.
Some say it is soft / not as sharp as one would expect. My bet is that they just didn't just hit the mark (more on that below). I don't shoot architecture or other technical work, I mostly do environmental portraits. I want it soft in the corners. So I'm not even looking for edge sharpness.
Also, you can really fine tune the focus - more spin of the wheel to change the focal point compared to a standard Canon lens. Which should make it great for video, although I've only done a little with that.

I suspect that some people try these and then don't keep using them; they do pop up on ebay and other places used quite often. There is nothing wrong with the glass. Zeiss has mastered that. But if you want to shoot wide open, or close, you have to be very good at manual focus. I have 20/10 or even 20/5 vision in my right eye and I still usually take 3 images to make sure my subject is in focus when shooting at f2 or wider.

They say the lens "out-resolves" the focusing screen in your camera. I did install the Canon EgS focusing screen in my 5D Mark II, a roughly $40 and 2 minute process, and that does make accurate focusing, quickly, much easier. I recommend trying one with a lens like this.

There is pretty heavy vignetting at f1.4. By f2 its not that noticeable. But wide open you lose almost a stop of light due to vignetting. I think it looks great, but it is surprising at first. And I doubt you'll have that effect with a less than full frame sensor.

Bottom line - I love it. The contrast, sharpness, bokeh, and color rendition are amazing. I use this and a 70-200 IS II to cover most scenarios. Both incredible. This Zeiss just takes a little more time, but the results are worth it. I'm in medium format quality territory with the Zeiss - the images are that fine.

If you are looking at a 50mm I guess the question is which one? This is better build quality and better glass than the Canon 1.4, and obviously more money. The Canon 50mm 1.2 (L) is incredible, but I'm not sure it's better in image quality than the Zeiss - maybe, I haven't done a head-on test - but you pay a TON more for the Canon, which admittedly gets you autofocus (a big deal), and from 1.4 to 1.2. $ aside, I like the Zeiss, unless autofocus is a must.

p.s. I also rented both the 28mm Zeiss and 21mm Zeiss for a few days, and had the same reaction.

Follow Up -
The (all-metal) lens hood has a tension ring of sorts and mine got out of place, making it impossible to keep the hood on. I contacted Zeiss support and they emailed me back in 2 hours with instructions on how to fix it. A small screwdriver and 20 seconds and it was fine again. I would have preferred the problem never happened, but the service and serviceability of the Zeiss product still leaves me very satisfied.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful lens, beautiful images, December 23, 2010

By 

theysaybuild - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Planar T* ZE Series Lens for Canon EOS Cameras (Electronics)

I shoot video (and therefore only speak from that perspective) with the Canon Rebel T2i, and I bought this lens as an upgrade to my Canon 50 f1.8 II.

Initially I was leaning towards purchasing the Canon 50mm 1.2L, but after watching numerous video examples I decided to instead go with the Zeiss. What most moved me in this direction was the color rendering of the Zeiss. The Canon skewed towards a red hue, whereas the Zeiss rendered out a more natural color.

The bokeh is stunning, and even at 1.4 this lens is incredibly sharp. Also, as the product description indicates, this lens handles overexposed backgrounds extremely well; ghosting was a big problem with the 1.8 II, but no longer is that an issue!

The build quality of this lens is peerless. It has a sturdy build, and I especially appreciate the fact that the lens hood was metal; perhaps a superficial point to harp on, but it is minor details like that which demonstrate attention to every detail.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Lens!, December 7, 2010

By 

Ben Zim (NY/NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Planar T* ZE Series Lens for Canon EOS Cameras (Electronics)

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.