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How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?
  
 
eosfun
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p.5 #1 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


David, Martin, could you please have a look at our forum rules, especially rule #1? Thanks for your cooperation!


Nov 09, 2012 at 09:30 AM
David R.
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p.5 #2 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


eosfun thank you and noted. The rest of you could maybe relax a bit, I do get all hat and no cattle but that's not relevant to my original post.....yeah yeah but but....


Nov 09, 2012 at 10:24 AM
bushwacker
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p.5 #3 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


wayne seltzer wrote:



Yes, that is it and pages -40 is where they describe uncorrected SA effects on bokeh.
You would like the new 35/1.4 then too as distant OOF shapes are retained.



Wayne thanks, it is now clear to me, I read the whole white paper. Now I know why these zeiss lenses got its own character... the writer even describes it as "handwriting".

I prefer the rendering on this 50P compared to 50MP, the 50MP makes everything sharp.

Let's say I'll buy this what UV filter brand would you recommend? and also the lens surface cleaner what's a good one... I remember someone here says don't use any because it will destroy the T* coatings.... how true is this?
Nov 09, 2012 at 10:53 AM
edwardkaraa
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p.5 #4 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


Zeiss make their own uv filters, microfiber cleaning cloths and solution.


Nov 09, 2012 at 11:01 AM
Edgars Kalnins
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p.5 #5 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


I have never needed a lens cleaning solution . I would not give a second thought to the brand as far as cleaning cloths go, microfiber is good, just make sure you rinse it sometimes to to get rid of any particles of sand or other dirt. T* coating is very durable, I rarely see Zeiss lenses with cleaning marks. But it does happen. E.g. I have handled some 15 contax G lenses, 3 out of which had some marks. Two came from a careless owner. Never seen a cleaning mark on contax slr or modern Zeiss lenses (have only had a handful of the previous and the ZF line has not had that much use yet).


Nov 09, 2012 at 11:27 AM
edwardkaraa
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p.5 #6 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


Edgars Kalnins wrote:
I have never needed a lens cleaning solution . I would not give a second thought to the brand as far as cleaning cloths go, microfiber is good, just make sure you rinse it sometimes to to get rid of any particles of sand or other dirt. T* coating is very durable, I rarely see Zeiss lenses with cleaning marks. But it does happen. E.g. I have handled some 15 contax G lenses, 3 out of which had some marks. Two came from a careless owner. Never seen a cleaning mark on contax slr or modern Zeiss lenses (have only had a handful of the previous and the ZF line has not had that much use yet).

Actually I have a bottle of Zeiss cleaning liquid that I bought many years ago and it's still full. I almost never use it, except for hard to remove rain drops (or beer ). Usually breathing on the glass and wiping with the microfiber is enough. Not all microfiber cloths are created equal. I found the ones from Zeiss to be the softest and have the smallest knits and do not leave fibers behind even when old. I cannot say the same about other cloths I have used. I also agree about the T* coatings being very durable, but they are not scratch free. The Schneider coatings are much harder and scratch resistant, and claimed to be harder than the glass they are applied on. In fact I find T* coatings to be usually softer than other manufacturers coatings, which is ok, because their job is to eliminate reflections not to protect the glass



Nov 09, 2012 at 11:59 AM
wayne seltzer
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p.5 #7 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


bushwacker wrote:
wayne seltzer wrote:



Yes, that is it and pages -40 is where they describe uncorrected SA effects on bokeh.
You would like the new 35/1.4 then too as distant OOF shapes are retained.



Wayne thanks, it is now clear to me, I read the whole white paper. Now I know why these zeiss lenses got its own character... the writer even describes it as "handwriting".

I prefer the rendering on this 50P compared to 50MP, the 50MP makes everything sharp.

Let's say I'll buy this what UV filter brand would you recommend? and also the lens surface cleaner what's a good one... I remember someone here says don't use any because it will destroy the T* coatings.... how true is this?


Sorry, I don't use UV filters on my Zeiss and Leica glass. I use B+W polarizers which use the Schott glass.
I use regular cleaning solution and lens cleaning cloths from local camera store.
Whether to use UV filters, which brands if you do, have been debated in some old threads here in this forum.
Good luck with the 50P, hope you enjoy it.


Nov 09, 2012 at 02:13 PM
Edgars Kalnins
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p.5 #8 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


edwardkaraa wrote:
Edgars Kalnins wrote:
I have never needed a lens cleaning solution . I would not give a second thought to the brand as far as cleaning cloths go, microfiber is good, just make sure you rinse it sometimes to to get rid of any particles of sand or other dirt. T* coating is very durable, I rarely see Zeiss lenses with cleaning marks. But it does happen. E.g. I have handled some 15 contax G lenses, 3 out of which had some marks. Two came from a careless owner. Never seen a cleaning mark on contax slr or modern Zeiss lenses (have only had a handful of the previous and the ZF line has not had that much use yet).

Actually I have a bottle of Zeiss cleaning liquid that I bought many years ago and it's still full. I almost never use it, except for hard to remove rain drops (or beer ). Usually breathing on the glass and wiping with the microfiber is enough. Not all microfiber cloths are created equal. I found the ones from Zeiss to be the softest and have the smallest knits and do not leave fibers behind even when old. I cannot say the same about other cloths I have used. I also agree about the T* coatings being very durable, but they are not scratch free. The Schneider coatings are much harder and scratch resistant, and claimed to be harder than the glass they are applied on. In fact I find T* coatings to be usually softer than other manufacturers coatings, which is ok, because their job is to eliminate reflections not to protect the glass

Interesting about Schneider - I have been hearing lots of good things about them lately, pity that we rarely see any images from 35mm format here. I only have their 121mm f8 super-angulon which turned up from Germany covered in tiny scratches. I believe it is single coated though.
From my experience Zeiss usually age better than most other lenses, possibly because expensive lenses are more cherished. I think I read about the toughness of T* on Zeiss website - got to believe what's written. On the other hand I have not had any cleaning marks on Leica R and Minolta lenses which I have had a few as well.


Nov 09, 2012 at 04:37 PM
bushwacker
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p.5 #9 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


Edgars Kalnins wrote:
I have never needed a lens cleaning solution . I would not give a second thought to the brand as far as cleaning cloths go, microfiber is good, just make sure you rinse it sometimes to to get rid of any particles of sand or other dirt. T* coating is very durable, I rarely see Zeiss lenses with cleaning marks. But it does happen. E.g. I have handled some 15 contax G lenses, 3 out of which had some marks. Two came from a careless owner. Never seen a cleaning mark on contax slr or modern Zeiss lenses (have only had a handful of the previous and the ZF line has not had that much use yet).


Ok let's say I got some markings on the lens would you recommend the ZEISS, ROR (residual oil remover) or PUROSOL:?
Nov 10, 2012 at 01:05 AM
bushwacker
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p.5 #10 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


Okay guys,

I finally got access to this Zeiss 50P a friend loaned to me for 2 months, actually he is tired of this lens & might give it to me for free.

Any pointers maximizing its IQ?

Tnx.


Nov 12, 2012 at 10:42 AM
 



carstenw
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p.5 #11 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


If you go closer than about 2m, stop it down a couple of stops. In high-contrast situations, stop down a couple of stops, or get ready to remove CA. Test it lots to figure out which apertures you require at various distances, for various looks. Try shooting at 4-5m or so, maybe at f/2-2.8 or so, and if you nail the focus, you will have a good chance of some really nice 3D


Nov 12, 2012 at 11:21 AM
bushwacker
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p.5 #12 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


carstenw wrote:
If you go closer than about 2m, stop it down a couple of stops. In high-contrast situations, stop down a couple of stops, or get ready to remove CA. Test it lots to figure out which apertures you require at various distances, for various looks. Try shooting at 4-5m or so, maybe at f/2-2.8 or so, and if you nail the focus, you will have a good chance of some really nice 3D

about the 3Dness please me what's the sweet spot? (I meant camera-subject distance and aperture combination?).

btw I did some initial tests wide open... it's true what you guys say, it is tack sharp at 5m distance but up close it is not that good...--pic is still usable though maybe for WEB only.

thanks carstenw
Nov 12, 2012 at 11:32 AM
wayne seltzer
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p.5 #13 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


Try. -8 feet to subject, f5.6, and at least 15 feet to background which is not high contrast.
ie. no backlit tree leaves.
Nov 12, 2012 at 02:21 PM
alundeb
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p.5 #14 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


I don't understand how the Zeiss 50 mm f/1.4 Planar ZE / ZF.2 can be said to be "tack sharp" and without veiling haze at infinity, wide open.

Here is my ZF.2 at approximately 100m distance.
On the D800E, 100% crops at f/1.4 and f/2.8



This image is copyrighted by the owner






This image is copyrighted by the owner




And the Vogtländer Nokton 50 1.4 wide open:



This image is copyrighted by the owner




Edited on Nov 12, 2012 at 06:21 PM · View previous versions
Nov 12, 2012 at 06:13 PM
wfrank
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p.5 #15 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


I dont agree that this lens "is bad" close:ish and one must not shoot close or anything. The BW portrait F/1.4 I posted on page 2 in this thread is close for all I care and useful for any portrait purposes I know of.

Pixelpeeping is too often mixed up with imagery. Any 1.4 lens produce some kind of haze wide-open, 1.2-lenses more so. This lens is not a bad example and judged comparing to a F/2 lens it will inevitably look worse. But again: not bad.


Nov 12, 2012 at 06:16 PM
wfrank
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p.5 #16 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


alundeb wrote:
I don't understand how the Zeiss 50 mm f/1.4 Planar ZE / ZF.2 can be said to be "tack sharp" and without veiling haze at infinity, wide open.



What other 1.4 lens would have that characteristic?





Nov 12, 2012 at 06:22 PM
alundeb
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p.5 #17 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


wfrank wrote:
alundeb wrote:
I don't understand how the Zeiss 50 mm f/1.4 Planar ZE / ZF.2 can be said to be "tack sharp" and without veiling haze at infinity, wide open.



What other 1.4 lens would have that characteristic?




I edited my post and added the CV Nokton 58, by best bet for an affordable lens in that range. You can see that it produces aliasing wide open, the Zeiss not. But even the Nokton benefits significantly from stopping down of course.

The new 55 will be another story.

I don't say the 50 Planar is a bad lens, even wide open, I just don't beileve that it improves that much at infinity like some say.
Nov 12, 2012 at 06:28 PM
helimat
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p.5 #18 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


wfrank wrote...Any 1.4 lens produce some kind of haze wide-open, 1.2-lenses more so.

A rather bold statement, don't you think? Any 1.4 lens?



Nov 12, 2012 at 06:39 PM
wfrank
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p.5 #19 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?



Well which then?


Nov 12, 2012 at 06:48 PM
helimat
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p.5 #20 · How bad is Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar?


Of the lenses I have owned: Sigma 50/1.4, Zeiss ZE 35/1.4 & Canon 35/1.4L. Additionally I have had two Contax 85/1.4's, while both exhibited CA wide open the AEg version had some haze while my MMG does not.


Nov 12, 2012 at 06:57 PM
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