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Archive 2016Zeiss 25mm Distagon T* ZE Newer vs. Zeiss Planar T* 50mm Older
p.1 #1Zeiss 25mm Distagon T* ZE Newer vs. Zeiss Planar T* 50mm Older
I've been hearing about how sharp the lens I got from KEH recently was, a Zeiss 50mm F/1.7 Planar T* using a lens attachment to my Canon 6D. I also have a newer Zeiss 25mm F/2 ZE Distagon T* and I decided to use both while taking roses yesterday and see in a non-scientific study, which is generally sharper. WHile it's not comparing apples to oranges, I think the photos below will give you an idea given that they're two Zeiss lenses taking the same thing using the same set of parameters. between 100-200 ISO, either an F-stop of 2 or 5.6 where given and both are manual focus lenses.
The ZE lens was manufactured recently. The 50mm F/1.7 is from 1966.
Please tell me what you think, which one is sharper to you
Thanks.Bill
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Edited on Nov 24, 2016 at 06:10 PM · View previous versions
The ZE lens was manufactured recently. The 50mm F/1.7 is from 1966.
Please tell me what you think, which one is sharper to you
Thanks.Bill
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Edited on Nov 24, 2016 at 06:10 PM · View previous versions
Nov 24, 2016 at 06:07 PM
p.1 #2Zeiss 25mm Distagon T* ZE Newer vs. Zeiss Planar T* 50mm Older
Last 50mm lens
50mm Lens
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Nov 24, 2016 at 06:08 PM
p.1 #3Zeiss 25mm Distagon T* ZE Newer vs. Zeiss Planar T* 50mm Older
billsamuels wrote:
I've been hearing about how sharp the lens I got from KEH recently was, a Zeiss 50mm F/1.7 Planar T* using a lens attachment to my Canon 6D. I also have a newer Zeiss 25mm F/2 ZE Distagon T* and I decided to use both while taking roses yesterday and see in a non-scientific study, which is generally sharper. WHile it's not comparing apples to oranges, I think the photos below will give you an idea given that they're two Zeiss lenses taking the same thing using the same set of parameters. between 100-200 ISO, either an F-stop of 2...Show more →
There are lots of things we can judge here on FM; but sharpness is not really one of them, as on the web acceptably sharp things all look much the same, unless presented as unsharpened 1:1 crops. Really you are in the best position to judge sharpness as you have access to the originals.
I've been hearing about how sharp the lens I got from KEH recently was, a Zeiss 50mm F/1.7 Planar T* using a lens attachment to my Canon 6D. I also have a newer Zeiss 25mm F/2 ZE Distagon T* and I decided to use both while taking roses yesterday and see in a non-scientific study, which is generally sharper. WHile it's not comparing apples to oranges, I think the photos below will give you an idea given that they're two Zeiss lenses taking the same thing using the same set of parameters. between 100-200 ISO, either an F-stop of 2...Show more →
There are lots of things we can judge here on FM; but sharpness is not really one of them, as on the web acceptably sharp things all look much the same, unless presented as unsharpened 1:1 crops. Really you are in the best position to judge sharpness as you have access to the originals.
Nov 24, 2016 at 06:53 PM
p.1 #4Zeiss 25mm Distagon T* ZE Newer vs. Zeiss Planar T* 50mm Older
DavidBM wrote:
The ZE lens was manufactured recently. The 50mm F/1.7 is from 1966.
Please tell me what you think, which one is sharper to you
Thanks.BillThere are lots of things we can judge here on FM; but sharpness is not really one of them, as on the web acceptably sharp things all look much the same, unless presented as unsharpened 1:1 crops. Really you are in the best position to judge sharpness as you have access to the originals.
I have seen many posts where people have talked about the 50mm F/1.7 and the 50mm F/1.4 debating how sharp these two lenses are in comparison to the rest of the 50mm lenses available, basically stating that they are the sharpest lenses ever made. While this is a sharp lens, I think the 25mm, a newer Zeiss product, is sharper than the older 50mm F/1.7. I know that a 25mm isn't a 50mm, but wide-angle lenses typically aren't as sharp as a 50mm class-lens too.
When I shot these photos, I really thought that they would be equals, but I can really see a difference between the two and the 25mm produced slightly sharper photos than the 50mm, which was not what I thought was going to happen. Regardless, both are fine lenses and I have no problem using either one when I need either a 50 or a 25mm.
I also have a 50mm Leica Summicron which may not be as sharp as the Zeiss 50mm when taking a specific flower or single-item, but when I took of a meadow, I swear you can see every blade of grass! I don't know if that's because of its sharpness or its resolution.
billsamuels wrote
I've been hearing about how sharp the lens I got from KEH recently was, a Zeiss 50mm F/1.7 Planar T* using a lens attachment to my Canon 6D. I also have a newer Zeiss 25mm F/2 ZE Distagon T* and I decided to use both while taking roses yesterday and see in a non-scientific study, which is generally sharper. WHile it's not comparing apples to oranges, I think the photos below will give you an idea given that they're two Zeiss lenses taking the same thing using the same set of parameters. between 100-200 ISO, either an F-stop of 2 or 5.6 where given and both are manual focus lenses.The ZE lens was manufactured recently. The 50mm F/1.7 is from 1966.
Please tell me what you think, which one is sharper to you
Thanks.Bill
I have seen many posts where people have talked about the 50mm F/1.7 and the 50mm F/1.4 debating how sharp these two lenses are in comparison to the rest of the 50mm lenses available, basically stating that they are the sharpest lenses ever made. While this is a sharp lens, I think the 25mm, a newer Zeiss product, is sharper than the older 50mm F/1.7. I know that a 25mm isn't a 50mm, but wide-angle lenses typically aren't as sharp as a 50mm class-lens too.
When I shot these photos, I really thought that they would be equals, but I can really see a difference between the two and the 25mm produced slightly sharper photos than the 50mm, which was not what I thought was going to happen. Regardless, both are fine lenses and I have no problem using either one when I need either a 50 or a 25mm.
I also have a 50mm Leica Summicron which may not be as sharp as the Zeiss 50mm when taking a specific flower or single-item, but when I took of a meadow, I swear you can see every blade of grass! I don't know if that's because of its sharpness or its resolution.
Nov 25, 2016 at 10:33 AM
p.1 #5Zeiss 25mm Distagon T* ZE Newer vs. Zeiss Planar T* 50mm Older
Beautiful images! At the size shown on-screen, they all look lovely. On my large iPad Pro, when I magnify the images, the ones shot with the 50mm do fall apart almost immediately, whereas the ones shot with the 25mm hold together well. This does not necessarily mean the 25mm is "sharper," but might indicate the 25mm is allowing your camera's sensor to resolve more detail, or something like that. (I am not well-educated in all of this.)
Thanks for posting these; the Zeiss 2/25 is one of several landscape lenses I am considering.
Thanks for posting these; the Zeiss 2/25 is one of several landscape lenses I am considering.
Nov 27, 2016 at 04:54 PM
p.1 #6Zeiss 25mm Distagon T* ZE Newer vs. Zeiss Planar T* 50mm Older
IMHO, 15,21,25,50,100,135 are the best among ZE/ZF line.
Nov 27, 2016 at 05:57 PM