Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda

New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site

New Feature: SMS Notification alert

New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist

FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

Archive 2022 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

hypoart
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

Hey, all - I could use some recommendations on a 50mm lens for my EOS R.

I'm coming from an A7RII and Sony Zeiss 55 1.8 and would like to replicate a similar footprint with the new Canon. Are there any lenses of similar size and speed that are comparable in terms of sharpness and character? Have used the RF 50 1.8 and liked it enough but wondering if there is anything closer to the IQ of the 55.

Corner sharpness isn't a big need for me because I crop to 4:3 or 1:1 often. I don't necessarily need anything faster than 1.8 because I tend to use 2.8 and smaller - but could be a nice to have sorta thing.

Autofocus is preferred but open to the thought of manual lenses. Focal length can be anywhere between 45-55. Looking for a do-it-all kind of lens anywhere between $200-$700 (could maybe spend a tiny bit more).

If only the Sigma Art 50 1.4 were smaller

My shortlist includes:
-Canon EF 50 1.2
-Voigtlander 50 1.2 / 1.5 II / 2 APO Lanthar
-Voigtlander 58 1.4
-Zeiss Planar 1.4 ZE / 2 ZM
-Zeiss Sonnar 1.5 ZM
-Tamron SP 45 1.8

Any other lenses that I should consider? Thanks for your time!

Jul 08, 2022 at 09:09 PM

jedibrain
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

The Sigma Art is worth the size! Better than the EF 50 1.2, and 1.4 from canon. As good as the Zeiss offerings. But I get it, you want something smaller.

The Zeiss planar has that classic 'soft' character and is small. I thought hard about buying one, but ended up with the Art. You could probably also get a used Milvus 50mm in your price range. All the Zeiss are manual focus only for Canon.

Really the RF 50 1.2 is about the best 50 out there. But again not small.

The Tamron 45mm gets good press as well. But I've never seen one.

I'm sure others will have more ideas.

-Brian

Jul 08, 2022 at 09:30 PM

johnctharp
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

Doesn't exist - Canon neglected to update their 50mm formulas... this century, or near enough. They could have produced a lens similar to the Sony-Zeiss, but I think the cost of such a lens translated to modern supply chain costs would make it fairly unattractive.

I have the Tamron 45/1.8 VC, and while it's a nice lens that does sharpen up well, be prepared for some epic longitudinal CA. Like Canon EF 50/1.4 USM epic. And I don't think that it's any smaller than the Sigma 50/1.4 Art for EF.

Jul 08, 2022 at 10:35 PM

AmbientMike
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

How much are you stopping down? You might look at this. Basically no difference at f/8. Of course older lenses have potential radioactive issues not sure if this one does though

https://phillipreeve.net/blog/test-20-minolta-mc-1-755-vs-1000-zeiss-1-855/

Jul 08, 2022 at 10:54 PM

hypoart
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

Thanks for the info, all! I think that perhaps I'll need to consider adding the Sigma back as a potential option - will plan a visit to the local camera shop to assess. The Minolta 55 seems like a good alternative, too!

Jul 08, 2022 at 11:27 PM

Z250SA
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

No experience of the Sony Zeiss 55 1.8, but check the Zeiss 50 f/2 Macro Planar too. When excluding the outermost corners, it is one of the very best. The lens formula has not changed from ZE to Milvus.

Jul 09, 2022 at 02:26 AM

Choderboy
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

Don't forget the Sigma 50 1.4 EX.
Not a small lens, but a lot smaller than the Art.

Jul 10, 2022 at 04:00 AM

hypoart
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

Do you have any experience with that version? I'm not super familiar with it - will have to do some research to see how it compares to the other options!

Jul 11, 2022 at 12:16 AM

tkbslc
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

Blows my mind that people just switch systems without checking on key lenses.

Jul 11, 2022 at 03:00 AM

Robin Smith
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

I like the Tamron 45mm. Very nice bokeh. Excellent sharpness, haven't found myself worried about CA to date. Good price, much better ROI than the Sigma ART or Canon equivs. But it is surprisingly big for an f1.8. I have it as it has IS which was good for me when I had the 5DIV.

Jul 11, 2022 at 09:16 AM

Robin Smith
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

If you just want a lens like an old Minolta or Zeiss f1.7 Why not just try the Canon STM 50/1.8? I found it erratic focusing on an EF camera, but on an R it should be better. You've stated you don't need great corner sharpness, and it's not too bad for that either really, certainly on a par with, or slightly better than most vintage f1.8 lenses. Price is unbeatable.

Jul 11, 2022 at 09:23 AM

AmbientMike
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

hypoart wrote:
Thanks for the info, all! I think that perhaps I'll need to consider adding the Sigma back as a potential option - will plan a visit to the local camera shop to assess. The Minolta 55 seems like a good alternative, too!

I think they probably used the minolta for the test because it was a relatively forgotten lens, fairly mundane. Although minolta can certainly make excellent lenses. However it's probably more representative of the average vintage 50mm. I have yet to see one that is inadequate at f/8. Even a <$20 1960's mamiya sekor 50/2 I got is really nice. Though the f/1.7-2 aren't generally that usable at less than f/4 imo, maybe a bit less though.

Although I used the 50/1.8 II at f/2.5 last year, and really thought it looked quite good in the center of 24mp aps. I thought the OM 50/1.4 cleaned up pretty good at 2.8 since you are 2 stops down. But I'm not sure either is better than the Rf 50/1.8, so I'm not sure if you got a bad copy of that or what's going on.

The 50/1.2 ais nikkor might not be that bad at 1.2, even. Not particularly heavy at 12-13oz, and a later copy should avoid the radioactivity issue. Might be sharpest at 2.8-4. Also 50/3.5 OM macro is quite good imo. 50/2.8 Volna very interesting, ninja star bokeh, but very smooth at 2.8, sharp at f/8

Jul 11, 2022 at 10:21 AM

fffatkid65
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

I couldn't switch systems without a replacement for this lens. Nothing compares in the quality order unit volume or weight ratio.

Jul 23, 2022 at 07:01 AM

lovinglife
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

The closest ive found is the 58mm 1.4 Voigtlander manual focus lens. That being said the new 50mm 1.2 RF is probably a stellar option.

Jul 23, 2022 at 05:48 PM

nputtick
Offline
•
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

Personally I have found the EF 50/1.4 performs very well on my R5 (and the R I had previously), especially stopped down to 2.8. It is nice and compact too. It was in the list of lenses Canon regarded as matching the resolution of the 56MP 5DS/R. However the RF 50/1.8 is also very good at 2.8. Both these are native lenses and surprisingly inexpensive. Unless you really need a wider aperture, it’s quite hard to get truly better IQ that looks any different when printed, even to large sizes. It’s important not to get carried away with looking at minute differences in apparent sharpness viewed on a monitor - what matters is the final output at the size it will be viewed. Also personally I would not bother with a manual focus lens for anything other than landscape or macro with the camera on a tripod, when you can take your time. Adapted vintage lenses can be fun - but frustrating - and may have unique “character” if that’s what you want. But anything moving (including portraits) benefits from a modern AF system - accurate focusing beats the “ultimate sharp lens” when incorrectly focused.

Jul 24, 2022 at 05:24 PM

garyvot
Online
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Comparable Lenses to Sony Zeiss 55 1.8?

nputtick wrote:
Personally I have found the EF 50/1.4 performs very well on my R5 (and the R I had previously), especially stopped down to 2.8. It is nice and compact too. It was in the list of lenses Canon regarded as matching the resolution of the 56MP 5DS/R. However the RF 50/1.8 is also very good at 2.8. Both these are native lenses and surprisingly inexpensive. Unless you really need a wider aperture, it’s quite hard to get truly better IQ that looks any different when printed, even to large sizes. It’s important not to get carried away with looking at...Show more →

I am also partial to the EF 50 mm f 1.4. which when stopped down is excellent as you say. I consider my copy to be a good one and I confidently shoot it from f/1.8 for reportage.

Jul 25, 2022 at 02:52 PM


FM Forums \| Canon Forum \| Join Upload & Sell

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.