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This lens (which gave its name to an entire design type) is a symmetrical design and has very high resolution and build quality. Its colour rendition is very good, and its bokeh (how it reproduces out of focus highlights) is excellent. many lenses will produce a coarse out of focus background; that from the Zeiss Planar is creamy and smooth, giving a wonderfully sharp foreground and an non-distracting background blur. Unlike many 'modern' lenses the Planar f1.4 (and its very similar f1.7 brother) is constructed from machined metal and the best quality optical glass. It is thus heavier than many plastic cased lenses, especially those found on modern digital SLR units. The Planar was designed to fit the Contax range of 35mm SLR cameras, using the Contax / Yashica bayonet mount, which were regarded as some of the highest quality film cameras ever made, manufactured for Contax by Yashica/Kyocera The lens can be used in manual mfocus mode, (with a cheap adapter, sold here on e-bay) on many digital SLR's such Canon's EOS and the entire Olympus E-volt line (E300 thru E-3) as well as the fantastic Panasonic Lumix L-1 and its Leica cousin! On a digital SLR you must take account of the 'multiplication' factor, so on an Olympus this will be X2 giving you an effective 100mm F1.4 lens... It's probably safe to say that no current 'prime' i.e. non zoom lens, surpasses the Planar's abilities. If you doubt the superlative quality just 'Google' Planar and sit back and read - then buy one here on E-bay!Read full review
Was scared to put so much money in lens at the beginning, specially it being manual lens only, but all my doubts went away the moment I got the lens. The build quality is breath taking. Amazingly built, it fells like its gonna last the life time plus few more years. I have no clue what I got till almost a week when I finally figured out the focusing, which is the red light and beep, and took a picture. and I can tell you that was the first best picture I have ever taken in my life. I don't even use a high end camera; but the picture quality wasn't less than any professional cameraman might have taken. Here are some tips, if you are the first time user of this lens, or looking to buy this lens.: 1. The focus is completely achieved when the points in the viewfinder blink red when you half-press the shutter release. Try to focus the best you can and then press the shutter release to the half point to see if the small black dots blink red. 2. If you are having too hard time to get the "red blinking", try moving little bit, its easier to move forward or backward then to precisely focus using the lens. The reason why this helps is because the focus line of this lens is tiny( I mean if I am taking a closeup picture, I can focus on cheeks and not on nose or ears, its that tiny focus line). 3. Take tons of pictures, while moving the focus ring, at the beginning you won't know which picture might turn out alright. Sometimes it looks okay and you get really blurry picture and sometimes it doesn't look perfect from viewfinder but you get great picture. It might not be the easiest lens to use, but like other people have said, the built quality, the smooth focus ring, and the color plus the booked effect, you won't ask more then that!!! Its a BUY BUY BUY!!!Read full review
I really like this lens for a day trip to the zoo. It has such great light gathering capabilities that I rarely use flash with this lens. Just fast film and your on your way to some photo memories that are unsurpassed in clarity and contrast. The color rendition qualities of this fast handling lens are second to none! There is nothing that I don't like about this lens . Some of my friends say that it's a tad heavy but check the specs for that, it is not plastic! It's a metal and glass lens that just keeps on coming year after year with little to no maintnance! These are not cheap to purchase on the used market, but once you have one in your posesion you'll cherish it and it will be the last lens you will ever think of reselling. The most useful lens in my arsonal of lenses, bar none. Zeiss got this one right the first time. Well worth the $ 265.00 plus that you may have to pay for one! KenRead full review
What can I say? There's nothing like the images captured through a Zeiss lens, and at the price of the 50mm, what's not to love? Some will be turned off by manual focus but for me, it helps with the creative process. Auto focus is great sometimes, but it doesn't easily allow you to see what your image would look like if you brought the focus plane in or out a few inches without recomposing etc... Sometimes that's all it takes to turn a ho hum snap into a great image. I think I'll start saving my pennies for some more great Zeiss glass!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Having experimented with manual focusing on DSLRs and older medium format for several years, I've come to appreciate the value of auto-focusing, and it has been something I can't do without, specially in lower-light indoor applications. The Planar T changed all that. Well, it is a fast lens, for one. And the ZE version being limited in its auto-focus function however it aids with a focus confirmation beep. I still made plenty of mistakes, in fact, more than any other lens brand of the same range. But its build quality, the breath-taking bokeh, the 3D-like results, the amazing clarity if you get things right makes everything else a very minor inconvenience. And of course, the statistical chance of a very rewarding sharp, perfect picture will happen - only gets better the more time you spend with it. One of the reasons for my purchase is the Canon 50mm f/1.2 and it's seemingly obscene pricing, even for the fact that the 1.4 version has proven several times that it can be practically better in most situations. If you happen to be in the search for a better EOS-mountable prime lens and can live without auto-focus, or are willing to forego of it, the Zeiss Planar T ZE 50mm 1.4 is a very recommendable option. While it does have it's "flaws" and requirements; i.e. focusing learning curve, purple-fringing wide open, difficulty of finding OEM accessories (hood, caps etc), all of those are easily forgettable the moment you achieve your perfect shot.Read full review