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    Zeiss ZE 50 f/1.4 & ZE 85 f/1.4

    By 12 Comments1 Min Read Canon Lens Rumors

    They're coming!
    The nice folks at Zeiss have shipped both EOS mount lenses to me for evaluation. I'm going to compare the following:

    50mm
    ZE 50 f/1.4 vs Sigma 50 f/1.4 vs Canon 50 f/1.4 vs Canon 50 f/1.8

    I don't have access to the 50 f/1.2L, I'll ask around and try to get one.

    85mm
    ZE 85 f/1.4 vs Canon 85 f/1.8 vs Canon 85 f/1.2L

    I own the 1.2L, will borrow the 85 1.8.

    I know I've said I'm going to be doing reviews. Honestly… I probably won't review camera bodies. I just don't have the time or frankly the technical knowledge. I will offer editorial on camera bodies as I play around with them. Anyway, there are 50 reviews of every camera body out there.

    What about Lenses?

    I'm completely into comparing them. It's a pretty quick process and I love shooting. It won't be an issue.

    Thanks a bunch Zeiss, it should be fun.

    cr

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    12 Comments

    1. Ed on

      Hopefully, you will get the 5D MK II to test them on. Many of the reviews have been on crop bodies which is a whole different thing from full frame.

      I like the feel of lenses that are designed for Manual focus. AF lenses just aren’t suitable for manual focus because they are so sensitive to a tiny movement of the focus ring. I couldn’t imagine manually focusing a 85mm 1.2L.

      I recently acquired a used 90mm TE-E to use tethered for product photography where I manual focus anyway. I love the longer throw, I can easily focus it very accurately.

    2. Wim on

      Ed, if you don’t manual focus your 85L, what is then your focusing technique at F1.2? Just curious, since I will be getting this lens soon.

    4. gnarf on

      noone needs this lens segment on canon
      i mean there are already good lenses made by canon and sigma
      even if the optical quality is better who would risk a out of focus image? its easier to use af and sharpen a bit if the image is soft

      what the canon world needs are wide angles! the 10-22 is crap and works only at cropsensors
      the 12-24 sigma is supersoft

      when do we finaly get the zeiss 18mm for canon?

    5. ms on

      Im sure the 18mm will be made for EOS… just a matter of time just like their excellent 50mm and 100mm makro-planars (both are very special in their own right)… if you don’t think that a zeiss wide angle would ad anything to the EOS options then you’ve probably never shot a good zeiss lens before … as for going ultrawide, it seems that zeiss is slowly replicating their contax line in the ZF and ultimately the ZE lineups… if one is to look back at the contax lenses you’ll see that there was a 15mm distagon which by all accounts was quite nice… with the 18mm and 21mm announced Im guessing that the 15mm will be one of the next, if not THE next new focal length added to the lineup… as for focusing, the MF zeiss lenses are very easy to precisely focus and with the addition of focus confirmation on the ZE line using the cameras AF sensor the only difference is that you are doing the moving and not the motor (adapted ZF lenses can also be chipped to do the same, as Ive done with my 100/2). If you like AF only that’s your prerogative but to dismiss them as not needed by anyone? You obviously haven’t seen the images that some of these lenses produce and you need to look at the prices that people bid these lenses up to… there is real demand

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