Zeiss Planar 85 f/1.4 (C/Y) : Specifications and Opinions

Reviews

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Jörg Beschmann

sent on 22 Gennaio 2024

Pros: The rendering the colors, the contrast, the transition from sharp to soft.

Cons: Not for a vintage lens

Opinion: The Contax Zeiss Planar 1.4/85mm is my favourite 85mm, although there are many modern lenses that exceed the maxium performance of the Planar at open aperture. The modern lenses have become quite similar. The choice might depand on your believe: https://neilvn.com/tangents/review-zeiss-otus-85mm-f1-4-vs-canon-vs-nikon/ The 85 Planar is the smallest and lightest of the hellish threesome (14.85, 2/100 & 2/135). You get the best balance system with the 2/100. The 85mm is top heavy on the camera. The 85's best perfomance is provided at f5.6. My favourite aperture is f2 - I use f1.4 when there is only little light. The AE version has the ninja star bokeh - the MM version has that not. Why this old manual focus lens? There are the three streets of learning: listening, reading, & doing. For me doing requires manual focus and I'm still learning. The lens is sharp. The transition from sharp to soft and the colors are great. The build with its precise focus ring is fantastic. And since we have mirror less cameras, we can use it in a perfect way. The lens works fine with 45 megapixel cameras. When you have visited the hyperlink, you can see that that Nikon AF-S 85mm f1.4 is an amazing lense. Maybe the best choice out of the three presented lenses. The bad thing with Zeiss lenses is that they make addictive and one day you want the Otus.

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Franco Pastorino

sent on 07 Novembre 2024

Pros: A perspective to try and understand

Cons: a soft thread at 1.4, from f2 onwards a razor

Opinion: A lens that I dreamed of a lot when I had the RTS2, but at the time I couldn't afford it. Several tera of photos after selling the Contax and switching to digital, the R6 made me want to go back and thanks to a friend who got rid of it, I bought it, perfect and complete with packaging and everything. Lolli's ring (stone me but in my opinion it is Chinese, not handmade as rumored) and pure pleasure. I don't find a flaw, the MAF is soft and precise, closed at f2 it becomes a blade and between f4 and f8 it holds its own against decidedly more modern lenses. At 1.4 in the right situation it gives magic in the portrait, especially in the female one where surgical sharpness in my opinion is not always welcome. I put it up for sale to finance another project, but I'm not so sure I want to get rid of it.

Arnaldo83

sent on 25 Giugno 2020

Pros: Opening, sharpness (already good at TA, exceptional closing a little), colors, three-dimensionality, MAF precision (albeit manual), feeling of solidity, anti-reflective treatment Zeiss T

Cons: weight (but good glass and metal weigh!), original expensive lampshade, closing the overflow diaphragm (but here I would say it's more of a fault of the cameras than the lens!), difficulty focusing from eye with reflex, minimum distance of MAF a little high, not having it

Opinion: After a long and patient search to find "the deal", purchased used (of course, it's a lens of the 70s!) with C/Y attack: perfect, but had the diaframmi diaframmi a hardened thread, but with a visit from my trusted photo-repairer and 30th of spending came back as it came out of the factory. I use it with a chip-free adapter (16th on Amazon) on the Canon 5D mark II (no compatibility issues; with the Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.4 I had to trim a millimeter of the internal diaphragms stick, which skimmed the plastic near the contacts). What to say: from the very first shots, he paid off my expectations in full. The detachment of the planes is exceptional, the progression of the blurry (beautiful) is soft and delicate. At TA is really a "magical" lens for portraits and still life, literally "detach" the subject from the background. Shooting in live view, I've never had any problem focusing on individual eyelashes (I guess with mirrorless scope magnification is even easier); obviously the speed of execution is lower than a lens with AF, but you know it when you buy it. Also exceptional for landscape, where closing the diaphragm (usually in this area I use it at f/5.6-F/8, except for particular "excursions" to more closed diaphragms for matters of depth of field), you can take advantage of its fantastic chromatic rendering (I made sunsets and "blue hours" FANTASTIC) and the exceptional sharpness (with Canon 5D II, at 200m easily accounts the bricks of a wall, enlarging the image to 100%. The impression is that it can comfortably solve even much denser sensors, but I have never tried). It's weigh-in (the difference with the 50mm f/1.4 is perceptible, holding the machine around your neck), but nothing shocking, you can safely bear it. Is the purchase worth it? If you know what you buy, yes, 100%. 9.5 and not 10 just for the slightly "uncomfortable" and expensive lampshade.

Maurizio Marzaro

sent on 19 Marzo 2020

Pros: Bokeh, definition, plan detachment capacity

Cons: Weight, of course....

Opinion: After reviewing the brothers 35 1.4 and 50 1.4 I can not avoid giving a small opinion even of this which is the third lens of the series Zeiss Contax that I use most frequently on the Sony A7II. Whether they are brothers you can see and, above all, you hear from the weight and dexterity (identical and very fluid) of the focus ring, they have the same ability to detachment of the planes expressed magically by a definition still spectacular to this day in the area of putting to date and the nuance that in the case of this lens is very gradual and harmonious. Portrait lens by definition that I have in my old photo bag loaded with Contax for many years along with many others, I think it still has its raison d'etre today despite all today's automations of focus because, if it complicates life in a reportage, on the other hand, allows you to choose a "framework" with greater determination. The APSC that I own will never be replaced but the system based on these optics is definitely another thing, it is lost quickly but you acquire awareness. A must to this day.

user49978

sent on 12 Aprile 2019

Pros: Softness of blur, brightness, solid construction and compactness.

Cons: Weight (but the good glass weighs so it's a fake cons), used price, very pronounced purple chromatic aberration

Opinion: Optics for portrait par excellence, famous optical features, such as the bokeh, the warm hue, the softness of the transition of the planes while being very sharp, but in the strong contrasts I have verified have great chromatic aberration (solvable in post Production now...) That I wouldn't expect from a specimen of this caliber. However it is addictive really, I took it in exchange for merchandise but cleaned I will give it away. I use it mainly for portraits with the Sony A7 with which to focus is a pleasure, while the Canon Eos 5DmkII is a little more difficult unless you replace the glass focusing.

Mcarthur

sent on 18 Dicembre 2016

Pros: A very high quality optics, and with two distinct personalities, at room temperature and up to 2.8 provides a very unique bokeh, almost dreamy, fantastic plans detachment and clear depth of field limited the use of which (although complicated by bad slides focus of current camera bodies) gives great satisfaction, by F 4 onwards he begins to show excellent micro and macrocontrasto, made of neutral colors.

Cons: If the Zeiss Lady did not alter the optical design in new products (and you can see also from the MTF curves) it means it was fine the way it is, but I would have preferred a color rendering a bit 'brighter, though nothing you do not it can fix quickly PP, AC TA hints.

Opinion: A point of view that in the 80's was the subject of discrimination by "only Made in West Germany", this light was produced in both versions (lens made in W. Germany and Lens made in japan), of course the alleged differences not led to anything that could be objectively seen on a press 40 x 60 cm, "feelings", "three-dimensional" differences that I have never risconstataato, my Japanese works wonderfully well and as mentioned paradoxically if "mom" Zeiss no l 'redesigned markedly in the new "classic" series, there must be a reason .... optical rnrnQuesta provides a yield BN very special, I struggle to define it, I find it beautiful, for example, in "street" report because it helps very well to pull off a proper subject for its quality of work well "unplugging" now diversi.rnReperibile floors in both versions (pardon the joke, but you mark the new 85mm serie classic with "lens made in Japan" must have put your heart at rest to Germanists believe) on the 400 Euro; It is a gem that you should treat yourself ..... rnrnrn

And29

sent on 26 Marzo 2015

Pros: Construction superlative sharpness to TA, color rendering amazing with Fujifilm XT-1, blurred poetic.

Cons: Maybe the weight, but not a big deal to me, creates a lot of addiction:-)

Opinion: A lens crazy! crisp, stunning blur and artifacts in the ring MAF UNIQUE! .The advice to all holders of ML as Fuji, Sony, with focus peaking can use this glass in hand to get wonderful shots! for the portrait, has virtually rivali.rnIl its only flaw is perhaps the weight (weighs because there is so much quality) mounted on ML with an adapter ring is felt, but it will not be a big problem after that you will watch the images bakes! in last? addictive ...

Ttu1930

sent on 03 Novembre 2014

Pros: Mechanical construction of the lens, Focus precise thanks to the ring but not too fast and fluid, 3D zeiss at all apertures from f2.8 up in particular, used price. The yield of B & W is awesome!

Cons: It has its own weight because of the slow, but still solido.rnLa color rendition is neutral, so it needs to be adjusted in post.rnCi are chromatic aberrations in B & W of course disappear.

Opinion: I bought this as my first 85mm lens and I am sure after 6 months hardly will change it. It appears to be shot in film and yield as already specified in b & w is superb and makes you love every photo taken. I think there is no better 85mm at its price in the 'used and would recommend it to anyone who wants to work to improve your photographic eye and learn how to take pictures in manuale.rnLo use of 5D MKIII and there is no problem;)