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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
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
Had minor issues and was repaired by myself in a couple days. Works like new thanks to the heavy durable design of the lens housing. Was able to reshape the aperture ring and file the helicoid of the focus mechanism to work perfectly!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
After working on technique I was ready to upgrade the glass I was shooting through. This lens does not disappoint. I used it as my only lens on a recent vacation and was even more impressed when I got to edit. There really wasn't much to do. Colors and contrast were already spectacular. If I did edit it was to get a more stylized feel or correct user error. Tack sharpness starts to appear at f4 but the DOF is special below that. I was surprised when even out of focus shots looked cool. This lens will be in my camera bag always if not mounted on my Nikon.(D5100 for now) The only downside is this lens makes it difficult to go back to my nikon lenses.
I've always dreamed of Zeiss lenses. This is my first, and there may be more... The mechanical build has the best of the German and Japanese. It truly drives like a high end, tight, precise sports car. Overcorrect and it's a wild ride, but snaps back in. The truly remarkable part of this lens are the near perfect sharpness. I've never seen sharper in my classic Nikon glass primes... I would buy this lens over and over again! It is head and shoulders above the very excellent Nikon 50 f/1.4.
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