The aperture and focus distance markings are engraved on the lens barrel, so the markings and paint should age well. The knurling on the focus ring is very fine. It is likely that finger oil and dust will accumulate in the ridges, so wiping down the lens with micro fiber lens cloth is good preventive maintenance. The lens does not come with a pouch or lens case. Considering the $1280 US price tag, a tasteful pouch would be nice.

As mentioned in the 28/2 ZE review, the front lens tends to pop off as the lens is pulled out in placed into the camera bag. At first I thought the caps lacked enough grip, but that is not the case. When putting the front cap back on, they tend to sit crooked. With a bit of extra fidgeting & wiggling the cap will eventually sit flush and lock solidly in place. Most people like “pincher” style caps because the lens hood can be left in place and the lens cap taken on and off the lens relative easily. Zeiss’ design concept is fine, it just needs some evolutionary refinement so that front caps snap into place easier.

The 50/2 ZE is my fifth ZE lens, and all have good build quality. The fit and finish has been consistent. The only niggle I have with the 50/2 ZE is the stiffer focus ring - which seems to be relaxing (improving) with use. Though, I doubt the focus action will ever be as light as that of the 21/2.8 ZE and 28/2 ZE. The 50/2 ZE’s focus ring is NOT stiff enough to be considered a problem, just stiffer than the other ZE lenses - and in use the difference is noticeable. Stiffness is nowhere as stiff as the Hasselblad 110mm F2 Planar, Hasselblad 120 F4 Makro Planar, or Hasselblad 50mm F2.8 Distagon. Those Hasselblad lenses set the bar when it comes to defining stiff focus.

HANDLING - MANUAL FOCUS

Like the other ZE lenses, the focus ring is well positioned. The ring is about a half inch wide and easy to find by touch. Focus confirmation works fine with the 1Ds Mark III, beeping when focus is achieved for the selected auto-focus point. The Canon focus points cover an area larger than the specific point on the focus screen, so whether focus confirmation beeped for the exact point for where focus was intended may or may not be true. If shooting at extreme close distances, Live View can be very helpful - as well as a tripod.

Using the “grid” focus screen in the 1Ds Mark III, focus does not really “pop” into place. Some people may find the Canon “S” focus screens beneficial for manual focusing:

1. •EF-S Screen for Canon 40D & Canon 50D Cameras
   

2. •EG-S Super Precision Matte Focusing for the 5D Mark II
   

3. •EC-S Screen for the Canon 1Ds Series
   

Zeiss Planar lenses tend to have less DOF than their Canon-made lenses. Focusing the 50/2 ZE requires attention and a sharp eye. The focus confirmation beep will put focus in the right right area, but to hit the exact point may take extra effort. The 50/2 ZE’s focus throw is nearly a complete revolution, so making very minute focus adjustments is easy. But at the same time the large focus throw can complicate matters. First, going from one end of the range to the opposite end takes several twists. Next, once the focus is in the right range, deciding whether focus should be tweaked forward slightly, or backed-off just by hair can be difficult to judge at times.

HANDLING - AUTO APERTURE

On the Zeiss ZE lenses the aperture is 100% automatic, thus eliminating the stop-down-metering process. During the past 4-5 years I have missed my fair share of pictures due to the time required for stop down metering. The process is simple - focus wide open, turn the focus ring to the desired aperture and take the picture. While the process is simple, it requires added time. While turning the aperture ring, sometimes I moved the camera and compromised focus. Or the subject moved, or the composition changed, thus compromising the picture. With the ZE lenses aperture control is like any other Canon EF / EF-S. The aperture value is set via camera body and when the picture is taken, the Canon body sends a signal to the lens to close the aperture to the set aperture value.

In my opinion with a lens such as the Zeiss 50/2 ZE, automatic aperture is essential. Achieving critical focus takes time and effort. Manually setting aperture via an aperture focus ring (as in the case with 50/2 ZF on a Canon body using a 3rd party adapter) will most likely cause small changes in the cameras orientation when shooting handheld, thus potentially compromising focus. The 50/2 ZE is already demanding enough when it comes to “nailing” focus, so adding more variables and risks is not going help the keeper-rate.

For Canon SLR owners considering a used 50/2 Makro Planar such as the ZF or ZK, I feel the ZE version is a better choice. The ZE’s automatic aperture will improve the keeper rate. Also, the ZE lenses have fully populated EXIF data and support ETTL-II operation. Whereas the ZF and ZK version need a third party adapter (an added cost). And the adapter may introduce a degree of error into the system if the adapter is too thick, too thin or uneven.