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 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. Buying the ZF or ZK version and then adding a good adapter will not save much money.

PERFORMANCE

The Zeiss 50mm F2 Makro-Planar ZE’s roots date back to 1896 with the first symmetric lens design by Dr. Paul Rudolph. On the Zeiss page there are two optical formulas shown - one the Contax 60mm Macro and the second for the Hasselblad 120mm CFE. Both those designs consist of 6 elements. The 50mm Makro-Planar ZE design has 8 elements - with the most significant changes in rear lens groups. There could be any number of reasons for changes such as improved optical performance or cost considerations. The important point here is - the 50mm Makro-Planar is not a new design, it is an evolution.

The Zeiss 50/2 ZF review was written BEFORE owning the Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH. At the time I felt the Zeiss 50/2 ZF was the best 50mm lens I had used. Fast forward back to today and I feel the Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH is the best 50mm lens - but this is moot for dSLR users since the Leica M lens is for Leica M rangefinders. The Zeiss 50mm Makro-Planar has its niche. The samples on the previous page showcase the ZE’s sweet spot - which is wide apertures at close distances. Under those conditions the 50/2 ZE delivers shallow DOF, highly abstracted bokeh, a sharp, pronounced focal plane, and bold, contrasty colors. The amount of fine detail is amazing. The Zeiss 50/2 ZE renders those images in lovely with colors and contrast that I really like.

I have seen the usual Zeiss chromatic aberrations (CA) in the bokeh. The CA has not been objectionable and the focus plane is essentially CA free. Based on my previous experience with the 50/2 ZE and ZF, I would not expect CA to be a problem; however, CA is one those areas where a lens needs to be used across a wide range of settings, locations and light conditions before any conclusive statements can be made with a high degree of confidence. For those of you who want to play with some 1Ds Mark III raw files, here are some ISO 100 samples from the 50/2 ZE -

1. •F5.6 landscape sample file (CR2, 31 MB)
   

2. •F5.0 potential CA resistance (CR2, 23 MB)
   

3. •F5.6 flare sample, shot into the sun (CR2, 28 MB)
   

4. •F2-F5.6 city scape samples (3 CR2’s, 85 MB)
   

5. •F5.6 shallow DOF sample (CR2, 25 MB)
   

All the images in this review have been post processed in Photoshop. Thus far the 50/2 ZE images have held up well in Photoshop and have not revealed any hidden gremlins. The 50/2 ZE’s images are consistently sharp with good resolution, so there is little need for additional sharpening or high pass filters to coax out additional detail. Most of the Photoshop editing has concentrated on colors and levels to tone down certain areas or enhance other areas.