ALTERNATIVES TO ZEISS 50/2 ZE

If the 50/2 ZE’s $1280 price tag sounds ridiculous, then a used Contax 60mm F2.8 Makro-Planar might be a good low-cost alternative. The 60mm typically sells for ~$400 plus the cost of Contax/EOS adapter. Another interesting option is the anticipated Voigtlander Nokton 58mm F1.4 SL II in the Canon EF mount. As of January 2010 the Voigtlander has NOT been announced for Canon, but there are rumors hinting that the Voigtlander will happen. Thus far the Voigtlander has been receiving good reviews and looks to be affordably priced at $379 (the Canon version will probably cost ~$75 more due to the automatic aperture mechanism).

The Zeiss 50mm F1.4 Planar ZE is also another option. I briefly tried this in early 2009 with a Canon 5D Mark II and was not very impressed with the its bokeh or F1.4 performance at close distances. In hindsight I might have misjudged the lens. If I purchased this lens, its role would be strictly for low-light shooting - mostly indoors. Right now I am more interested in seeing if the Voigtlander lens happens. The Voigtlander costs ~50% less, so if adding a second 50mm lens (since I already have the ZE), keeping the cost down sounds attractive.

The Canon EF 50mm F1.4 is good choice considering its price; however, the Zeiss 50/2 ZE offers much better performance. I used the Canon 50mm F1.4 a couple times during the holidays, and the Zeiss 50mm Makro-Planar ZE would easily win any comparison - except at F1.4. Likewise, the Canon EF 50mm F2.5 Macro is another bargain option, but I find that lens to have a very boring fingerprint.

Another option maybe a Contax N 50mm F1.4 Planar converted by Conurus. This will cost around $800-$900, but it is probably one of the more interesting options. Optically the lens is the same formula as the original manual focus Contax 50mm F1.4 Planar, so it is not a best-in-class lens at F1.4. However, it is Zeiss, a planar and auto-focus. The Contax 50N is also very light and compact; I think it would make a very nice walk-around lens when traveling.

Lastly, there are bewildering number of manual lenses from Olympus, Nikon, Minolta, Contax, Leica, Konica, etc., in the 50mm range which can adapted for use on Canon via a 3rd party adapter. Sorting through all the possible options can be a life-long project.

NOTE - This review is still being written and the first draft should be completed by the end of January assuming I have free time to actually use the 50/2 ZE during the next couple of weeks.