Zeiss Milvus 50mm F2 Makro Planar

[JJChan]

Bill, I never use skylight filters in general, and in the particular case shown there was no filter at all. I bought the lens new, and I cannot see what kind of trouble this should come from except a design issue. Please note however that the scene illustrating the flare is a bit extreme.

Michael, the 50/2 MP is definitely not apochromatic, but much less troublesome that many other 50ies in that respect. In conjunction with LR autocorrection, it is nearly trouble-free (some very mild LoCA as mentioned by JJChan, that's all). The 100/2 is supposedly worse in that respect. In the case of your search for perfection, you need APO. For more casual shots as I normally shoot, the 50/2 is really a good fit.

Hi Airy
I've got a lot on my plate at the moment and won't have time for much photography until after 31st.
Absolutely this 50mm is not going to suit all photographers - and not Michaels beautiful type of highly controlled art form where he desires APO correction

What I was after was that uncanny ability of simple glass stuck together to delineate point sources of light enabling a somewhat otherworldly 3D effect. I'm amazed at how lens designers do this!

E.g. I posted a shot from the Noct earlier: http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,3063.msg42756.html#msg42756
Although it is harder to see on web reduced pic, the group of people standing mid jetty are rounded and have a space of their own. And this is at f1.2 for objects 50m away. I'll try to do a crop to show this.

Eric's Leica 35mm FLE does this. The new Sato twins of AFS 35mm and 58mm do this as does this Zeiss and the 28mm f2 ZF (Nikon Ais doesn't). This is obviously not what Michael is looking for and probably why all these lenses also do so poorly on standard lab testing. The artistic rendering of this lense was visible in YOUR photos (I saw them on FZ site) and that was what made me look to the Zeiss as a replacement for my stumbling 60mm.

JJ

[pluton]

I use the older metal version a lot and have not seen this. I've read that the Milvus version is the same lens so am surprised with these results.  Could there have been a skylight filter on the lens?  It would be interesting if someone with another lens copy could duplicate this.  The earlier Makro is quite a good lens.

Here is a flare demo I hastily set up between my ZF 50 Makro Planar and a Nikkor 50/1.8 Ais long nose.  My copy of the ZF 50 was purchased new in 2008. Supposedly, the new Milvus versions of the old ZF/ZE designs may have "improved coatings."   Sorry, no beautiful interior architecture on these.  D800, 200ISO as I recall.  A dark computer screen against a bright daylight window.  First the ZF 50/2 at f/2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, and 16; then the Nikkor 50/1.8 at 1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, and 16.

[pluton]

Here's the Nikkor 50/1.8 at f/1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, and 16.  This lens definitely generates more flare with stopping down ---as expected--- but not to the degree that the Zeiss 50 MP does.

[JJChan]

Airy
Here is Milvus wide open and stopped down f22 compared to AFS 60mm f2.8 and stopped down f22

[JJChan]

Milvus with backlighting above and left through window
Wide open and at f22

[Airy]

Thanks JJ Chan for your extensive review, both in pics and text.

Today I first met a Milvus 50/2 and, incredibly, in the second-hand department of Photo Cirque in Paris. So I tested it. Compared with the predecessor :
- approximately same size and weight, but the lens shade is enormous (predecessor had a very narrow one). Given the deeply recessed front lens, I guess I am not going to use it very often
- there is a gasket at the mount: nice, but why such a conspicuous blue? Zeiss visual ID??
- aperture ring: clicks are too soft and too close to each other (half stops, over a short throw), so it is difficult to set aperture by touch; the predecessor was better and the micro Nikkor 55/2.8 even better
- sharpness, very low CA, low LoCA, excellent bokeh were preserved
- the tendency of the predecessor to underexpose at f/2 is no longer noticeable
- flare on stopping down is still a bit there, but decent now : great

Bottom line : I bought it... poor bank account...

[John Geerts]

Congrats on the purchase

[pluton]

Nikon's full stop detents...with plenty of space between the clicks... are another one their great ideas.  All 1/2 and 1/3 stop detent designs(Canon FD, Zeiss ZF, Milvus, Leica M, Fuji XF etc) that I have used are inferior.

[Airy]

Agreed. In the Zeiss case, whatever the version, the half stops are not even displayed in the viewfinder or EXIF data. You know where you are by looking on the aperture ring. But that's a minor issue. Overall they made a great lens even better. However the against-the-light champion remains their 35/2.

Also, the 50/2 is not ideal for night shots: significant coma. The best allrounder remains the Tamron 45/1.8 here (with AF, VR, negligible coma, close focus...). The Zeiss 50/2 is second best allrounder, and has got a punchy rendering, unlike the Tamron.

[JJChan]

Airy
Congratulations - looking forward to more photos of Paris and Lille!

JJ

[Olivier]

Airy! Not another 50!

[Airy]

Yesss the whole range, from the most humble (50/2 AI) to that one.
I have skipped the Noct twice (that one breaks the bank, not to mention the Otus), and I am trying to avoid the 58/1.4 G. I do not think I'll ever get the Sigma 50/1.4 A or the Zeiss Milvus 50/1.4 because I also avoid massive lenses whenever possible. The form factor is important, to me at least. Showing off is not a good idea, and can be dangerous in some places. This is also why I'll blacken the "Zeiss" mark on the new 50/2. It is as big as an ad.

Ah, most importantly I forgot to say that the new Zeiss comes with a usable lens cap. In the past, the lens cap was the only part of Zeiss lenses that was subject to unanimous mockery.

[Airy]

Casual shots with the Milvus version of the 50/2. It really pops. Bokeh is as good as ever.

[Tristin]

Looks excellent.  The second image really catches my eye.

[JJChan]

Airy - keep them coming!

Macro at 1:2 not bad (wide open no sharpening SOOC resized)