Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm f/1.4 for landscapes on Nikon D810:is it a right choice?

[simsurace]

Well, I guess nothing really is. I hope you ask your dealer to report the problem to Zeiss, and I would be curious to know their reaction.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

As I got my money back, I'm pretty convinced the dealer would want a factory reimbursement to cover his loss.

However, other stories about disappointing quality of this Zeiss lens do appear on the 'net. Thus I'm apparently not alone.

[Erik Lund]

Yes, I'm agree with you about bokeh for portrait, but I have noticed that it's less sharp than my 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII FL in landscapes shoot (at f/5.6 or f/8); the 70-200mm is a zoom, 3000$ of zoom, but always a zoom and when I bought the 85mm I hoped it was sharper than the 70-200mm; its bokeh for portait is fantastic, but its sharpness at infinity is a little disappointment for me.

Just post a sample of this please, Thank you.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

This is the lens and the numbers are stacked against it,

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Carl-Zeiss/Carl-Zeiss-Planar-1.4-85mm-ZF2-Nikon-mounted-on-Nikon-D800E__814

The Milvus apparently is a better performer, even with the dreadful exterior and questionable handling.

[simsurace]

As I got my money back, I'm pretty convinced the dealer would want a factory reimbursement to cover his loss.

However, other stories about disappointing quality of this Zeiss lens do appear on the 'net. Thus I'm apparently not alone.

I don't know about this particular lens. Since it is a very old design I would think that it is not super-strong in the corners wide open, but I would not expect such a low quality as you have posted. However, I think the AF-S 85/1.4 might fare better in the corners, and I expect that the new Milvus and Otus lenses should be much better than the ZF.2 Planar.

How did it compare to the AF 85/1.4D?

As for a manual lens on the DF, why is the AI-s 85mm not suitable?

On the old site there were quite a few people that owned the Zeiss 85mm Planar and posted sample images. I wonder whether some of them still hang around here?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I didn't say the 85/1.4 AIS wasn't suitable ... where did you get that impression? That particular Nikkor was not mentioned at all. I just wanted to have an alternative to my old 85/1.4 at my disposal.

The Zeiss 85/1.4 ZF.2 is still sold brand new here in my country.

[simsurace]

I should have asked 'is the AIS not suitable?'
Of course you did not say that it was not, but it fits the description and I wonder what makes you look for an alternative.
The Zeiss lenses of course draw very differently from the Nikon lenses, so I can understand that you may want both.
But now not anymore.

I know that the 85mm ZF.2 is still being sold new. While I suspect that you got a lemon, I also think that the lens (even one that is within spec) does not meet today's demands for high sharpness into the corners. I think that is why the Milvus 85mm is completely re-designed and now much heavier and more complex.
Some other lenses in the Milvus line have the same optics as their ZF.2 counterpart, or only minor changes.

[Akira]

Jedi, if you are not in need of the f1.4 speed, I guess the PC-E 85/2.8 could be the answer?

[Jedi]

Jedi, if you are not in need of the f1.4 speed, I guess the PC-E 85/2.8 could be the answer?

I don't know this lens, but I love Zeiss colours......

[BEZ]

Jedi,

I keep my Nikkor 85mm f1.4 AF-D, in preference to the AF-S version for portraits.

But use a Nikkor 85mm F1.8G AF-S for landscape and general photography. It is small, lightweight, and sharp ....it would seem ideal for your intended use.

[Jedi]

Jedi,

I keep my Nikkor 85mm f1.4 AF-D, in preference to the AF-S version for portraits.

But use a Nikkor 85mm F1.8 AF-S for landscape and general photography. It is small, lightweight, and sharp ....it would seem ideal for your intended use.

Is it sharper than my 85mm f/1.4G???

[BEZ]

It is much sharper than my f1.4 AF-D in the corners ....and it was a little sharper than my f1.4G AF-S.

[Jedi]

It is much sharper than my f1.4 AF-D in the corners ....and it was a little sharper than my f1.4G AF-S.

Thank you, I wait opinions about the sharpness of Zeiss Planar 85mm f/1.4 at infinity.

[Jan Anne]

The Milvus does alright according to DxO, 5th for sharpness and 4th overall:
https://www.dxomark.com/lenses/launched-between-1987-and-2017/focal-from-85-to-90/launch_price-from-0-to-13000-usd#hideAdvancedOptions=false&viewMode=list&yDataType=rankDxo

The classic ZF2 hovers somewhere near the bottom of the heap, there's btw also no Nikkor present in the top half 

But sharpness is overrated

[simsurace]

If you must have a Zeiss, take a look at the Makro Planar 100mm, it is highly rated for landscapes as well as for closeups, and similar in AOV as the 85mm. Unless you want to go all the way to the APO Sonnar 135; you cannot go wrong on that one if you like Zeiss' rendering, but it is significantly longer than 85mm.