Re: Canon EF 50mm F1.2L vs Zeiss ZE Planar T 50mm F1.4

vintage Leitz Summilux-R 50mm f/1.4, because it's sharp and bokeh is absolutely gorgeous, the only drawbacks are that it's only manual focus and old coatings make it flare more than others, but I love mine, it was reasonably cheap, and can be adapted to basycally anything (nikon, sony, canon, m43, nex...) - http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/01/the-great-50mm-shootout - http://www.ryanewalters.com/Videos/Tests/tests.html - http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/bokehtests.html - http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsa.html
 
Not a huge fan of L glass for video personally. Very pricey for what is still a "stills" lens and the great resolution doesn't buy you much in 1080P. When you get into $1500 for a lens territory you are knocking on the door of cinema glass, might as well spend a little more and do that.
 
I don't have any experience with the Zeiss, but here's a look at the two compared.
http://thedigitalpicture.com/Review...meraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0

From there I'd look at the 24mm L F1.4 II and the 85mm L F1.2 II on there and see how two of the sharpest L lenses ever made compare. Of all the high end L glass I think both the focal length and image quality of the 50mm is the least desirable of the bunch. Not sure the Zeiss looks any better.

I personally think L glass on the Canon's makes a huge difference. Not necessarily worth the price difference, but very noticable in video to me.

Cheers,
Pete
 
Which camera body are you shooting with ?

Most of the ultra-fast "normal" lenses suffer from coma when shooting wide open.
 
David W. Jones said:
Neither.

Why have you limited yourself to these two lenses?
What is your budget, and what are your goals?
Click to expand...

Which other lens of focal length 50mm would you choose?

I need a fast 50mm but not sure which one. Haven't rented them to test yet.

I am using it primarily for 1080p video.
 
gonzo_entertainment said:
Not a huge fan of L glass for video personally. Very pricey for what is still a "stills" lens and the great resolution doesn't buy you much in 1080P. When you get into $1500 for a lens territory you are knocking on the door of cinema glass, might as well spend a little more and do that.
Click to expand...

What cinema lenses are around that price range?
 
Yeah you can't get any cinema glass for that price range, new or used. I'd recommend the canon if you're doing more run and gun and focusing on your own without a follow focus. Zeiss otherwise, but I'd go with one of the older Zeiss C/Y lenses over the ZE. Same optics, but with manual aperture, and they don't focus backwards like the ZF lenses. It's hard to pull from the barrel on Zeiss because of the long throw and dampening, so i'd definitely recommend those with a follow focus. Havent used thre Leica, but I do like what I see. Wonder how long until Samyang releases a 50?
 
I have a Zeiss Contax C/Y mount 35/1.4 in my kit. It's fully manual, priced well, close focus, cinewise focus, color matched to all the other Zeiss Contax lenses, and adaptable to just about any camera. It's a good low cost alternative to cine glass.

All the Best!

Dave
 
IVHM said:
What cinema lenses are around that price range?
Click to expand...

I said "Knocking on the door". You can probably score some used cinema glass fin the low $2K range.

My point was I don't get L glass for video personally. Too many vintage lenses that have manual aperture, long focus throw, and plenty high enough resolution and IQ for 1080P video for sub $300. My whole set of primes (28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 55mm, 105mm 135mm, 200mm) cost less than a single L lens. I have a friend who owns a full set of L primes I could borrow anytime I want and just have no interest in using them.
 
Try a nikkor 55mm f1.2 AI'd or the nikkor 50mm 1.4 AI. Both are relatively cheaper and very high quality.

I use both a nikkor 50 1.2 AIS and the 50mm 1.4 AF-D.
 
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