Zeiss for 5D MK2

Jade Lane

Jade Lane

Active member
Just bought a Zeiss Planar T 1.4/85 ZE 85mm (Canon Fit) as my first lens, what others would I need in the range?

I'm using the 5D for film work only and I'm mainly shooting bands in low light, documentary style close-up work and some panoramic landscape shots.

Should I have gone ZF over ZE ? I'm new to this so any help would be great.
 
ZF is for Nikon. ZE is for Canon.

That said, I have ZF's with EF adapters so they work on my Canon. Why? Because ZF's have manual iris control while ZE's are electronic. Not a huge deal if you only use them on Canon bodies, but if you use them on different a camera later on, it has to have Canon electronics or it won't work. Also, generally, ZF's are 20-30% cheaper than ZE's.

This is my ZF kit:


  • Zeiss ZF Distagon f/2 28mm
  • Zeiss ZF Distagon f/2 35mm
  • Zeiss ZF Planar f/1.4 50mm
  • Zeiss ZF Planar f/1.4 85mm
The 28mm is a good wide with minimum distortion. You can also get the 21mm which is obviously wider, but has a bit more barrel distortion and higher price tag. Don't get the 18mm on the 5D or other FF sensor cameras since it has some vignetting. It is made for APS-C sensors like the 7D. Zeiss also makes a 100mm macro if you need a bit more reach.

If you were to only get two lenses, I would personally get the 28mm & 85mm. A good wide and good telephoto. Then I would get the 50mm for times that 85mm is too tight. Followed by the 35mm. I know some DPs who never use the 35mm and always go to the 50mm.

That's my opinion. Hope it helps.
 
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If you're buying new, the ZFs are going to start getting harder to come by since Zeiss has released the ZF.2. And their pricing is in line with the ZE series.

It's really a matter of preference. I like the focus confirmation with the ZE and have no plans to use other bodies at this point. However saving a couple hundred sure is an attractive option.
 
Or if you're like me, you can get lucky...


  • Zeiss ZF Distagon f/2 28mm
  • Zeiss ZF Distagon f/2 35mm
  • Zeiss ZF Planar f/1.4 50mm
  • Zeiss ZF Planar f/1.4 85mm
  • 4 EF adapters
  • Redrock Follow Focus
  • 4 Lens Gears
  • Pelican case w/ custom foam
$3400 :D

Look around Craigslist and ebay for some good deals. As long as the glass is in good condition, I wouldn't hesitate to buy used lenses.
 
I would recommend the Zeiss 50mm F/2 Makro-Planar ZE.

More expensive than the Zeiss 50mm F1.4 (which might seem odd considering the F2 is slower), but it is a much better performer and can be the foundation for all of your 5d video.

Next would be the Zeiss 28mm F/2 Distagon ZE.

These two along with your 85mm are enough for TV commercials, feature films and most music videos.

Other lenses to consider after that would be for image stabilization, tilt-shift, fisheye etc ...
 
Why is the 50mm F2 ZE Makro a better performer than the F1.4 ZE. Assuming I don't need the Macro of the lens at all, would I want the larger aperture?

I mean, F2 is fine, nothing to shake a stick at, but are there other qualities of this lens for regular, non-macro shooting that make it better than the F1.4?
 
Thanks alot for the help, I'm gonna follow you're guidance..

Got the Zeiss 85mm, gonna buy the 50mm F/2 next then the 28mm, as 'Primaural' has mentioned above whats the overall improvement of the F/2 over the F1.4 ? its nearly twice the price but I've heard others say the same as you.
 
Jade Lane said:
its nearly twice the price but I've heard others say the same as you.
Click to expand...

For one it's macro. My guess is it's also sharper / has less vignetting at the extremes / has better contrast. In all honesty though, the 50/1,4 has almost no perceptible aberrations wide open. Macro is nice though.
 
Well that's my question, if I don't care at all about Macro, the other user said it's a better lens anyway, even setting aside the Macro. The reviews have been pretty great for the 1.4, so am curious why the f2 Macro is 'better'.
 
For photography the extra sharpness might be fine, but for 1080p video I doubt you'll see a drastic improvement.

Macro would be the main benefit.
 
Got some Ziess ZF's on the way to Duclos in CA right now for the cinemod - de clicking and permanent focus gears attached. Will see how these babies come out when they are done.
 
Sweet. I think you'll enjoy them quite a bit. Just shot a short with them and LOVED every part of it.
 
NextWaveG said:
Or if you're like me, you can get lucky...


  • Zeiss ZF Distagon f/2 28mm
  • Zeiss ZF Distagon f/2 35mm
  • Zeiss ZF Planar f/1.4 50mm
  • Zeiss ZF Planar f/1.4 85mm
  • 4 EF adapters
  • Redrock Follow Focus
  • 4 Lens Gears
  • Pelican case w/ custom foam
$3400 :D

Look around Craigslist and ebay for some good deals. As long as the glass is in good condition, I wouldn't hesitate to buy used lenses.
Click to expand...

=[ No 21/2.8 or 100/2? Sniffle.
 
But 1.4 vs 2... its nice to have that extra light coming in the lens, with an Vari ND you can have very deep dof... shouldn't that be the major point of difference?
 
Mike Brent said:
But 1.4 vs 2... its nice to have that extra light coming in the lens, with an Vari ND you can have very deep dof... shouldn't that be the major point of difference?
Click to expand...

No. But, that's me. Others mileage may vary. And, do you mean thin depth?

On a 7D or anything less the 1.4 might be good. On the 5D, a 2 or 2.8 is plenty... for me.
 
hello,
can anyone please tell me the max bit rate for video capture of EOS 5D Mark II? Also is the codec 4:2:2 @ 8 bit? Secondly if i was to output video via HDMI, will i get 1080p or 480p? thanks
 
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