Zeiss Planar T* /1.4 50mm ZE

krb wrote in post #13125381
I'm 99% sure that you have this backwards.

I could be wrong about the 7d - i don't own this camera. There is the catzeye screen for the rebel, but it doesn't go in as easily as canon screens for the higher end camers. I understand you need to tinker with your camera in order to install it.

Brian_R wrote in post #13125409
im not too into the whole focusing screen thing anyway and most likely will not do it only because if i bought this lens i would be poor afterwards anyway. i am perfectly fine with the AF assist indication and dont need the look and feel of the old school focus screens and whatnot

i honestly just dont understand what it does. i have researched them and found nothing but prices but i dont know anything about the benefits, what exactly they are and why i want one with my zeiss. how they affect using my other lenses. and how to install it and all that


links to more info is greatly appreciated otherwise i also appreciate any posts that are made explaining the focus screen in deeper details. thanks

check out this link

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=4PGAjCCk9W8

Don't worry too much about the screen. This lens work just fine with AF assist f4 and up and you can always use live view.

denat wrote in post #13125738
check out this link

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=4PGAjCCk9W8

Don't worry too much about the screen. This lens work just fine with AF assist f4 and up and you can always use live view.

why f4 is that just the easiest that some people have deemed it useable or is it literally that the AF confirm will only trigger at f4+

reason i ask this is because i dont plan on always shooting wide open but i would stop down to f2 or f2.8 and at times stop down to f4+ but i wont spend $700 if it doesnt even work wider than f4 without some focus screen. that makes me nervous about purchasing zeiss

Brian,

The focus screen in the 7D and all auto focus cameras are designed to be bright with a slower lens like a zoom that doesn't open more than say 5.6. That way the viewfinder doesn't darken up. The problem is when you do that with a fast lens it is sometimes hard to see what is in focus and what is not, due to everything being so bright. When you put a screen in the camera for fast lenses and manual focus the slow lenses get very dark and hard see through the viewfinder. I just checked and the 7D does not have user interchangeable screens so that is not an option.

I don't know how much you looked at Zeiss's website about the focus shift but basically the AF system always looks through a lens like it is a 4.0 or slower lens and on very fast lenses which are not corrected the focus shifts forward slightly when you stop down. Problem is when build a lens with the corrections for fix this problem you loose some of the look and feel the lens gives you.

The 50 1.4 and the 85 1.4 are the only two Zeiss lenses that work like this. All the others work fine at all apertures with the AF assist and on my 5Ds work very well. Come to think of it I haven't heard anything one way or the other with focus shift on the new 35 1.4 so not sure on that one.

If you think you may have a problem get the MP50 or the 35 2.0 and you will be fine. I just don't think those lenses have quite the vintage B&W feel that the 1.4s do. But then again my MP 100 can do things my 501.4 can't and vise versa. There is no perfect machine!!!! But as they say if there was a perfect machine we "couldn't separate the men from the boys".

yea unfortunately i think im going to pass on the zeiss 50 1.4 on my 7D. maybe the 50 f2 or other glass is in my future.

thanks for clearing that up ill do more research before writing this lens off on my 7D but its looking like not the smartest purchase not to say that i still dont want zeiss just not this specific lens

also stinks because my other lens i was interested in was the 85 1.4

after doing some research i better understand focus shift and what it is and why. and although its all still a little confusing i understand that the wider i open up and depending on how close i am to my subject focus shift occurs. although i have only a basic understanding of why this lens would not perform very well on my 7D ill be researching more to learn more to help me make a decision on my possible zeiss purchase

The 100 is really something else once you get past the price. To me it is one of the most rewarding lenses you will ever try. It has the instant blow your doors off ability. This is a good thing with a lens that is almost 1900.00. BUT I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING ON THE MARKET!!!

The 50 you lean and get better and better with. I got my 50 about 6 months before the 100 and loved it but I must admit compared to the 100 at first it looked weak by comparison and almost sold if for the 35 2.0. But then I started to see the little differences I now love the 50 as much as the 100 but I had to learn it.

So to sum it up I know it is expensive but if you want the best there is there is no way I wouldn't pick the MP 100 as the first lens to have. But I must warn you when you buy this lens there will be now going back because everything made by Canon will no longer compare.

I will get off my soap box now and I hope this helps a little.

yea it does. im still very interested in getting the 50 1.4 ZE im just worried about the potential learning curve it has when shooting in the wider apertures and possibly not getting a focus confirm red blink in my viewfinder at all. i may have completely misunderstood the whole lens working under the assumptions of being f4 rather than wider. im still trying to learn more to understand it but its tough when you dont have the lens lol

im considering trying to rent it for a weekend maybe to try it out so i better understand this lens before i buy it. i feel like that might be really smart before making an investment like this. im a poor college student so this lens is a pretty serious buy for me

everything you have told me is really helpful and im still new to photography and how certain equipment has different level of compatibility with others. if this lens turns out to not be the smartest choice because it doesnt fully work like a normal lens would minus AF of course then i might look at the newer zeiss glass such as upgrading my 30 to a zeiss 35 f2 in the future. although i do really enjoy the 50mm length on my camera so i want to get a nice 50 for my kit.

also from reading into it im not terribly worried about focus shift issues because from what i understand its the worst when you get close to the minimum focus distance and are wide open or almost wide. for the most part this lens would be for general photography and occasional fun headshots and portraits.

The 50 has gotten really easy to use now that I have gotten used to it. I wouldn't worry about it to much. When shooting manual focus you learn to think differently. Keep in mind I use them for weddings and most people cringe at having to manual focus a moving subject and I will shoot 1.4 walking down the isle. Is it going to be tack sharp? No but 1.4 never will be. Nor does it need to be. People forget this is about art and now just a test to see how sharp something is. Two things to help you with the focus shift. You can micro adjust the focus system on the 7D so when it is using that lens it will compensate. Second with an 8 fps camera it is really easy to focus bracket. Heck lots of time in low light I just set the distance with the scale on top of the lens. For that matter if you are shooting outside at f11 stick the darn lens on the hyper-focal distance and everything form about 20 feet to infinity is in focus and walk around a shoot. AF people never think of stuff like that.

Here is one at 1.4.

denat wrote in post #13125699
I could be wrong about the 7d - i don't own this camera. There is the catzeye screen for the rebel, but it doesn't go in as easily as canon screens for the higher end camers. I understand you need to tinker with your camera in order to install it.

Looking at the installation instructions on the KatzEye site, the Rebel looks the same as other Canon bodies except for a piece of foam that hides the release clip. There may be an additional part that is loose that you would need to be careful about but there are no special tools or anything. The 7D, on the other hand, is the only one with a note that the instructions are for "informational purposes only" and that installation should be performed by a trained technician.

SMichaelPhoto wrote in post #13127311
The 50 has gotten really easy to use now that I have gotten used to it. I wouldn't worry about it to much. When shooting manual focus you learn to think differently. Keep in mind I use them for weddings and most people cringe at having to manual focus a moving subject and I will shoot 1.4 walking down the isle. Is it going to be tack sharp? No but 1.4 never will be. Nor does it need to be. People forget this is about art and now just a test to see how sharp something is. Two things to help you with the focus shift. You can micro adjust the focus system on the 7D so when it is using that lens it will compensate. Second with an 8 fps camera it is really easy to focus bracket. Heck lots of time in low light I just set the distance with the scale on top of the lens. For that matter if you are shooting outside at f11 stick the darn lens on the hyper-focal distance and everything form about 20 feet to infinity is in focus and walk around a shoot. AF people never think of stuff like that.

Here is one at 1.4.

thanks. im not sure about the micro adjust to calibrate the lens to compensate for focus shift. but i am honestly not worried as once i learn the lens id be able to adjust to it and know how to compensate. the main reason im stuck on this lens is because its very close to the zeiss 50 1.something that i learned how to shoot film on at film school on a 16mm bolex and my teacher gave us only one lens at a time and we started at 50mm and i fell in love with it.

my only confusion is the focus confirmation when shooting more open than f4, i think it has been explained but i just didnt understand it completely but from what i understand my camera will still blink red when i am in focus in the viewfinder although obviously when handheld at f1.4 it wont stay in perfect focus since i do sway a little bit. i still feel pretty good about this lens. once i have the money ill be ready to buy since i dont have money now anyway i dont feel as nervous with it being an impulse buy without researching it

If your camera calibrated properly if you are shooting faster than 4.0 the focus will be slightly in front of where the red light comes on and where the red light says is in focus. If you manually focus the lens with the screen it will be correct. I really only noticed the issue shooting 1.4 1.8 never really a problem at 2.0 and 2.8.

cool thanks. i am going to look into it so i can understand why this happens but knowing that it happens is so much better than finding out and not knowing why when i buy the lens and thinking its broken. im pretty excited about being a future zeiss owner

Hi everyone:

From my recent trip to Belgium:

IMAGE LINK: http://imageshack.us …811vacacionesen​belgi.jpg/

nice shot patras

Brian_R wrote in post #13164267
nice shot patras

Thank you Brian