Camera test 52
Photography News Issue 27 absolutephoto.com
Zeiss 85mmf/1.4 Milvus £1379 This is a weighty lens so needs to be treated with respect when it comes to hand-holding as well as tripod choice. It is front heavy but balances well on camera. The lens’s rotund body does make getting rewarded with quality images from f/1.4 onwards where the centre is nicely sharp although the edges lag behind. Stopping down improves the edges and the central areas even more. It can be used critically from f/4 through to f/11 so it is then just a question of creative needs and the amount of desired depth-of-field. With the focusing barrel needing about three-quarters rotation to cover from minimum focus to infinity, fine-tuning critically sharp focus is fine. at the aperture ring slightly tricky. Get it right, though, and you are
Specs
Format 35mm and APS-C Mount ZE (Canon EOS) and ZF.2 (Nikon F) Construction 11 elements in 9 groups Special lens elements 4 anomalous partial dispersion elements Coatings Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating Filter size 77mm Aperture range f/1.4-16, ZF.2 (Nikon) lenses can be de-clicked Diaphragm 9 blades Internal focus No Manual focus Yes, no AF Zeiss 100mmf/2 Makro-Planar Milvus £1299 Generally, a fine capable lens that doubles as a general-purpose medium telephoto lens for portraits and so on, but can also focus in close to give half life-size reproduction. The focus barrel rotates nearly a full rotation to cover its focusing range and extends by 5cm at minimum focus. There is some vignetting at f/2 and some fringing too, with both cured by the time we reach f/4. Optically, however, f/2 showed itself to be very competent with a high level of sharpness at this aperture. There is not much improvement at f/2.8, but there is by f/4 and f/5.6 where quality is very high where is stays until the usual drop off at f/16 and f/22.
Minimumfocus 80cm Focus limiter No Maximummagnification 1:8.3 Distance scale Yes Depth-of-field scale Yes Image stabiliser No Tripod collar No Lens hood Yes Weather-sealed Yes Dimensions (lxd) ZF.2 110x90mm, ZE 113x90mm Weight ZF.2 1210g, ZE 1280g
How it rates
20/25
Features Potential as a fast portrait lens Performance Impressive at its wider apertures, particularly at the image centre Handling Lovely feel, just heavy Value formoney Competitively priced Overall Heavy but used with care will deliver very good results Pros : Sharp wide open and even sharper when stopped down Cons : Weight, minor vignetting
22/25
F/2
23/25
22/25
87/100
See the verdict below
F/8
Specs
Minimumfocus 44cm Focus limiter No Maximummagnification 1:2 Distance scale Yes Depth-of-field scale Yes Image stabiliser No Tripod collar No Lens hood Yes Weather-sealed Yes Dimensions (lxd) ZF.2 103x80.5mm, ZE 104x80.5mm Weight ZF.2 807g, ZE 843g
Format 35mm and APS-C Mount ZE (Canon EOS) and ZF.2 (Nikon F) Construction 9 elements in 8 groups Special lens elements 2 anomalous partial dispersion elements Coatings Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating Filter size 67mm Aperture range f/2-22, ZF.2 (Nikon) lenses can be de-clicked Diaphragm 9 blades Internal focus No Manual focus Yes, no AF
Features Amedium telephoto with the ability of 1:2 magnification Performance Very good all told, and high sharpness even at f/2 Handling Smooth and assured Value formoney Much to like about this lens despite its lofty price tag Overall It doesn’t give 1:1 magnification but it is a quality performer Pros : Optical skills, close focusing Cons : Some vignetting at f/2 20/25 23/25 20/25 23/25 86/100 How it rates
F/2
See the verdict below
F/8
Verdict
The 35mm also wasn’t outstanding at its widest aperture but it wasn’t as soft as the 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.4. The two macro lenses, the 50mm f/2 and 100mm f/2, and the 85mm f/1.4 are the highlights of the collection. The Milvus 85mm f/1.4 is significantly cheaper than its Otus counterpart though it is not as good optically which is no surprise, but it did show itself to be a very fine optic and I can see portrait workers loving it. At the wider aperture settings you do get a nice background blur in head-and- shoulder portraits. If you do make the investment in a Milvus lens, just take your time to focus accurately and hone your camera technique (and buy a good tripod) to make the most of your new Zeiss optic.
reproach. They look superb too if cosmetics are important to you. Optically, they are more than capable too, especially at their optimum apertures which, as usual with most lenses, is two or three stops down frommaximum aperture. At the wider apertures, a couple of the lenses were not overly strong. Notably, the 21mm f/2.8 and the 50mm f/1.4 were not so impressive in their paces at their widest apertures and stopping down was needed to see them in a really good light. The 21mm f/2.8’s vignetting at f/2.8 was very noticeable while the 50mm f/1.4 at its widest settings was a little disappointing sharpness-wise given that many will want to use the lens at those values.
The arrival of the Zeiss Milvus family is a very welcome one. The company’s Otus range is very highly priced and so inaccessible to many, while the Classic collection is arguably behind the times for the very latest high-megapixel count DSLRs. The Milvus family means those photographers wanting a high- quality, up-to-date manual-focus prime option now have one. Bearing in mind that the Milvus lenses are manual focus only and that the camera brands as well as independent lens makers are coming out with equally pricey, exotic glass primes but with autofocus, it will be fascinating to see howMilvus lenses sell. It has to be said, though, that these Japanese-made lenses do feel great and the mechanics are beyond
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