Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 (Contax N to Canon EF) - Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict
Lens Reviews - Canon EOS (APS-C)

Sample Images

Here´re some sample images taken with an EOS 1D II and RAW-converted via Apple Aperture (kindly provided by Markus Stamm)

Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE samples (=several megabytes) thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth so please take care of the limited resources here.

Make Canon
Model Canon EOS-1D Mark II
ISO Speed 400
Focal Length 86.0mm
Exposure Data: f/2.5 @ 1/320s
Size 2304x3462
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS-1D Mark II
ISO Speed 400
Focal Length 86.0mm
Exposure Data: f/2.2 @ 1/1000s
Size 2302x3460

Verdict

A mount-converted Carl-Zeiss Planar N T* 85mm f/1.4 is a more than exotic lens for Canon EOS cameras. Technically it is a very good to excellent lens. The border performance could be a bit better at large apertures although this is probably not so much of a problem in real world images where you tend to place you subject at or near the center anyway and the center is very sharp straight from f/1.4. Lateral CAs (color shadows at harsh contrast transitions) and distortions are negligible. Vignetting may be visible at f/1.4 in critical situations but it shouldn't be a overly field-relevant. Typical for such lenses the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 is not a true "APO" lens so it shows its fair share of Longitudinal Chromatic Aberrations (LoCAs) at large aperture settings. The bokeh is very smooth and buttery as you can see in the provided sample images. Mechanically it is a beautifully crafted lens and the AF performs fine without being stellar though. However, the question of the day is whether the mount conversion is really worth it. The naked 85mm f/1.4 will cost you around 1500US$ plus 400US$ for the mount conversion (plus VAT and customs fees) - not exactly a cheap adventure and the (slightly sharper and faster) Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L plays in the same price league so it's probably more a game for Zeiss fans only (check the Conurus website for further details first).

Optical Quality:    
Mechanical Quality:
Price/Performance:discontinued
      
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