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Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZF - Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict |
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Lens Reviews -
Nikon / Nikkor (APS-C)
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Page 3 of 3
Sample Images
Here´re some quick and dirty sample shots taken with the Zeiss on the Nikon D200 and RAW-converted via RawShooter Premium or ACR 3.7.
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 |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/1.4 @ 1/2500s |
| Size |
3898x2613 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/1.4 @ 1/4000s |
| Size |
2613x3898 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
400 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/1.4 @ 1/1500s |
| Size |
2592x3872 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
100 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/1.4 @ 1/1500s |
| Size |
3898x2613 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/2.8 @ 1/800s |
| Size |
2613x3898 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/2.8 @ 1/750s |
| Size |
3898x2613 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/1.4 @ 1/1250s |
| Size |
3872x2592 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
200 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/8.0 @ 1/500s |
| Size |
2613x3898 |
|
| Make |
NIKON CORPORATION |
|
| Model |
NIKON D200 |
| ISO Speed |
100 |
| Focal Length |
85.0mm |
| Exposure Data: |
f/5.6 @ 1/180s |
| Size |
2613x3898 |
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Verdict
Zeiss ZF lenses are controversial beings because they lack auto-focus and an
electronically controlled aperture. However, they also tend to represent a benchmark
in their respective class and the same goes for the Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZF.
The lens is capable to produce bitingly sharp results when stopped
down a little. The color rendition is very Zeiss-like - very saturated
and neutral. Vignetting is usually no issue and distortions are absent. Judging
the lens bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is a little difficult because similar to wine
it is simply matter of taste - generally I found the out-of-focus rendering
buttery and pleasing (except with close-ups). Nonetheless the Zeiss also has also a few weaknesses. It shows
a somewhat "dreamy" contrast characteristic at f/1.4. Whether this is a bug or a
feature is a matter of application - portrait photographers will like it whereas
still-life photographers will probably not. Typical for ultra-large aperture
lenses there´s also some degree of purple fringing and longitudinal chromatic
aberrations at large aperture settings. Due to the large front element the T* 85mm f/1.4
isn't quite as resistant against flare as its (Zeiss) cousins but certainly not worse
than comparable lenses. The build quality is also exceptionally high and a
reminiscence to times when plastics were not the dominant form of mechanical design.
The price tag of the Zeiss comes almost as a surprise - at 1000 €/US$ it costs
about the same like the (optically slightly inferior) Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.4D.
If you can live with its manual focusing approach you don´t need to go any
further!
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