The best lens in this range. Excellent sharpness and contrast.

None what so ever.

This lens is legendary. You just have to see the results to believe it. this lens is a very valid reason to go to the Contax world. I have used many other 50mm lenses and this is my favourite followed by Nikon 50&60mm.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 50mm AF & AIS, 55mm AIS Micro, 60mm AF Micro. Minolta 50mm 1.7MD. Canon AF 1.8 etc.

best standard lens made, (except for zeiis' own 60mm makro-planar)

none

Forget Leica, forget Nikon, and all the others. this is sharpest one out there

Similar Products Used:

all

Sharpness without the extra contrast, very versatile lens, solid construction.

A bit soft wide open, but what lens isn't at 1.4?

If I take a look at all my photographes, I would have to say that around 80% of them where taken with a standard lens. That's a lot of photographes.
I am not talking about one type of photography. That means I depend on my standard lens no mather what format I use. In 35mm my lens is the zeiss 50mm f:1.4 and that's the bottom line.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

I have used to many to say.

Beautiful color, smooth tonality.

double image boken if wide open.

I like this lense very much, its pictures always shows a special kind of soft touch, feel like water color. It has very natural color rendering.

Customer Service

Soso

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 50/1.4 AIS

Sharp, sharp and sharp.. did I say it's sharp? Much better at f/2, but no problem at f/1.4. Even though the MTF said 50/1.7 is sharper, but 50/1.4 outperform 50/1.7 for color rendering, IMO. I like contrast from 50/1.4 better than 50/1.7. Built quality of 50/1.4 and 50/1.7 are completely different. Bokeh are not much different

None

The best normal lens that you can buy. Rumor said Contax lose money whenever this lens is sold. Who knows?
Don't forget to get Hood#4. Not only it looks awesom, but contrast is considerately improved.

Customer Service

No need

Similar Products Used:

Almost all Contax Zeiss glasses. For this lens, look for its competitive, 50/1.7.

VERY SHARP, BUT THEN AGAIN, MOST 50'S ARE.

IT'S A 50mm. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, NOTHING TO REPORT IN THE WEAKNESS CATEGORY.

THE WORLD IS CATCHING UP TO ZEISS OPTICS. I RECENTLY PURCHASED MY FIRST PRO MODEL AUTOFOCUS CAMERA, THE CANON EOS1V WITH A 28-70 AND 70-200, BOTH 2.8 'L' VERSIONS. INCREDIBLY SHARP!! I WAS GOING TO STAY WITH CONTAX (I HAVE THE RX AND RTSIII) AND TRY THE N1 (HAVEN'T HEARD ENOUGH POSITIVES FOR THE AX TO GO WITH IT). DECIDED ON THE CANON BECAUSE OF RAVE REVIEWS. NOW CONSIDERING A SECOND BODY AFTER 2 MONTHS OF SHOOTING. CONTAX IS VERY GOOD, BUT THE 'L' CANON LENSES ARE GREAT AS WELL, AND HAVE A MUCH LARGER AND VARIED SELECTION.

Customer Service

HAVE NOT HAD TO USE IT, YET.

Similar Products Used:

CANON 28-70 EF L
CONTAX 85 1.4
CONTAX 60 2.8
CONTAX 135 2.8

Second best manual focus 50/1.4

Slightly weak at f/1.4 and f/2 while Ricoh Rikenon have done a much better job in this aspect.

Test report of all manual focus 50/1.4 from a UK photographic magazine which published 10 years ago has revealed that this carl zeiss 50/1.4 is NOT the best. It is placed on the second. The real winner is the new Rikenon Program 50/1.4 by RICOH. Surprise? If you can find a Rikenon P 50/1.4 and take photo at aperture from f1.4 to f4, you will see how superb the Rikenon can perform at such wide aperture. Please don't mix up with Ricoh 55/1.2, as 55/1.2 is rubbish.

Similar Products Used:

Ricoh Rikenon P 50/1.4
Minolta MD 50/1.4
Prakticar Zeiss Jena 50/1.4
Canon FD 50/1.4
Minolta AF 50/1.4

- Sharp
- Colour good
- Light

- Lack of auto focus (could also be a strength)

This lens is a treasure lost amongst modern photographic equipment. Knowing the capabiltiy of the lens in delivering the full colour, I take more time in composing my subject matter and mood, the result is always perfect and sometimes the 50mm f1.4 surprises me. Photography has never been more pleasurable. Having said that, the lack of autofocus makes life difficult to capture fast moving objects, like sports or moving children.

Great value for serious beginners, buy this lens with a Yashica body 2nd hand (probably for not more than US$240). At least the picture quality is always good and can concentrate more on the subject. In time, one has an option to upgrad to other Zeiss lenses / Contax bodies, nothing is wasted. If do not like the set up, again sell it, Zeiss holds fairly good 2nd hand prices as well.

Customer Service

None so far

Similar Products Used:

- CZ 28 - 70mm
- CZ 85mm f2.8
- Bronica PEII 75mm f2.8
- Contax T2 + T3
- Canon 28 - 80mm f3.5

The images

None

I just got my first three rolls back. Two of them had been scanned 18meg per image. I believe what they say about the T star lenses. Even showed superior quality on black and white roll.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 43mm Limited
Canon EF F1.8 II

Colour and image reproduced so great, fast

none

So great the lens you can buy at this range, even beat all others of 4x price. You can't be without it as a Zeiss user.

Similar Products Used:

Zeiss 28mm