I’ve been shooting Zeiss lenses completely manually, using adapters on Canon bodies for several years because I love the Zeiss look. The chance to shoot these direct mount lenses with focus confirmation and automatic aperture has made my day. The 50mm Makro-Planar is one of the ZF lenses I strongly prefer to the other 50mm lenses available. Its simply one of the sharpest lenses at this focal length you can find. Its sharp wide open, but of course that means f/2, so if you need an ultra-wide aperture, this isn’t the lens for you.

If you’re interested in finding good reviews of the various ZF lenses, with in-depth analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, we recommend spending a few dollars and getting Lloyd Chambers online review of the ZF lineup.