Just bought a Carl Zeiss Planar ZM 50mm f2 [Archive]

OurManInTangier

11-19-2007, 00:24

I usually use a Canon 50mm 1.8 as my standard lens but have just bought the Planar as I wanted to try something different - my Canon is a bit battered too and impossible to get a filter for so it has no protection from my usual carelessness.

I read that Aviotus uses this lens alot and thinks highly of it, I also did as much research as possible about it beforehand but I'd love to see some of your pictures with it if you have any...

Yeah okay it won't ship to me for a week and I'm impatient, so if you've got a minute and want to show off...go on, I'd love to see what it can do!

fuwen

11-19-2007, 03:14

Aviotus has very good examples of photos taken by the 50 ZM Planar. My brief experience with it is as follows: http://www.fuwen.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=57&Itemid=117

OurManInTangier

11-19-2007, 03:22

Fuwen - I like the photograph of the young boy at the train station, the Planar seems to have handled the backlighting very well. Thanks for posting the link to you mini review, its great to know what others make of this lens.

mfogiel

11-19-2007, 04:17

This is a very good lens - careful when shooting female portraits, it does not omit anything... take a look here:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=planar%20zm&w=59177039%40N00

Marc-A.

11-22-2007, 09:06

Simon,
I lost the Planar against you ;-)
I was taking my breakfast, and when I realized I was watching the Planar (black right?), it was too late ... anyway,I thought the Planar was going to a better place ... on your camera. Enjoy! :)
Best,
Marc
PS: for those who wonder if they read correctly my post: yes I decided to give the Planar another chance; Don (X-Ray) had powerful arguments ... and I'm weak :o

sepiareverb

11-22-2007, 15:02

I've got a new one also. Quite compact on the camera, which I like very much. Raining hard here for the last two days so no shooting with it yet...

jbf

11-22-2007, 18:39

What no shooting in the rain? Are you crazy Bob? I think it's one of the best times to shoot! :D

Great specular highlights! :D :D How are you liking the shots with it so far, bob?

I'm about to purchase a planar as well. Just scrounging up the remaining cash (christmas present) and i'll have it. WEE.

OurManInTangier

11-23-2007, 06:43

Simon,
I lost the Planar against you ;-)
I was taking my breakfast, and when I realized I was watching the Planar (black right?), it was too late ... anyway,I thought the Planar was going to a better place ... on your camera. Enjoy! :)
Best,
Marc

I was still in bed and anxious that someone may outbid me so I put in quite a high top bid, I was over the moon that I didn't get pushed too high! I'll try and make up for you not winning it by trying to do the best I can with it.

I like my Canon 1.8 but find that its better in the mid focus range and not so good at either extreme, if you get my meaning.

It hasn't arrived yet but hopefully soon.

I'm pleased to hear you've been convinced to try again with one...that gives me some hope:)

Best wishes

Avotius

11-23-2007, 07:40

don't worry, its a fine lens, the focusing one mine still seems a wee tight, maybe it needs to be worked a bit more. Great for color photography, I have not shot enough bw with it to draw a conclusion yet, but im sure its fine for that too.

OurManInTangier

11-26-2007, 07:01

It came in the post this morning! I popped out for an hour this afternoon to finish off a roll of Reala that was in my camera - I don't think...scrub that, I know I don't have anything good from it, the light was awful and I didn't get anything that I had in mind. Does anyone else find that going out with a specific idea of what they want hinder them rather than help them??!!

Nevermind, hopefully soon I'll have something decent to post from it, in the meantime I'll take a look at these shots and get an idea of how it functions - I put it through most apertures but as I say the light was pretty grim so it won't have been tested very thoroughly!

Assaf

11-28-2007, 00:10

Bought less than a month ago from an RFF member (like new condition).

I've just spent a week in Portugal and shot almost exclusively with it. Returned home with 15 rolls, should see the results soon.

The focus ring is a bit stiff, but I prefer it rather than being too smooth. The only "issue" I encountered is a slight wobble of the focus ring. I mean, the focus ring can move a bit without actually moving the lens.

It's really minor and hardly noticable. I hope it won't become an issue.

Anyone else has it in his lens?

OurManInTangier

11-28-2007, 01:12

The focus ring on mine is a little tight near the infinity mark but not so much to cause me an real issue. I haven't noticed the wobble you mentioned on mine yet but then I haven't had a chance to put it through it's paces in the way you have. Hopefully I won't find the same but I imagine it to be little more than a slight annoyance. Like you Assaf, I prefer the focus ring to be slightly stiffer rather than too loose. I sometimes have to focus my AF Nikon DLSR manually and its so hard as there's no resistance at all, you simply go right past the point of focus.

Hope you post some of your Portugal pics

robbo

11-28-2007, 01:34

I have a well used Planar which has 'the wobble'. I had it serviced but improvement was only slight. However, I was told everything was ok with no signs of wear. I must say I am very pleased with the results I'm getting, so ignore it. Before buying it I tried a Summicron but preferred the Planar - it gives a lovely 3D qualit to images.

robbo

11-28-2007, 02:13

Here are a couple taken before I had the lens serviced. Sorry about the quality of the jpegs.

Assaf

11-28-2007, 03:55

robbo, first of all, great shots you posted! I want to make sure we are talking about the same wobble. In my lens, you can move the focus ring slightly without actually turning the lens. When I say slightly I really mean it : its hardly visible, but can be felt if you pay attention to it. Tt took me some time to notice it at all. Avotius, do you have it too?

Besides that it's the best lens I've ever had (but never had Leica or Zeiss glass before). Wonderful shapness, wonderful bokeh and focus gradation and amazing 3D. Also great colors.

OurManInTangier I'm just back from the lab with 10 color negatives and 5 BW and contacts. I might post a few first scans tonight. BTW, where's the best place to put pictures in RFF?

For the time being some colors from my Zeiss shot at home (Kodak Gold 200, minilab process and scan)

PS, how do I insert the images into the message (not like attachments)?

kipkeston

11-28-2007, 04:04

Assaf, I love that plant photo. It really gives life to the plant as it stretches for the light.

I'm very very tempted to get this lens but I'm telling myself to wait and master the 35 biogon first...

OurManInTangier

11-28-2007, 07:57

OurManInTangier I'm just back from the lab with 10 color negatives and 5 BW and contacts. I might post a few first scans tonight. BTW, where's the best place to put pictures in RFF?

For the time being some colors from my Zeiss shot at home (Kodak Gold 200, minilab process and scan)

PS, how do I insert the images into the message (not like attachments)?

Lovely shots Assaf, I really like the plant stretching towards the light too...reminds me of 'The Day Of The Triffids.'

If you want to upload photos I'd go to the Gallery (second button from the right on the pale blue bar at the top of the page.) You can post them into albums or leave them in your own members area ( the first page when you click into your own gallery.) If you click onto the "My RFF Gallery" (in red) at the bottom of my signature below it will take you too my gallery and you can see how it works, its very simple. When you upload your photos other people can see them in the "Recent Images" section of the overall gallery. A brilliant section of the site and well worth a visit. It would be great to see some of your photographs in there!

As for putting the images directly into the posts and not as attachments, I'm afraid I've never managed it myself - it seems to always come up as an attachment for me too!

Cheers

Assaf

11-28-2007, 13:01

OK, here are my first three scans from Lisbon. Actually, the picture of the girl might be 35mm Ultron, but the middle one is Planar and many others that will come.

Anyway, OurManInTangier, you're the first to see them. I'll post the rest in a more appropriate place

kully

11-28-2007, 13:25

Test

http://superkully.com/images/photos/blog_misc/monkey_travel_header.jpg

OK, inlining images is not so good for people on low-bandwidth connections (because they will download the entire file rather than the small thumbnail of an attachment and the full one if they choose).

But if you want to inline, click the button on the top with the mountain, yellow sky and sun. Then enter the address of the photo you want.

Assaf, I really like that plant photo, as Simon wrote - very Day of the Triffids.

Assaf

11-28-2007, 13:38

Thanks Kully!
Does that mean that the picture should be somewhere in the web (so I'll be able to put its URL?).

I think that means I should see Day of the Triffids. The only Sci Fi movie I know which is related to plants is the Invasion of the body snatchers

kully

11-28-2007, 13:41

Yes, the photo must already be on a HTTP server somewhere.

Save Day of the Triffids for a winters day when you have the Flu or something, if you make too big a deal out of it... it won't be as good :)

Terao

11-28-2007, 16:36

And make sure its the truly chilling BBC serialisation from the early '80s rather than the '50s B-movie :)

Rico

11-28-2007, 19:38

Best of all, read the book. John Wyndham's oeuvre is really quite excellent. For fans of killer plants on video, I recommend the Dr Who episode "Seeds of Doom": great story, great characters. Tom Baker and Liz Sladen were never better.

jeffdkennel

11-28-2007, 19:52

I really love that lens....here are some of my shots.
http://bp0.blogger.com/_KZIyxsa91Lw/R0zm4H2iTdI/AAAAAAAAA3g/5fg3709j868/s1600-h/lily2.jpg
Damn...the inline link not working for me!

Please see some examples here (whole front page with Zeiss 50mm f/2...as of 10/28/07):

www.jdksnaps.blogspot.com (http://www.jdksnaps.blogspot.com)
http://bp1.blogger.com/_KZIyxsa91Lw/R0i9WX2iTVI/AAAAAAAAA2g/rWUc4-imZSI/s1600-h/EPSN2438-2.jpg
http://bp3.blogger.com/_KZIyxsa91Lw/R0iG_32iTTI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/nZsisLfDCHw/s1600-h/EPSN2500.jpg

jbf

11-28-2007, 21:06

Some great shots there Jeff. Love your take on Jan cain's photo. :)

Marc-A.

12-11-2007, 11:24

Simon, what's the news? How does your Planar feel? Any pictures to share?

OurManInTangier

12-11-2007, 11:41

Simon, what's the news? How does your Planar feel? Any pictures to share?

Hi Marc,

I've put a roll of Fuji Reala through it and a roll of Delta 400 too, I'm so busy with work at the moment I haven't been able to take that much.

It does something pretty wonderful with colour film that my old Canon 1.8 just can't get close to. It also seems to have an amazing feeling of depth to the images it produces that has really impressed me...I think it could be my best buy so far.

I'll post some of the shots I've done with it here later, work first unfortunately(!) but I haven't taken any good pictures yet so it'll just be examples of colour rendition, bokeh etc.

OurManInTangier

12-11-2007, 12:52

Okay, I'll attempt to put a couple of pics up that I've taken with the new lens. As I say, I haven't had much chance to get out and about with it so you'll have to put up with a pretty crap colour pic and a triptych thing I did where all the pics were taken with the Planar.

Hopefully I'll be able to get out soon and get some proper shooting done with it!

Alright, I sneaked in a cheeky b/w of a dog on a bus but I quite like it despite it being OOF and showing very little...it was with the Planar at least:p

goo0h

12-12-2007, 07:31

I haven't had much of a chance to shoot much with it despite having it since this Summer, but so far I'm rather liking this lens. Nothing great, but so far these are perhaps my favorite shots with this lens:

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1312370988&size=l

(Using an Epson 2450 scanner that was given to me, so keep that in mind WRT sharpness and whatnot.)

And this one was shot with Kevin sitting right next to me:

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1311407731&size=l

So yes, the .7 meter close focus is indeed handy at times.

Marc-A.

12-14-2007, 12:17

Nice pictures Simon. I like the one with the dog especially.
I find the Planar very good for color. Here are two pictures I took lately (first color shots with the Planar; I use it on my Zeiss Ikon).

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=53259&stc=1&d=1197666803

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=53260&stc=1&d=1197666823

kshapero

12-14-2007, 12:33

jbf

12-14-2007, 16:48

Im pretty sure you can fix the color issues in lightroom quite easily. (or aperature if thats what you prefer).

Marc-A.

12-15-2007, 02:12

Thanks for the tip, guys. But why do you think I would like to correct or adjust the color of the picture taken indoor. I could have done that in Photoshop. I just like it the way it is :) Plus the colors are rather accurate; it was just a bit darker in reality.