Zeiss Sonnar T 50mm f1.5 opinions?

[stevesurf]

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Thanks for all the opinions and replies. I have to admit that I didn't realise there'd been replies but went ahead and bought the lens anyway

 

It arrived this morning. I've had very little chance to use it but after having a quick look at the results... I like!

 

Small, well built (my version is absolutely on a par with my Summicron with no play in its current state etc) and it produces lovely IQ.

 

My 35mm will still be my main lens but this will be ideal as a 50mm. I'm not going to switch between them often enough to warrant a 28mm and 50mm setup so the 35mm and 50mm will hopefully work quite well.

 

The 35mm will be my travel lens and the 50mm my people lens, or at least that's how I expect it will work out. I think I can sell my fuji primes now without too much bother as my fuji camera will be used for event photography etc.

Wonderful and best of luck with this lens. Don't forget to use it for still-life as well; this image was shot wide open and intentionally off-focus on a M8.2, as one other forum member does, so it's like a 65mm:

 

[Ralf]

I won't repeat at nauseam that my 2014 sample is natively optimized for f/1.5.

For those interested, see what Roger Hicks wrote on the topic in 2007: Roger Hicks - Sonar first look

Aside from asking Zeiss themselves, it could be interesting to check out if samples optimized for f/2.8 have a groove in the flange for 6 bit coding or not.

 

So is mine, bought a month ago.

[lct]

Thank you. What's your serial number if i may ask?

[MarkP]

Mine (see post above) has the flange groove for 6-bit coding.

[lct]

So same 1560**** batch as Horosu and TheGodParticle apparently.

[friedeye]

I like this lens a lot. Mine is optimized at 1.5. But, after using this lens for a couple of years, I think I may have been happier with a 2.8 optimization. Why?

 

The 2.8 lens really has only two stops that exhibit focus shift: f/2 and f/1.5. Above 2.8, the shift is slight and quickly covered by depth of field. I believe that the Roger Hicks review/test was done with a 2.8 lens.

 

My 1.5 lens - dead on focus wide open, exhibits growing shift all the way up to f/4. By 5.6 it is pretty slight, and covered by DOF anywhere above. But I need to make adjustments for f/2, 2.8, 4, and 5.6. I'm pretty good at it and rarely miss, but I use it on an M3 and an Ikon, as well as my M9. I can chimp on the M9 - but obviously not on the film bodies, which can lead to uncertainty.

 

Anyone else out there feel the same?

[lct]

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On my sample optimized for f/1.5, focus shift is perceptible at f/2 and becomes disturbing at f/2.8 and on. At f/8, DoF is not always wide enough to solve the issue. In practice, suffice it to turn the focus ring a bit further to the right to get good results though. BTW what serial number is yours if i may ask?

Edited March 17, 2014 by lct

[Ralf]

Thank you. What's your serial number if i may ask?

 

I'm travelling and I don't have it with me, reverting later

[escimo]

My C Sonnar was delivered with focus optimization starting from f2.8 ... I'm fine with that.

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-objektive/267289-preiserhoehung-2013-a-4.html#post2395752

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-objektive/296752-vergleich-leica-summilux-m-1-4-a.html#post2529005

[Ecar]

Mine (2011, with serial 15603XXX) also came optimized for f/2.8.

I have learnt to lean forward a couple of cm @ f/2 and another couple @ f/1.5. No big deal.

The funny thing, however, is that I have found that most of my old RF Sonnar lenses (eg, the Nikkor 50s or the Canon 50/1.5, or even the older Zeiss) actually appear to exhibit less focus shift than the new lens. Of course, they are not as sharp, which may somewhat hide the shift effect.

[ynp]

I have two of the C-Sonnars. Both were bought two years ago and both were optimized for f2.8

I sent one lens to Zeiss for f1.5 optimization because I was obsessed with the Sonnar look at the time and wanted to shoot the lens wide open more reliably. I was happy for a while, then realized that the f1.5 optimized lens was a one trick pony and I had to compliment it with another 50mm lens for any general photography.

 

Nowadays I use the standard f2.8 optimized lens much more often and I am used to its focus shift and know how to lean into the scene.

 

 

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[friedeye]

On my sample optimized for f/1.5, focus shift is perceptible at f/2 and becomes disturbing at f/2.8 and on. At f/8, DoF is not always wide enough to solve the issue. In practice, suffice it to turn the focus ring a bit further to the right to get good results though. BTW what serial number is yours if i may ask?

 

I agree that even at f/8 there's some shift, if the lens is optimized at 1.5. This is a great lens - but I would recommend optimization at 2.8.

 

My serial number is: 15601397

 

Cheers

[friedeye]

I have two of the C-Sonnars. Both were bought two years ago and both were optimized for f2.8

I sent one lens to Zeiss for f1.5 optimization because I was obsessed with the Sonnar look at the time and wanted to shoot the lens wide open more reliably. I was happy for a while, then realized that the f1.5 optimized lens was a one trick pony and I had to compliment it with another 50mm lens for any general photography.

 

Nowadays I use the standard f2.8 optimized lens much more often and I am used to its focus shift and know how to lean into the scene.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Thank you - I agree with you completely from my experience. The 2.8 is the way to go.

[LocalHero1953]

For the record.....

Serial number 15602###, bought used, optimised at f/2.8.

And I'm happy with that - I wouldn't change

[Torgian]

I've finally decided to buy the Sonnar actually. It was a reeeaallly big battle between that and the Lux... but in the end, I can't justify buying a summilux right now when I still see so many beautiful pictures that the Zeiss can make.

 

I'll be receiving it tomorrow, along with the hood. I'll let you guys know my impressions.

[arthury]

Thanks to horosu, lct, MarkP, and the like, I am the latest convert of their evangelism for this lens.

This is quite an interesting lens and the quality is quite impressive.

The only thing I do not understand is why its price is is around the same area as the 21mm/2.8 Biogon; I'd expect it to be more like the 50mm/2 planar zm.

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by arthury

[Torgian]

So I just did some really quick and dirty focus peeping.

 

Got the Zeiss 1.5 in the mail today and took some test shots at different distances at the cafe. Focus shift was not bad at all at 3 feet, which is basically the minimum focal distance for this lens. In fact, shift was very very slight.

 

At farther distances (6 feet, and 12 feet) focal shift was minimal to none.

 

I'll do a better test on this tomorrow, but so far I'm very happy I decided to go with the zeiss instead of the Lux.

 

One thing I will note is that the images ARE a bit softer than those I saw with the summilux. So far I like it. When I take the lens out tomorrow for some street photography, I'll make a new thread on this.

[hanexp]

Congratulations on the new lens, Torigan! What a great image maker.

[Guest]

...

 

If an original Sonnar 1.5-50mm is too expensive for some experiments, what is to be said about the copy Jupiter-3 1.5-50mm ltm, for example the early lenses from 1950 till 1954 or the latest black ones until 1987?

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[arthury]

Congratulations on the new lens, Torigan! What a great image maker.

 

Zeiss is a great lens maker, too.

One thing I like about Zeiss lenses is that their MTF are seldom a roller-coaster curve.