Milvus 50mm F1.4 on SL

[Brian C in Az]

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I found a great deal on a like new Milvus 50 so I decided to try it after reading so many good reviews about the lens. It is not offered in L mount, this one has a Nikon mount, but Amazon has the Nikon to L adapter for $14USD delivered. The lens is well constructed, the focus ring is just right, not too loose, not too tight. The aperture ring surprisingly locks in f16, (must be for the Nikon auto exposure?), but there is a release button right next to it, just have to get used to that. Depth of focus is so slim at wide open, but it is very sharp when/where focused. Focusing is easy though the viewfinder, no trouble at all seeing the point of focus. We should have some cool weather (90˚F) in a few days (currently over 100˚F), so I'll take it out to learn more about it and hopefully have some images to share. I'm going to experiment with the lens profiles for the two 50mm R lenses and see how they affect the image, I think one of them should be a near perfect match.

[Ba Erv]

I had the Milvus 85, 50, and 35mm with the D850.  Wonderful image quality, Zeiss 3D separation, and superb color rendition…but monstrous.  The 35 f2 was the most manageable but the CA was a little problematic.  However, the bokeh with that lens was unmatched.  

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Edited July 15, 2021 by Ba Erv

[Brian C in Az]

9 hours ago, Ba Erv said:

I had the Milvus 85, 50, and 35mm with the D850.  Wonderful image quality, Zeiss 3D separation, and superb color rendition…but monstrous.  The 35 f2 was the most manageable but the CA was a little problematic.

Did you experiment with any of the built in R lens profiles?

[Ba Erv]

3 hours ago, Brian C in Az said:

Did you experiment with any of the built in R lens profiles?

No, I just couldn’t deal with the excessive weight and gave up quickly.  The image quality was unparalleled, but for me, 1000 grams for a 50mm is insane.  I’m not sure it’s necessary to use the profiles anyway unless you’re using the ibis settings in the SL2/SL2-S.  The Lightroom profile should take care of any adjustments you require.  Get ready to use the CA slider though. Weight aside, I’m sure you’ll love the lens.  

[Brian C in Az]

The weight doesn't bother me. It feels balanced which is much more important than the actual weight.

My telephoto lenses are much heavier and sometimes feel unbalanced, but never enough to make me dislike a lens.

The IQ and rendering are far more important to me.

[Ba Erv]

45 minutes ago, Brian C in Az said:

The weight doesn't bother me. It feels balanced which is much more important than the actual weight.

My telephoto lenses are much heavier and sometimes feel unbalanced, but never enough to make me dislike a lens.

The IQ and rendering are far more important to me.

It sounds like you’re good to go.  The 85mm is even better than the 50.  
 

On a side note I’d make sure to use a high quality adapter.  Any play in the mount is amplified with the extra kilo hanging from the front. At f1.4 even 0.5mm of lens droop off parallel axis on the sensor can become apparent.  

[Brian C in Az]

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Interestingly, the cheap $14 adapter on Amazon has a few reviews complain that it fit TOO tight.

I ordered it and while I found it quite snug fitting to the lens, it definitely isn't too tight. It went on by hand and has zero play or movement.

I have no plans to remove it off the lens, so the very snug fit was a plus. It has less play at the body than Leica's own R to L adapter.

[hamey]

I have both the Milvus 50mmf2 and the 35mmf2 in the Nikon mount and must say they are superb I consider them to be equal to my Leica lenses.

Yes they are heavy, but on my Nikon F6 they are just awesome, I am now considering the Nikon D850 instead of the SL2/s, yes I do suffer with (GAS)

Good luck with your Milvus lenses.

Edited July 16, 2021 by hamey

[Ba Erv]

13 hours ago, Brian C in Az said:

Interestingly, the cheap $14 adapter on Amazon has a few reviews complain that it fit TOO tight.

I ordered it and while I found it quite snug fitting to the lens, it definitely isn't too tight. It went on by hand and has zero play or movement.

I have no plans to remove it off the lens, so the very snug fit was a plus. It has less play at the body than Leica's own R to L adapter.

That’s great, my experience has been hit and miss with the quality of the Amazon adapters.  

[Anakronox]

7 hours ago, hamey said:

I have both the Milvus 50mmf2 and the 35mmf2 in the Nikon mount and must say they are superb I consider them to be equal to my Leica lenses.

Yes they are heavy, but on my Nikon F6 they are just awesome, I am now considering the Nikon D850 instead of the SL2/s, yes I do suffer with (GAS)

Good luck with your Milvus lenses.

I shot with a D850 and have many fond memories and great photos taken with it.  It’s still a fantastic DSLR.