50mm Zm Planar

[Wongallo]

Dear all;

I am looking to buy a 50mm lens, and am seeking advice from people who use this lens. I have read raving reviews about how it renders color, but I am wondering if it is a good lens for B&W. I know this is quite subjective, but any thoughts would be appreciated. I usually shoot Trix on a Leica M2 and M4. Should I be considering other alternatives? I know the older Summiluxes and Summicrons are supposed to be great, but they are hard to come by, and I am not a big fan of the bay.

Thanks,
A.

 

[Moriturii]

Check out hundreds of photos of it here;

http://www.flickriver.com/lenses/zeiss/planar502zm/

 

[mathomas]

The Planar is a great, sharp lens with nice bokeh. I guess it might have more contrast than other choices. Always worked well for me, but I ended up with a Sonnar.

Slideshow of my B&W Film Shots with Planar

(in case anyone sees the "porn" in the link above, it's only to filter out "camera porn" images -- yes I take photos of my cameras 🙂)

 

[Darshan]

Summarit and rigid Summicron are on sale on RFF right now. Check them out.

 

[River Dog]

Great lens, I love it to bits but then I also love punchy contrast.

Slideshow of Zeiss 50mm and Leica CL

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scenista/sets/72157626097623422/show/

 

[maclaine]

This is my primary lens on my M6, and I can't speak highly enough of it. The only other 50mm I had that I enjoyed as much was the Dual Range Summicron, which I sold when I had a Zeiss Ikon due to incompatibility. I shoot primarily black and white, and have never had a problem with it being "too contrasty" as I saw a lot of folks saying before I picked it up. With good exposure and development technique, there will be more than enough shadow detail, if that worries you.

Here are my photos with this lens on a variety of films, including Ektar 100, Tri-X, HP5+, Tmax 3200, FP4+, Neopan 400, and Tmax 400.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=planar&w=73011884@N00

 

[Wongallo]

Thank you all for your posts. This is some great stuff.

 

[bobby_novatron]

I also cannot speak highly enough of this lens. It definitely lives up to the Zeiss name.

It's relatively compact and has amazing image quality.

A great buy -- especially if you can find one used.

 

[Doug]

Here's a variety of different shots with the Planar-ZM by different shooters...
http://www.leicaimages.com/standardgallery.php?lenstype=321&showall

Also, Tim Barker has done a fine series of B&W glamour with it, mixed in with the above linked group, but one could also search for tbarker13 here in RFF galleries...

 

[semilog]

Olivier Giroux just (today) posted a nice brief review of it. Steve Huff's review is a bit more in-depth.

Erwin Puts says the Planar is as good as the current Summicron [ ;-) ]. Rockwell says it's almost as good as the current Summicron [ ;-) ].

Differences (these are exceedingly minor): the Planar probably has a bit less curvature of field, at the expense of slightly worse near-field performance and slightly more geometric distortion compared to the Summicron (The Summicron has essentially no geometric distortion).

To my eyes the results produced by the Planar in B&W are absolutely splendid, and quite similar to the current Summicron (which is what I use).

I will say, though, that if I were starting over and getting a 50 for B&W, I'd still seriously consider a DR, though I think its ergonomics are inferior to either the Planar or the last two generations of Summicrons. The claims about the "build quality" of the DR are piffle (yes, I've used the DR rather extensively); IMO, all people mean by that is that the DR contains a lot of brass, so it weighs more than it needs to. All three of these lenses (Planar included) are superbly made. But the DR provides a rendering that is distinctive, high-resolution, and to my eyes, absolutely lovely.

If you want lower contrast and (arguably) prettier bokeh, get the DR Summicron. If you want higher contrast, lighter weight, and better ergos, get a tabbed or current Summicron, or a Planar. You can't go wrong with any of these lenses; all of them are true classics.

 

[bobby_novatron]

Great info, Semilog. Very fair and balanced viewpoint, I'd say.

I own the DR as well, but haven't used it enough to be able to contribute an informed opinion. It definitely has its own unique signature, as you said.

The Zeiss Planar 50/2 is a very well-designed lens ... the images it produces have a razor-sharp 'modern' look to my eyes. The OOF / bokeh is also very pleasant, probably due to the ten-bladed iris. At least I think it has ten, if my memory is correct.

Of course, budget considerations can be a big influence. I know that in my case, I just couldn't justify getting a recent-model Leica 50. It made a lot more sense economically to get the Zeiss, with only a tiny compromise in performance.