ZEISSMilvus 50mm f/1.4 Full Frame Camera Lens for Canon EF-Mount ZE, Black

Although I have a stable of competent autofocus L-glass (16-35 f4, 70-200 f2.8 II), when it came to a fast prime I wasn't all that impressed by what Canon had to offer. The 50/1.4 has a USM motor with the structural integrity of cheese, and the 50/1.2, while offering superb results at times, is plagued by color fringing and focus shift issues. What else is out there that offers a fast aperture, a floating element and can provide EXIF data for a native Canon mount? Enter the Milvus.I developed my photographic chops on a Contax RTSII with a Zeiss C/Y 50/1.4, so I was well aware of the ergonomics. This lens is everything those older manual focus lenses were, and more, with the addition of weather sealing. Everything, whether you're turning the focus ring or putting the lens hood on, reeks of quality. I shot a friend's Canon 50L for a weekend, and it felt like a toy compared to this lens.I've never had an issue with manual focus - although Canon's implementation of the blinking center point isn't as nice as Nikon's arrow system, even at f1.4 it hasn't been a problem. Unlike the Makro-Planar, this lens has a more reasonable focus throw - along with an actual distance scale for setting hyperfocal distance, and depth of field scale that isn't just there for looks.I don't see myself selling this lens for a long, long time.

Excellent image quality compared to the Canon 50mm f/1.4. But it cost 3 times the price. This lens is not for everyone, especially if you have a problem with manual focus. It makes me slow down and think about composition, but the image you capture is worth it, probably not the best for run and gun events like a wedding, but I find it spending a lot of time on my camera body, great for street photos and landscape. I find this controls CA excellent, some in the boka region . Vennetting not noticed even wide open. My friend has the Canon f/1.2 my personal opinion is that this blows it out of the water for my use, keeper rate about the same.... you have to spend some time with this to get used it, but OMG the contrast and color rendering is very rewarding experience... If you can justify the price Highly recommended .. job well done Zeiss!!Ken

This is an amazing lens, for sure. I researched high-end 50mm lenses for months and landed on this one based on it’s specs and it’s 270deg manual focus ring.I was looking at both this and the Sigma 50mm (which is technically a better lens in several areas), but I chose this because I film mostly in the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema 4K, and the manual focus on this lens is impeccable.The only think that isn’t ideal is the resistance on the focus ring. It’s a bit too tight, and introduces noticeable movement. I use a follow focus, and you can see slight frame movement when going back and forth looking for sharp focus.

After being amazed by the Milvus 135mm, and getting rid of my canon 135mm L. I figured I would give the Milvus 50MM 1.4 a shot. The build quality is great, the focusing ring is smooth as butter. However, I'm keeping my Canon 50mm 1.2L . Out of all the hundreds of photos I shot with the Milvus 50 at 1.4, I only managed to get a few in perfect focus. I can deal with the Milvus 135mm, but the 50mm is a different beast. It's great, but not for me.

I purchased this lens recently, and although I haven't had much experience with manual focus, all I can say is that the feeling and the quality of this piece of engineering is amazing. I guess practice is a must in trying to get the best out of it, but once you nail focus, the result is outstanding. I share with you a few examples, hope you like them, and I will continue to learn how to master manual focus, it makes you feel you are the one that really controls the camera and the shot!

Amazing lens