Do you have any lenses in your collection that bring you joy every time you use them? A begging photograph is used because it beautifully displays the world around you, and you can’t help but wonder what a particular subject might look like when photographed with it? I recently found that lens for myself with Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4And honestly, it was an unexpected love affair.
You see, my main interest in photography is portraiture and I’ve had quite a few 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.4 and 70-200mm f/Canon lenses. There’s really not much you can’t do with those focal lengths to photograph people, and the L lenses in my collection are superior at what they do in every way. They are sharp, focus very quickly, have nice colors and contrast, and have minimal chromatic aberration. There is very little to complain about here. However, I have begun to yearn for the days when I used the Mamiya Sekor W 110mm f/2.8 (50mm full frame equivalent) Lens on the Mamiya RZ67 Pro II, which I unfortunately no longer own. I’ve heard someone say that modern Canon L lenses have a rendering style that is “just the truth” and I couldn’t agree more. When it comes to commercial photography, it’s the perfect look in my opinion. But the 110mm lens I once owned was pure magic to my eyes. I promise I won’t start using phrases like “3D popm” but it certainly has something extra special to go with those giant 6×7 negatives. I left the film for reasons that I will discuss in a future article, but in the end I realized that since then there has been a gap in my photography.
When I started looking for something that could replicate the magic of the Mamiya Sekor 110mm lens, a few things became clear to me. First, I require the lens to be sharp at wide open, as I’ve owned a few lenses over the years that aren’t acceptable for my taste unless stopping. I also wanted the bokeh effect to inspire me, something invisible that I don’t get from my current line of lenses. Weatherproofing is also a must these days, as I often shoot in dusty environments. This short but important list got me thinking about Zeiss Milvus 50mm 1.4 ZE Lens, but that’s not an obvious choice and certainly not a no-brainer. For starters, most Zeiss lenses are manual focus only and this lens is no exception. I totally despise trying to manually focus through the viewfinder of a DSLR, as it doesn’t inspire confidence and frankly it wasn’t designed for it.
Again, referencing my beloved Mamiya RZ67, I simply love manually focusing that camera because it has the tools to make it as easy as possible. The flip-out magnifying glass on the already large focus screen ensures that I rarely lose focus. How can I have a similar setup with my DSLR? After doing a little more research, I found out by accident Hoodman HoodLoupe LCD ViewFinder with base plate kit, was quick to answer my question. Anyone using a modern mirrorless camera will find this to be an absolute hit, but when it comes to manual focus with a DSLR, I fully believe this is the way to go. It certainly adds bulk to the overall set, as you’ll see below, but when using live view and zooming in to check focus, suddenly the lens becomes quite easy to shoot. Covering the eyes also feels very nice when shooting.
Now I’ve turned with Milvus 50mm f/1.4 Over the course of a few months, here are my general thoughts on this lens:
Image quality
I have no complaints about this unit, as it fulfills my desire for a sharp lens when shooting wide open with satisfying bokeh. It’s really sharp at f/1.4, and with my focus setup mentioned above, I don’t often miss focus. It’s hard for me to describe bokeh without sounding obnoxious, but I think the word “texture” makes sense here. I really find this 50mm lens to be able to turn ordinary subjects into something more artistic looking without much effort, like the controversial thing. Zeiss 50mm Sonnar f / 1.5 ZM (which I’ve also enjoyed for a while), except there’s no focus shift and it’s basically sharper when expanded.
The point of mitigation here is chromatic aberration that occurs over time. I don’t mind that because I don’t find the effect too strong unlike some other lenses I’ve used over the years, but if you peek at pixels in harsh backlit conditions, you can may encounter it. Nothing in life is perfect, and the same applies here.
Focus ring
The focus ring looks questionable, but in use, it’s great. The focus is quite long, although not ideal for real-life situations, it is well worth the precision focus for both photography and videography. I’m acutely aware that the focus ring that makes the lens look like a travel coffee mug will only get dirty and scratched right after using it, but in reality, that’s not been my experience. I’m someone who doesn’t like being clean with my gear, so I try to take very good care of my lenses, but my initial concerns about the focus ring being easily damaged and scratched so far are unfounded. I admit that this ring takes up too much of the lens, so attaching and removing the lens from the camera body can be a bit of a hassle. And yes, I would have preferred an all-metal lens, but all of this to say it’s better to use than it looks in the picture.
Dimensions and weight
With a 67mm filter fiber, the size of the Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 lens is superbly balanced for a full frame DSLR or mirrorless camera. It gets much smaller with the hood removed, although it looks like something is missing, almost like a complete design without it. It has some heaviness due to the metal exterior, which makes the lens feel as if it’s been built to a higher standard than I’m used to. Weight is not a burden when carrying Canon lenses in my backpack. However, a bag full of Milvus lenses could require a trip to the chiropractor, so you’ve been warned.
Build quality and more
The weather sealing on the lens inspires confidence and I love the blue gasket that Zeiss uses to seal the mount. Also, even after regular use, I haven’t experienced any creaking of the lens mount like I did with Zeiss 50mm Sonnar f / 1.5 ZMthis can be infuriating for people with a tendency to OCD related to camera gear.
The lens hood is also made of metal and gives the lens a minimal modern look when attached. My only thing (and this is debatable) with it is that the inner lining is made of felt. I understand and appreciate that it helps to minimize reflections, but it gets dirty too easily. I would prefer an all-metal hood, but others may disagree, and that’s fine.
Using Videos
I’m not a videographer by commercial (yet!), but I finally got my feet wet this year and fell in love with the new challenge. Use Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 . Lens makes video fun thanks to its long focal length and beautiful cinematic rendering. There is no dedicated aperture ring on the Canon ZE version, but fortunately the Nikon ZF version has an aperture ring. I didn’t find focusing easily distracting when shooting movies, and it’s worth noting that Zeiss sells optional lens gears for the Milvus series in case follow-on focus needs to be used.
I remember in 2015 when the Milvus line first launched, Zeiss was marketing a new collection of lenses as ideal tools for both photography and videography. The dedicated cinema lens market has grown significantly over the past few years, but based on my limited experience, I still think the Milvus lenses are worth checking out.
Advantages
- Sharp expansion
- Beautiful Bokeh
- Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating
- Closed weather
- Built to a very high standard
- Ideal for photos and videos
- The Milvus series is color matched across all focal lengths
- Can be easily adapted to any mirrorless or cinema camera
- Good price
Defect
- Manual focus only
- Some chromatic aberration in extreme backlit situations
- Only available in Canon EF or Nikon F mounts (though easily adjustable for mirrorless)
- I would have preferred an all-metal lens instead of a rubber focus ring
- Sunshade made of felt is uncomfortable to clean
Summary
There is certainly no shortage of quick 50mm options these days, and at first glance, should be easy to remove Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 because of the lack of autofocus or the increasingly obsolete DSLR lens mount It will never be a bread and butter lens when you really need to take a quick shot and the moment can’t be easily repeated. Recently, I tried to photograph a six-month-old baby and its parents with the Milvus 50mm, and within two minutes I was instantly switching back to one of my autofocus lenses. But if you’re not in a hurry, this lens is well worth the effort and the results it produces.
