Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 N Lens

Every aperture of this lens has its own character. This is a two-edged sword. It is a lot more fun to explore this lens and try out its different capabilities, but the downside is you have to spend time with it to use it effectively. I am still not quite there yet.

The lens is large (with 82mm filter) and heavy (almost 1kg). It is an improvement over the manual focus version in close-focusing performance. In my comments below on optical quality, I will focus on close-focusing performance. Autofocus is swift and noise level is moderate. Focusing ring is wide and smooth.

At f/1.4, there is some CA (chromatic abberation). This should not be a concern because you won't be able to find a lens which is perfect at f/1.4. Accurate focusing will mitigate CA as the CA is in the areas just so slightly out of focus. Of course, depth-of-field is razor thin. It is very difficult to focus on the right plane, but when you get it, the contrast between the single sharp point and blurredness in the rest of the frame immediately points the viewer's attention to the point of focus. The transition from in-focus to out-of-focus is gorgeous.

By f/2.0, the CA is almost gone. The sharpest aperture seems to be f/4.0, after which diffraction kicks in. If you test this lens with the "f/8 and be there" rule, you will find nothing special.

This lens is rightfully tuned for a lower contrast than the Makro Sonnar 100/2.8. For an apples-to-orange comparison, I preferred the Makro which I believe has a slight edge in optical performance, but I prefer the N Planar 85/1.4 for the much better AF and the ethereal effect at f/1.4. If I am allowed to have only one, it is a tough call, but I guess I will take the Makro.