[C] Zeiss promises an excellent lens. A good choice
for traveling and microscopic.

[<0.01%] Love everything about this lens; build quality, weight (light weight) and the optics are perfection. Elevates everything. Fantastic lens.

[f/5] These lenses were a dream of ours to own, quite expensive but after having them for a few weeks......wow. We really want to go back and re shoot everything cool we have ever done! The look they have is absolutely awesome......so happy with them. Super easy to work with...and the quality is second to none.

[<0.01%] Great lens. It was the first Zeiss Milvus I bought (have since also bought the excellent 25mmf1.4 and 85mmf1.4). It's been one of my main workhorses in rough places and it still feels like new, so great build quality. The optical quality is remarkable and the macro capability is definitely a big plus.

[C] I own the excellent Nikkor 50mm f1.4 however the IQ is not what I want for my best images. I already owned the Zeiss 135 and 100mm and both are insanely sharp even compared to my other sharpest lenses, have superior color rendering and have an strong aesthetic pop compared to top lenses of other manufacturers. I sprang for the Milivus 50mm f2 as I also do macro and close focus and currently do not have the budget for an Otus 55mm.

Like my 100 and 135, when put on a high resolution body. top Zeiss glass significantly closes the gap between full frame and medium format IQ and look. Professional quality Medium format glass has long been more "no compromise" optics than most SLR lenses. Zeiss has a long history of making top medium format lenses for Hasselblad. Zeiss lenses have that same performance and look with that famous 3-D quality. I'm still keeping my Nikon nifty 50 for situations that require autofocus. However when shooting people or still life when I need the sharpness of Zeiss, I am going to use manual anyways to hit that perfect critical focus. I do miss the knurled metal autofocus rings of classic Zeiss that were probably sacrifice for the elegant modern design of the Milivus series, however I am using this lens out in the field including on nature and city walks in inclement weather so the newer weather sealing out weighs the smooth runner focus ring. I wish they also kept a lens hood that screws into the filleted ring as well so I can use both the lens hood and circular polarizer at the same time.

That this is a manual focus end which also happens to be far more expensive than other top quality 50mm, will disqualify the Milivus 50mm Macro from being a worthwhile investment for most photographers. For those that need that extra IQ and whose work demands manual focus, the benefits of this lens will far outweigh the price and manual only disadvantages.

[28.2mm] This lens is the equivalent of having a set of CP.2 primes in the form factor of a zoom. There's zero focus breathing, beautiful bokeh, beautiful micro contrast. We just used this lens on an Fs7ii for a feature narrative film, and people have been commenting on how great it looks. I thought I would explain why: it's this lens. The focus is smooth, and we kept it mostly at an T4.5 except for a few scenes. You'll definitely want a focus puller if you're wide at 2.9. It's advertised at being a T2.9-3.9, but none of us could tell the difference really. It looked great at all ends of the zoom range. There was no discernible difference in sharpness wide or telephoto (like most zoom lenses out there). Just know that it's very large, and will weigh down your camera. In theory it would work for doc work, but would be a lot to carry, and would probably be intimidating toward subjects. For narrative work on a budget, I can't recommend it enough. it's better contrast, sharpness and focus breathing than the Fujinon MK series, and leaps and bounds better than any photo zoom lens. I can't recommend this enough.

[1.8" (47 mm)] This lens is my bread and butter. For all of my client work I need something with a consistent look across the entire aperture range. Up until purchasing this lens my primary client glass was a sigma 24-70 2.8, which although beautiful, got soft when zoomed in to 50mm and under performed in other areas.


Aside from the performance of this lens, there are two things I adore: It's construction and color consistency. Despite being incredibly light, this lens is built like a tank. I travel frequently and it holds up very well. Because Zeiss improved the color rendition in the CP.3 line, I often rent the 85 or 100mm for my b-cam and have a easy time matching up cameras.



Much of my client work requires cropping in substantially (thanks Instagram) and I can comfortably shoot this at it's minimum aperture of T2.1 for a tack sharp image that can be scaled up in post.


I think this lens' greatest competition is the Canon CN-E line, which shoots warm and renders terrible onion skinning on the bokeh. For me this is unforgivable, and I'm happy to see a neutral, clean image coming from the CP.3 line. Assuming this is the look you need, I'm not sure you can get a better lens in this price bracket.

[f/5] I've had this lens for a little over one year now and it's basically lived on my Sony FX9 and FX6 since the moment it arrived to my door. The Zeiss CP.3 35mm lens is the perfect size and weight to fit in my backpack for when I need to pack light but packs the same punch as any top of the line cinema lens.


The optics on this lens are just outstanding. Beautiful color renditions matched with a tack sharp image really help get any job done.


I couldn't recommend this lens, or any of the other CP.3 lenses, more. It will definitely always have its place in my kit.

[f/5] All zeiss lenses are built solid as a rock and can withstand the most extreme abuse and conditions, thus one of the reasons I have switched to the milvus line. I work in the Peruvian Amazon jungle and am constantly exposing my equipment to humidity and moisture, soil, dust and even once, a giant pool of water (see my zeiss milvus 18mm review) and the durability of these lenses never ceases to amaze me. They truly can stand up to just about anything you throw at them.

Image quality and character from this lens are truly superior in my opinion. The images are sharp from corner to corner and produce amazing micro contrast. The color rendition is superb and far more attractive to my eye than any other lenses out there.

The quality of this 50mm macro has me itching badly for the 100mm macro. All good things come in due time.

[2.4 oz (67 g)] A gorgeous lens. The micro-contrast and sharpness I get with this is ideal for food and still life photography and for me, worth the price. I am happy with my investment and I can tell it will be the only 50mm lens I'll need for years to come.