[Bayonet] One of the best 50mm out there. Outstanding bokeh, beautiful colors, extremely well made. I sometimes miss the AF. This Zeiss is a nice to have lens, but there are others out there that are *almost* as good, for a much lower price.

[Bayonet] Love this lens, focuses great on my 5D3, buttery smooth focus ring. I just hold the back focus down and turn the ring till I hear the beep telling me I'm focused and snap pic, every shop perfectly in focus.


The build is great and sturdy, it's not a light lens but not heavy, and feels very balanced in my hand. The colors and contrast are 10/10. At F/7 this lens is sharp as a tac.


Would I recommend this lens? Oh yeah, get it you will love it. I use this more than my 70-200 IS2 now.

[Bayonet] Having spoiled myself with two other Zeiss lenses, I opted for another to replace my Nikon 50mm. Please note, the Nikon isn't a bad lens at all. The Zeiss lens happens to be better. My use is cinematic video production. (Yes, I know it's not supposed to serve as a video lens, but you can't beat the quality for the price.) The image is super clear and even across the entire frame. It really is a new level of shooting. It is heavy but I'm don't consider that a drawback because it feels very sturdy and well-built. The focus is very exact and can bite you if you don't know what you're doing. Nonetheless, it makes you become a better cinematographer. My product has increased in quality. I have done some unpaid stills for friends and I have surprised myself since I do not consider myself a still photographer. In fact, a friend compared pics from a pro he paid and noted the evident, better quality of my work. Definitely a lens that is worth the investment.

[0.3 lb] I don't know what to say about this lens, i was shocked and amaze by the quality. I wish if they make AF system, but still this lens is beast.

[0.3 lb] This lens has ridiculously good image quality. It's heavy, it costs more than most 50mm lenses, but that's where the cons end. It is THE sharpest lens I've owned, and I've owned many 50mm lenses. It's even sharper than my 3 macro lenses. In fact at one time I had 7 50mm lenses in my bag because I'm a nut. I've owned all the Nikon 50mm lenses since Ai-S and this surpasses them all pretty easily. The color is the best of my lenses and all I shoot is pro level primes. The background blur of this Zeiss is unexpectedly creamy even though it's got an aspheric element. For the best background in the Milvus line, look to the 85mm. Depth rendering on the 50mm is very good, micro contrast is excellent. The focus throw is long and very precise, the aperture blades can be declicked for video use. It's weather sealed unlike the Otus or the Sigma Art lens. It is an exceptional lens. It is heavy, about 2 ounces more than the Sigma Art, yet 3 1/3 ounces less than the Otus lens but still not huge. The resistance to flare is the best I've ever seen. If you want flare for artistic reasons, you'll have to use another lens, this one won't do it. It's go floating elements that adjust for maximum image quality at close and far distances so it is smokin' at all focus distances. (I've tested) It's got very low distortion. I noticed just a tiny bit of barrel distortion at close distances, but it was gone at medium distances. It has no CA in the critical plane of focues, and just a little bit of secondary CA in the OOF elements, but it doesn't detract from the image. I'd rather have a little LOCA and stellar everything else, than no LOCA and nothing special otherwise. This lens is magical. It's pricey, but if you think it's just a couple hundred more to get this fantastic Zeiss build quality and precision, then it's worth it.

[Bayonet] Long focus throw and declick option make this lens perfect for video. Paired with the Metabones Speed Booster MFT adapter on the BMCC or BMPCC the Milvus line is unbeatable for the price. And, does double duty as some of the best still photo glass money can buy. You won't be disappointed.

[Bayonet] I'm Loving my Zeiss 50 mm. lens. Best investment I've made in a while. This is Lens is a Joy to use. Very solid, elegant lens!

[Bayonet] I received this Zeiss Milvus 50/1.4 today, and immediately did some testing against the Nikkor 50/1.2 that I bought just a couple of months ago.  


Upon initially testing my recently purchased Nikkor, I was very impressed with the resolution from apertures of 2.0 to f/11.  Images taken at wider apertures than f/2.0 were acceptable with a little post-added sharpening and contrast.  Apertures from f/4.0 to f/8.0 I judged as excellent.



However, upon testing the Zeiss Milvus, I was blown away!  Firstly, the quality of design and construction is really unbelievable.  It feels like the highest precision instrument I have ever held  in my hands - it is truly amazing!  It feels too beautiful and flawless to actually use.  However, I did test it.



I setup my Spyder LensCal target 8’ 2” from my Nikon D850.  After mounting my D850 to my RRS tripod, I used a magnified Live View to focus the lens and took photographs at each aperture using a 3-second delay and the electronic shutter.



I then mounded my Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 and took another same set of photographs.  The Milvus was much sharper at all apertures.  I am inserting images of the comparison of those photographs - these are straight out of camera with no alterations other than being 100% crops.  These images may be too small here to adequately reveal the significant differences in resolution.  This lens is incredible, and should easily last a lifetime (as it has no autofocus mechanism to wear out).

[0.3 lb] I am a forensic engineer. I use this lens in my work, both in the field and in the lab with studio lighting. I have had the lens for two weeks and have used it on one project that involved field work and studio conditions. The lens does an excellent job of rendering very fine color gradations. I have found that very little correction is needed in Lightroom CC. I have a Zeiss Milvus 35 mm F/2 also. The focusing with the 50 mm is different especially at closer distances and takes some getting used too. The key for me is excellent performance under poor weather conditions with difficult lighting. Six months and 1000 photos from now I will have a better idea about the lens, but it is a keeper.

[0.3 lb] this lens is way worth the cost, the amount of clarity is beyond amazing.