Reader Asks: Zeiss 50mm f/2 Makro-Planar on Nikon D800?
Related: digital sensor, Nikon, Nikon D800, Nikon D800E, Nikon DSLR, Zeiss, Zeiss 50mm, Zeiss 50mm f/2 Makro-Planar, Zeiss DSLR Lenses, Zeiss Lenses
Didier L quotes from my Guide to Zeiss, and asks a question:
“The 50/2 Makro-Planar is so much more versatile that careful thought should be given to making it the “standard” 50mm lens on one’s camera.”
Seems convincing to me. No potential problem with the D800, given its unusual amount of pixels? (I don't see any though).
DIGLLOYD: The 50/2 has exceptionally high MTF (contrast/sharpness) all the way to the edges of the frame. It does have some field curvature to the corners. But all 50mm lenses have field curvature. The alternative worth considering (a full stop slower but with autofocus) is the Nikon 60mm f/2.8G— at about $560, it’s a great value. I use both and like both a lot. Neither is a small lens however.
So yes, I would tentatively give a strong recommendation for the Zeiss 50mm f/2 Makro-Planar for use on the D800, so long as Nikon does not surprise us with some new unusual thickness of sensor cover glass (which can degrade optical performance of even the very best lenses). I deem that possibility unlikely, since it would also affect Nikon’s existing lenses if the digital sensor differed in that regard from prior digital models. And it might be why the D800E lacks an AA filter but retains the same thickness sensor cover glass as the D800.
