EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-04-24 14:57:45
UA_SEARCH_BOT_compatible_botmozilla/5.0 applewebkit/537.36 (khtml, like gecko; compatible; claudebot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) @ 13.59.243.194
For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login. 
MTF for Milvus 100/2M
This might be the “poster child” lens for near-ideal MTF. The only candidate that might exceed this performance would be the Leica 100/2.8 APO-Macro-Elmarit-R (see comparison). But the Leica 100/2.8 has field curvature at infinity focus, which requires attention for landscape shooting. Also, the Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar is a full stop faster (f/2 vs f/2.8). Building an f/2 lens is considerably more challenging than an f/2.8 lens. So top honors fairly remain with the Zeiss Makro-Planar. At any rate, the distinctions are small, and Leica no longer offers the 100/2.8 APO.
The MTF chart is so even across the frame, yet not harsh in its contrast; it is my suspicion that the design was optimized for very high resolving power with high contrast (but not ultra-high contrast). That, in combination with bokeh, give it a look all its own combining MTF (contrast) along with a blur gradient that is the most beautiful and with the highest integrity you’re likely to encounter.
Article continues for subscribers...
Diglloyd Guide to Zeiss is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 21 cents a day ($75/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for about 75 cents a day!
Diglloyd Guide to Zeiss offers comprehensive integrated coverage of Zeiss DSLR lenses for Canon and Nikon. Nearly a decade in the making, it covers everything you need to know for every lens in the ZF.2, ZE, Milvus and Otus lines. Guide to Mirrorless and Zeiss ZM rangefinder lenses in Guide to Leica.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away. A “cheat sheet” saving months of ad-hoc learning—Guide to Zeiss is much more than lens reviews.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time. A year’s subscription covering ALL these lenses is a tiny fraction of the cost of just ONE lens.
- Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning—Guide to Zeiss spells out best practices.
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt. And see Lloyd’s articles for Lenspire.Zeiss.com.
