Zeiss Milvus 85mm f/1.4 lens review with samples
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- čas přidán 4. 04. 2021
- Let's see how this famous Zeiss Milvus lens measures up by mounting it onto a Canon EOS R5.
Find it here (Amazon affiliate link):
geni.us/zeissmilvus85
All sample pictures taken by me on a Canon EOS R5 camera.
Support the channel on Patreon for exclusive content! / christopherfrost
Equipment I use to make my videos (Amazon affiliate links):
Canon EOS R5: geni.us/CanonEOSR5Body
Canon EF-RF Adaptor: geni.us/CanonEFtoRF
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 'Art': geni.us/Sigma50mm14Art
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM: geni.us/CanonRF35mm18Macro
Marumi Fit and Slim CPL Filter: geni.us/MarumiFitSlim77
AudioTechnica AT2020USB+ Microphone: geni.us/AT2020USBPlusMic
Rode Smartlav+ Microphone: geni.us/RodeSmartLavalierPlus
Rode SC3 adapter: geni.us/RodeSC3MicAdaptor
Zoom H1n Recorder: geni.us/ZoomH1nMiniRecorder
DJI Mini 2 Drone: geni.us/DJIMini2FlyMore
Music:
'Opportunity Walks', Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b... - Jak na to + styl
Flaring is absolutely beautiful on this lens. One can make some creative portraits by placing sun at right position in frame.
Zeiss Milvus 85mm f/1.4 is not minor upgrade of classic 85 1.4 .Classic is really old school design lens - just 6 elements in 5 groups and weight around 600 gramms. It is a 2008 model, which almost completely repeats Contax/Yashica version from seventies. Milvus is more like modern line. Some of milvus lenses really just rehousing of lenses from 2000s , but this does apply only to more modern design and sharp lenses like 135 2
The APO Sonnar Milvus has the same optical formula as the old one.
I think, even though they both can be used on mirrorless cameras, comparing mirrorless lenses like the Milvus'es to the new Sigma and Canon lenses is a bit unfair. The Milvus lenses were designed to be very well corrected in and of itself (meaning without in camera corrections), which is an outstanding feat on SLR's. With mirrorless lenses it is not only easier (but still not easy to be fair) to design them, but also distortion and vignetting are often left to be corrected by the camera, since that is easy to do nowadays. This leaves more room for the optical designer to correct other aberrations, make it sharper or make the lens more compact/lighter.
Of course they are competing in the market and if you use a mirrorless camera, this might not really matter to you. But I think the skill and experience that was put into the optical design of these lenses is something that should not be overlooked.
A reason I have to watch Christopher's reviews even when the lens has nothing to do with my work can be seen right there at about the 3:00 mark where at 1.4 the corners look better than the center (if a little darker). I am new to photography and video and would not have imagined this as a possibility even though I often remind people I work with, "Well, we don't really know the possibilities until we test." This one totally surprised me. Such generous work all the way from Wales and here I am in the Santa Cruz mountains. So grateful for access to this kind of education and the time he puts into it. - Dave
Could be a case of field curvature; the plane of focus varies between the center and corners.
Interesting! Hope we see all Milvus lenses eventually - I've never had one, but they just sound so charming.
I simply adore my Zeiss Milvus 135mm f/2. The 85mm f/1.4 is definitely on my wish list.
Due to the effects of diffraction 🤤🤤🤤
Zeissland sounds like a great place to live.
I live there!
Never would have thought it before trying it myself, but there really is something satisfying about a manual focus lens with a long and smooth throw to it. Discovering this with some Canon FD lenses though... bit late in the game on that series!
There is one point I always miss in the consideration of these kind of lenses. The Milvus lenses are real precision tools. You see the difference only if you do studio product shoots or landscape photography from a tripod. There is nothing better than a manual focusing lens with a large throw.... I love my milvus 85... and I still use it... but for weddings I prefer the autofocus 85mm f1.4 from Canon...
I have this lens and I bought it as a showroom model and cashback - so it got it for a steal. People complain because they don't know anything anymore apart from pressing a button to 'spray and pray'. I strongly can recommend people to use a manual lens once in their life to self-educate oneself and to gain a different photographic perception and anticipation.
Back tho this lens: This lens replaced my Nikon 85mm 1.8D after comparing it to the competition. The lens for Nikon is a bit sharper than for Canon. Nonetheless both are good lenses. The only thing I don't like is its size. It is fat and not squat. My big hands cannot really grap it comfortably. And for the weight, at 1.2kg (when mounting it on my Nikon F3HP and motor drive then it tipps the scale at 2.5kg), you really need some biceps for prolonged hands on photography sessions. Focussing is easy to do. Built-wise there is nothing to complain about and image-wise the Zeiss Milvus 85mm beats the competition over and over again. I might be a Zeiss-fan but I know how to focus manually. I have to admit that things come to a hold when subjects are moving too fast.
The modern lenses of today are sharp, way too sharp in my opinion for nice portraiture work. Yes, I have heared that the new Sigma for Sony is sharper but is it really? Look at the distortion without software. Does Sigma not have focus errors or bad hit rate? ..... But what do you want? Sharpness is a perception and unsharp images can also be perceived as sharp if the story is right. Does this lens fit into your workflow and how you work? For me, this lens works but it is not my favorite. I like the Milvus 50mm /f2 much more for my portrait work.
Would I buy it again? Yes, the price tag is justified even it is out of my league but therefore I am not mainstream. As an alternative I would consider the Milvus 135 /2 because it is lighter and it is not so fat and therefore better to handle. This is what I have heard at least.
NB: I agree on someone else's opnion: The comparison with the older 85mm Planar classic is not very nicely formulated. This is a major upgrade since all excisting failures are gone eg focus shift.
When changing the lens designs Zeiss was very radical and was one the first with an inwards bent front lens.
The return of the red coat... awesome
voigtländer 65mm f2 macro apo-lanthar test Please
Comparing the my Zeiss Milvus 85mm f/1.4 to my assistants Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art, even my assistant admitted that he preferred the final image from the Zeiss. They are different lenses and do different things. If sharpness and autofocus are essential, then the Sigma is better, but for me the Zeiss Milvus image just looks better from a decent viewing distance.
Also if you get attacked the you can throw the Milvus at the attacker and give them a fractured skull (Odds are the Milvus will be undamaged and the attacker will be in a pool of their own blood).
Especially stopped down to f2.8 or f4.
I got a really good deal on an EF Milvus 50mm, otherwise I wouldn't have bought one, the current RRP of £1150 is insane but I guess they are going for Leica exclusivity. Build quality is exceptional, but that makes it heavy, and in freezing conditions, you might get welded to it! Optically, as Chris says, it's not as good as the Sigmas or Canon RF (1.2) 50s, it has some chromatic aberration, a red kind, not anywhere as much as old design 50s, but it's there. The far corners are soft at f1.4 but 95% of the image is tack sharp. So why get it? Build is one reason, it's probably the best built lens out there other than Otus maybe, I mean it has a flocked metal lens hood that flows into the body shape design perfectly! Another reason is it has that Zeiss look, whatever that is, whatever it is, it's pleasing. Also the manual focus, I think that is good for a lot of situations, eye AF works well, but for other stuff AF at the fast f stop of 1.4 is dodgy, you need to manual focus for complicated scenes.
Interesting lens, thanks! Any plans on testing the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 kit lens?
i was looking for 25mm f/1.4 Milvus for my 6D
or should i get the 25mm f/2 Batis along with a new Sony A7 series body (after selling 6D) ?
25 is my preferred focal length for wide angle primes, neither 24, nor 35
Curious how it’d perform comparing to Sony 85mm ZA/ZE!
Exceptional when you have a tripod, time, not mobile subject...
I stopped using my old manual primes even 2.8 and a 4.0 200mm
My copy of milvus 85 is tack shark in the center and corners, it's quite tricky to get a subject in focus when using on an old DSLRs like my Nikon D700 but when it does, it's razor sharp.
I find it very easy. However, I use a different ocular that magnifies a bit (Nikon DK17M). I would say 80% of my images is on the mark.
@@oliverlison yea, I need to get that DK17m for my D700, I have a couple of manual lenes so having a magfified eyepiece is going to be a big help.
@@timwynn6079 that DK-17M is no langer made. They seized the production last year. There is some stock left but you will need to be quick. If not I have a spare ones that I could offer you they have become ridiculously expensive. They used to cost around 50€. Now they are close to 80€.
@@oliverlison Thanks for the offer , I think postage charges would be astronomical from Europe (i take it you're in UK or EU) to Thailand, could be more than the cost of the item itself. I will looking around here in Thailand see how it goes.
HI THERE I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL. DO YOU ALSO HAVE A VIDEO ABOUT THE "sony 35mm 1.4 gm" ??? :)
How does it compare to Samyangs AF and MF 85mm range? Specially the XP or SP.
Hello, can you tell me which lens is better: Tamron 70-300mm di vc usd or Canon EF 70-300mm IS II USM, can you explain to me here in the comments?
Beautiful corner to corner performance. One thing of note though, compared to the DN Art lenses from Sigma: Sigma relies very heavily on lens-correction profiles to fix their horrendous distortion!
That Sigma DN fart phony lens belong is in the bin immediately after purchase. It is limping and is handcapped out of the box.
Man...can you make a video about water resistant full frame lenses for canon? I have The 77D but in the future I want to buy a RP but lenses for R cameras are very expensive so I prefer to buy full frame lenses for my apsc and use this in the future,but I need to know if you lose the water resistant when you use an adapter on R cameras. I don't have money is the true 😐 si I need to know what to buy 💸😰
Will you be able to review the 50mm f1.2 by Nikon soon? I’m wondering how it’ll compare with the older Nikon f1.4
My copy is not like this one at all! Super sharp wide open when close up. Almost on a par with my ZM35MM 1.4 Distagon. I think you should re review it.
the color is very rich，that many modern af lens dont have
Adapter to mount on Sony E-mount?
I own the Samyang 85mm f:1.4 for Canon Rf and I'm very glad..
its time for zeiss to make new lenses
Great review as always.
No, I will not go in an 85 without AF, even not with all the tactile seduction the Zeiss offers.
Hi, could you do a review on the new Samyang 24mm 1.8 ? Thanks :)
Only if Sigma DGDN 85mm f1.4 comes in RF mount! Canon RF 1.2L is way too expensive
How does the colour rendition and contrast of the Milvus compare to Sigma, Canon, and Nikkor 85mm lenses?
A little late to the party. The Milvus has much better rendering and contract than the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G (Which I am not a big fan of), it is certainly better then the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D (which I sort of own) and when comparing to my assistants 85mm f/1.4 Art, the Milvus image looked better. Can't comment on the Canon.
I was disappointed with that f/1.4 centre image quality, but it was strong everywhere else. Not for me, but certainly an interesting option at 85mm.
My sample is on the money, spot, dot, whatever. It is gorgeous. You will need to see one and try it yourself. It also can be that the focussing chart is just 1m away but the ideal distance for the lens starts from 2m. I am not sure if this is the case - because it shouldn't and it is modern lens.
Review Nikon nikkor 85mm 1.8g please)
And Nikon nikkor 10-20mm =)
It should be suitable for wide astrophotography since it's manual focus, fast and sharp
But its not wide at all
It's "wide field" or "Richfield" in astrophotography lingo, but not ultra-wide.
You've said a lot of the lens is "metallic" but it has more of a matte look to me
I think he means you can feel that it is made of metal.
Samyang has quite a few offerings that could compete head on with this both on features and twice so on price. Are you planning any comparisons? I'm thinking about the classic 85mm F/14, the XP 85mm F/1.2, the Xeen CF 85mm T1.5 and the 85mm T1.5 VDSLR MK2 Cine.
I'd like to see a comparison of 85mm....Personally I'd love to see Samyang release a 50MM F1.2 or 1.4
@@rdog77 There is an XP 50/1.2 already.
@@miket2164 Not for an RF mount. At least I haven’t found one. I’ll keep looking
Great review Chris, thanks. Do you know what "Milvus" means please!
Zeiss lenses, or rather their product families (Otus, Milvus, Batis, Loxia) are named after birds. Otus for example refers to a genus of owls while milvus refers to birds of prey. Batis refers to an african bird, while Loxia refers to the crossbill, which is a type of finch :)
Will you have a review of the new Samyang 24/1.8 FE lens soon? Hoping they've sent you one already!
I will get one for Nikon F-system. Please comment on Zeiss Milvus 25mn/1.4 and Zeiss Milvus 18mm/2.8
This lens costs more than my PC.
That thing's expensive, but man does it look very cool.
Why on earth would anyone buy this lens when better alternatives are available for only a half its price?
you should rent one ... i'm sure you would fall in love with this lens if you try it
First! Fiesta!
your not even a photographer all you do is take photos of the same wall closeup. no mention of this lenses amazing micro contrast or color rendition
The thing is, good quality autofocus glass can be used as manual focus if you like, at a fraction of the price if you choose f1.8. In practice there is hardly any difference between f1.4 and 1.8 and certainly not worth paying more than an extra £10 for me. For Sony there is a great choice of f1.8 85mm lenses and even the acclaimed Sony version is about half the price of this one. Yes the Sigma is great as well and so is the Viltrox actually.
Autofocus glass will never be as easy to manually focus and feel as good while doing so as ZEISS glass, that's made to be manually focused (Milvus, Loxia, Otus). I'd put anything on that, especially against focus by wire lenses. I have the Milvus 85 for quite some time now and when I use autofocus lenses I use the autofocus, because if you're used to the feel of the Zeiss MF, you're spoiled.
Do you read Ancient Greek?
Nice video but I think you might have the oiliest hands I have ever seen :-)
Why would anyone buy a fast lens and stop it down? 💁🏻♂️
Naaa I'll take 50 1.2 all day over this
5:50 I don't see it as a "very good quality" lens for its price though, specially for a manual focus (I understand that most zeiss lenses are manual). Why would you make a lens that has a sharper edges than the center at wide open?
My Fujifilm 90mm F2 is even better than this and it only costs 1/3 - 1/4 of its price.
I looked at the Milvus lenses at one point and eventually went for Sigmas ART lenses. There's really no contest in any regard. These lenses are, as you said, not good value for money - you're paying for branding.
Isn't it a bit sad when people are willing to pay through the nose for a badge? It reminds me of Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances, the comedy show on BBC. "Put the ski's on the roof rack Richard. We really can't be seen driving the Rover without them"
What branding? How often do you see Zeiss advertising? Zeiss lenses cost more because they are designed as high precision tools. Those lenses are low volume and won't go into every photographer's household. The cost of development etc still needs to be covered. Value for money is relative.
@@oliverlison
It has worked on one person at least.
12 rules of life is a good book