Carl Zeiss Loxia 2/50

[Zoom] Wide-zoom | Standard-zoom | Tele-zoom | High-zoom  
[Fixed-focal] Wide angle | Standard | Telephoto | Macro

As many users know, there're CARL ZEISS lenses delivered and lined up by SONY. Meanwhile, this LOXIA 2/50 is a new lens delivered directly by CARL ZEISS. They also supply the Touit series for APS-C format, so we can think the LOXIA 2/50 is the full frame version. By the way, I own SONY's 55mm F1.8 because it's a superb lens. So, I was curious to know how the LOXIA compares with the 55mm of similar focal length. After testing it, I could understand why CARL ZEISS launched another lens as a third party. In fact, I interviewed them at Photokina 2014, so I expected very high performance. I took the first shot because I know the LOXIA 2/50 employed double gauss construction to shut aberrations. The waterdrops are falling like a waterfall. I shot wide open using a fast shutter speed to test how it resolves each drop. As you see, they look very sharp and there's almost no image artifacts. To be able to capture each drop minutely, the lens must control the aberrations wide open. I do notice a certain level of vignetting, but the image quality is outstanding. Plus, the back bokeh is even emotional. This character makes me feel very exciting and I was so eager to shoot more.

( Photography & Text : K )

Even around the minimum focus distance (45cm), there's no noticeable aberrations and the image looks so clear. While there're many lenses that generate questionable image quality when used at close distance, the LOXIA 2/50 is more than sharp yet it's never hard. As a result, it perfectly reproduced the clear morning air.

Next, I shot a little under. In this luminance, and with ISO100 and F2 setting, I would normally use 1/1000 to 1/1500 shutter speed. If a lens has higher spherical aberration, the image would look dull when underexposed. Conversely, it will cause halation if overexposed. This image nicely reproduced the scene I was viewing over a cup of coffee. This clarity despite the underexposure demonstrates the low level of aberration as well as rich tonal gradation. So, what I did next was...

I tested how well it captures the gently falling light under the flat diffused lighting instead of straight lighting. And, voila! Even though I'm an amateur in optics. I know it's not very hard to improve resolution only. But, I think this lens is designed to carefully lower aberrations naturally and to be naturally sharp. Of course, the tonal gradation is also due to the Alpha 7S, but I still think this should also be credited to the lens. It's so soft and sweet.

This is an almighty lens. The hair never looks too hard, but they are sharp enough. Yet, they are minute and I can almost feel their weight. When using double gauss construction lens like the Planar, we must be careful about the background. If it's clear like the shot above, it generates beautiful bokeh. With the Planar 45mm F2 for Contax G series, the outline of bokeh would become a little more edgy and her left arm (front bokeh) would look harder. The LOXIA 2/50 shows that CARL ZEISS has been examining bokeh taste closely for many years.

---

I want to shoot wide open

When there's minimum level of aberrations and it's sharp wide open, I want to keep shooting wide open. Even though I usually don't compose like this, I took it to enjoy the sharp focus peak and clarity. Can you feel the relaxing mood in vacation?

Double gauss construction lenses produce noisy back bokeh if we don't pay attention to the distance to the background, and the same goes for all past Planars. And, this lens does inherit the trait except for one thing: the outline of bokeh is round. If it were edgy, it would become noisy. But, this bokeh is something we should adore and use to create unique pictures. The highlight shower head looked blown out, but I'm amazed by the latitude of the Alpha 7S. In a situation like this, an ordinary lens would cause smear in the highest light.

I focused on the woman in the middle distance and was about to shoot wide open. At the moment I pressed the shutter button, the two girls came into the frame making cheerful voices. It's so sharp even in this distance.

The bokeh is massive and beautiful. Shot around the minimum focus distance. The focus peak is very sharp.

I hadn't used a 50mm lens for a while, but this time I realized how great it is. It's true I often wish if I could adjust composition like a zoom lens, but the compact design lets me shoot freely. When I used a 50mm lens for the first time, I couldn't master it because it was too narrow when I got close to the subject, while it was too wide when I shot from a distance. In other words, it was equivocal. However, this also means anything is possible with a 50mm. And now, it's my favorite travel lens. The LOXIA 2/50 is a manual focus lens. So, not only it requires extra effort to focus, but also it gives just one focal length unlike zoom lenses. But, that's why shooting becomes fun.

Of course, I keep shooting wide open! How do you like the texture of the fried egg?

Shot wide open from a distance. Because of this image quality wide open, I really don't feel I should stop down. But, there's a vignetting. It's OK for a shot like this, but if you want to emphasize refreshing blue sky, stop down by 1 to 2 steps.

---

High essential performance is a taste, too? Why not?

Our PY photographers love quirky/tasty lenses. I guess we do because we expect a fantasy after pressing the shutter. And, conversely, we avoid using high performance lenses. So, I fee a little guilty in writing reviews... However, this lens has created a new "taste" of lens by the extremely high essential performance. One desire in photography is to capture the subject as faithfully as possible. Texture depiction capability depends on the essential performance of a lens. And, once you switch to this lens, the world will look all new.

An ordinary lens wouldn't capture in this way. Remember. It's wide open.

I stopped down to F8, but it didn't become hard. Meanwhile, there's an increase in the uniformity of image quality throughout the frame as well as an increase in the depth of field. In digital photography, we cannot stop down too much because of diffraction. So, unless more depth of focus is necessary, the performance wide open becomes crucial.

I focused on the body instead of the face in order to check how it depicts the hair. Even from this distance, the face is defocused. The nice color reproduction is very ZEISS.

---

Even though I have the genuine 55mm F1.8, I want to own the LOXIA.

The SONY's genuine 55mm F1.8 is such a wonderful lens and it's AF, while the LOXIA is MF. Even though I wish the LOXIA had AF, I still want the LOXIA so bad... At Photokina, the engineer showed me the sample shots and he looked so happy. The shots demonstrated the great corner depiction and he said that the corners are focused and sharp. I don't think this lens was developed in a simple approach just to minimize the four major aberrations. Put your fingers on the silky-touch focus ring and take time in facing the subject? Without fail, the LOXIA 2/50 will tell you how it is great to be a photographer.

( 29.10.2014 )