Canon versus Zeiss

[jarulex]

Hello Folks!
I presently own a Canon 5D Mark II and a 24-105 zoom but I want to buy a fixed optic to make various beauties at close range in the studio. The first question is: which one should I buy between 50mm and 85 mm? And the second question: because both the 50mm and 85mm are present in Canon, and Zeiss for Canon catalog, which one: Canon (gamma L) or Zeiss?
My experience on Hasselblad/Zeiss optics was super satisfying.
The Zeiss are 'manual focus' (for me ininfluent for studio work) so cost less.
If anyone has a personal experience, come forward, thanks!

[jarulex]

ininfluent=unimportant

[girlsfather]

Hi Jarulex,

I have the EF 1.2/85mm L from Canon.
Nice for selective focus.
If you want all sharp fotos with an aperture of f=11 to 16 this is not the best choice, as its best aperture is around 5.6 to 8 I guess.

I have no idea about the Zeiss for 35mm.

I had Zeiss for my medium format. 120mm Macro Planar for 6x6. Extreme sharp lens - sometimes too sharp for Portraits on film with flashlight.
Btw: Flash makes the photos much sharper - you should take that into consideration.

I would suggest you to test it out - if possible.

Good luck!

[GinoE]

I bought the Zeis 35mm a couple of months ago and it is stellar on my Canon 5D (mark I). I absolutely love it; it has been my most used lens since I bought it. It's super-sharp (at least on a par with if not better than my Canon 85 f1.8), and renders beautifully, although a bit warmer (in terms of colour) than the Canon lenses (which I find a bit 'cold', 'objective', or 'impersonal' compared to the Zeiss).

I know, it's not the 50 or 85 you're looking for, but I've become such a fan of Zeiss lenses (saving up for a longer focal length) that I couldn't stop myself from posting :-D

Canon lenses are great, but I'm sure you won't regret buying any of the Zeiss lenses :-)