Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA ( Sony SAL-85F14Z ) - Full Format Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict
Lens Reviews - Sony Alpha (Full Format)
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Introduction
Analysis
Sample Images & Verdict

Page 3 of 3

Sample Images

Here're some sample images taken with the Alpha 900 and RAW-converted via Adobe CS5.

Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE samples (=several megabytes) thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth so please take care of the limited resources here.

Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/2.0
Exposure 1/6400s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/2.5
Exposure 1/8000s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/2.2
Exposure 1/8000s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/6400s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/9.0
Exposure 1/320s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure 1/2500s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure 1/3200s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/6400s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/2.2
Exposure 1/8000s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/4000s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/5.0
Exposure 1/640s
Make SONY
Model DSLR-A900
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/3.5
Exposure 1/4000s

Verdict

Are you listening Canon and Nikon? Welcome the new owner of the 85mm f/1.4 class - the Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA. We were more than impressed by the results during our previous APS-C test and the lens remains great within the full format scope as well. It is capable of producing very sharp center and border at large aperture and it can even reach an excellent quality level across the image frame at medium apertures. The quality of the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is buttery and about as good as it gets. Distortions and lateral CAs are non-issues in field conditions. Unlike its cousin - the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZF/ZE - it shows a very snappy contrast at f/1.4 and the close focus performance is superior as well. Nonetheless there's also a bug - longitudinal CAs ("bokeh fringing") are very pronounced at large aperture settings but that's rather typical for ultra-large aperture lenses anyway.
Thanks to an all-metal body the lens feels very solid. The screw-driven AF approach is somewhat dated by now but it's certainly sufficient for the typical applications such as portraits and still life photography. At around 1200EUR/US$ the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZA isn't cheap in absolute terms but it is simply a marvel of a lens. Highly recommended!

Optical Quality:    
Mechanical Quality:
Price/Performance:
      
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