Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZA SSM Lens Review

Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZA SSM Handling and features

As you may expect, this lens' build quality is worthy of the Carl Zeiss name. The lens barrel is constructed from aluminium, which also helps to keep the overall weight of the lens reasonable at just over five hundred grams. The lens is sealed against dust and moisture, in the same way as Sony's high-end SLT cameras are. The size and weight are a good match for the Sony Alpha A99 body used for testing. It is worth noting that the light weight will make this lens feel equally at home on more compact SLR and SLT bodies also.

Autofocus is powered by a Super Sonic wave motor, which moves lens elements quickly, resulting in fast autofocus. Manual focus adjustments can be made at any time by presing a button located in the centre of the AF/MF switch. The focusing ring has a smooth, well damped action so fine manual focus adjustments are a pleasure to apply.

As focusing is performed by shifting the rear group of elements, the 72mm filter ring doesn't rotate. This is ideal for use with graduated and polarising filters. Closest focus is 45cm, which is typical for a lens of this focal length and aperture.

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