Pros & Cons
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- Very sharp, even at f/2.
- Superb all-metal build.
- Protected from dust and splashes.
- 1:2 macro magnification.
- Available for Canon and Nikon SLRs.
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- Shows some barrel distortion.
- Edges lag behind center in crispness.
- Dim corners at wide apertures.
- Manual focus isn't for everyone.
- Pricey.
Zeiss Milvus 2/50M Specs
| 35mm Equivalent (Wide) | 50 |
| Dimensions | 3.2 by 2.9 inches |
| Lens Mount | Canon EF |
| Lens Mount | Nikon F |
| Stabilization | None |
| Type | Lens |
| Weight | 1.5 |
Zeiss' Milvus line is a mix of cosmetic updates and total redesigns of its longstanding manual focus lens family, now dubbed Classic. In contrast to the Milvus 1.4/50 ($1,199.00 at Amazon) , which received a ground-up redesign, the Milvus 2/50M ($1,283) is a purely upgrade of the excellent Makro-Planar T* 2/50 ($1,283.00 at Amazon) . It maintains the compact design, crisp optics, and 1:2 life-size magnification of its predecessor, while adding resistance to dust and splashes and a sexy, modern look. It's not quite as good as our favorite manual focus macro, the Editors' Choice Milvus 2/100M ($1,843.00 at Amazon) , but it's a solid choice if you prefer the wider field of view captured by a 50mm prime.
Design
The 2/50M ($1,283.00 at Amazon) is the smallest Milvus lens, measuring 2.9 by 3.2 inches (HD) without a hood. It's heavy for its size, at 1.5 pounds, and supports 67mm front filters. The barrel is finished in matte black metal, with a rubberized manual focus ring. The closer you focus, the more it extends, with markings for different magnification factors (1:10, 1:5, 1:4, 1:3, and 1:2) on the telescoping portion of the barrel.
The hood is made from the same metal as the lens barrel and has a felt-lined interior, which is there to minimize reflections. The hood is reversible for storage, but if you're really concerned about keeping the size of your kit to a minimum, you should be able to shoot without it out—the front element is recessed into the barrel to the point where I wouldn't worry too much about flares and ghosts.
Zeiss sells the Milvus lines for Canon and Nikon SLRs. The Canon version of the lens supports electronic aperture control only. If you opt for Nikon you'll get a physical control ring that allows you to use the lens with older Nikon 35mm SLRs that don't support electronic control, and with mirrorless cameras via a simple mechanical adapter.
The aperture ring can be set to stop and lock in place at each full stop, or it can turn freely. A tool is included to switch its operation mode. If you're using the Milvus for video, you'll likely want to change the aperture to its clickless mode as it reduces unwanted noise and allows you to more freely adjust the amount of light entering the lens during a shot.
The Milvus can focus as close as 9.5 inches (24cm), capturing images at half life-size when working at that distance. The focus scale is engraved on the barrel, and painted in white, with measurements in both feet and meters. There's a corresponding depth of field scale, marked at f/8 through f/22 in full-stop increments, but it's narrow to the point that it's not very useful. The lens has a long focus throw—about 300 degrees—with hard stops at each end, which makes focusing purely by scale an unpractical solution, even at narrower apertures.
The maximum f/2 aperture, which captures twice the light as an f/2.8 prime when shot wide open, also allows you to really control the depth of field. When working at longer distances you won't have as much background blur as you get with the Milvus 1.4/50, but when working in the macro range you'll be able to focus on just a tiny sliver of detail if desired.
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Image Quality
I tested the Milvus with the full-frame, 36-megapixel Nikon D810 ($1,996.95 at Amazon) . At f/2 it puts up excellent results on the standard center-weighted Imatest sharpness test, recording 3,051 lines per picture height. That's better than the 2,200 lines we want to see in an image from a high-resolution camera like the D810, and while the lens doesn't deliver perfectly even results from edge to edge, the periphery of the frame is still very sharp (2,850 lines), lagging behind the central area by about 350 lines.
Performance increases as you narrow the aperture. At f/2.8 the lens hits 3,227 lines, it improves to 3,636 lines at f/4, and enjoys a bump to 3,926 lines at f/5.6. In all of these cases, the edges lag behind the center by about the same amount as at f/2.
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That changes at f/8. The Milvus scores 4,105 lines there, with edges that are just as sharp as the center. That pattern continues as you stop down and hit f/11 (4,135 lines), f/16 (3,832 lines), and f/22 (3,239 lines). There's some drop in resolution at the two narrowest f-stops, so you may want to consider focus stacking as an alternative when the subject allows for it.
There is some barrel distortion, about 1.5 percent, which isn't a desirable characteristic in a macro lens. Thankfully it's pretty easily removed—you can compensate for it manually using image editing software, or automatically if you use Adobe Lightroom—a lens profile is included for one-click correction.
Lightroom can also brighten dim corners. The Milvus shows some dimness at wider apertures, with corners lagging behind the center by 3.4 stops (-3.4EV) at f/2. The deficit is cut to -2.2EV at f/2.8, and a more reasonable -1.1EV at f/4, which is barely noticeable in real-world conditions. Beyond that illumination at the extreme periphery is within a half-stop of the center.
Conclusions
On the whole, the Milvus lens line is a strong one, delivering sharp images across the board and truly excellent build quality. Photographers who prefer the feel of a mechanical manual focus lens—and appreciate glass that is protected by a rugged metal barrel and can be used in all kinds of weather—will love lenses like the 2/50M. If you're in want of a standard-angle prime and prefer the flexibility of a macro over the extreme low-light capabilities of an f/1.4 like the Milvus 1.4/50, it's definitely worth strong consideration. It's not quite Editors' Choice material—we've reserved that for the stellar Milvus 2/100M—but it's a fine lens in its own regard, especially if you prefer the wider field of view delivered by a 50mm prime.
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