Great comparison, very well done with precisely focussed and matched samples which is somehow rare to find in these sort of comparisons and reviews. That Zeiss is something else, there's really no comparison in my mind and I have a bit of an obsession with it!
Very impressive performance by the Zeiss (as usual). I have the Canon, but I wouldn't mind switching to the Zeiss at some point. I often use it manually for portraits on a Sony body anyways. With peaking it's rather easy to grab manual focus anyways, so for my uses it wouldn't be much of an issue to go without AF.
These are the type of comparisons that really spark my interest. I do wish u had spent a bit more on bokeh quality of each lens, , couple of portrait pictures, as these lenses are mostly used for this purpose. Thank u for the time and effort, big fan of ur work, reviews, and beautiful sample pictures (the morning dew shots on grass in the golden sunrise hrs are simply inspiring :)
I'll be including more of those type pictures in the final review. Doing portrait comparisons with multiple lenses obviously takes a little more logistical work.
As always excellent review. Something that was missing was back lighting situation. Maybe you can add them to your full review of the Zeiss? You continue to be the best reviewer, even as I shoot Nikon.
I may do that at a later date, but my plate is way too full at the moment. I've got three Milvus lenses, the 5D4, and the Canon 24-105L II + 16-35L III on the way.
Hope I had my plate as full :) Well hope you can do a mini comparison at least, it would be good to compare what a 1/4 of the price can get you if you don't mind build quality.
i love the milvus set - i shot canon L for years and still everyday am blown away by the raw resolution of the zeiss glass. thank you for your comparison. would love zeiss to produce a couple of zooms from wide to tele like a 24-70 / 70-200 i miss those lenses.
Hi, I bought yesterday my Canon 135mm f/2L ! Testing in lightroom, resolution, rendering and just little test, nothing professional yet for a few days more. The Zeiss its really so clear, its perfect, but more than the double in price, like you said, its not for me! And the printing for my clients are for albums, not really big. Thanks for the comparisson! Greetings from Uruguay!
Brilliant comparison. I've been shooting with a Nikon F2AS for many years and would love to see the Milvus lens comparison to the older Nikor lenses I've been using. I'm hopefully getting a D810 in the near future where I'll compare all of my Nikkors with the Lenses I'll get from Zeiss (50, 85 and the 135), should be very interesting.
there are several changes besides that it no longer has the macro title only 100mm f2 milvus, the optical is similar to the old only it has new shell and is weather-sealed it also have improved coatings the new coating allows for better Color correction
It is the same optical formula, but with updated coatings and optimized barrel design. You'll see a minute difference in optical quality, but not much. The big deal here is the weathersealed body.
Optically the Samyang is almost as sharp, but doesn't render quite as "magically". The build and handling strongly favor the Milvus, but the Samyang is a third of the price.
That's a hard comparison, and I've reviewed a LOT of lenses since the Milvus 85. I find the Milvus 135 a little more "special" in its rendering, but the 85mm focal length is a more flexible one.
Dustin, what camera did you use for the comparison. I would expect the Zeiss to be better given that it's a newer design. The canon design is 20 years old.
Great review. Hello Dustin, have you done a comparison between the Zeiss and the Sony Zeiss f1.8? they are both 135mm lens, do you think there is a big difference between those two lenses? I'm thinking about buying that lens for my Sony a99. Thanks in advance.
Thank you, Dustin for the review. I have a couple of questions for you. How does this lens compare to the previous version of 135 from Zeiss? How difficult is it to nail the focus, keeping in mind that one uses a Eg-s screen? I remember when you reviewed Rokinon 135 you couldn't recommend that lens because it didn't' have AF. I am really attracted to the optical qualities of the new Milvus lens, but I am afraid to miss shots with it. I would sell my Canon 135 and buy this one if I am convinced that it is that much better. Thank you once again.
Benjamen, I found with both the previous version and the current version of the lens I'm actually able to get more keepers with the Zeiss compared to the Samyang. Two reasons - first (most importantly), the focus ring is much better and more precise, resulting in it being easier to nail proper focus (particularly with the EG-S). Secondly, the Zeiss has a focus confirm chip, which is well calibrated. I've used the lens on the new 5D Mark IV without any special focus screen and gotten pretty good results just be relying on focus confirm.
Would like to see you do the same tests between the Samyang 135mm F/2 vs Zeiss Milvus 135mm F/2. The tests I've seen have shown the Samyang just as sharp; so at half or better the price (less build quality though) the Samyang seems to me just as good as the Zeiss, also the chromatic aberration is less than the Zeiss.
Hi just a thought not any means to be intrusive but did you shoot in automatic? I notice your shutter speed keeps increasin as your aperture increases. If that's the case it might change the results as you might want to have a much higher shutter while shootin with a 135mm to be crispy. stil a huge fan of zeiss so niiice test!
Will you be doing a comparison between the 85mm 100mm and 135mm Milvus? I know they can't be quite directly but it would be interesting to see how they compare and which you think is the best. :D
And the 135L is considered by many as the king of L lenses... Its age, unfortunately starts to show here. However, you gotta hand it to canon's lens for staying this far up the game for so long.
Hello Dustin - canon looks quite bad at the center, no crispyness though being a prime.. I am disppointed more because i was just about to purchase this one.. and zeiss is of course not a single complain.. i would like to know whether the canon was properly auto focused or did it might have required a calibration for the AF.. would be glad if this questions is cleared..
I always use Live View 10x magnification and manual focus for my comparisons to make sure that autofocus isn't a factor. The Canon is still a great lens, but the Milvus is at a whole other level optically.
Hi Dustin. I am really a big fan of what and how your are doing things and I also really adore your photography work. But about this test. I have a feeling, that you have missed a bit focus (few mm) ; front focused compare picture made by Canon in magnification compare. Also not sure about apples to apples. And why I am saying that: You can see it by bokeh on out focused numbers - they are more blurred (out of focus blur) in Canon despite the fact Canon is not focusing so close, so for sure it should be oposite. About "infinity test" - as they have same aperture they should blur the same (same amount), and you are showing that Zeiss is producing more blur. So in first - magnification test - Canon was giving more blur and here Zeiss? Clearly something is not right again. Also it would be a good thing to borrow a new copy of 135mm Canon lens... Because as you have said it is clearly something wrong with that copy of what you have used for the test. For me - mine copy it is not giving much difference between F2 and F5.6 in the middle of the frame, so there is something not okay :) Ps. I agree, that Zeiss is optically better. For sure contrast is way better with Zeiss, this is what I can see in my lens as well. Just you didn't do here 100% of what you are doing in your other GREAT tests. Warm regards, Andrzej
+Andrzej Doleczek Thanks for your feedback. I focus all of these comparisons the same way - Live View focus magnifying the image 10x and manually focusing. I've ran other tests in the past and come to similar conclusions. Lenses behave different ways in different circumstances. What you are seeing is more the result of the Canon having more field curvature. The Milvus produces a flatter, more consistent plane of focus.
and here i am saving money for the canon 135 L and watching a video where it get crushed by a lens i can not afford ;) i know i will be very happy with the canon but a part of me wishes i never watched this video ;)
I know the feeling. Just remember that out in the real world the Canon delivers beautiful results...and has autofocus. It isn't as otherworldly as the Milvus 135mm, but it is still pretty great.
Are you sure your Canon 135mm is as sharp as it should be? I do believe the Zeiss is sharper, but the canon 135mm looks just terrible in this comparison.
I got the same reaction last time, but it isn't just me. The Zeiss is one of the sharpest lenses out there, and the sharpness signature is very flat across the frame. www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=924&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=108&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
You're right! it does seem to be a bit soft overall. I just remember thinking my 135mm was sharp, but the red ring might have thrown me off and I didn't have a 5Ds back then :-). Looking back I think I actually did sell it because my 85mm1.2 and 100mmL Macro were better.
Dustin! You're making me want to sell all my current mix of random lenses for these! I love it! Thank you!
+Matt WhoisMatt Johnson If you can handle manual focus, it is hard to beat the incredible rendering from Zeiss' best lenses.
Great comparison, very well done with precisely focussed and matched samples which is somehow rare to find in these sort of comparisons and reviews. That Zeiss is something else, there's really no comparison in my mind and I have a bit of an obsession with it!
It is a very impressive lens, to be sure!
Very impressive performance by the Zeiss (as usual). I have the Canon, but I wouldn't mind switching to the Zeiss at some point. I often use it manually for portraits on a Sony body anyways. With peaking it's rather easy to grab manual focus anyways, so for my uses it wouldn't be much of an issue to go without AF.
If that is the case, you would be delighted with the Milvus 135. It is one of the best lenses optically I've ever used.
These are the type of comparisons that really spark my interest. I do wish u had spent a bit more on bokeh quality of each lens, , couple of portrait pictures, as these lenses are mostly used for this purpose. Thank u for the time and effort, big fan of ur work, reviews, and beautiful sample pictures (the morning dew shots on grass in the golden sunrise hrs are simply inspiring :)
I'll be including more of those type pictures in the final review. Doing portrait comparisons with multiple lenses obviously takes a little more logistical work.
As always excellent review. Something that was missing was back lighting situation. Maybe you can add them to your full review of the Zeiss? You continue to be the best reviewer, even as I shoot Nikon.
Thank you. I will deal with the backlighting aspect in the final review.
Dustin, how does it compare to the Samyang 135mm? Are you going to publish or comment this comparison? Thumbs up if you want this comparison :)
I may do that at a later date, but my plate is way too full at the moment. I've got three Milvus lenses, the 5D4, and the Canon 24-105L II + 16-35L III on the way.
Hope I had my plate as full :) Well hope you can do a mini comparison at least, it would be good to compare what a 1/4 of the price can get you if you don't mind build quality.
Jesús Alberto Montiel Maillo
It's true. The Samyang isn't as fun to use for a variety of reasons, but the results it can create are pretty special.
i love the milvus set - i shot canon L for years and still everyday am blown away by the raw resolution of the zeiss glass. thank you for your comparison. would love zeiss to produce a couple of zooms from wide to tele like a 24-70 / 70-200 i miss those lenses.
That kind of lens is tough as a manual focus only option, though.
Great comparison. Looking forward to the final review.
Won't be long now.
Excellent Testing - very clear the Zeiss is an impressive lens,
Well done, and Thank You for doing this... SUBSCRIBED.
It most certainly is!
I have 35 50 and 85 Zeiss planar and I must say the only disadvantage is auto focus
these lenses are made well
thank you
They are beautifully made lenses.
Hi, I bought yesterday my Canon 135mm f/2L !
Testing in lightroom, resolution, rendering and just little test, nothing professional yet for a few days more.
The Zeiss its really so clear, its perfect, but more than the double in price, like you said, its not for me! And the printing for my clients are for albums, not really big.
Thanks for the comparisson!
Greetings from Uruguay!
WOW!!! BRAVO!!! Super comparison. Thanks for sharing
My pleasure.
Brilliant comparison. I've been shooting with a Nikon F2AS for many years and would love to see the Milvus lens comparison to the older Nikor lenses I've been using. I'm hopefully getting a D810 in the near future where I'll compare all of my Nikkors with the Lenses I'll get from Zeiss (50, 85 and the 135), should be very interesting.
Hard to beat those Zeiss lenses in overall image quality.
Hey Dustin, how does the Milvus compare to the classic APO lens? Not expecting you to do a review just wanted your thoughts.
there are several changes besides that it no longer has the macro title only 100mm f2 milvus, the optical is similar to the old only it has new shell and is weather-sealed it also have improved coatings the new coating allows for better Color correction
It is the same optical formula, but with updated coatings and optimized barrel design. You'll see a minute difference in optical quality, but not much. The big deal here is the weathersealed body.
Thank you so much guys I think I'll continue to stay happy with the Classic lens then :)
That's really impressive! How do you find it compared to the Samyang 135mm you also appreciated a great deal?
Optically the Samyang is almost as sharp, but doesn't render quite as "magically". The build and handling strongly favor the Milvus, but the Samyang is a third of the price.
Thanks Dustin, your reviews are great!
Thanks Dustin, how do you find it compared to zeiss 85 milvus? which one do you suggest for headshot and stills portrait?
That's a hard comparison, and I've reviewed a LOT of lenses since the Milvus 85. I find the Milvus 135 a little more "special" in its rendering, but the 85mm focal length is a more flexible one.
Dustin, what camera did you use for the comparison. I would expect the Zeiss to be better given that it's a newer design. The canon design is 20 years old.
I used both a 6D and 5DIV for shots included. The studio comparison shots were done with a 6D.
Great review. Hello Dustin, have you done a comparison between the Zeiss and the Sony Zeiss f1.8? they are both 135mm lens, do you think there is a big difference between those two lenses? I'm thinking about buying that lens for my Sony a99. Thanks in advance.
Pablo, I've had a hard time building a relationship with Sony, unfortunately, and have not used any of their current gear.
Thank you, Dustin for the review. I have a couple of questions for you. How does this lens compare to the previous version of 135 from Zeiss? How difficult is it to nail the focus, keeping in mind that one uses a Eg-s screen? I remember when you reviewed Rokinon 135 you couldn't recommend that lens because it didn't' have AF. I am really attracted to the optical qualities of the new Milvus lens, but I am afraid to miss shots with it. I would sell my Canon 135 and buy this one if I am convinced that it is that much better. Thank you once again.
Benjamen, I found with both the previous version and the current version of the lens I'm actually able to get more keepers with the Zeiss compared to the Samyang. Two reasons - first (most importantly), the focus ring is much better and more precise, resulting in it being easier to nail proper focus (particularly with the EG-S). Secondly, the Zeiss has a focus confirm chip, which is well calibrated. I've used the lens on the new 5D Mark IV without any special focus screen and gotten pretty good results just be relying on focus confirm.
Would like to see you do the same tests between the Samyang 135mm F/2 vs Zeiss Milvus 135mm F/2. The tests I've seen have shown the Samyang just as sharp; so at half or better the price (less build quality though) the Samyang seems to me just as good as the Zeiss, also the chromatic aberration is less than the Zeiss.
The Samyang is strong, for sure, thought not as special in its rendering and microcontrast
Hi
just a thought not any means to be intrusive but did you shoot in automatic? I notice your shutter speed keeps increasin as your aperture increases. If that's the case it might change the results as you might want to have a much higher shutter while shootin with a 135mm to be crispy. stil a huge fan of zeiss so niiice test!
The comparison was done a tripod, live view focused, with a two second delay. Vibration should not be an issue for this comparison.
Will you be doing a comparison between the 85mm 100mm and 135mm Milvus? I know they can't be quite directly but it would be interesting to see how they compare and which you think is the best. :D
I will be doing a comparison video for the Milvus 100 and 135. I don't have the 85 on hand.
And the 135L is considered by many as the king of L lenses... Its age, unfortunately starts to show here. However, you gotta hand it to canon's lens for staying this far up the game for so long.
And it still is a very good lens is many ways.
Hello Dustin - canon looks quite bad at the center, no crispyness though being a prime.. I am disppointed more because i was just about to purchase this one.. and zeiss is of course not a single complain.. i would like to know whether the canon was properly auto focused or did it might have required a calibration for the AF.. would be glad if this questions is cleared..
I always use Live View 10x magnification and manual focus for my comparisons to make sure that autofocus isn't a factor. The Canon is still a great lens, but the Milvus is at a whole other level optically.
ultimate portrait lens. wow... big difference. did u use mk4 for these shots???
Some 6D, some Mark IV.
Can you compare this lens to the Sony/Zeiss 135 1.8 - the fastest AF 135 :) Yo can compare all 3 on the A7Rii
Dustin.. milvus 35mm f2 ??
Maybe in the future. My "dance card" is full at the moment. Zeiss is really good to get me what I want to review, though.
Hi Dustin. I am really a big fan of what and how your are doing things and I also really adore your photography work.
But about this test. I have a feeling, that you have missed a bit focus (few mm) ; front focused compare picture made by Canon in magnification compare. Also not sure about apples to apples.
And why I am saying that:
You can see it by bokeh on out focused numbers - they are more blurred (out of focus blur) in Canon despite the fact Canon is not focusing so close, so for sure it should be oposite.
About "infinity test" - as they have same aperture they should blur the same (same amount), and you are showing that Zeiss is producing more blur. So in first - magnification test - Canon was giving more blur and here Zeiss? Clearly something is not right again.
Also it would be a good thing to borrow a new copy of 135mm Canon lens... Because as you have said it is clearly something wrong with that copy of what you have used for the test. For me - mine copy it is not giving much difference between F2 and F5.6 in the middle of the frame, so there is something not okay :)
Ps. I agree, that Zeiss is optically better. For sure contrast is way better with Zeiss, this is what I can see in my lens as well. Just you didn't do here 100% of what you are doing in your other GREAT tests.
Warm regards,
Andrzej
+Andrzej Doleczek Thanks for your feedback. I focus all of these comparisons the same way - Live View focus magnifying the image 10x and manually focusing. I've ran other tests in the past and come to similar conclusions. Lenses behave different ways in different circumstances. What you are seeing is more the result of the Canon having more field curvature. The Milvus produces a flatter, more consistent plane of focus.
and here i am saving money for the canon 135 L and watching a video where it get crushed by a lens i can not afford ;)
i know i will be very happy with the canon but a part of me wishes i never watched this video ;)
I know the feeling. Just remember that out in the real world the Canon delivers beautiful results...and has autofocus. It isn't as otherworldly as the Milvus 135mm, but it is still pretty great.
I prefer using manual, auto focus has not always been accurate.
That really comes down to your skill level at MF, for sure.
Are you sure your Canon 135mm is as sharp as it should be? I do believe the Zeiss is sharper, but the canon 135mm looks just terrible in this comparison.
I got the same reaction last time, but it isn't just me. The Zeiss is one of the sharpest lenses out there, and the sharpness signature is very flat across the frame. www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=924&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=108&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
You're right! it does seem to be a bit soft overall. I just remember thinking my 135mm was sharp, but the red ring might have thrown me off and I didn't have a 5Ds back then :-). Looking back I think I actually did sell it because my 85mm1.2 and 100mmL Macro were better.
In the lens world word Milvus means Porn. 'Nuff said.
This is why you shoot ZEISS
Definitely.
such a harsh light in this video, not really great
The Canon is $999, the Zeiss is $2200....
Zeiss is a superior lens in every aspect but you have a bad copy of 135L👍
Hmmm, I'm not really convinced of that.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I have 135L and it's sharper than your results.
Dustin, is your "day" job doing commercials?
Not so much. My day job is pastoring a church :)