I really can't say enough good about this lens. It's truly exceptional! The size may be compact, but it is packed with quality! The build is exceptional, not too heavy, but you can tell it is solid and made of premium materials. Just like you would expect from Zeiss. I have used this lens during weddings and professional portrait shoots and I am always thrilled with the results (and so are my clients). If you enjoy shooting right into the sun, this lens does produce some noticeable flaring, even with the hood attached. I personally enjoy it, as I feel it adds some character to some of the photos, but it's a personal preference and not necessarily something everyone will like. Just something to keep in mind. Also, the only other caveat is that the focusing motor is ... MoreI really can't say enough good about this lens. It's truly exceptional! The size may be compact, but it is packed with quality! The build is exceptional, not too heavy, but you can tell it is solid and made of premium materials. Just like you would expect from Zeiss. I have used this lens during weddings and professional portrait shoots and I am always thrilled with the results (and so are my clients). If you enjoy shooting right into the sun, this lens does produce some noticeable flaring, even with the hood attached. I personally enjoy it, as I feel it adds some character to some of the photos, but it's a personal preference and not necessarily something everyone will like. Just something to keep in mind. Also, the only other caveat is that the focusing motor is loud compared to most any other lens I've used. It's not as annoying as Sony's nifty fifty, but it is noticeable, so if you intend to use for video, I would only recommend it if you have an external microphone attached to your subject or if you plan on editing out the audio anyway. But for still, as long as you don't need a silent lens, this thing is remarkable and takes beautiful shots! I use this and the Zeiss 55mm as well as the Zeiss Batis 85mm for virtually all of my portrait work and couldn't be happier! The build is definitely on par with my Batis lens. Attached are a couple of photos. One with lens flare and one without. Hope that helps.

I got this lens a few weeks ago and ran it through some extensive testing in various environments, which eventually led me to taking it to the test lab and actually scrutinizing it, because I wasn't entirely satisfied that it was anything like the optical performance Ive come to expect from Zeiss.How hard is it to make a 50mm f1,8 lens when you consider that its already an established lens formula, with a proven track record in other mounts and other formats?I give it two stars because there are three things that make this lens not worth buying. Its sharp. Its small and well built. The separation between what is in focus and not, has an abruptness which tends to make the images all look the same unless stopped down beyond f4. and the bokeh is quite unattractive, ... MoreI got this lens a few weeks ago and ran it through some extensive testing in various environments, which eventually led me to taking it to the test lab and actually scrutinizing it, because I wasn't entirely satisfied that it was anything like the optical performance Ive come to expect from Zeiss.How hard is it to make a 50mm f1,8 lens when you consider that its already an established lens formula, with a proven track record in other mounts and other formats?I give it two stars because there are three things that make this lens not worth buying. Its sharp. Its small and well built. The separation between what is in focus and not, has an abruptness which tends to make the images all look the same unless stopped down beyond f4. and the bokeh is quite unattractive, which is a factor in a lens that is this expensive. The real deal breaker for is the spherochromatism (that horrible color shift on the front and back of the thing that is in focus), that which was basically done away with in quality optics made anytime in the last 15 years. It does not like to be exposed correctly in color, in contrasty light, you must under expose by -0.7, however it excels in black and white. I tested this lens on both the Fuji X-Trans and the Sony sensor, and it is equally as bad on both. The build quality is nice, feels good in the hand, and is nicely balanced on a XE, X Pro-1 and XT-1. The lens hood is idiotically massive. Its a spectacle in its own right. Why cant we have hoods with specificity like Leica's or the Fuji 35/1.4 and 18/f2?? There is no reason why any manufacturer cant use injection molding processes to make tighter tolerance square hoods which dont stick out into the middle of next week. I like the idea of a smooth rubber focus ring, however this on the FX mount version its too narrow, and the resistance is as this lens is, using your finger tips is not the best solution. I have small hands and even my fingers tend to grip the neighboring metal surfaces, which only adds to the resistance. Also it is difficult to determine tactile efficiency of micro manual adjustments and, if, like me, you find yourself using a fingernail to add a bit of traction, you are out of luck on this lens. If you own a fuji then spend your money on the Fuji 35/1.4 it is optically vastly superior in every way.

I read all the blogs and reviews of folks comparing this to more affordable lenses, but I had been wanting to try Zeiss for a long time.This thing produces some of the most beautiful bokeh I've ever seen. So gorgeous and magical that I almost don't want anything in the plane of focus.Is it a great value lens? Absolutely not.Is it better than it's Fuji/Tokina/sigma counterparts? Depends on your preferences.Does it have unique character that is evident in the photo? Definitely.