If you’re a fan of the classic look, then you’ll probably adore what Zeiss lenses can do. And if you’re a Canon RF camera shooter, then you’re in luck. We’ve reviewed tons of Zeiss lenses on Canon bodies over the years and have always been in awe of what they can do. If you’re looking for something slower with a more unique look, we think you’ll love these. Dive into this roundup with us!
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Pro Tips on Using Zeiss Lenses with Canon RF Cameras
Phenomenal photos can be made with Zeiss lenses! Here’s some info on why we’re choosing these:
- Our staff follows pretty strict ethics. We chose these lenses for great reasons. We even shot all the product and sample images for this roundup. In each section, you can pivot over to our full reviews.
- The cool thing about Zeiss lenses and Canon RF adapters is the focus peaking. It works almost like a rangefinder system and is highly accurate.
- Zeiss Lenses from the Milvus lineup have weather resistance. Combined with the adapter, your entire kit will be pretty well weather-sealed.
- The colors from these lenses are unreal. We think you’ll like them!
Zeiss Milux 35mm f1.4
Pros
- Fantastic image quality
- Such low distortion that it surely can be used for portraits
- Great skin tone rendition helps this lens work for loads of skin types and tones
- Sharp
- Zeiss micro-contrast will have everyone in shock at how beautiful the images are
- Precise focusing
- Weather sealing
- Solid build quality
- My favorite focal length and aperture
Cons
- I really wish they made this lens for Sony FE cameras or Fujifilm GF format cameras.
- Heavy and big
How’s the Image Quality
In our review, we state:
“The bokeh on the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 Milvus is creamy and absolutely lovely. On Facebook, I shared a number of images from the lens and had photographers who’ve been shooting longer than I’ve been alive smitten with the bokeh. The best bokeh comes when shooting wide open and close up. But if you’re shooting portraits, consider your distance carefully lest you take on perceived distortion due to being so close to a subject.”
Zeiss Milvus 85mm f1.4
Pros
- Only a hair less sharp than the 85mm f1.4 Otus
- Weather sealing
- Great feeling in the hand
- Wonderful, wonderful colors though a bit too saturated for skin tones
- Zero color fringing
Cons
- Long focus throw makes focusing very precise, but manually focusing the lens while handheld isn’t so simple due to you actually moving and not staying still. It’s best done with a tripod.
- Quite expensive; $1,799 though that’s cheaper than the Canon 85mm f1.2 L.
How’s the Image Quality
In our review, we state:
“The sharpness this lens offers is perhaps the best balance of sharpness and softness that I need in a portrait lens. You don’t want a portrait lens to be too sharp. The Zeiss 55mm f1.4 Otus is the company’s sharpest, then comes the 85mm f1.4 Otus, then the 135mm f2, and then this one. But even so, the numbers are negligible in real-life situations (i.e. not pixel peeping like I read from DPReview’s forum-goers talking about our site yesterday).”
Zeiss Milvus 135mm f2
Pros
- Incredibly sharp
- Weather sealed
- Beautiful bokeh
- Fairly close focusing distance
- Great feeling in the hand
- Seems like it was designed for portraits and nothing more
Cons
- As with all manual focus telephoto lenses, you’ll do best with a tripod.
- Price tag, though it’s truthfully justified
How’s the Image Quality
In our review, we state:
“Optically speaking, the Zeiss 135mm f2 Milvus lens has to be one of the most perfect lenses we’ve tested. It delivers great skin tones with a variety of skin colors, renders great colors overall, exhibits beautifully creamy bokeh, and is sharp as a tack.”
The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.