The Zeiss 50mm f1.4 Planar T* is a full-frame lens designed for Sony E-mount. One of this lens’ standout features is the wide f1.4 aperture, which makes it an excellent choice for shooting in low-light situations and achieving portraits with a beautifully shallow depth of field. Built with a solid metal body, the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 is weather-sealed for durability, though it is relatively large and heavier compared to many other 50mm primes on the market. Despite its size, it’s well balanced and comfortable to handle during longer shoots. Image quality is one of its key strengths; the lens consistently produces sharp, detailed photos with strong contrast. When shot wide open at f1.4, it still manages to maintain impressive clarity while rendering backgrounds with a soft and natural-looking bokeh. Unlike some modern lenses that lean toward clinical sharpness, the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 offers a more classic, artistic character, which can add a unique mood and feel to your portraits.
For this portrait session, I am using the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 on the Sony A7 IV, capturing backlit images on the beach during golden hour. The combination of the lens’s wide aperture and the warm, soft light of the setting sun helped create intimate, glowing portraits with beautiful light falloff and natural skin tones. In the behind the scenes video below, I share unedited images and 100% crops straight out of the camera so you can see the details and see how this lens performs in real world conditions. Whether you’re interested in the sharpness, colour rendition, or bokeh quality, these samples give a transparent look at what the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 can deliver for portrait photographers.
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All photos edited with my Hazel Lightroom Preset Pack
All photos edited with my Hazel Lightroom Preset Pack
