Always ready for the chance encounter, the Makro-Planar T* 2/50 has the power to reflect the cosmos in a droplet of water. As a macro lens, it engages our attention at close-up range. As a standard lens, it sees the world in its natural and familiar perspective. Classic portraits are as much its strength as the most striking details from close up.

Homogeneous image quality throughout the image field
ZEISS lenses are famous for their extraordinary image quality. Even with challenging subjects, perspective, color and light are optimally rendered - throughout the entire 35 mm image field. For this reason, we place great emphasis on particularly high image quality, e.g. low distortion and outstanding stray light reduction for rich colors.

Excellent image quality
The Carl Zeiss range of T* lenses offers the highest possible standards in terms of performance, reliability and, of course, image quality. Quite simply, they are superior in every way. You can count on highly advanced flare control for crisp and brilliant images, for example. And virtually zero geometric distortion, ensuring precise accuracy when reproducing shapes - especially useful when photographing products and architecture.

Floating Elements Design
State-of-the-art camera techniques and high-resolution digital image sensors increasingly demand more from the lenses. The modern floating element design compensates aberrations of the Carl Zeiss SLR lenses at different distance settings. This is accomplished by changing the axial distance of single lens elements or element groups to each other. The adjustment of the element distance is coupled to the distance setting so that it always results in the right correction. The mechanical design of these lens elements is very complex and the workmanship must be particularly exact - both specialties of Carl Zeiss.

Ideal aperture with nine blades
Photographers want to guide the observer through the image. Minimal depth of focus is often used as a design element. This keeps the background intentionally blurred to keep the attention of the observer on the main subject. These different representations of the blurred areas, as well as the quality of the transition, are referred to as the Bokeh of a lens. The finely tuned features of the optical design on Carl Zeiss SLR lenses ensure a particularly harmonious effect of the blurred areas of the image. The nine diaphragm blades and the resulting, virtually circular aperture on Carl Zeiss SLR lenses are crucial to favorable rendition of highlights in the fore and background.

Elaborate stray light reduction
Rich, vibrant colors are vital to creating a lasting impression. Stray light in the lens, however, would lead to a brightening of the image, which is particularly visible in shadow areas. Image contrast is lowered; the image appears dull and bleached. We combine various, elaborate techniques to reduce unwanted stray light. For example, all lens elements are coated with the famous Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating. Additionally, a jet black special paint is applied by hand to all lens element edges to ensure that reflections are prevented from the start.