I bought this lens to use with my Leica M3. Initially I was going to purchase the 50/f2 Summicron from Leica, but decided to save some money and go with this lens which was rumored to have similar optical quality. I use the M3 for street photography and I find this lens fits perfectly for that type of image taking. I'm still getting familiar with the camera/lens but have so far been happy with the results. Any issues with sharpness and focus are due to me doing something incorrectly! build quality is excellent and the focus is really smooth. Not only does the lens work well, it looks great on the old M3 (or any Leica M for that matter). One minor disappointment is the lack of a lens hood. You have to buy it separately. I'm very happy with this purchase and as always, my B&H experience.

Love this lens! My first Zeiss. It will not be my last! Everything about is great! I like to manual focus so this lens is perfect! love love love it!

I've been an amateur and semi-pro photog for over 40 years and in that time I've used practically every camera and format you could think of but until recently I'd never used the 35mm rangefinder. I bought the new Zeiss ZM from B&H a couple of years ago just to see what it was like and it is no understatement to say that it has changed my life. I've always liked street photography but never realized how the SLR was holding me back. I originally got the ZM with the 28mm 2.8 and have had great success with it. The 50mm 2.0 I'm using mostly for quick portraiture and low available light but more and more I'm finding other uses for it. You just have to be a little more careful in your focusing. With the 28 I usually pre-focus for grab shots and let the great DOF take care of it. I highly recommend this gear. JCE

I bought this and the 35mm f/2.8 for my Leica M2 and they both ROCK! Very nice construction. Smooth movements and great image quality. I love the 1/3 stops. Makes sense, don't it? I am not sure why I waited in buying these.

Used in on both Leica and Sony 7rii amazing sharpness, color and pop. in certain cases the bokeh may get a bit too nervous wide open. But overall cant beat performance for price. compared it to Leica 50 1.4 and like this lens better

Wonderful lens and at a fraction of the cost of the leica. Shoot it wide open no problem, tack sharp.

I can compare this lens to both a Leica 50 1.4 ASPH and the pre-ASPH, and the last 50/2.8 elmar. The 50 ASPH is the only lens that beats the Planar, assuming you can find a good copy of the 50 ASPH.Build quality may not be as great as the Leica offerings, but at 1/3 or 1/4th the price, there is nothing to complain about.On a digital M wide open at minimum focus distance this lens will miss the focus just a bit, but it's easy to compensate for.Unless you need/want a 50 ASPH this lens is a serious contender to the 50 Summicron.

If getting a new Summicron f/2 (ASPH or not) is not within your budget, this is the best alternative. I've only shot this with film, so I can't judge its quality on a digital camera. From what I've seen in my shots, this lens renders color beautifully with a great contrast (even shooting a subject at f/2). It's also very sharp from wide open to f/8. By f/11, you start to see a little diffraction but it's not too jarring at all.

When I scanned some film shot with Kodak Ektar and Fuji Pro 400h, I was quite in shock how easy it was to color correct the images. That's the proficiency of the lens on how it renders color. Other pros will call it clinical with the lens lacking certain character to other lens, but for me, I don't see how that's a major flaw.

This is the only lens I have for my Leica M6, but I am aware of the filter thread size and how it doesn't much other M lenses sizes. That's not a set back for me because I don't think I'll get Leica lenses. I'll most likely get the Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2 when the time comes and stick with Zeiss.

Go with this lens if you want great quality at a very reasonable price (compared the Leica equivalence).

This is my second Zeiss range finder lens (ZM mount) which I can mount on my M-6, Ricoh GXR/A12M or my new Sony a7r via adaptor. I perfer this classic Planar formula in range finder format, shorter and more compact than SLR version. Since there is no macro version, am using the close focus adaptor to half the minimum focus distance, not exactly macro, but... Zeiss formulars give softer images than Leitz but the resolution is the same, if not higher. Contrast is not the same as resolution, but both contribute to apparent sharpness along with luminosity. I have only taken a few test images mounted on the Sony a7r and they have met my expectations. The focusing ring is a bit stiff, my 25mm Biotar ZM seems to be smoother, perhaps after years of use. The Biotar appears to be brighter, a subjective comment.

After several years of my Leica kit consisting of a fabulous f1.4 35mm and an old terrific f2.8 90mm, I found myself craving a traditional normal 50. Used Leicas are still very expensive, so I researched Voightlander and Zeiss. Finally decided on the Zeiss f2. I am delighted with the lens. It's sharp from corner to corner. Great bokah. Haven't seen any flare. Focus is a bit stiff but very accurate on my M9. It's become my go to lens for walking around with out a kit.