The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 and the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM is the longer of the two lenses at 119mm. The Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 with a length of 88mm, is 31mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM also has a larger diameter of 79mm compared to the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50's 72mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 weighs 530g, which means it is 70g (11%) lighter than the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM which has a weight of 600g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Macro Prime Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Macro Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 has a filter size of 67mm whereas the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM has a 58mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 67mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM:
Lens Mounts
Both the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 and the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM has the same Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Blackmagic URSA 12K LF, Z CAM E2-F6 II 6K and Z CAM E2-S6 II 6K.
Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 is also available in the Pentax KAF and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Focal Range
Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
80mm.
On the other hand, the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 100mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 160mm.
