The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 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. Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 is the longer of the two lenses at 88mm. The Lensbaby Velvet 56 with a length of 86mm, is 2mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 72mm.
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. Lensbaby Velvet 56 weighs 400g, which means it is 130g (24%) lighter than the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 which has a weight of 530g.
Filter Threads
The Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a filter size of 62mm whereas the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 has a 67mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 62mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Lensbaby Velvet 56:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50:
Lens Mounts
The Lensbaby Velvet 56 has the Pentax KAF3 lens mount whereas the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 has the Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III for the Pentax KAF3 Mount and Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III for the Pentax KAF Mount.
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is also available in the Canon EF , Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), Samsung NX, Sony Alpha and Sony E mounts.
Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 is also available in Canon EF and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Focal Range
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 56mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
84mm.
On the other hand, the 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 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 75mm.
