The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro 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. Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro is the longer of the two lenses at 115mm. The Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 with a length of 88mm, is 27mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro also has a larger diameter of 76mm 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, 3% (20g) lighter than the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro's weight of 550g.
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 Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro has a filter size of 58mm 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 58mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50:
Lens Mounts
Both the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro and the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 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.
Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro is also available in the Nikon F (FX) and Sony Alpha mounts.
Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 is also available in Pentax KAF and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 90mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
144mm.
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 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 80mm.
