The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 90mm f2.8 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 Macro is the longer of the two lenses at 97mm. The Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 with a length of 88mm, is 9mm 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. Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro weighs 405g, which means it is 125g (23%) lighter than the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 which has a weight of 530g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Macro Prime Lenses in Pentax KAF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Macro Lenses in Pentax KAF Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro has a filter size of 55mm 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 55mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tamron 90mm f2.8 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 Macro and the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 has the same Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF lenses are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro is also available in the Canon EF , Nikon F (FX) and Sony Alpha mounts.
Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T2/50 is also available in Canon EF and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 90mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
135mm.
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.
