Others have gone deep into detail on most of these cameras and lenses, so I’ll be brief and focus more on my thoughts and experience with each piece of gear rather than droning on about all of the technical specifications.
Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar AEG (for Contax SLRs)
This is a fantastic lens on film and mirrorless digital. The flange distance made it easy to convert to Canon EF mount so some people used them with DSLRs like the 5D and 1D, but this lens really shines as a stills and video lens for mirrorless systems.
One notable thing about this lens is that it came to the market ahead of competing fast short telephoto lenses produced by Canon, Nikon, and Leica. Manufactured in Germany beginning in 1975, it precedes Canon’s FD-mount 85mm f/1.2 L (1976) by one year, Leica’s R-mount 80mm f/1.4 (1980) by five years, Nikon’s F-mount 85mm f/1.4 AIS (~1981) by six years, and Pentax’s K-mount 85mm f/1.4 SMC A* (1984) by nine years. It follows earlier Zeiss designs such as the 75mm f/1.5 Biotar (produced from the 1930s to 1960s in various lens mounts) and the QBM-mount Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 HFT produced for Rollei SLRs starting in 1971. The optics (aside from the aperture) are unchanged from the QBM version, but the bokeh has a more modern character than the Biotar or the Biotar-inspired Helios-40, produced by Moscow-based KMZ starting in 1950.
Not to be outdone by Canon, Zeiss produced two limited runs of the 85mm f/1.2 Planar in 1982 and 1992, coinciding with Contax’s 50th and 60th anniversaries. As Canon pushed forward into the autofocus realm, it released the first version of the EF-mount 85mm f/1.2L USM in 1989, followed by a second EF-mount version in 2006 and two distinct RF-mount versions for mirrorless cameras — the 85mm f/1.2L USM (May 2019) and the 85mm f/1.2L USM DS (October 2019), with the latter having unique “defocus smoothing” technology. Sigma released its own iteration for E-mount and L-mount mirrorless cameras, the ART 85mm f/1.2 DG, in 2026.
Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar ZF.2 (for Nikon F)
Much like the 85mm f/1.4 Planar that I mentioned earlier for the Contax SLR system, this offering from Zeiss has speed and character, but it’s in an entirely different universe in terms of sharpness. I use this lens very often, especially for floral macro photography. While many macro lenses don’t have the greatest bokeh and are frequently at their best when stopped down to a small aperture and paired with off-camera flash to illuminate tiny subjects, this lens is razor-sharp at f/2 and has such creamy bokeh that it practically demands that you shoot at full aperture.
This lens sits in an interesting space in terms of short telephoto lenses and the portrait vs. macro divide.
On one side, you have classic 105mm lenses such as Nikon’s 105mm f/2.5 (ranging from Zeiss Sonnar-derived versions from the 1950s to 1970s for the Nikon rangefinder system and earlier Nikon F cameras to the Xenotar-based AI and AIS versions of the later 1970s and 1980s). Nikon followed in 1981 with the 105mm f/1.8 AIS, reaching nearly the same lens speed as contemporary 85mm f/1.4 lenses, while in a longer focal length delivering even greater subject separation for portraits. Nikon continued refining this focal length with the autofocus 105mm f/2 DC, which used Nikon’s revolutionary Defocus Control technology and was produced from 1993 to 2021. On the other hand, most major camera manufacturers offer a sharp 105mm f/2.8 macro lens with 1:2 or 1:1 reproduction and other features including autofocus and optical stabilization.
The 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar ZF.2 has one foot in both camps. With a maximum aperture of f/2, it brings in twice as much light as competing f/2.8 macro lenses, with beautiful out-of-focus backgrounds that make images pop. At the same time, it’s incredibly sharp, making it ideal for macro purposes. The bokeh is wonderful on floral macro shots, but I imagine that it would also look great for portraits. Some would argue that this lens is too sharp for portraits — that it would be unflattering. This could be true — glamour portraits often strive for a softer look. But for the right subject, the high contrast and sharpness that this lens offers could bring the scene to life.