We've been waiting a year, but at last Carl Zeiss is unrolling its ZF series of Nikon F-mount manual-focus T* lenses, made by Cosina in Japan to Zeiss specifications. We tested what we think is the best ZF for portraits, the 85mm f/1.4 Planar T*. At $1,300 (street), it's expensive, but it offers a few advantages.
The 85mm Planar is one of six new Nikonmount Zeiss models to be released this year, and more may be announced soon. All cover the 35mm format and have Aperture Indexed exposure control for Nikon film and digital SLRs that support it. (For most shooters, this means aperture-priority and manual exposure. If your camera doesn't support AI exposure control, you're stuck with meterless manual.) Read the whole test here