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Author Topic: Zeiss ZF 21mm  (Read 11107 times)

DaveCurtis

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« on: April 09, 2009, 05:53:54 pm »

Has anyone purchased the new Zeiss ZF 21mm. I see it is now shipping.

I would be interested in how it performs up againist the 14-24mm on a FF body.

I am looking at purchasing the ZE version later on in the year unless Canon surprises me with something spectacular between now and then.

Thanks
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stever

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2009, 06:39:12 pm »

if you're seriously interested in this lens subscribe to Lloyd Chamber's Zeiss tests at diglloyd.com.  he's in the process of testing the 21mm and starting to report results
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Wolfman

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2009, 07:44:09 pm »

You could wait until May when Canon releases the 17 & 24mm tilt/shift lenses: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_p...cid=7-9884-9913

DaveCurtis

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2009, 08:06:14 pm »

Yes, this is an option I'm also looking at. Thanks.



Quote from: Wolfman
You could wait until May when Canon releases the 17 & 24mm tilt/shift lenses: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_p...cid=7-9884-9913
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DaveCurtis

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2009, 04:01:05 am »

Quote from: stever
if you're seriously interested in this lens subscribe to Lloyd Chamber's Zeiss tests at diglloyd.com.  he's in the process of testing the 21mm and starting to report results


I've joined up and it's an interesting read!
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Jimlizard

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2009, 01:59:33 am »

There is at least one great thing about it, it's cheaper than an used Distagon 21mm for the Contax/Yashica system.
I think we should be expect the optical quality to be at least as good or, in other words, the best in the world for a 35mm system.

The Nikkor 14-24mm is in a class of its own considering other zoom lenses - and even most of the primes - but i think the Zeiss should be better and the true ultimate performer in the ultra wide angle field.
If you need something wider than 21mm and find the zoom to be useful, then you can't also go wrong with the Nikon.
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lalithaparam

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2009, 05:01:53 pm »

Quote from: Jimlizard
There is at least one great thing about it, it's cheaper than an used Distagon 21mm for the Contax/Yashica system.
I think we should be expect the optical quality to be at least as good or, in other words, the best in the world for a 35mm system.

The Nikkor 14-24mm is in a class of its own considering other zoom lenses - and even most of the primes - but i think the Zeiss should be better and the true ultimate performer in the ultra wide angle field.
If you need something wider than 21mm and find the zoom to be useful, then you can't also go wrong with the Nikon.

How easy are these to manually focus.

Param
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kers

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2009, 05:10:15 pm »

Quote from: lalithaparam
How easy are these to manually focus.

Param

on an full frame nikon ( as i have )  it is easy. ( i have a 25mm zeiss and a 50mm1,4 zeiss  )and then you have LveView at 100%  for perfection.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2009, 05:10:59 pm by kers »
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Pieter Kers
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lalithaparam

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2009, 12:40:10 pm »

Quote from: kers
on an full frame nikon ( as i have )  it is easy. ( i have a 25mm zeiss and a 50mm1,4 zeiss  )and then you have LveView at 100%  for perfection.

What about just focusing through the view finder in the field not using a tripod or live view.

Param.
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kers

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2009, 02:07:09 pm »

Quote from: lalithaparam
What about just focusing through the view finder in the field not using a tripod or live view.

Param.


in the field it is not a problem-being critical ( wide open) not every shot is perfect but even in indoor situations about 80% is well focussed. and If you turn a zeiss to infinity you are certain infinity is sharp.
and an zeis 21mm has a large depth of field so it will not be difficiult to produce sharp pictures.

 I found it a relief to leave the autofocus and just look and turn the focus where your eyes leads you- and it is not that much slower if you get used to it again. - in some cases it is faster.
The autofocus of the D3 is very precise still liveview is the true perfect solution for a perfect sharp image.
the dot in the viewfinder that tells you the picture is sharp is not precise enough for some lenses. the 1,4 zeiss at 1,4 is very sharp wide open- but I can turn the focus on six positions within the dot mark area and only one of them is really sharp. With the 2,8 21mm lens this problem is an non issue.

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Pieter Kers
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lalithaparam

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2009, 02:38:28 pm »

Quote from: kers
in the field it is not a problem-being critical ( wide open) not every shot is perfect but even in indoor situations about 80% is well focussed. and If you turn a zeiss to infinity you are certain infinity is sharp.
and an zeis 21mm has a large depth of field so it will not be difficiult to produce sharp pictures.

 I found it a relief to leave the autofocus and just look and turn the focus where your eyes leads you- and it is not that much slower if you get used to it again. - in some cases it is faster.
The autofocus of the D3 is very precise still liveview is the true perfect solution for a perfect sharp image.
the dot in the viewfinder that tells you the picture is sharp is not precise enough for some lenses. the 1,4 zeiss at 1,4 is very sharp wide open- but I can turn the focus on six positions within the dot mark area and only one of them is really sharp. With the 2,8 21mm lens this problem is an non issue.

Are you using this on a nikon or canon.  If on a canon which adaptor are you using.
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DaveCurtis

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2009, 05:46:49 am »

For anyone who is interested, Lloyd Chamber's has his 21mm test at diglloyd.com posted a couple of days ago. Very interesting read. It's a very complex lens.

Good option for Canon users.

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jtorral

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2009, 11:34:45 pm »

This is a very nice lens and I have it. It is very sharp at the edges and performs very well. I find it better than the original 21 which I used on a 1ds2.

here are some non scientific samples and crops. These were donw without planning and were all hand held so please don't kill the messenger

I have deleted the images I took yesterday in very poor lighting condition and took some new ones today. All I can say is that this lens is INSANE sharp with very low CA!

Here is a link to all the pictures with if you want to download them.

D3x, Zeiss 21mm Distagon, f4, ISO 640 and held 1/50 sec.

http://www.jorgetorralba.com/p548276821

Here are just a few samples. This lens is just simply amazing!!!

Full frame:



Bottom Right 100% crop:



Off Center 100% crop:



Very Top Edge 100% crop: Notice the horizontal Lines in the Air Filters



Bottom Left 100% crop:



Far Left Edge 100% crop. Notice the Chicken Wire


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DaveCurtis

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Zeiss ZF 21mm
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2009, 04:29:43 am »

Thanks Jorge,

Your images look great. Certainly sharper than my Canon 16-35 f2.8 II.

The lens seems to be as good as it gets in 21mm. I especially like the 3D look of the Zeiss when compared to the 14-24mm. The small details kind of jump out at you. The 14-24 is very close in resolution and has less distortion but when stopped to down f8 I prefer the look of the Zeiss. Hopefully this 'look' will be visible on prints and not just at 1:1 on my Eizo monitor.

I will wait for comparison reviews with the Canon 24mm II and the new Canon 17mm TS before purchasing. The other decision will be to get the ZF plus adapter to Canon or wait for the ZE.
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