Wide premium lens for 1ds Mkiii

[geotzo]

Hi all,
I recently got my 1ds Mkiii and what I m looking for now is a very high quality lens in the range of aprox. 24mm, strictly for my landscape photography. I borrowed the old 24mm L but was not impressed much (maybe the copy?). Any ideas on alternatives? Perhaps Leica or Zeiss? What would  call an successful recipe, without being very hard to find? Any sites you trust for their tests on lens resolution and recommendations?
Many thanks for any help,
George

[Josh-H]

Hi all,
I recently got my 1ds Mkiii and what I m looking for now is a very high quality lens in the range of aprox. 24mm, strictly for my landscape photography. I borrowed the old 24mm L but was not impressed much (maybe the copy?). Any ideas on alternatives? Perhaps Leica or Zeiss? What would  call an successful recipe, without being very hard to find? Any sites you trust for their tests on lens resolution and recommendations?
Many thanks for any help,
George
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I have my 1DS MKIII arriving tommorow and I plan to sell my 16-35mm F2.8L and get the 14mm F2.8L II and the 35mm F1.4L based on the reviews I have read and their MTF charts and samples.

I cant say I have done any testing of my own as yet - but thats my plan if I am not happy with the 16-35mm F2.8L on the 1DSMKIII.

The 24mm F1.4L is not regarded as the sharpest tool in the shed. But neither is the 16-35mm F2.8L....

Hope that helps.

[geotzo]

I have my 1DS MKIII arriving tommorow and I plan to sell my 16-35mm F2.8L and get the 14mm F2.8L II and the 35mm F1.4L based on the reviews I have read and their MTF charts and samples.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=171200\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

well I m reading very good things about the 35mm L, so I might give it a go if I can borrow one from somewhere. It is not as wide as I'd like to but I guess I can live with that. Some say that even comparing to Zeiss and leica the difference of the 35L is actually not big. If that's true it will be much cheaper too, not to mention the AF.

[bob mccarthy]

Try this site

http://www.16-9.net/

in addition to testing lenses, he's involved with adaptors so all lenses can fit the EOS mount, not just Canon lenses.

Bob

[sojournerphoto]

well I m reading very good things about the 35mm L, so I might give it a go if I can borrow one from somewhere. It is not as wide as I'd like to but I guess I can live with that. Some say that even comparing to Zeiss and leica the difference of the 35L is actually not big. If that's true it will be much cheaper too, not to mention the AF.
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I've got a zeiss zf35 and it's a really nice lens, if you can live with stop down metering, composing and manual focus etc. Digilloyd has a review of all the zf lenses and his view is that the zeiss is nicer than the 35L from f2 to about f4, then their both excellent. Obviously you can't do f1.4 on the Zeiss.

If it's relevant the zeiss is much less expensive than the 35L, that's the price for losing the functionality.

Mike

[geotzo]

I think I m gonna go for the 35mm, I read a few things and I think its a very sharp choice

[Andy M]

The 35L is a fantastic lens; my favourite.

You've made an excellent choice if you plump for one

[Eldor]

Just to add to the chorus...

I had bought both the 24mm f1.4L and 35mm f1.4L lenses and absolutely hated the 24mm.  I just didn't find it sharp.  I eventually sold it.

The 35mm f1.4L on the other hand is a real joy... beautifully sharp.  I love it!

When I need wider, I use my 16-35mm f2.8L, but as others have mentioned, it's not as sharp as the 35mm.  And for wider still, my only non-Canon lens is the Sigma 15mm f2.8EX diagonal fisheye.  That lens is surprisingly good also.  (But it's a fisheye.)

If you find something wide® that you really like, I'd sure like to hear about it (as others probably would as well).

Cheers!

[luong]

If you are going to try third-party lenses, you should take a serious look at the new Nikon 14-24. I haven't tried it myself (yet), but the Chasseur d'Images review is very impressive and calls it a "bargain". The 16-9 site mentioned above sells a specific adaptor for that lens, and has also compelling comparisons.

[seanw]

I see quite a few recommendations for the 35L. But are they based on having tested it for landscapes stopped down to f/16 or f/22?  If George plans to use it for landscapes, I would think he might often use these apertures.

Most primes and zooms I've tested end up very similar once stopped down and the differences are only really apparent at wider apertures. But I have never had the chance to test the 35L so I am curious myself.

[djgarcia]

If you decide to go the manual stop-down route, the Zeiss Contax 35-70mm f3.5 is pretty much a Zeiss prime lens with adjustable focal length, with a limited but well-performing macro mode, at a surprisingly reasonable price. That lens always amazes me.

[smthopr]

If you decide to go the manual stop-down route, the Zeiss Contax 35-70mm f3.5 is pretty much a Zeiss prime lens with adjustable focal length, with a limited but well-performing macro mode, at a surprisingly reasonable price. That lens always amazes me.
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I have an off the wall suggestion. P & S Technik is converting Ziess still camera lenses for motion picture use and have developed an interchangeable mount for these fully manual lenses. I would expect these lenses to be of superb mechanical build and they have an old fashioned iris and focus ring that probably requires no lever or electronics to set the iris.

I couldn't find a price for the lenses on their web site, but I did find an item for a Canon EF mount.
There is a 25mm f2.8 that I would expect to be quite a nice lens. You might want to contact them for a price and to see if it will work on your camera. My guess is that the lens might sell for $1000+

[a href=\"http://www.pstechnik.de/en/optics-lensset.php]P & S Technik[/url]

[djgarcia]

Interesting, but I think that's going the other way around - adapting Canon lenses to their cameras, if I interpret correctly. I could be off though.

[smthopr]

Interesting, but I think that's going the other way around - adapting Canon lenses to their cameras, if I interpret correctly. I could be off though.
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oops, I think you're right, it's the other way around  

[Christopher]

Four choices I use on my 1DsMk3

- Leica R 19mm
- zeiss T 21mm
- Leica R 28mm
- zeiss 35mm

Up to 35 Canon has really nothing to offer at all. The 35/1.4 is getting really close to the zeiss, but the other three lenses are really playing in their own world.

[Josh-H]

Four choices I use on my 1DsMk3

- Leica R 19mm
- zeiss T 21mm
- Leica R 28mm
- zeiss 35mm

Up to 35 Canon has really nothing to offer at all. The 35/1.4 is getting really close to the zeiss, but the other three lenses are really playing in their own world.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=171892\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Canons revised 14mm MKII is supposed to be excellent - but I have not had a chance to get one and test it yet.

Its on my list though along with the 35mm F1.4L for the !DS MKIII

[Christopher]

Canons revised 14mm MKII is supposed to be excellent - but I have not had a chance to get one and test it yet.

Its on my list though along with the 35mm F1.4L for the !DS MKIII
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=171894\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

The new 14mm from canon is crap. Sorry but have you seen the tests from that lens ? It is getting out performed by a Nikon zoom .... 14-24

And yes it is wider than my Leica, but the qulity sorry the Canon is just crap... would never want to use it on my 1DsMk3 for some important work.

[Marsupilami]

The new 14mm from canon is crap. Sorry but have you seen the tests from that lens ? It is getting out performed by a Nikon zoom .... 14-24

And yes it is wider than my Leica, but the qulity sorry the Canon is just crap... would never want to use it on my 1DsMk3 for some important work.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=171953\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

With the unpleasant sample variations this might be, but my copy is useable even on a 1Ds MKIII. You need to remove the Ca in PS and certainly you have to stop down the lens. What bothers me also is that this lens costs more then the much more versatile nikon zoom and performes not as good as the Nikon Zoom wide open. This lens adaptor for a nikon G lens is always mentioned, but so far I know this item is not easily available or really tested from different photographers. And to be honest, adapters are really a last chance solution.

[bing]

Why does Ziess not make lenses in EOS mount... it seems as though there is quite a big demand out there for a 5* wide angle zoom and wide primes. Is there an historical reason that this has not happened or just not been necessary in the past as Canon lenses were good enough before the super resolution of the digital sensors.

[Josh-H]

The new 14mm from canon is crap. Sorry but have you seen the tests from that lens ? It is getting out performed by a Nikon zoom .... 14-24

And yes it is wider than my Leica, but the qulity sorry the Canon is just crap... would never want to use it on my 1DsMk3 for some important work.
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I guess it depends on what reviews you read...
[a href=\"http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-14mm-f-2.8-L-II-USM-Lens-Review.aspx]Canon 14mm MKII Review[/url]