glenerrolrd
Workshop Member
Sorry if I posted this before ..but I have most of the Zeiss and all of the Nikon primes being discussed . I don t have the 35/1.4 ZF ..yet ! Guy summary is consistent with my experience .
Overall the zeiss are higher contrast lenses and they all have a consistent depth in the colors . They are extremely well matched (as the same formulas are used for much of the cinema sets ) . The initial ZF set ...25/2.8,28/2,35/2,50/1.4 and the 85/1.4 all have higher levels of aberrations .. a positive take would be that they have different personalities that vary considerably by aperture and distance . For example wide open and close the 50 /1.4 isn t nearly as sharp as it is at 5.6 or at distance .
The two macros(50/100) were designed for top resolution in near focus distances ...they have long throws making macro great and field work tedious . The 100/2 is one of the best lenses ever (IMO) for high IQ. I don not enjoy either of these lenses because of the long throw . Their bokeh is abrupt which I don t like .
The 21/2.8 Zf is in a class by itself and I consider it the best all around wide angle below 35 mm for a DSLR . It has a wow factor that makes you happy you have it .
The 28/2 ,35/2 and 85/1.4 are all great for street shooting ..very short throw fast to focus and I get a high contrast view on a Nikon Pro body . I have decades of experience in manual focusing a SLR and still have near perfect eyes ...probably not relevant for most photographers . Most would be better served with the G glass.
Prior to the new G nano coated primes ..I wouldn t touch the Nikon primes because of the lower contrast and funky yellow tint ..but the new G primes closed the gap and offer alternative character (in the eye of the beholder) . I still favor the Zeiss but you lose the fantastic AF capabilities of the new bodies and getting it in focus matters . For money its the Nikkors and AF all the way ..for character and brilliance I like the Zeiss glass.
I find its not good to mix them too much as the look is enough different to mess up a collection ...but I am a believer in using a matched set of lenses and consistency in rendering . The newer Zeiss glass is being driven by the Cinema requirements so you need to understand the character of the lens . Zeiss does a great job of providing this on their website .
Overall the zeiss are higher contrast lenses and they all have a consistent depth in the colors . They are extremely well matched (as the same formulas are used for much of the cinema sets ) . The initial ZF set ...25/2.8,28/2,35/2,50/1.4 and the 85/1.4 all have higher levels of aberrations .. a positive take would be that they have different personalities that vary considerably by aperture and distance . For example wide open and close the 50 /1.4 isn t nearly as sharp as it is at 5.6 or at distance .
The two macros(50/100) were designed for top resolution in near focus distances ...they have long throws making macro great and field work tedious . The 100/2 is one of the best lenses ever (IMO) for high IQ. I don not enjoy either of these lenses because of the long throw . Their bokeh is abrupt which I don t like .
The 21/2.8 Zf is in a class by itself and I consider it the best all around wide angle below 35 mm for a DSLR . It has a wow factor that makes you happy you have it .
The 28/2 ,35/2 and 85/1.4 are all great for street shooting ..very short throw fast to focus and I get a high contrast view on a Nikon Pro body . I have decades of experience in manual focusing a SLR and still have near perfect eyes ...probably not relevant for most photographers . Most would be better served with the G glass.
Prior to the new G nano coated primes ..I wouldn t touch the Nikon primes because of the lower contrast and funky yellow tint ..but the new G primes closed the gap and offer alternative character (in the eye of the beholder) . I still favor the Zeiss but you lose the fantastic AF capabilities of the new bodies and getting it in focus matters . For money its the Nikkors and AF all the way ..for character and brilliance I like the Zeiss glass.
I find its not good to mix them too much as the look is enough different to mess up a collection ...but I am a believer in using a matched set of lenses and consistency in rendering . The newer Zeiss glass is being driven by the Cinema requirements so you need to understand the character of the lens . Zeiss does a great job of providing this on their website .