Ultra wide for D800e

[VINCET]

Thinking of getting an ultra wide. My choice boils down to the Nikon 14-24 f2.8 or the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 zf.2. Initially, I also considered the Nikon 24 1.4 and the Zeiss 25 f2.0. Which one would you get if you we're buying?

Mostly for landscape and architectural shots

 

[Steen]

Take a look at these threads:

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/nikon/38653-zeiss-21mm-nikon-14-24mm.html

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/nikon/41453-decent-wide-landscapes.html

 

[RVB]

The Zeiss 15mm is worth a look if you want ultra wide...

 

[tashley]

Get the Samyang 14mm. It is simply brilliant, and costs almost nothing. Sold in some countries as Rokinon I think. It has a fair bit of distortion but that does correct very well and there is so much sharpness to begin with that even a corrected file looks great.

Look at this: on a D800 it is sharper than the Zeiss. I think mine is brilliant and I am very fussy about lenses, for example I find the Zeiss 21 a little disappointing.

DxOMark - Compare lenses

 

[RVB]

Get the Samyang 14mm. It is simply brilliant, and costs almost nothing. Sold in some countries as Rokinon I think. It has a fair bit of distortion but that does correct very well and there is so much sharpness to begin with that even a corrected file looks great.

Look at this: on a D800 it is sharper than the Zeiss. I think mine is brilliant and I am very fussy about lenses, for example I find the Zeiss 21 a little disappointing.

DxOMark - Compare lenses

Pretty impressive considering the price Tim,it would be impressive at a much higher price, I have the Zeiss 15mm but it's canon mount and my 1DX is gone so no chance to really try it out recently.. (although when I did try it I thought the TSE-17mm was better,,)

What do you think of the 14-24nikkor,it cost a lot less than the zeiss and has A.F. I only use it for the 14mm F.L when I want to shoot tight spaces or interiors.

I also have the nikkor 24mm 1.4G which is very good at F4-F8 but it also costs a lot and I am not sure it's worth the money over the Zoom unless you need to shoot in low light hand held or simply want the DOF of a fast prime..

Robert

 

[KeithL]

The Samyang may well be suited for landscape but life is too short to have to correct every shot for that complex distortion when used for architectural work.

Good luck with your search. I can only say the lack of an excellent ultra-wide is keeping me from buying into Nikon.

 

[tashley]

Pretty impressive considering the price Tim,it would be impressive at a much higher price, I have the Zeiss 15mm but it's canon mount and my 1DX is gone so no chance to really try it out recently.. (although when I did try it I thought the TSE-17mm was better,,)

What do you think of the 14-24nikkor,it cost a lot less than the zeiss and has A.F. I only use it for the 14mm F.L when I want to shoot tight spaces or interiors.

I also have the nikkor 24mm 1.4G which is very good at F4-F8 but it also costs a lot and I am not sure it's worth the money over the Zoom unless you need to shoot in low light hand held or simply want the DOF of a fast prime..

Robert

Hi Robert,

I went with just the Samyang rather than the short trinity zoom because from the reviews I read it's just as good (possibly better) and a fraction of the price - and I don't really need the other focal lengths in the zoom. Also, if I am going to have a vulnerable front element on which I can't put filters, I'd rather it was a cheap one! Also the Samyang is smaller and much lighter. And we all love a bargain, right?

;-)

 

[glenerrolrd]

I found a Leica R 19/2.8 and had DAG convert it for Nikon using the chipped Leitax mount . What a fun lens to use on a D800E . It has floating elements and if you can risk using it without the hood(no filter protection is possible ) ..small form and great handling .

It does have some of the wave distortion similar to the Zeiss 21 ZF but less . LR4 has a profile for the lens that corrects most of the distortion . I found the edge sharpness to be impressive .

 

[sergio lovisolo]

I found a Leica R 19/2.8 and had DAG convert it for Nikon using the chipped Leitax mount . What a fun lens to use on a D800E . It has floating elements and if you can risk using it without the hood(no filter protection is possible ) ..small form and great handling .

It does have some of the wave distortion similar to the Zeiss 21 ZF but less . LR4 has a profile for the lens that corrects most of the distortion . I found the edge sharpness to be impressive .

Agree, fantastic lens. (but not a bargain for sure )
Corrected with Adobe profile, full on flickr.


_DSC2013crop by sergio lovisolo, on Flickr

 

[Paratom]

I had a 14-24 for some years and now use a 21/2.8 Zeiss on my Canon 5dIII.
So far I prefer the Zeiss lens. But I also knew that 21mm is "my" focal length.
I like the smaller size of the Zeiss better. Just recently I compared soe images from the 5diii+Zeiss21/2.8 vs M9+21/3.4SA and found both lenses to be excellent.
I also like the color the Zeiss lens renders and its a nice "3d"-look.
I have used various 24mm lenses but I just seem to prefer 21mm over 24mm when I want to go wide.

 

[robmac]

Owned the 14-24, not as impressed as some. Used on 800e and D3s. Was using for interior images in small offices, etc. Flare was a problem, but not unsurprisingly.

Biggest issues were focus shift and performance (wide open) that wasn't up to 'the legend' (or at least my expectations thereof) vs. what had known from an adapted (Canon) Leica 19 V2, or even the Nikon 28/2.8 AiS (in the center) etc.

Now gone, and have yet to replace it, but top candidate(s) are a combo of the 14 Rok/Sam (WTH at $300) and the 21 Zeiss.

 

[johnnygoesdigital]

I've come to find that one lens for landscape and architecture may not always be a good choice if absolutes are required for interiors. Yes, lots of convergence can be corrected, but cropping an image might defeat the purpose of the "wide". Landscapes imo, are easier to adjust for distortion, and a little harder for convergence, but probably need to be cropped too. I shoot landscapes with the ZF.2 21mm f/2.8 because of its amazing micro contrast and resolution. The 14-24mm was never a consideration simply because of the lack of protection to the front element, especially if shooting near the ocean. The 24mm f/1.4 G is an outstanding lens with AF, but the corner edges were not as good as the Zeiss. A good copy of a PC 24mm, might be useful. The upcoming 17mm PC will be welcomed and hopefully a decent performer. I agree to use prime lenses for landscape and interiors.

 

[ShooterSteve]

I've been using the Leica 19 2.8 (latest ROM version), for years on my Canon's and have changed the mount for my Nikon D800E a few months ago. It is and has always been an excellent lens. I use it for architecture and landscapes and it's sharp edge to edge with minimal distortion that is easily corrected. I was really pleased to see Lightroom has profiles for all my Leica lenses now. The 14-24 has a great reputation as the finest WA zoom ever made. I've rented it for one job when I had a D800 (non-e), so I can't judge it against my Leica fairly. I would also like to try the new Nikon 16-35 f4 which is stabilized and can take filters. But I truly doubt either of these zooms will perform as well as the best primes. What I really need is my Canon 17 and 24 shift lenses in a Nikon mount!

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Right now I have the Samyang 14mm and people keep overlooking the Zeiss 25mm F2 which BTW is rated better than the 21mm.

From Photozone on a Canon

The Zeiss lens produced very high resolution figures in the MTF lab. The center quality is nothing short of stunning with extremely high resolution combined with snappy contrast straight from f/2. The lens is certainly easily capable of exceeding the quality of the sensor (EOS 5D II) here. The border quality is a bit weaker with very good results and the corners are softer still. Stopping down to f/2.8 has no major effect but there's a more substantial boost at f/4. The peak performance is reached around f/5.6 with a very sharp image quality across the image frame. The quality level is kept at f/8 whereas diffraction reduces the potential from f/11 onward.
Below is a simplified summary of the formal findings. The chart shows line widths per picture height (LW/PH) which can be taken as a measure for sharpness. If you want to know more about the MTF50 figures you may check out the corresponding Imatest Explanations.


Samyang thread i started a while back. http://www.getdpi.com/forum/nikon/41004-samyang-14mm.html

Im still holding out for Nikon to give us a 17T/S

Nikon did come out with a more consumer grade 18-35 that might be worth checking out. It could be good or bad , I have not looked at anything on it yet.


Now If I could get my hands on a Leica 19mm version II with a Nikon leitax mount. I would like to have it. What i would really like to do is test one. If it turned out to be killer than it may change up my whole wide setup wider than 35mm.

 

[RVB]

https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJoTXRhU1A5NVZwdmNUQw

The above link is for the S30mm compared to the nikkor 24mm 1.4G,it might be useful it anyone wants to see how the 24mm performs at 5.6...

 

[pophoto]

I see no mention of the 16-35mm lens, I'd be interested to hear how this lens fairs on the D800e with it's zoom versatility.

 

[ShooterSteve]

Now If I could get my hands on a Leica 19mm version II with a Nikon leitax mount. I would like to have it. What i would really like to do is test one. If it turned out to be killer than it may change up my whole wide setup wider than 35mm.

I'll let you know the next time I come to Phoenix and you can test my 19 Leica and I'll test your Samyang 14 :chug:

 

[KeithL]

The upcoming 17mm PC will be welcomed and hopefully a decent performer.

You know something we don't?

 

[Landscapelover]

I like the Zeiss 17mm f/3.5 and Nikon 24mm f/1.4 although I also have the Nikon 14-24mm which has always been in my bag. Horses for courses!
The above picture was taken by a Nikon D800E and Nikon 24mm f/1.4 in New Orleans.
ISO 1600/f 1.4/1/40 sec. Handheld with autofocus.
The Nikon 24mm f/1.4 is great for night photography especially handholding and freezing the stars.

Pramote

 

[VINCET]

When people are talking about the Leica 19, most I guess are referring to version 2. Any big difference with version 1? I see that the price difference is quite substantial.