Zeiss ZF.2 135/2

[JohnBrew]

I bought a Zeiss 135/2 APO lens for my 810. I've been testing it for a while now and not sure I will keep it. Two problems have cropped up which I would like forum members to comment on, please. Now with a lens which is designated APO I expect it to be exemplary. The first problem is shooting into (or toward if you prefer) the sun I'm getting some CA. See first image. The partial halo around the sun and the CA at the bottom of the image. It's not terrible but more than some of my other lenses which don't carry that vaunted APO lettering.
The second problem is moire'. I've attached a crop of another test image where the moire' is very noticeable in several of the palm fronds. This does show up when printing large. I tried a Gaussian blur removal which didn't work and increasing the radius just destroyed the image. Now in my landscape shooting I don't expect this to show up but it might.
Maybe at half the price of my Otus I should just shut up and shoot.
All comments appreciated.

 

[vjbelle]

I can't comment regarding your specific issues because I don't own the lens anymore. I had two copies of this potentially gorgeous lens and both were decentered..... identically decentered! What a bummer..... I really wanted that lens but two in a row was enough for me. I suggest that along with your anomaly's you check for decentering. Zeiss QC just doesn't seem to be what it used to be.

Victor

 

[Jack]

I have found that high contrast glass tends to produce more CA, and Zeiss glass is historically very high contrast. In fact, it is the main reason I don't bother with it personally anymore -- I prefer a subtler look to my images, and then it's easy to add both global and micro contrast later if wanted.

 

[joakim]

I have the lens and think it is fantastic in rendering and resolution. Even when shooting some very high contrast scenes I have not seen any CA although I haven't shot into the sun.

If the lens would produce some CA in certain situations I would still keep it, it has so much else going for it.