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Any concensus on best Ziess for D700

RAM

New member
Would appreciate recommendations for best Zeiss prime on D700 for general walkaround/landlscape. Now use a Nikon 50 1.4G for low light but not totally enamoured with its rendering etc otherwise. I have been inspired by so many lovely pictures on this forum with Zeiss lenses that I would like to try one instead of another Nikkor. Thanks in advance.
 

RAM

New member
Hacker, that is a great idea, especially as I want to get an M8 at some point. Not married to 50 though, would also like something wider. Any one have recommendations for other Lieca lenses as well as Zeiss? Thanks.
 

Terry

New member
Hacker, that is a great idea, especially as I want to get an M8 at some point. Not married to 50 though, would also like something wider. Any one have recommendations for other Lieca lenses as well as Zeiss? Thanks.
Not sure he meant M. I would have thought R which is not for M8
 

RAM

New member
Understood, I just checked the web site and I see Hacker was indeed referring to R lenses. Thanks for pointing this out.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Mounting R lenses is ok but don't forget that you'll be manually stop down metering which I find to be a total pain :thumbdown:

I have a Zeiss setup of the 18, 25/2.8, 35/2, 50/2 & 100/2 and my favourite walk about lenses are definitely the 25/35/50 which I find are super sharp on the D700.

The best Zeiss review is definitely over at Lloyd Chamber's site http://www.diglloyd.com. The Zeiss ZF reviews are a premium service but if you're seriously considering buying a lens then the cost is miniscule. The reviews are very thorough.
 

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
Another vote for Lloyd Chamber's Zeiss ZF reviews, they're excellent. You might also want to consider a subscription to Reid Reviews. Sean Reid has reviewed a number of the Zeiss ZF/ZK lenses but he comes at it from an entirely different angle than Lloyd Chambers. The two sites will tell you pretty much everything you'd want to know about the ZFs.

If you're looking for an alternative to your Nikkor 50/1.4 G, you might want to be careful about the ZF 50/1.4. I don't care for the 50mm focal length so I'd never considering buying it but I haven't liked the bokeh on any of the sample shots I've seen so far. And yes, I realize that bokeh is dependent on a range of variables and that how people evaluate bokeh is entirely subjective. Even so, Bjorn Rorslett describes the bokeh of the ZF 50/1.4 as "a clear disappointment".

As for recommendations for the "best Zeiss prime on D700 for general walkaround/landlscape", I'd suggest the 28/2 Distagon. It's the only ZF lens I have but it's wonderful.
 

RAM

New member
Thank you all for the replys and PMs to date. I've narroed my choice to the 25 and 28. Perhaps I'll try the referrenced review sites for more information.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Most of my photography is street or travel . Generally wider than 28FOV is difficult to use quickly because of the distortion which can be caused by the wider FOV. if you enjoy wide angles and it fits your style the 28 or 35 should be you first choice.

The other advantage is of course the speed f2 verse f2.8 .

The reviews include these factors and I believe would favor the 28/2 or the 35/2 over the 25/2.8 for a single zeiss lens.

I have the 28/2 and it balances and performs very well on the D700.
 

RAM

New member
Glenerrold,
Thank you for your comments (and your wonderfull posts/pictures). I was starting to settle on the 28 but then saw ddk's posts which are awsome using the ZF25. I might have to buy a dart board!
 

Arjuna

Active member
RAM: remember that ddk was shooting the ZF25 on a Fuji S5, which is an APS/crop factor camera, unlike the 'full-frame' D700. That doesn't detract from quality of the ZF25, but I would think that effective focal length would be an important part of any lens choice.
 

RAM

New member
Arjuna,
Yes the effective focal length would be very close to the ZF35 on the D700. It was the rendering of the lens that I liked - I've read that the ZF25 has a somewhat different rendering than the 28 and 35. I wonder if the 28 and 35 would have the same "look"?
 
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ddk

Guest
I have full frame images with the 25mm too that I will post later today after I find them, there's nothing wrong with it or nothing that's obvious to me. The rendering of the three is quite different to one another and you'll see that only after using the lenses for a while. Personally for people I prefer using the 35mm or the 28mm only because the 25mm is too wide for that purpose imo. The 28mm has a very strong curvature which you should be aware of, I wont use it for landscapes but great for shooting people since the curvature enhances the look of what's in center of the frame. The 35mm is gorgeous with people and landscape, again nothing wrong with any of them, just pick the fl that suits you.
 

RAM

New member
I would be very intersted to see the full frame ZF25 - thanks for taking the time to find some mages. Unfortunately the closest dealer is a couple hundred miles away and he has little in stock so it is very hard for me to compare side by side.
 
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ddk

Guest
In my view the Distagon 28 is by far better then the Distagon 25 and it is also faster (I have both).
Ario
Ario,
Could you be more specific please and explain in which areas is 28 far better than the 25? I also have both and don't find one superior in any way to the other, different yes but neither one looks sharper, has better color/contrast, flare issues, etc., etc., than the other. If anything the 28's field curvature can create problems in many situations and additionally the 25mm has extreme close focusing capabilities which the 28 doesn't, so where is the 28 far better? The speed difference between f2.0 and f2.8 is negligible to begin with and unless one is always shooting wide open all the time its not even worth pondering.
 

robmac

Well-known member
My vote is for the 35/2. Have owned the 35, 50/2 M and 100/2 M (all used on 1Ds2 and 5D) and my fave was the 35. Sharp as hell starting WO, nice bokeh, not as prone to fringing as the 100. From LC's tests, the 28 does have strong curvature and have also seen some nasty CA off the close-focusing 25 in sample shots from Nikon bodies.

I found the 50/2 ZF under-whelming (my cheaper Leica 60 macro was as sharp or sharper starting @ F4 and far less fringing off reflective surfaces).

Get LC's ZF review/test - well worth it if looking at any ZF glass. Leica lenses I've owned and would I'd strongly recommend as ZF alternatives (check can be converted w/Leitax): 28/2.8 latest (a knockout at any distances and has floating element), 35/2 and 60 Macro. The 50/2 is also nice, but you have that covered. The older Leica 35/2.8 is also a very nice lens (from what I've seen and heard) and a real bargain.
 
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ddk

Guest
I would be very intersted to see the full frame ZF25 - thanks for taking the time to find some mages. Unfortunately the closest dealer is a couple hundred miles away and he has little in stock so it is very hard for me to compare side by side.
Here's something I shot a couple of years ago with a Kodak SLR/n and the Zeiss 25mm, its the same scene, Bryce Canyon, Inspiration Point under two different lighting conditions. First one was shot after sunset, the sky was bright but there was no light shining on the canyon, the second one is the same place from a slightly different vantage point but within one hour after sunrise. These are two very lighting conditions and you can see how the 25mm is handling each scene.

Additionally I've linked the virgin Tiffs, unsharpened and unmodified for you to download and get a real idea about the lenses capabilities, the tiny web jpgs don't do it justice.

(edit) I want to clarify one thing, I'm not recommending any of the ZF lenses over the other and the only reason that I'm posting these is to show you that there's nothing wrong with the 25mm, if that's the fl you require. I find them all excellent performers at their respective focal lengths and have no personal favorites but I would pick one over the others when its particular qualities fit the job at hand better.









the links to tiffs, clicking on them will start the download process, just be warned that they're huge uncompressed files.

http://www.box.net/shared/static/bqdxosg9if.tif

http://www.box.net/shared/static/e20kh5ixt4.tif
 
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RAM

New member
David,
Very nice shots. What is the crop factor on the Kodak? Thank you for posting so I can see how this lens performs.
 
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