Carl Zeiss ZE 35 f/2

[itsnotmeyouknow]

This arrived this afternoon just before 1pm UK time:


new-toy by singingsnapper, on Flickr

From very early playing around it looks supersharp. Need the weather to behave to have a real play and blowing a gale here. More like November than June!

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

Here's a brief shot - handheld using Live View to focus (of course it's a manual focus lens) and zooming in. Pretty sure I didn't nail it. This was lunch I made for my wife and I - Chargrilled Salmon with Kingprawns, scallops mussels on a bed of salad leaves with a dill dressing:

Canon 5D mk III Carl Zeiss ZE 35mm f/2 distagon at f/10 and 1/20 ISO 1600


salmon-with-salad by singingsnapper, on Flickr

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

The rain finally stopped and grabbed this shot of the front of our car:

Canon 5D mk III Carl Zeiss ZE 35mm f/2 Distagon T* at f/16 and 1/25 ISO 250 converted in Silver efex pro 2


wet-car by singingsnapper, on Flickr

 

[drjlo]

f/10 and f/16 shots!? Let's see some f/2 shots with manual focus 8)

 

[westr70]

For some reason, I'm hungry and what time is lunch?

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

f/10 and f/16 shots!? Let's see some f/2 shots with manual focus 8)

I'll try some larger apertures tomorrow

 

[Arkarch]

Thank-you for the photos.

I have the Zeiss 21 - absolutely stellar - and thinking about the 35mm down the line.

 

[westr70]

Have you had an opportunity to try any video with it yet? Looks very tempting.

 

[MARKOE PHOTOE]

This arrived this afternoon just before 1pm UK time:


new-toy by singingsnapper, on Flickr

From very early playing around it looks supersharp. Need the weather to behave to have a real play and blowing a gale here. More like November than June!

I just got my Zeiss today! But no hood. Good source for a knock-off hood?

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

This arrived this afternoon just before 1pm UK time:


new-toy by singingsnapper, on Flickr

From very early playing around it looks supersharp. Need the weather to behave to have a real play and blowing a gale here. More like November than June!

I just got my Zeiss today! But no hood. Good source for a knock-off hood?

Haven't a clue unfortunately. It has a completely circular hood which is made from metal (as is the barrel of the lens). Really solid build quality and I love the feel of the focus grip. Great lens

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

Have you had an opportunity to try any video with it yet? Looks very tempting.

I've actually never used any of my Canon's (5D2, 7D 5D3) for video. I have a professional JVC video camera - not a huge one though, fairly compact CCD one.

 

[smithy]

I want that lunch - do you do long distance deliveries?

 

[westr70]

I saw this review in dpreview and have been looking for a zeiss lens for video, hence my interest:

For the growing number of photographers and videographers using DSLR’s for movie making, the Distagon T* 2/35 ZE is one of four prime lenses making a core set, joining the Distagon T* 2/28 ZE, Planar T* 1.4/50 ZE and Planar T* 1.4/85 ZE. These lenses are well suited for HD video applications due not only to their exceptional image quality, but for the smooth focus and long focus rotations.

 

[Axilrod]

I saw this review in dpreview and have been looking for a zeiss lens for video, hence my interest:

For the growing number of photographers and videographers using DSLR’s for movie making, the Distagon T* 2/35 ZE is one of four prime lenses making a core set, joining the Distagon T* 2/28 ZE, Planar T* 1.4/50 ZE and Planar T* 1.4/85 ZE. These lenses are well suited for HD video applications due not only to their exceptional image quality, but for the smooth focus and long focus rotations.

They absolutely are, after a year of shooting with L glass I used some Zeiss glass on the last shoot I did and I don't think I can go back to Canon for video now. I got the 21, 50, and 100 but am going to pick up the 25 f/2, 35 f/2, and 85 1.4 once I sell my Canon glass.

The throw on the focus ring is amazing and smooth as butter. With the Canon glass, like the 135 f/2 for example, at larger apertures if you barely move the focus ring it will throw the subject out of focus, but the Zeiss gives you more room. And they breathe a lot less which is always a plus. Aside from that, the are built like bricks, the optics are just beautiful, and the color rendition is very accurate (required much less CC than Canon glass and the colors match better from lens to lens).

 

[westr70]

They absolutely are, after a year of shooting with L glass I used some Zeiss glass on the last shoot I did and I don't think I can go back to Canon for video now. I got the 21, 50, and 100 but am going to pick up the 25 f/2, 35 f/2, and 85 1.4 once I sell my Canon glass.

This is the kind of information I'm looking for. I've seen all kinds of websites touting this Zeiss lens or that but I don't want to drop that kind of money without some "consumer" feedback on them.

 

[Danielle]

I tried a 35mm f2 zeiss recently at a digital expo. I have to get one now after putting the files into lightroom to have a decent look. I don't do video but the out of focus areas are so silky smooth, even on my 1.6x crop 7D. I don't 'need' af all the time, so it would be perfect. And as mentioned above, the focus ring is amazing to use. However its the optic I care about more.

Wish the f1.4 version wasn't massively more expensive!

 

[Michael_pfh]

I have the Zeiss 50mm F2.0 Makro Planar and love it, too. Haven't tried video yet...

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

My 35 f/2 is a used lens from a shop in Scotland called Ffordes. They are not the cheapest around but I have found their quality and service to be excellent. It was complete with everything including the hand signed quality check. There is also a f/1.4 35 but that wasn't available used and was much more expensive. I can only imagine how good it is. This is plenty good enough from my early shooting, and I agree with the feeling about the focus ring, it's very sweet indeed nice feedback from it.

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

The sun is out for a change and so had a play around outside in the back garden while our dog Caesar had a run around (the bonus being that once he'd tired himself a bit I could get him to sit still for a second to use the manual focus on him!

A few daisies still about:

Canon 5D mk III Carl Zeiss 35mm f/2 at f/4 1/640 ISO 100


Daisies-with-Zeiss by singingsnapper, on Flickr

The gale force winds have played havock with our rose bushes here's one of our surviving roses

f/5.6 1/400 ISO 400 (wind still blowing!)


windswept-roses by singingsnapper, on Flickr

Our Palm trees are still standing though:

f/8 1/100 ISO 100


palm-tree-in-wales- by singingsnapper, on Flickr

Caesar taken wide open:

f/2 1/8000 ISO 100


Caesar-at-2 by singingsnapper, on Flickr

and again slightly less wide open

f/2.8 1/6000 ISO 100


Caesar-at-2.8 by singingsnapper, on Flickr

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

Weather turned out much better today so went for a stroll up Mynydd Ddinas, the mountain behind where we live and grabbed a few landscapes with the Zeiss glass:

Looking over the Cwmafan Valley:

canon 5D mk III Carl Zeiss ZE 35mm f/2 at f/8 1/160 ISO 100


The-Cwmafan-Valley by singingsnapper, on Flickr

Looking back towards where I had come from, I liked the line of the path and the two trees:

f/8 1/200 ISO 100


path-above-afan-valley by singingsnapper, on Flickr