Zeiss Distagon 15mm f2.8

[Click]

Lovely shots Eldar. I especially like the Sunset at Torghatten.

 

[m]

These are some amazing views eldar!

I once read on the Zeiss website that the lens shade is permanently installed and the only option to get rid of it is to send the lens in to have it removed permanently.

Is that an issue for you? Did you do that?

 

[Eldar]

Thanks for your comments. It is a very beautiful area, with very special light.

Regarding your question, the hood is fixed and it is probably quite cumbersome to get it off. But for my use it is actually quite convenient. I use the CPL filter most of the time and the hood protects it. Instead of a standard lens cap, which would not fit the slim filter any way, this lens has a lens "cup". A bit bulky, but very functional. I know some are using this lens in an under water housing and then the hood becomes a problem.

And since the theme has been driftwood figures, here is the head of a long eared pig, from the same beach at Vega.

5DIII, 1/160s, f8.0, ISO100

 

[Eldar]

I was hoping to see some posts from others here, but until then, I´ll keep it going.

This is shot from the far western Vega island of Lånan. In 2004, the archipelago's cultural landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Natural and Cultural Heritage as representative of "the way generations of fishermen/farmers have, over the past 1,500 years, maintained a sustainable living in an inhospitable seascape near the Arctic Circle, based on the now unique practice of eider down harvesting".

This little grey house is actually an eider nesting place. Every year some volunteers are preparing the nests in these, from dried seaweeds. During the incubation, the eider pills down from its breast, to warm the eggs. When they leave, all the down is collected, cleaned and refined and made into pillows and comforters.

It takes between 60-80 nests to make one down comforter, so the price is around a 300 f2.8L IS II ...

5DIII, 1/500s, f5.6, ISO250

 

[infared]

I was sooo torn whether to buy the Zeiss 15mm. I have the 21mm 2.8 and know that the 15mm would be just as incredible...but after much internal argument...I bought the Canon 17mm TSE f/4 II. I did this for three reasons.
1. Control of the imaging with the T&S mechanisms
2. Conversion to 24mm TSE with 1.4X III (very good quality) I already owned the extender.
3. Cost (which was the lowest of my concerns, but we all like to keep a little money in our pockets).

If I could have both lenses I would.... The Zeiss is more of a "hand-portable lens" and has f/2.8..(but that is not so much a concern for me with a wide angle).
Both are incredible tools.
And things are evolving even further for me toward Canon, I am surprised to say...because I do always think out of the box. I own the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 ZE which I have currently posted to sell on Ebay. One of the main reasons that I had that lens was because of the weak performance of my Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II. The images from the Canon did not compare to the quality from the Zeiss....but I have recently sold my Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II and purchased the new Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS. This lens is so sharp that I have decided to sell my Zeiss 21mm as I have great IQ, AF, versatility (in focal lengths) and portability with the new Canon UWA zoom.
This new zoom give me this great IQ, AF and portability whilst my 17mm TSE gives me more control and precision when I need it. With the Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS, the 17mm f/4 TSE and the 1.4 III I feel I have a lot of UAW lens power in my wide angle focal lengths. I also have a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art to round it out when I really want AF and lower DOF for environmental portraiture...
but.... I am not leaving the incredible Zeiss glass out of my quiver....LOL!!!...I plan on buying the Zeiss 135mm f/2 ZE as soon as I sell my Zeiss 21mm. Dustin's review just blew me away, so I just have to have that piece of glass in my cache at the longer end for low DOF when I am not using my zooms.
The Zeiss 15mm is a droolfest, though...no doubt!!!!! : Can't go wrong with that choice.

I attached an image that I shot with my 5DIII and the 17mm TSE in almost total darkness..I needed a flashlight to set up the T&S. LOL.

 

[Eldar]

It seems you have a good UWA setup. I also sold the 16-35 f2.8L II, for its rather weak performance. I have been waiting for an equivalent to the Nikon super UWA-zoom to come along, but it still seems far away.

I have totally fallen in love with this Zeiss 15mm. I am actually a bit surprised, since this kind of photography never really appealed to me. But that has certainly changed this summer. Having been an enthusiast photographer for +40 years, it´s fun to do new things.

The advantage of the Zeiss compared to the 17 TS-E (which I also have as a favorite) is having the CPL filter on and well protected. 99% of the shots I have taken this summer is with that attached. You can of course do the same with the 16-35 f4L IS. I do not dare having the 17 TS-E hanging loose, with its bulby front glass.

Good shot by the way

 

[NWPhil]

a recent one

 

[Mr Bean]

Grand Central Station.
Even the 15mm, as wide as it is, had trouble capturing the size and space of this beautiful building
13 seconds @ f22

 

[Mr Bean]

Some beaut pic's posted by others, BTW.

 

[Eldar]

Glad to see posts from others here. Good images, showing what can be done with this lens.

This was a painful shot. (I had to lay down on all these sharp rocks, in shorts and t-shirt)

5DIII, 1/40s, f10, ISO100 (should have been f2.8 though)

 

[NancyP]

Eldar, you have found the right lens for your compositional eye and available landscape. A very happy combination, wonderful images result.

I love my Zeiss 21 f/2.8, am (slowly) learning how to do it compositional justice. I find UWA photography challenging. Definitely this is a skill and vision entirely separate from the more modest focal lengths 35mm to 105mm which are my typical landscape FLs.

 

[Eldar]

Eldar, you have found the right lens for your compositional eye and available landscape. A very happy combination, wonderful images result.

I love my Zeiss 21 f/2.8, am (slowly) learning how to do it compositional justice. I find UWA photography challenging. Definitely this is a skill and vision entirely separate from the more modest focal lengths 35mm to 105mm which are my typical landscape FLs.

Thanks Nancy, much appreciated. It is actually a bit funny. I've been an enthusiastic photographer for +40 years and until this year never really liked UWA lenses and certainly not produced anything worth seeing. But both this 15 mm and the 21mm has changed the situation. The 15 mm has been my most used prime this summer. Even more than the Otus.

 

[Mr Bean]

When I was visiting Victoria, Vancouver Island, a group of us were photographing birds at this lake. Towards the end of the day, I thought it looked just right through the 15mm

 

[NWPhil]

color or B&W works too

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Here are a few favorites taken during my review period with the lens:

Ancient Sentinel by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Starry Skies over the High Plains by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Grand Canyon in Technicolor by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Sedona, Arizona by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Purity by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Good Morning, Scottsdale by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Mesquite Sunrise by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Windswept by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Lost Dog Trail by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

It's an amazing optic. I really enjoy shooting with Zeiss glass.

 

[Click]

Here are a few favorites taken during my review period with the lens:

Beautiful series. Nicely done Dustin.

 

[ray5]

Here are a few favorites taken during my review period with the lens:

Ancient Sentinel by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Starry Skies over the High Plains by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Grand Canyon in Technicolor by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Sedona, Arizona by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Purity by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Good Morning, Scottsdale by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Mesquite Sunrise by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Windswept by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Lost Dog Trail by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

It's an amazing optic. I really enjoy shooting with Zeiss glass.

Amazing shots!!

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Thanks, everyone. The sharp, contrasty nature of the 2.8/15mm make it quite the joy to use.

 

[rambarra]

Don't know really. I generally cosider these lenses too wide. I had the 14 II L myself and it was a compositional nightmare. Too much stuff goes in and you are never enough close to foreground subjects. I eventually sold it because most shots looked the same. For me 21 or even 24mm IS the landscape focal lenght

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Don't know really. I generally cosider these lenses too wide. I had the 14 II L myself and it was a compositional nightmare. Too much stuff goes in and you are never enough close to foreground subjects. I eventually sold it because most shots looked the same. For me 21 or even 24mm IS the landscape focal lenght

I have a Rokinon 12mm for the EOS M system, and so it is about 19mm equivalent, and I find that quite an excellent landscape focal length. 17-18mm would probably be perfect, but I don't mind using wider.

Here's another from the Zeiss:

Lead Me to Camelback by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr