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A good wide angle for the Zeiss ZF

A

Antoine Fabi

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Hi,

What would be a good wide angle 20mm and lower that would match a set of Zeiss ZF ?

thanks

Antoine
 
I have the Nikon 14mm 2.8, which is nice but not in the same league as the ZFs.

The Nikon 14-24mm 2.8 zoom is better than any Nikon mount prime in this range. But it doesn't have an aperture ring, so you'll need Doug Underdahl's GDX mount.

Same goes for the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8; better than comparable primes, but no aperture ring.

The ZF 18mm f/3.5 is supposed to be very good, but I'm annoyed at the f/3.5.
 
...exactly, the 3.5 max aperture of the Zeiss 18mm is annoying, and the 20mm 2.8 is not yet on the streets. that's why i was asking...

thanks!

Antoine
 
I know it's not as wide as 18 or 20, but Nikon makes a 24mm f2.0. Does anyone have experience with that lens?

Nils, you say that Nikon is not in the same league as the Zfs and I'm truly not trying to argue, but whenever I hear this I get a bit surprised / confused. Are not the Zeiss essentially off-brand something or other? Truly? Ken Rockwell puts them in league with off-brand cheapy lenses. And you can find faster Nikons across the board. I understand the mechanics are supposed to be superior, but.... it seems like I'm missing the upside of the ZF line.

Cheers,
Chris
 
objektiv.jpg

Zeiss Ikon (ZM) Distagon T* 2,8/15 ZM

The Luminous Landscape review>>>

But you have to take a (warranty/upgrade) risk and get IMS for RED.

super-wide-heliar-15-blk.jpg

I've got Voigtländer Super Wide Heliar 15mm/4.5 Aspherical in Leica M mount.

The lightest and optically extraordinary lens for daylight shots.
 
As discussed in this thread, what we need is a ZF verson of the 15mm 2.8 they make for Leica and, previously, Contax. That would solve all my problems in life.

Antoine, you should send them an email.
 
KnockOutFilms said:
I know it's not as wide as 18 or 20, but Nikon makes a 24mm f2.0. Does anyone have experience with that lens?

Nils, you say that Nikon is not in the same league as the Zfs and I'm truly not trying to argue, but whenever I hear this I get a bit surprised / confused. Are not the Zeiss essentially off-brand something or other? Truly? Ken Rockwell puts them in league with off-brand cheapy lenses. And you can find faster Nikons across the board. I understand the mechanics are supposed to be superior, but.... it seems like I'm missing the upside of the ZF line.
Click to expand...

I actually have the 24mm f2.0 lying on the table in front of me right now. It was one of my favs in the HVX/Brevis days. It's nice; a little soft, especially in the corners, and prone to flare; but definitely workable. Mechanics are better for film work than modern AF Nikon lenses.

I originally bought the ZF lenses to please my rental clients -- when they ask "what lenses do you have" they want to hear "Zeiss". But the mechanics are so much more fit to film work than most Nikons, and having used them, I really feel the picture quality is a good notch above, on most of them.

(Exceptions: The Nikon 85/1.4 is probably just as good as the 85/1.4 ZF; The Nikon 14-24 zoom is at least as good as the ZF 18 3.5, and faster.)

Ken Rockwell is a strange fellow. He only reviewed the 50mm 1.4 ZF, which is one of the weaker in the range, and seemed very negatively biased. And of course Nikon 50mm's are already very good. (Any brand makes good 50mm lenses.) Also, Ken Rockwell is looking for different things in a lens than a Reduser.

I'll say the ZF 100mm is probably the best "portrait" SLR lens available in any mount, and it also does macro.
 
Nils J. Nesse said:
As discussed in this thread, what we need is a ZF verson of the 15mm 2.8 they make for Leica and, previously, Contax. That would solve all my problems in life.

Antoine, you should send them an email.
Click to expand...

This is not going to happen.

Registers (flange distances) for ZF is (Nikon F) 46.50 mm and for ZM is (Leica M) 27.95 mm.

They are both totally different optical designs and construction.
 
Nils J. Nesse said:
I actually have that lens lying on the table in front of me right now. It was one of my favs in the HVX/Brevis days. It's nice; a little soft, especially in the corners, and prone to flare; but definitely workable. Mechanics are better for film work than modern AF Nikon lenses.

I originally bought the ZF lenses to please my rental clients -- when they ask "what lenses do you have" they want to hear "Zeiss". But the mechanics are so much more fit to film work than most Nikons, and having used them, I really feel the picture quality is a good notch above, on most of them.

(Exceptions: The Nikon 85/1.4 is probably just as good as the 85/1.4 ZF; The Nikon 14-24 zoom is at least as good as the ZF 18 3.5, and faster.)

Ken Rockwell is a strange fellow. He only reviewed the 50mm 1.4 ZF, which is one of the weaker in the range, and seemed very negatively biased. And of course Nikon 50mm's are already very good. (Any brand makes good 50mm lenses.) Also, Ken Rockwell is looking for different things in a lens than a Reduser.

I'll say the ZF 100mm is probably the best "portrait" SLR lens available in any mount, and it also does macro.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the feedback. I understand the brand name value for clients.

It seems that a fast wide lens is the true weak spot in any SLR option for the Red. You can buy f1.4 35, 50, 85 relatively cheap in Nikons or ZFs, but a fast wide.... kinda sucks to have to consider a f3.5 18mm compared to the rest of the kit.

(we recently shot two films and occasionally used the Nikon 135 f2.0. Very cool lens. I found one the other day in a used camera store sitting on the bottom shelf behind some modern AF lenses. Bought it cheap. Looking forward to shooting some portraits on a recently acquired FE body)

Chris
 
Sanjin Jukic said:
This is not going to happen.

Registers (flange distances) for ZF is (Nikon F) 46.50 mm and for ZM is (Leica M) 27.95 mm.

They are both totally different optical designs and construction.
Click to expand...

Yes I understand that Leica M is a rangefinder system, which allows for different optical designs that SLR mounts. (Rear element protruding further into the body, etc) Which does not necassarily mean that this particular design is dependent on those factors, and impossible to port to F-mount. For instance, that Voigtländer 15mm you mention is also available in Nikon F-mount.

And how about that Zeiss Contax 15mm? Could that be a place to start?
 
I'd get the Tokina... it will give you speed and more FOV you ever dreamed of for a bargain price. Easy to find and no worried about getting one that is too beat up. It doesn't show horrible distortion, and while I know little about lenses I can easily understand what the posts from knowledgeable people mean when they all see astounded... and it looks good enough to my eyes on the wider end.

Apparently all you need to lock the exposure where you want it is to somehow jam a little actuation arm, carefully so as not to bend it. You can't expect to get everything for that insane price though.

Also it should sell well with all the buzz it has going on and there is no way that a new one will come in at a lower price and spoil the investment. Hopefully wider faster primes will be on their way soon... I sent my e-mail to Zeiss, perhaps you should too. Can't hurt guys.
 
KnockOutFilms said:
It seems that a fast wide lens is the true weak spot in any SLR option for the Red. You can buy f1.4 35, 50, 85 relatively cheap in Nikons or ZFs, but a fast wide.... kinda sucks to have to consider a f3.5 18mm compared to the rest of the kit.
Click to expand...

I agree totally. To the point of desperation. If the camera was only for my own use, I'd get the Tokina 11-16mm and the Doug Mount. Excellent lens.

And yes, that Nikon 135 f/2 is very nice. I also like the 105mm f/1.8.
 
Everybody should know that FF35 still photo lens at 15mm mm on RED1

(that has between 1.5X and 1.6X crop factor or like a Nikon DX or Canon EF-S)

has 24mm FoV (Field of View)

with FF35mm 15mm DoF (Depth of Field).
 
Sanjin Jukic said:
Everybody should know that FF35 lens still at 15mm mm on RED1 has 24mm FoV (Field of View)
Click to expand...

Yes that would be perfect. I love 24mm on my Canon 5D. And very rarely feel the need for anything wider.
 
If you have any director's viewfinder than you can set that at S35/24mm and exactly you get a frame that is something like 15mm at your Canon5D.
 
So they make the Voitlander 15mm f2.8 for Nilkon ?

EDIT: OOOOps...it's f4.5

Antoine
 
Sanjin Jukic said:
If you have any director's viewfinder than you can set that at S35/24mm and exactly you get a frame that is something like 15mm at your Canon5D.
Click to expand...

I have that same MarkB viewfinder that Michael Bay is flaunting in every photo.

I think you mean that 15mm @ S35 on my viewfinder will look the same as 24mm on my 5D.

Antoine Fabi said:
So they make the Voitlander 15mm f2.8 for Nilkon ?
Click to expand...


Sadly it's f/4.5, or I'd have bought it a long time ago...
 
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