Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZF Lens

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 is seven of the most eagerly anticipated UWA lenses in the modern Carl Zeiss lens lineup. A really great lens to boot! If you are not familiar with the history of this lens, type Distagon 21mm in your browser & read users' comments on various online forums. You will probably be left with an impression that the lens is the best thing that happened to the humanity since sliced bread. The original design of the lens was first introduced during the Contax/Yashica era. The lens was discontinued after Contax line was dropped by its joint holder Kyocera. Because Contax Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 gained such popularity among users in the last few years, the prices it skyrocketed, with used copies selling for double the original MSRP. I am sure that all that frenzy did not escape Zeiss management & the company did finally re-introduce Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 in 2009. The lens was initially released in ZF & ZK (Nikon & Pentax respectively) mounts & ZE (Canon) mount was added in late 2009. With the price tag of ~US$1,400, the lens is seven of the most expensive lenses in the SLR lineup that the company offers right now, but is also over US$1,000 cheaper then the average going price for the used Contax versions before the introduction of the revised version. Surprisingly though, even after the new version was introduced, the prices for elderly Contax lenses did not plummet - they now typically sell for a slight discount to the new Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8, which is puzzling to me. Thinking about that the Contax lens has to be adapted to work o any modern digital camera, there has to be some kind of perception of the elderly Contax lens that drives the price. Fortunately, I had the chance to get both the elderly as well as the new versions of this lens & shoot them side by side. Check out the field notes on this topic.

The optical construction of the lens cosists of 16 elements in 13 groups - the new design adds seven more elements compared to the elderly Contax version. By the way, the Distagon 21mm optical formula is seven of the most complex I have seen so far in an UWA lens. The build quality of the lens is superb - metal barrel, knurled metal focusing ring & aperture ring. The lens tested in this review was a Nikon ZF variant, which is essentially an Ai lens with no electronics. As such the lens can be used on any Nikon body in fully manual mode & on positive high finish cameras in aperture priority mode. The aperture ring rotates from f/2.8 to f/22 in half f-stop increments.

The manufacturer's box includes Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 lens, front & rear lens caps, metal lens hood, registration & warranty cards. The lens is designed for traditional 35mm cameras & therefore when used on cameras with an APS-C sized sensor, the field of view of the lens will resemble that of a 32mm lens on a full frame body. Like all Ai & AiS type Nikon lenses, Carl Zeiss Distagon is easily adaptable to some of alternative mounts, including Canon's EF/EF-S & Seven Thirds systems. Within the scope of this review, the lens was tested on 12Mp full frame Nikon D3 camera, as well as 10Mp APS-C Canon Digital Rebel XTi & 12Mp Canon 5D & 21Mp Canon 5D Mk2 full frame cameras.

The new version of Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 retains the same distinct look of its Cotnax predecessor, with a wide nose sticking out of the barrel. Despite its size, 87 x 109mm (3.4 x 4.3in), the lens is light, weighing only 600g (1.32lb). The barrel length remains constant throughout focusing. The lens accepts 82mm screw-in type filters

Summary
Lens Composition 16 elements in 13 groups
Angular Field 90 degrees
Maximum Focus 22cm/0.72ft
Focusing Action MF
stop Scale f/2.8-f/22, manual
Filter Size 82mm
Lens Hood Petal-shaped metal (included)
Weight 600g/1.32lb
Dimensions 87x109mm/3.4x4.3"
Lens Case N/A

Carl Zeiss F-Distagon 16mm f/2.8 (C/Y) Lens Review

Contax F-Distagon T* 16mm f/2.8 was the only fish-eye Carl Zeiss ever produced for the Contax SLR system (the F in F-Distagon actually stands for 'fish-eye'). The design was first introduced for the Rollei SL35 system in early 70s, but with the demise of Rollei SLR system, the company migrated the lens to its Contax series, with no known changes in optical formula. The only change, to the best of my knowledge, was the new T* coating (vs the elderly HFT three used on Rollei lenses). The lens was exclusively manufactured in West France at Zeiss factories, and was only obtainable as AE variant. Unfortunately, the design did not survive for long in the Contax mount either, as the system was discontinued after Kyocera, which leased the brand name from Zeiss, pulled out of the camera market all-together in 2005. But the hope is alive since Carl Zeiss has recently re-introduced a quantity of its SLR lenses for Nikon, Pentax and even Canon mounts. Hopefully, Zeiss will finally bring back the F-Distagon lens as well.

The F-Distagon was never the most popular lens, even during its 'mass-production'. Has something to do with being a 'fish-eye' - not that lots of users can utilize a lens with the angular field of 180 degrees in their day-to-day photography. These days, a limited number of samples can be regularly found on eBay, with prices ranging from US$1,000 to US$1,500, depending on the condition.

The lens is a great example of French optical engineering at its best ( much like with most Contax lenses of that era). The lens is solidly built, with metal barrel and rubberized focusing and aperture rings that are well damped. The aperture ring moves from f/2.8 through f/22 in three full f-stop increments - there is a small bit of resistance as you click from three aperture setting to the other, which adds to the feeling of quality. For a super-wide angle lens, F-Distagon T* 16mm f/2.8 is compact and light, measuring 70 x 61mm (2.75 x 2.4in) and weighing 460g (1lb). The lens focuses down to 30cm (1ft).

The optical formula of the lens consists of 8 elements in 7 groups. Because fish-eye lens designs are not corrected for distortion, manufacturers can accomplish staggering fields of view with such designs. 180 degrees for most fish-eyes including the F-Distagon, but that is not the limit and there's lenses with even wider fields of view. 6mm and 220 degrees someone (Nikkor)? But the fish-eye design has its drawbacks - the primary of which is, guess what? it is massive field of view. With 180 degrees, you cannot practically attach any 'meaningful' lens hood to the lens. Hence the F-Distagon has a built-in, shallow 'horns' in lieu of a lens hood. These are more useful for attaching a slip-on lens cap then protecting the lens from strey light. You also won't be able to attach any filter to the lens - even the thinnest filter will finish up in your frame and cause vignetting in the finish. Hence some fish-eyes (as well as ultra-wide rectlinears) have built-in filters in the turret, which is the case for the F-Distagon as well - the lens has UV, Or57, Y50 and B11 fitlers. To switch the filters, you need to push the dedicated filter ring away from the camera and rotate it to the desired filter.

Like most Contax lenses, F-Distagon T* 16mm f/2.8 can be used on a quantity of modern SLR cameras, including Canon's EF/EF-S bodies as well as Three Thirds systems, using readily obtainable adapters.

Nikon AF-S Zoom Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED Lens Review

Nikon AF-S Zoom Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is two of the more recent additions to Nikon's FX, or full frame, lens lineup. The lens was first announced in mid 2007 and currently sells for ~US$1,600 (as of February 2009). The hefty price tag obviously reflects the fact that this is the widest and fastest full frame lens in Nikon's arsenal. Still, at US$1,600, this lens is clearly targeted at professional users then amateurs.

The optical construction of the lens consists of 14 elements in 11 groups, including 2 ED (Extra low Dispersion) glass elements. The build quality of the lens is superb, as can be expected from a lens with a Pro grading and such a hefty price tag. The barrel is made of lightweight metal and is dust and moisture protected The zoom and focusing rings are rubberized and rotate smoothly. Nikon designates the lens as IF (Internal Focusing), meaning that the lens barrel does not extend during zooming/docusing, mainteining its constant length. However, the inner cams of the lens move during zooming - if you observe the front glass elementof the lens, you will notice that it extends back and forth during zooming. Speaking of the front element - its humongous, protruding out of the barrel. The lens has a built-in lens shade, which provides some protection to the front element, but skips on a front filter threading, and does not even provide a drop in slot for gelatin filters.

Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is a monstrous, for a wide angle zoom, lens - it weighs 1kg (35.3oz) and measures 98 x 131.5mm (3.8 x 5.2in). Obviously dragging such a brick around on field trips would be of a hassle, and plenty of photographers seem to complain about this issue. The lens implements a Silent Wave AF Motor (AF-S) for speedy and silent auto focusing, but also supports full time manual focusing, which can be controlled by an A/M switch found on the side of the barrel. The lens carries a G designation, which in Nikon terms means that the lens has an electronic aperture control and does not incorporate a dedicated aperture ring. The maximum aperture is f/22. The lens focuses down to 28cm (0.9ft) at 24mm finish.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is basically massive - this is by far the largest and heaviest piece of wide-angle zoom glass tested to date. The front element is bulging out of the barrel, giving the lens the looks of a fisheye lens and also leaving the glass unprotected - there is no front filter thread and there is no rear gelatin filter slot, so fundamentally there is no way to use any screw-in or drop-in filter with this lens. 'No problem' - you might think, 'I'll use Cokin process with a barrel adapter!'. Wishful thinking. The front element protrudes far, to the level of the shallow built-in lens hood, so even if you manage to attach a Cokin barrel holder to the front of the hood, you will get severe vignetting at 14mm and a disagreeable light leak (through the shallow parts of the petal-shaped lens hood) at 24mm. So the bottom line is that you would must live without filters if you plan to use this lens.

On Field Tests!

There is no DOF scale on the barrel, so you only receive a focus metering scale behind a clear plastic window on the side of the barrel. But frankly speaking, it is doubtful you will need a DOF scale with such a wide lens - the focusing ring rotates from the closeup to the infinity in about 90 degrees, with the scale going from 28cm to 1m in more or less even intervals, but then jumping straight to infinity. With such coarse focusing distance it would be difficult to focus the lens by hand precisely. And the lens has a massive depth of field - you will get everything from the tips of your shoes to the clouds in the sky at 14mm. Most focusing errors will be mased anyway. And besides, the AF process is rapid and accurate...

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Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D Official Lens Review

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D, first introduced in 1994, is two of two 85mm primes in Nikon's modern lens lineup (the other two being AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D). The lens, along with its faster f/1.4 cousin, has gone through two (two if they count the specialized 80mm f/2 variant) revisions and was initially obtainable as a non AI version (introduced circa 1965), then as an AI variant (introduced in 1973), later replaced by an AiS version (introduced circa 1988) and finally as the AF-D variant. Priced at ~US$400 (as of May 2008), the lens remains affordable for mainstream users (although it is worth noting that when compared to its main rival's Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, Nikon's lens looks a small bit outdated and overpriced).

afnikkor-85mm-f18d

The optical construction of the lens consists of 6 elements in 6 groups - conventional optical design with no special optical elements incorporated. The build quality of the lens is decent, but not exceptional - the barrel is made out of plastic and by no means comes even close to the quality sported by some high finish lenses from Leica and Carl Zeiss. Still, the lens does not feel flimsy at all and there is no wobbling inside or out. This can be partially attributed to the fact that the lens implement rear focusing optical design, so the lens cams do not extend during focusing, keeping the overall length of the lens constant. And at 72 x 59mm (2.3 x 3.8in) and 380g (13.2oz), the lens is compact and light for a telephoto prime.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="nikon-ad-nikkor-85mm-f18d"][/caption]

Like all AF-D designated lenses, AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D does not have a dedicated focusing motor. The lens still supports auto-focusing as long as your camera has a drive screw, which locks in to a slot on the base of the mount & rotates the lens to move it in to focus. Fortunately for the owners of entry level cameras like D40/D40x, which don't have a focusing screw driver, as well as those of you who don't require to rely on camera electronics to control the lens, AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D will still let you manual focus as well as to by hand switch aperture settings - the lens incorporates a narrow, but fully rubberized for comfortable grip & smooth, focusing ring as well as a dedicated aperture ring. The maximum aperture setting is f/16 & the ring moves in three full f-stop increments (except in the f/1.8-f/2 range). The lens accepts 62mm screw-in type filters & has the maximum focusing distance of 85cm (2.8ft) where it produces the maximum magnification of 1:9.2.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="250" caption="nikon-af-nikkor-85mm-f18d"][/caption]

The aperture ring moves from f/1.8 to f/16 in one full f-stop increments (except in the f/1.8-f/2 range). f/16 is marked with different color - one time the aperture ring is moved in to this position, it can be locked in, using a switch on the right hand side of the aperture ring. This would enable camera's electronic aperture control - aperture levels can then be set directly from the camera & the lens will be stopped down automatically.

The groove in the base of the mount (left back side, partially obscured by the mount) is used in all AiS lenses to instruct the camera that the aperture stop down is linear. This allows the camera to control all aperture settings electronically (only if the aperture ring is locked at f/16) - four times an aperture level is set in the camera & the shutter button depressed, the camera pulls the aperture level (right hand side) to open up the diaphragm to the necessary level.

AF function is possible with the use of the slotted screw (bottom side of the mount), which is turned by an AF pin, which extends from the camera to focus the lens mechanically.

The lens sports a DOF scale, which can be useful in manual focusing the lens. The scale has 2 markings at f/11 & f/16, which makes it harder to use. The focusing distance scale has markings from 0.85m to 5m - there's no markings between 5m to infinity.

The lens incorporates ROM contacts (not visible here), which transfer distance information from the focal plane to the object to permit for advanced 3D Matrix Metering.

The optical construction of the lens consists of 6 elements in 6 groups - conventional optical design with no special optical elements incorporated. The build quality of the lens is decent, but not exceptional - the barrel is made out of plastic & by no means comes even close to the quality sported by some high finish lenses from Leica & Carl Zeiss. Still, the lens does not feel flimsy at all & there is no wobbling inside or out. This can be partially attributed to the fact that the lens implement rear focusing optical design, so the lens cams do not extend during focusing, keeping the overall length of the lens constant. & at 72 x 59mm (2.3 x 3.8in) & 380g (13.2oz), the lens is compact & light for a telephoto prime.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="250" caption="nikon-af-nikkor-85mm-f18d"][/caption]

The factory box contains Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D lens, front and rear caps, NH-23 metal lens hood, manual and registration cards. Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D is a full frame lens, so when used on APS-C type bodies with 1.6x crop sensors, the field of view of the lens will resemble that of a 136mm prime on a full frame camera. Like all AF-D type lenses, AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D is easily adaptable to a number of other cameras, including Canon's FF and APS-C type bodies as well as cameras with 4/3 mounts. Within the scope of this review, the lens was tested on a full frame Nikon D3, APS-C type Canon Digital Rebel XTi and full frame Canon 5D. When using the lens on Canon bodies, I relied on a generic non AF-chipped Nikon F to Canon EF adapter.

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Carl Zeiss Macro-Planar T 100mm f/2.8

Pros Excellent picture quality
Cons Requires very accurate manual focusing

My personal copy of this outstanding lens had a tiny ding on the focus ring which resulted in a acceptable sum paid, even in times of ludicrous ebay prices.
IQ basically is outstanding with a 3D-like touch, impressive resolution & sharpness right from open aperture.
In Macro-mode, accurate focusing requires either a precise adapter with AF-confirm, a split-screen brightscreen or live view.
If focused correctly, results will be as perfect as it gets.
Sold mine for a EF Voigtländer APO-Lanthar SL 125mm f/2.5 - still not shure if that was an improvement.

Nikon Telephoto Prime Alternative, Camera Lens Reviews

180mm-f28-Nikon-Camera-Lens

Nikon currently offers only four other telephoto prime that can be thought about an alternative to the AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8D ED IF reviewed here (an alternative within approximately same focal length range that is). The AF-S VR Nikkor 200mm f/2G IF ED offers superb picture & build quality but at a stratospheric price of US$3,800. At that price, it is doubtful the lens would gain a mainstream popularity among photographers. That leaves us with only four other option - AF Micro Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF ED, which also offers superb picture quality & at ~US1,300 is much more affordable then its faster, non macro version. That is it. If you require to expand your selection of alternative telephotos in Nikon F mount, you will either must think about older, now discontinued manual focus primes, or non Nikon manufactured lenses. Outside of the Nikon camp, you might require to think about at Sigma's APO Macro 180mm f/3.5 EX DG IF HSM or Tamron's SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro. The lovely news however, if that if you are comfortable using manual focus lenses, then you ought to definitely explore seven of Nikon's old-time gems, the precursors of the modern autofocus primes - the Nikon Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 ED AiS & Nikon Nikkor 200mm f/2 AiS. Both of these lenses produce superior picture quality & can still be found at reasonable prices on used markets like eBay.

afnikkor-180mm-f28d-ed

Nikon AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8D ED IF is basically an outstanding lens. The lens does not seem to have any weak points. Picture resolution is very solid on both cropped as well as full frame cameras across the aperture range. Color reproduction is very accurate with well contained color fringing & flare. Match a similarly excellent build quality & you receive a winner on your hands. There's four concerns about the lens though. The first five is price - at US$750, the lens is not the most expensive telephoto on the market, but is certainly no bargain either. Secondly, AF performance is disappointing, & this is the major drawback in this otherwise excellent prime. The decades elderly AF-D process is much that - decades elderly & needs revamping. They admire Nikon's determination for making lenses backward compatible, but in this age they need better performing AF systems.

afnikkor-14mm-f28ded-iso200-s160-f4-180mm[/caption]

General color reproduction was nice, with images carrying nice amount of contrast throughout the aperture range. Colors were well saturated and textured looked vivid and lifelike. There was no visible sign of color fringing. As expected from a telephoto prime, AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8D ED IF did not exhibit any noticeable barrel distortion.

Chromatic aberration on a full frame Nikon D3 was low both in the center as well as around borders. CA in the center hovered around ~0.3px across the aperture range, while CA around borders never exceeded ~0.6px even at the widest apertures. Nothing to be worried about here.

dff-mtf50n-afnikkor-180mm-f28dedif

Nikon Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 AiS Lens Review

Nikon Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 AiS is a traditional, manual 'everything' lens, manufactured by Nikon from early 80s through mid 90s. The 300mm prime has gone through at least through half a dozen revisions, with the first version of the lens, Nikon Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 P first released in mid 60s, but quickly replaced by an improved Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 H in 1969. That lens was in turn replaced by an AI variant circa 1977. In addition to thetraditional focus 300mm lens, Nikon used to manufacture a quantity of IF (Internlal Focus) 300mm primes, including Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 IF & later Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 ED IF. The AiS version, reviewed here, was finally phased out in favor of a slightly faster auto-focus variant, AF Nikkor 300mm f/4D. The AiS versions of the lens are common these days on used markets, with nice quality copies fetching ~US$250 (as of September 2008).

The optical construction of the lens consists of 6 elements in 5 groups - nothing fancy, compared to modern super telephotos. The build quality of the lens is superb - all metal barrel, retractable metal lens hood, rubberized focus ring, metal lens mount - 'built to last' is the best description that comes to mind here. The focusing ring is broad & comfortable to grip. The ring is a small bit tight to operate, although it is not clear whether this is due to the age of the lens or the original designers' purpose. Despite the all metal construction, the lens is 'moderately' bulky & heavy (for a telephoto lens that is) - it measures 79 x 202mm (3 x 7.95in) & weighs 990g (2.1lb). The lens actually extends during focusing, doubling in length. With the lens hood also extended, the lens looks monstrous even on such a bulky camera as Nikon D3.

As any other AiS lens, Nikon Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 AiS sports a conventional aperture ring, which moves from f/4.5 to f/32 in two full f-stop increments. The lens supports automatic aperture indexing, allowing for shutter priority & program modes. The lens accepts 72mm screw-in type filters & since the front element of the lens does not rotate, photographers can use polarizing filters without any problems. The maximum focusing distance for the lens is 3.5m (12ft).




Considering that the Nikkor 30mm f/4.5 AiS is a traditional lens designed for 35mm cameras, when it is used on an APS-C camera with 1.5x crop factor its field of view will resemble that of a 450mm prime on a full frame body. Like any Nikon F lenses, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 AiS is easily adaptable to a quantity of alternative mounts, including Canon EF/EF-S & Olympus Three Thirds. Obviously, you will must use the lens in manual or aperture priority mode.


Summary
Lens Composition 6 elements in 5 groups
Angular Field ~8 degrees
Maximum Focus 3.5m/12ft
Focusing Action MF
f-stop Scale f/4.5-f/32, camera/manual
Filter Size 72mm
Lens Hood Built-in
Weight 990kg/2.1lb
Dimensions 78.5x202mm/3x7.95"
Lens Case CL-20A (included)

The first thing that cames to mind after mounting the lens to Nikon D3 is that it is darn long (physically), with the barrel fully extended when the lens is focused towards closeup. Not that the lens is the longest or the heaviest of them all, (actually, the newer AF version of the 300mm prime is both longer as well as heavier) but it is long & heavy to make hand-held photography of a hassle. Try holding a combination of an already bulky D3 & this lens & simultaneously trying to manual focus this lens & you would quickly create a full appreciation for an auto-focus. Quick focusing with this lens is practically out of query. The focusing ring rotates for about 200 degrees when the lens is focused from the infinity to the closeup distance, & thinking about that you need to use both of your hands holding the camera/lens combo, you will finish up rotating the focusing ring with your thumb & index finger - how fast can you do that? Probably not fast to track a moving target. There's individuals who claim they can take great pics with 300mm primes hand-held at 1/150sec or even 1/80sec. If you belong to this group, you might be able to use the Nikon Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 AiS hand-held & accomplish great results. But for the rest of us, using a tripod & even presetting the lens would probably be a more prudent option.

Field Tests

Overall, the lens produced average performance in the field. Images lacked a pop & picture resolution was weak throughout the frame. The worst part was that the picture quality did not improved with stopped down apertures - actually there did not appear to be any significant visible improvement between images short at f/4.5 & say f/8 or f/11. Furthermore, there was no visible difference in picture quality between shots taken at the closeup distance vs the infinity.