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Archive 2014 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions

  
 
johnosthus
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


Hi

I just received a pristine used cz 35, and pending shooting something other than my lamp and refrigerator I've noticed something of a puzzle: this lens seems to have a very early positive infinity stop, whereas my CZ 100 MP focuses to infinity and beyond.

Is this normal for this lens?

I cannot yet tell if it is crisp at full stop, or a fraction of a nudge before full stop. That variance, if it is there, is a small concern, because it defeats the purpose of a full stop.

I'm using this on a d800. What is the infinity status supposed to be on this lens?

Also, will it be as sharp as my 100? (I will not be able to see for myself due to other duties today, and I cannot tolerate the suspense of waiting to find out for myself.

Thanks,




Mar 22, 2014 at 09:14 AM
Toothwalker
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


johnosthus wrote:
I just received a pristine used cz 35, and pending shooting something other than my lamp and refrigerator I've noticed something of a puzzle: this lens seems to have a very early positive infinity stop, whereas my CZ 100 MP focuses to infinity and beyond.

Is this normal for this lens?

I cannot yet tell if it is crisp at full stop, or a fraction of a nudge before full stop. That variance, if it is there, is a small concern, because it defeats the purpose of a full stop.

I'm using this on a d800. What is the infinity status supposed to
...Show more

I don't know about ZF, but all my ZE lenses go beyond infinity. The infinity stop of the 2/35 is closest to true infinity.

An accurate infinity stop on the lens only makes sense when the cameras are accurately and consistently calibrated, which is not the case. The decision to allow the ZE/ZF lenses to go a bit beyond infinity is a wise one, because in this manner it is at least possible to achieve infinity focus on different cameras.


Also, will it be as sharp as my 100?


No.


(I will not be able to see for myself due to other duties today, and I cannot tolerate the suspense of waiting to find out for myself.


You could have asked before buying the lens.





Mar 22, 2014 at 10:08 AM
Peire
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


All my ZF/ZF.2 and ZE lenses (12 altogether) have hard infinity stops just in the middle of the infinity mark.None of them goes behind it,including 100/2 MP ZE.


Mar 22, 2014 at 10:29 AM
Z250SA
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


Some have, some donīt. It depends either on the design. It _can_ be a design feature as some glass is temperature sensitive and can make the infinity unreachable if the temp deviates enough from a selected design temp. I would guess that the 2/135 belongs to this group. Mine goes significantly over, as does the 5.6/250SA in which it _is_ part of itīs design.

My 50 MP goes enough over infinity to be useless if turned to the stop. I have discussed it with Zeiss. Their answer is that they can tighten it up for me if I provide a temperature range within which the infinity stop should be. Apparently the hot end is the problem in this lens. In fact I have it packed ready to send to Zeiss for this adjustment.

My 2/28 also goes a micro tad over, whereas my 21 and 15 appear spot on with the present pixel size. Very convenient when it is reliable.



Mar 22, 2014 at 11:05 AM
johnosthus
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


Thanks all

I'm hoping it actually gets to infinity. Initial tree-bark tests shows it slightly soft at full stop, and better just before, which is good if the case.

I will not be able to see for myself due to other duties today, and I cannot tolerate the suspense of waiting to find out for myself.


You could have asked before buying the lens.




No doubt. This sentence was more about helping me get over purchase-insecurity. All reviews except Ken Rockwell say its a great lens. I have every confidence.

i have a used CZ 50 mp on the way for Monday arrival. Next on the list is a CZ 135 apo, upon which time my lenses will FINALLY not be a limiting factor in the excellence of my photography.




Mar 22, 2014 at 01:56 PM
johnosthus
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


I did some real shooting with it and found the following:

Very difficult for me to nail accurate focus at 15 feet at f2.

Soft looking at f2 at infinity.

Harder to focus than my cz 100.

I'm starting to consider selling this and getting a Sigma 1.4. Given autofocus and my old eyes it may be a better choice. Thoughts?



Mar 23, 2014 at 09:42 AM
ocean2059
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


To test the sharpness of the lens, you may want to use Liveview on your D800. To focus at 15 feet takes practices and you should not relay on the green dot. You may want to switch to Liveview, back and forth, to see how accurate is the green dot on you D800 at that specific distance. Regarding the soft look of f2 at infinity, I don't think it's what this lens is designed for (Otus 55/1,4 maybe is). I think in all practical situation, it's less desirable to use f2 at infinity, which may be the weakest point of this lens.




Mar 23, 2014 at 07:13 PM
johnosthus
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


Thank you all.

More info: turns out my infinity stop is just a small turn past infinity at f2.

If I go to the hard stop and move the focus ring back by a barely perceptible amount the image gets much crisper.

I'm impressed by how small of a turn of the focus ring can make a large difference in sharpness.



Mar 23, 2014 at 11:02 PM
Randyp001
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


All my zf.1 lenses (21/50/100) reach infinity before stopping. I always thought it was due to my adapters (using them on canon 5dmk3) though I guess it's normal then based on the responses.


Apr 03, 2014 at 11:34 PM
sandycrane
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · "New" Zeiss 35mm f2 ZF.2... Questions


I have four Zeiss ZF lenses and the 35/2 comes closest to infinity at the stop. The others overshoot by quite a bit.

Your 100/2 will be noticeably sharper. Order of sharpness with my lenses is: 100/2, 50/1.4, 21/2.8, and 35/2 if I stop down the 50 to at least 2.8. At 1.4 the 50 is like a lens made out of Jello.



Apr 04, 2014 at 06:43 PM





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