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Archive 2017 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

bluloo
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

jcolwell wrote:
...tempered by the internal flare investigated by @bluloo@ and @rico@ .

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1469987/0#13878423
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1466070/0#13845856

Assuming you get an otherwise acceptable (quality) copy of the lens, the flare issue is resolvable.
Still a bargain, for the IQ, IMO.

Not saying I still wouldn't rather have the APO....

Feb 22, 2017 at 10:37 AM

rico
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

bluloo wrote:
Not saying I still wouldn't rather have the APO....

No disagreement from me.

The current AS135 price is relatively attractive but still far above the Rokinon 135. I use the Rok at every opportunity and, while f/2 is sexy, I always stop down. What is vital for me is the linearity and correction of lateral color. Example from yesterday, f/9:

White b/g is a serious Rok weakness, so I now use the hood diligently. No flare was detected, above, nor veiling glare (no contrast boost needed).

Feb 22, 2017 at 11:25 AM

carlitos
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Wonder if Zeiss will offer rebates on the ZF 35/1.4 or the ZF 85/1.4 at some point.

I assume there'll be a Milvus 35/1.4 sooner or later.

Feb 22, 2017 at 12:55 PM

Lee Saxon
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

carlitos wrote:
Wonder if Zeiss will offer rebates on the ZF 35/1.4 or the ZF 85/1.4 at some point.

I assume there'll be a Milvus 35/1.4 sooner or later.

The 21 and 85 had them at one point, I'm surprised they aren't anymore. I figured it'd stay until stock was depleted (for example the pre-Milvus 100/2 seems to be gone from B&H). Probably that'll happen at some point though.

The 35/1.4 was the biggest Milvus surprise for me. They seemed to drop the weaker lenses (18, 50, 85) for replacements and carry over the newest and strongest. Except at 35 they carried over the humbler and older 35/2. My guess is they planned a new 35/1.4 on par with the new 50 & 85 (even though the current 35/1.4 didn't need replacing nearly as bad as the those two), but were afraid to be completely without that focal length in the meantime.

Feb 22, 2017 at 04:15 PM

Pixel Perfect
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Sigma has made Zeiss more and more irrelevant with their Art line. While I know the Zeiss are superbly built, they are not worth 200-300% more. At most I'd could see a 50% premium being reasonable given the lack of AF.

Not only are Sigma giving us stellar lenses Tamron has lifted it's game enormously and while their SP lenses are quite as good optically they are actually better built than the Art line and have real weather sealing and most come with VC all while being significantly cheaper than Art. Also people tend to have less AF issues with Tamron. I for one hope Tamron releases a 135 f/1.8/2 VC, their 85 f/1.8 VC is excellent and more than sharp enough even with the 50MP sensors.

I could never bring myself to pay Zeiss money nowadays.

Feb 22, 2017 at 06:51 PM

asiafish
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

rscheffler wrote:
Looks like it's Zeiss trying to get rid of old inventory non-Milvus lenses. At least the first two. Wonder why the 135 is included.... maybe the surprisingly good Samyang 135/2 is hurting sales? As you hinted, Zeiss pricing in Asia can be substantially less than US retail... pays to shop around.

The 135 is also discontinued in favor of the new Milvus 135.

Mar 29, 2017 at 05:49 PM

DavidBM
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Lee Saxon wrote:
The 21 and 85 had them at one point, I'm surprised they aren't anymore. I figured it'd stay until stock was depleted (for example the pre-Milvus 100/2 seems to be gone from B&H). Probably that'll happen at some point though.

The 35/1.4 was the biggest Milvus surprise for me. They seemed to drop the weaker lenses (18, 50, 85) for replacements and carry over the newest and strongest. Except at 35 they carried over the humbler and older 35/2. My guess is they planned a new 35/1.4 on par with the new 50 & 85 (even though the current 35/1.4...Show more →

I think that despite being relatively recent, the 1.4/35 isnt as great a performer as one might have hoped. It re dears beautifully, but is fairly low contrast and not that sharp at wider apertures. Back when I was shooting Canon, I tested the 1.4 and the f2 and found the f2 noticeably better from f2.8, despite its age.

So yes I'm guessing you are right - they plan a new 1.4 (maybe even on Otus) and in the meantime the f2 is a very serviceable lens...

Mar 29, 2017 at 06:05 PM

Lee Saxon
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Pixel Perfect wrote:
Sigma has made Zeiss more and more irrelevant with their Art line. While I know the Zeiss are superbly built, they are not worth 200-300% more. At most I'd could see a 50% premium being reasonable given the lack of AF.

Not only are Sigma giving us stellar lenses Tamron has lifted it's game enormously and while their SP lenses are quite as good optically they are actually better built than the Art line and have real weather sealing and most come with VC all while being significantly cheaper than Art. Also people tend to have less AF issues with...Show more →

It all depends on your priorities. Anyone being totally practical has already left Zeiss decades ago for autofocus. And if they're really looking at cost/benefit, they've probably now also left CaNikon for Sigma or Tamron. And for stills, honestly, if you're in it for business, that's the right move. Hell, as little as the clients most us work with know, a lot of us could probably use our iPhones. But at the extreme high end, or in cine, where you make your living on "look"? Zeiss could quadruple prices and not lose those guys to the sterile Art series.

Now, I too am a huge fan of the 85 VC. Far more character than the Art series. Once a full set of those is built out, especially if they add some f/1.4's? That I can see being more of a threat.

Mar 29, 2017 at 06:07 PM

Peire
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

The first time in my life I regret not living in the US.

Brand new Apo Sonnar 135/2.0 ZF for (only) 1499 USD!Why not in Europe?

Mar 30, 2017 at 05:57 AM

Ming-Tzu
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Recently sold off my Canon 135L to get this Zeiss 135. Still holding off because wondering if the price is going to decrease more now that the Milvus version is out. Hmmmm

Mar 30, 2017 at 06:06 AM

jcolwell
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Ming-Tzu wrote:
Recently sold off my Canon 135L to get this Zeiss 135. Still holding off because wondering if the price is going to decrease more now that the Milvus version is out. Hmmmm

I got a sweet 'close out' deal on a new Zeiss 100/2 ZE last year. It was the last one in eastern Canada, and probably the second-last one in the country. IOW, you might get a better deal on a Zeiss 135/2 ZE if you wait a bit longer, or they might be all gone.

Mar 30, 2017 at 07:09 AM

Ming-Tzu
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

jcolwell wrote:
I got a sweet 'close out' deal on a new Zeiss 100/2 ZE last year. It was the last one in eastern Canada, and probably the second-last one in the country. IOW, you might get a better deal on a Zeiss 135/2 ZE if you wait a bit longer, or they might be all gone.

Thanks for the response! Yeah, still debating. One of the things I don't like about the lens is that the barrel extends when focusing. Seems like it would be a dust magnet.

Mar 30, 2017 at 07:35 AM

jcolwell
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Ming-Tzu wrote:
Thanks for the response! Yeah, still debating. One of the things I don't like about the lens is that the barrel extends when focusing. Seems like it would be a dust magnet.

It's one of the best lenses available, in the world. I have never heard that it (or the many thousands of other extending lenses) is a dust magnet. I would worry about price and availability, not dust.

Even the notorious 100-400L IS "dust trombone" doesn't deserve that reputation. I used one for about ten years, a lot, and it never had any more dust than my other lenses, including those with "internal focus".

Mar 30, 2017 at 07:40 AM

mogud
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Locally, the big rebates seemed to have disappeared on the Zeiss classic lenses. As far Sigma making the Zeiss offerings somewhat irrelevant, I disagree. I finally sold my first and last Sigma Art lens and never again.

Zeiss purists tend to want the classic lenses. While the Milvus may look nice to some, I don't like the rubber focus ring. I'll wait for another round of rebates and hopefully I'm able to take advantage and pick up the 135 APO.

Edited on Mar 30, 2017 at 12:34 PM · View previous versions

Mar 30, 2017 at 11:35 AM

DannyBurkPhoto
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Mar 30, 2017 at 12:07 PM

jcolwell
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

mogud wrote:
Locally, the big rebates seemed to have disappeared on the Zeiss classic lenses. As far Sigma making the Zeiss offerings somewhat irrelevant, I disagree. I finally sold my first and last Sigma Art lens and never again.

Zeiss purists tend to want the classic lenses. While the Milvus may look nice to some, I don't like the rubber focus ring. I'll wait for another round of rebates and hopefully I'm able to take advantage and pick up the 135 APO.

DannyBurkPhoto wrote:
I love my set of "classics" and I'm happy to keep them in preference to the Milvi. A more classy and appealing look, IMO, and I'm not crazy about the rubber focus rings on the Oti, which I gather are basically the same. Plus, the Milvi are even bigger and heavier, which wouldn't make me happy when lugging them around on a trail with several in the bag.

I'm keeping my 'classics', too. Except for the 18/3.5 ZE, which is optically about the same as my TS-E 17/4 L unshifted, and not quite as good as the EF 16-35/4L IS (which is always nearby). OTOH, my Zeiss "Distacrons" at 25/2, and 35/2, and "Planacrons" at 50/2 and 100/2 are noticeably better than any of the other usual suspects (at f/8 and infinity).

Mar 30, 2017 at 01:25 PM

melcat
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Ming-Tzu wrote:
One of the things I don't like about the lens is that the barrel extends when focusing. Seems like it would be a dust magnet.

I've had one (100mm f/2 ZE) for 5 years and don't have a dust problem. I use it outside, including on hiking trips. That said, on my desert trips I take the Canon 180mm f/3.5 macro instead of the Zeiss.

Mar 31, 2017 at 02:18 AM

billsamuels
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

jcolwell wrote:
It's one of the best lenses available, in the world. I have never heard that it (or the many thousands of other extending lenses) is a dust magnet. I would worry about price and availability, not dust.

Even the notorious 100-400L IS "dust trombone" doesn't deserve that reputation. I used one for about ten years, a lot, and it never had any more dust than my other lenses, including those with "internal focus".

I just got a used (but you can't really tell) Zeiss 100 Makro F/2 and while I heard it was perhaps one of the best lenses in the world, now I see why so many people say it. It's become my go-to for as much as I can do with a 100mm, but it's by far the easiest lens to focus of the three Zeiss that I have, and the pictures I get from it are absolutely amazing.

Apr 01, 2017 at 01:00 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

billsamuels wrote:
I just got a used (but you can't really tell) Zeiss 100 Makro F/2 and while I heard it was perhaps one of the best lenses in the world, now I see why so many people say it. It's become my go-to for as much as I can do with a 100mm, but it's by far the easiest lens to focus of the three Zeiss that I have, and the pictures I get from it are absolutely amazing.

It's true that the 100/2 Makro is an outstanding lens but it's not as well corrected for color artifacts like LoCA as the Zeiss 135/2 APO or Otus lenses.

There is an interesting interview with late Dr Hubert Nasse where he discusses exactly this subject (about 31:30m). It's a very interesting interview and I highly recommend it.

He also praises the Zeiss 15/2.8 (SLR), 21/2.8 (SLR) and ZM 35/1.4 (Rangefinder)

Apr 01, 2017 at 01:41 AM

George Orwell
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · Zeiss ZF.2 and ZE Instant Rebates (Up to $950)

Apr 01, 2017 at 05:55 AM

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