p.1 #1 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
subject title pretty much says it all.. finally gave in to my lens lust & went for a Zeiss 21mm from the B&S board.. probably won't be using this lens for any paid work, but i do enjoy shooting for fun & to keep my sanity. in short, can't wait to get out there!
what should I know about the lens (i already did my research but more tips/suggestions can never hurt!) & what are some things to know about using manual focus lenses? i'll be shooting it primarily on a 1ds3, though i'll slap it on the 1d4 for fun here & there as well..
p.1 #4 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
It's probably the most consistently excellent Zeiss lens in terms of consistent performance with no shortcomings. Maybe vignetting and short range performance? But even then it's highly competitive.
p.1 #5 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
you guys are just making me more excited haha. perhaps i should be more specific in terms of what i'm curious about - short of live-view, what's the best way of ensuring focus?
the naturally large depth of field this lens provides at f8 (point of diffraction limit on the 1ds3) should help in most of the applications i plan on using it for.. but, focus confirmation beep (which i normally turn off) vs just using the distance guide on the lens and then going by eye?
also, i know this lens has faint mustache distortion.. is this automatically corrected in Lightroom on RAWs?
PS. i chose this lens to help me get my feet wet with Zeiss lenses mostly because i've read that this is the lens easiest to use in terms of achieving sharp focus (for someone coming from a sports/events AF-dependent background)
Mar 10, 2012 at 09:19 PM
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p.1 #6 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
I use it a lot on both the 1Ds3 and 1D4, like you will do. I think it's rather easy to use MF with this lens and those bodies compared to many other ZE lenses. The standard focusing screens are good in both those bodies also. And with live view that both your bodies have it's very easy
p.1 #10 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
I recently bought this lens, as well, only the Nikon version, so I can't directly answer any questions about using it on a Canon. I bought it used from a rental agency. I love my copy, though I am probably not making full use of it, as my camera has a 1.5x crop sensor.
I had rented it a few years ago for a trip around Ireland. I honestly expected that I would "get it out of my system" by using it for a couple of weeks. It worked the other way around, though it took me a few more years to get the money to buy it.
p.1 #11 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
kaycephoto wrote:
subject title pretty much says it all.. finally gave in to my lens lust & went for a Zeiss 21mm from the B&S board.. probably won't be using this lens for any paid work, but i do enjoy shooting for fun & to keep my sanity. in short, can't wait to get out there!
what should I know about the lens (i already did my research but more tips/suggestions can never hurt!) & what are some things to know about using manual focus lenses? i'll be shooting it primarily on a 1ds3, though i'll slap it on the 1d4 for fun here & there as well..
p.1 #12 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
matanuska wrote:
Abandon hope all ye who enter here!
i was worried about this =P i think the 100mm macro is next >.<
one more question for those more exp'd than me.. should i stay at f8 max for diffraction limitations on the 1ds3 or is the Zeiss 21 special enough to go f11-16 when i need it?
p.1 #13 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
For general use (landscape,street, cityscape etc) focus to infinity (or maybe just a fraction short of the infinity stop) set aperture to f5.6 or so, and you're good to go.
p.1 #14 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
kaycephoto wrote:
one more question for those more exp'd than me.. should i stay at f8 max for diffraction limitations on the 1ds3 or is the Zeiss 21 special enough to go f11-16 when i need it?
F/11 works while F/16 nukes the fine detail. Avoid it. There is however no need to use such a small aperture except for some situations when you want long exposures and have no ND filters. The DOF is huge already at f/2.8 and the image quality quite good across the frame.
The optimal aperture for the lens is f/5.6 (f/4-f/8 are nearly indistinguishable in terms of quality).
p.1 #18 · Just took the plunge! Zeiss 21mm on the way, tips & suggestions?
Congrats on getting the 21!
It is my favorite landscape lens on my 1ds3.
I use LV to check focus. Usually I use f8 but sometimes like yesterday I have to use f11 when I have a scene with both very close and far elements.
