S Dilworth, interesting and nice to read blog! looking forward to more...
"The ZF.2 model has a lockable aperture ring, partially covered in rubber."
What exactly does that mean? on the photos there is no aperture visible, or am I missing something?
on the next page about the 135, on the T* coating: "An English-language Zeiss brochure once boasted that the coatings suppressed ‘veiling glare, flare, and narcissism,’ proving you get more for your money with Zeiss".
narcissm? yeah!
edit: oh, I see the aperture ring now, it is visible on your first image.
S Dilworth, thanks for the article. Interesting read.
Only one point I don't understand, with the requisite exception of the secondary f-number scale for Nikon's ancient Aperture Direct Readout system (I'm surprised the lens supports this)
If anyone else is wondering, Nikon’s Aperture Direct Readout (ADR) was an optical system for transmitting the selected f-number of a mounted lens to the viewfinder of supported cameras.
This is what it looks like on my Nikon FM2N, for example:
The small lens on the underside of the prism housing is positioned to peer down on a second row of tiny f-numbers on Nikon lenses. Old Nikkors had various features designed to allow more ambient light to fall on these tiny numbers, to better illuminate them in the viewfinder ADR window (which was located just above the viewfinder image).
It actually worked fairly well, but at a manufacturing cost that would never fly today.
That the Distagon 1.4/55 features this secondary row of engraved f-numbers surprises me a little, because the lens is hardly likely to be popular with nostalgic F3 shooters! So why did Zeiss include it?
My guess is that Zeiss is either following an official AI-P lens specification from Nikon to the letter, i.e. they’re licensing the mount, or they’re being ultra-cautious in their reverse engineering just in case Nikon (or another F-mount camera maker) ever decides to use this feature for some unorthodox purpose in the future (the F-mount has a long history of unexpected uses for old features).
>>>That the Distagon 1.4/55 features this secondary row of engraved f-numbers surprises me a little, because the lens is hardly likely to be popular with nostalgic F3 shooters! So why did Zeiss include it?
My guess is that Zeiss is either following an official AI-P lens specification from Nikon to the letter, i.e. they’re licensing the mount, or they’re being ultra-cautious in their reverse engineering just in case Nikon (or another F-mount camera maker) ever decides to use this feature for some unorthodox purpose in the future (the F-mount has a long history of unexpected uses for old features).<<<
There may be phtographers out there, like myself, who want to throw this lens on their F2AS and see what this lens does to Velvia. Maybe not a lot of photographers, but I'm happy they thought of the film photogs. Can't wait for the wide angle version.
carlitos wrote:
There may be photographers out there, like myself, who want to throw this lens on their F2AS and see what this lens does to Velvia. Maybe not a lot of photographers, but I'm happy they thought of the film photogs.
You’re right that a few people will use the lens on film (I bet it fairly etches an image into the emulsion!), but do you strictly need Aperture Direct Readout to do that? You could count clicks or take your eye away from the viewfinder to set the aperture, the way photographers did for over a century before Nikon gave them ADR.
Not that I’m against the inclusion of ADR support, mind you. I actually quite like it. It shows a certain respect for Nikon’s history that appeals to me. (But probably it’s just some heartless contractual obligation!)
S Dilworth wrote:
Thanks, Benjamin. Nice of you to say so.
You’re right that a few people will use the lens on film (I bet it fairly etches an image into the emulsion!), but do you strictly need Aperture Direct Readout to do that? You could count clicks or take your eye away from the viewfinder to set the aperture, the way photographers did for over a century before Nikon gave them ADR.
Not that I’m against the inclusion of ADR support, mind you. I actually quite like it. It shows a certain respect for Nikon’s history that appeals to me. (But probably it’s just some heartless contractual obligation!)...Show more →
Nope, you don't need the ADR, necessarily, but you do need the AI-s cam.
BTW - Zeiss & Nikon have removed the aperture index "tab", so the earliest Nikon SLR you can use with the ZF2 and the 55/1.4 is the F2AS (possibly a Nikkormat).
S Dilworth wrote:
Thanks, Benjamin. Nice of you to say so.
Yup, nice blog.
Concerning the new lens line, I wonder whether Zeiss has plans to employ the larger Canon mount to realize fancy designs not possible with Nikon. (I don't expect you to know the answer, I am just philosophizing.)
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