I agree that the Loxia 35 is a great lens, although it is often not as appreciated as it should be. This was my first Loxia lens and professional Zeiss, following a few Zeiss Contax MMJ lenses (I really liked the 50/1.4, but adapter and no EXIF made it a drag). Immediately, I loved the Loxia 35's contrast and colors -- I even liked closer subjects wide open. I bought here on B&S board for around $800 used, compared to about $1200 new at the time.
The great images with the 35 compelled me to buy the Loxia 21 shortly thereafter, (again, here on B&S from member Grenache -- thanks again, Jim!). This is still one of the most spectacular lenses in my collection for landscape and buildings. I think that was about $1000 at the time -- well down from the "new" price of around $1600, IIRC.
Still smitten, I next purchased the Loxia 50, even though I don't often shoot "longer" lenses. For a long time, it didn't get much use, but in the last year or so I've come to really like it a lot and gotten some really great results wide open at f/2.0. Plus, my 2-shot panos widen its appeal to me, providing a more square-ish 30-35mm focal length. I think this one, as all my purchases, was from the B&S board here.
My most favored lens came next: Loxia 25. Not much to say -- it has all the best features and image quality for my needs.
Lastly, I couldn't resist the Loxia 85 at a terrific used price. Definitely not in my preferred focal range, but I got some amazing Autumn colors last year with incredible details. Also, I came around to taking 2 and 3-shot panos, bringing the focal length down to a more manageable 35-50mm range.
All Loxias are great, but the 35mm started it all for me, and I still love it. Although some criticize the 35, I never had a problem shooting it side-by-side with the Loxia 21 (the 21 arguably in the top level of Loxia imaging, along with the 25). All these Loxia lenses have a "familial look" and pretty distinct sunstars.
Also -- check into some of the Voigtlander lenses from Cosina. All the newer Sony E-mount models have electric contacts/EXIF and are outstanding optically. I own the 15/4.5E and 40/1.2E to flesh out my manual focus lenses for Sony.
MARKFER wrote:
The purple early blooms up on top, above, are extraordinary. The color, the way they look like they are coming off the screen. A great photo.
