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Archive 2015Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
p.48 #1Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Has anyone tried the Loxia 21 on a Kolari Mod A7R or A7R II? In couple of other threads (one I can remember is ZM 35), we have seen tendency for M-mount wide lenses to show inward field curvature. Looking at the Loxia it seems like to compensate for cover glass and attain optimum corner sharpness, Zeiss may have had to introduce outward field curvature. Based on common sense, I would expect a design like that may have more corner/centering variation.
To test this theory we need to see if Kolari modified body shows more outward curvature than an unmodified body.
To test this theory we need to see if Kolari modified body shows more outward curvature than an unmodified body.
Mar 01, 2016 at 01:30 PM
p.48 #2Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Jannik, did they adjust the lens you sent in or just replaced it with new one? Would be nice to know if they can really adjust these.
Mar 01, 2016 at 01:34 PM
p.48 #3Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
The first lens was really broken, not just decentered. There was an error in the process but the problem showed up only once. This explains why only one corner was bad while the other three were ok. That lens got replaced. The second lens had the infinity stop before infinity, that got adjusted.
The reason why I was thinking about selling it was that I am pretty angry about what has happened with my Zeiss lenses and with the support in the last two months. I have to point out that the service of the last case was good and friendly, the work was executed perfectly. You must know that I am an idealist when it comes to service. To be honest, I like the 2.8/21 so much that I am not sure at the moment, maybe I will really keep it. The 2/50 and the MP100 can be replaced much more easily, they will leave me soon (2/50 already sold).
Edited on Mar 01, 2016 at 05:43 PM · View previous versions
The reason why I was thinking about selling it was that I am pretty angry about what has happened with my Zeiss lenses and with the support in the last two months. I have to point out that the service of the last case was good and friendly, the work was executed perfectly. You must know that I am an idealist when it comes to service. To be honest, I like the 2.8/21 so much that I am not sure at the moment, maybe I will really keep it. The 2/50 and the MP100 can be replaced much more easily, they will leave me soon (2/50 already sold).
Edited on Mar 01, 2016 at 05:43 PM · View previous versions
Mar 01, 2016 at 05:34 PM
p.48 #4Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
bbvaj wrote:
Has anyone tried the Loxia 21 on a Kolari Mod A7R or A7R II? In couple of other threads (one I can remember is ZM 35), we have seen tendency for M-mount wide lenses to show inward field curvature. Looking at the Loxia it seems like to compensate for cover glass and attain optimum corner sharpness, Zeiss may have had to introduce outward field curvature. Based on common sense, I would expect a design like that may have more corner/centering variation.
To test this theory we need to see if Kolari modified body shows more outward curvature than an unmodified body.
I do not see any inward field curvature in my latest corrections with Cornerfix for either my 35mm f1.4 Distagon ZM or my Leica M 24mm f38 Asph with my A7rM V3:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1399489/6#13437585
Rich
Has anyone tried the Loxia 21 on a Kolari Mod A7R or A7R II? In couple of other threads (one I can remember is ZM 35), we have seen tendency for M-mount wide lenses to show inward field curvature. Looking at the Loxia it seems like to compensate for cover glass and attain optimum corner sharpness, Zeiss may have had to introduce outward field curvature. Based on common sense, I would expect a design like that may have more corner/centering variation.
To test this theory we need to see if Kolari modified body shows more outward curvature than an unmodified body.
I do not see any inward field curvature in my latest corrections with Cornerfix for either my 35mm f1.4 Distagon ZM or my Leica M 24mm f38 Asph with my A7rM V3:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1399489/6#13437585
Rich
Mar 01, 2016 at 05:39 PM
p.48 #5Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Jannik Peters wrote:
The First lens was really broken, there was an error in the process but the problem showed up only once. This explains why only one corner was bad while the other three were ok. That lens gote replaced. The second lens had the infinity stop before infinity, that got adjusted.
The reason why I was thinking about selling it was that I am pretty angry about what has happened with my Zeiss lenses and with the support in the last two months. I have to point out that the service of the last case was good and friendly, the work...Show more →
I know the feeling. It's frustrating to wait so long for service. The good news, is that at the end you got a good copy.
In the past, Zeiss would replace lenses instead of sending them to Germany for service making the process very fast and convenient for their customers.
Thanks for your review.
The First lens was really broken, there was an error in the process but the problem showed up only once. This explains why only one corner was bad while the other three were ok. That lens gote replaced. The second lens had the infinity stop before infinity, that got adjusted.
The reason why I was thinking about selling it was that I am pretty angry about what has happened with my Zeiss lenses and with the support in the last two months. I have to point out that the service of the last case was good and friendly, the work...Show more →
I know the feeling. It's frustrating to wait so long for service. The good news, is that at the end you got a good copy.
In the past, Zeiss would replace lenses instead of sending them to Germany for service making the process very fast and convenient for their customers.
Thanks for your review.
Mar 01, 2016 at 05:48 PM
p.48 #6Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
I think the fact you shared your experience here has had much more impact than selling the lens would. If you sell the lens, you basically reward a buyer with a perfect lens. It seems like you've "earned" this lens.
I realize you need to be true to yourself though, so my comments above maybe more of a rationalization than an attempt at sound reasoning.
-Tim
Jannik Peters wrote:
The first lens was really broken, not just decentered. There was an error in the process but the problem showed up only once. This explains why only one corner was bad while the other three were ok. That lens got replaced. The second lens had the infinity stop before infinity, that got adjusted.
The reason why I was thinking about selling it was that I am pretty angry about what has happened with my Zeiss lenses and with the support in the last two months. I have to point out that the service of the last case was good and...Show more →
I realize you need to be true to yourself though, so my comments above maybe more of a rationalization than an attempt at sound reasoning.
-Tim
Jannik Peters wrote:
The first lens was really broken, not just decentered. There was an error in the process but the problem showed up only once. This explains why only one corner was bad while the other three were ok. That lens got replaced. The second lens had the infinity stop before infinity, that got adjusted.
The reason why I was thinking about selling it was that I am pretty angry about what has happened with my Zeiss lenses and with the support in the last two months. I have to point out that the service of the last case was good and...Show more →
Mar 01, 2016 at 06:00 PM
p.48 #7Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Well I know about the frustration with the FE 35 1.4 as I went through 4 of them but even the last copy still was not dead in perfect and I gave up. But if I had a completely fixed copy I would have probably kept it. Right now I have the VC 35 1.7 and I am actually starting to like it . But I'm waiting to see what the zoom does for now.
OT I got the best bag ever today. Love it Tenba Copper 13 slim. Sony owners would absolutely love this bag. I walked a ton today in NY and what a great bag. Not exactly cheap but folks need to look into it. 6 lenses and body and never felt bulky or heavy
OT I got the best bag ever today. Love it Tenba Copper 13 slim. Sony owners would absolutely love this bag. I walked a ton today in NY and what a great bag. Not exactly cheap but folks need to look into it. 6 lenses and body and never felt bulky or heavy
Mar 01, 2016 at 06:29 PM
p.48 #8Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Do any of you Loxia afficianados know if anyone has done a compare of the Loxia 21 with the Ultron 21. I have the latter, and it works well for me, but I'm wondering how these two compare in optical performance, that is leaving aside the question of electronic coupling, exif data, size, weight and the fixed hood. Thanks, John
Mar 01, 2016 at 08:30 PM
p.48 #9Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Won't put myself in the aficionado class, but from my limited experience with both lens I would say the Loxia has much better image quality that the Ultron. The only reason I didn't keep the Loxia was decentering, but I liked it enough I am considering rolling the dice again.
If you get a good copy, the Loxia is really stellar.
If you get a good copy, the Loxia is really stellar.
Mar 01, 2016 at 10:14 PM
p.48 #10Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
FYI guys...
popflash on ebay has 3 left in stock!!! They are authorized dealers.
popflash on ebay has 3 left in stock!!! They are authorized dealers.
Mar 01, 2016 at 11:33 PM
p.48 #11Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Got my Loxia 21.
Some testing shows a very slightly tilted plane of focus on my A7RII with almost all field curvature showing on the right side where the plane of focus curves towards me. (2m focus distance.) The slightly tilted plane of focus results in no field curvature showing on the left side and an exaggerated effect of the field curvature on the right side.
Focused at infinity in the centre (just before the hard stop) the left side is sharp from wide open while the right side needs stopping down to f/8 to get sharp. Focusing to the hard stops brings the right side in focus also wide open.
Except from the tilt the lens shows excellent sharpness.
On my old A7R the plane of focus is not tilted. (My FE55 shows a slightly tilted plane of focus the opposite way on this camera which is not visible on the A7RII.)
The Loxia21 like the FE55 (and FE 1.4/35?) seems to be very sensitive to slight mount misalignments...
I will try to shim the Loxia when I get the time to see if i can correct the tilt.
....and I love the rest, the small size & form factor, manual focussing, feel and handling.
Some testing shows a very slightly tilted plane of focus on my A7RII with almost all field curvature showing on the right side where the plane of focus curves towards me. (2m focus distance.) The slightly tilted plane of focus results in no field curvature showing on the left side and an exaggerated effect of the field curvature on the right side.
Focused at infinity in the centre (just before the hard stop) the left side is sharp from wide open while the right side needs stopping down to f/8 to get sharp. Focusing to the hard stops brings the right side in focus also wide open.
Except from the tilt the lens shows excellent sharpness.
On my old A7R the plane of focus is not tilted. (My FE55 shows a slightly tilted plane of focus the opposite way on this camera which is not visible on the A7RII.)
The Loxia21 like the FE55 (and FE 1.4/35?) seems to be very sensitive to slight mount misalignments...
I will try to shim the Loxia when I get the time to see if i can correct the tilt.
....and I love the rest, the small size & form factor, manual focussing, feel and handling.
Mar 03, 2016 at 02:14 AM
p.48 #12Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Fred Miranda wrote:
I know the feeling. It's frustrating to wait so long for service. The good news, is that at the end you got a good copy.
In the past, Zeiss would replace lenses instead of sending them to Germany for service making the process very fast and convenient for their customers.
Thanks for your review.
Wow, you are lucky in the US then, especially if they send selected and problem-free samples as replacement.
tsdevine wrote:
I think the fact you shared your experience here has had much more impact than selling the lens would. If you sell the lens, you basically reward a buyer with a perfect lens. It seems like you've "earned" this lens.
I realize you need to be true to yourself though, so my comments above maybe more of a rationalization than an attempt at sound reasoning.
Thank you, Tim. It is a really interisting way to see the things, maybe you are right. The odyssee must have been good for something and maybe it is the perfect Loxia in that case.
The last contact with Zeiss calmed my anger a little, they even sent me a lens cleaning kit as excuse for my trouble. I am going to keep the Loxia 2.8/21, although I already bought already a 4/16-35 that I just sold again. (Not the money to keep both).
I am planning to pair it with the FE 28 and the FE 55 for general work or with the CY 35-70 and the CY 3.5/100 for landscaping. Maybe the Voigtländer 4.5/15 or 5.6/12 will be a good addition at the lower end but they still have to convince me that they are worth the relatively high price tag.
I know the feeling. It's frustrating to wait so long for service. The good news, is that at the end you got a good copy.
In the past, Zeiss would replace lenses instead of sending them to Germany for service making the process very fast and convenient for their customers.
Thanks for your review.
Wow, you are lucky in the US then, especially if they send selected and problem-free samples as replacement.
tsdevine wrote:
I think the fact you shared your experience here has had much more impact than selling the lens would. If you sell the lens, you basically reward a buyer with a perfect lens. It seems like you've "earned" this lens.
I realize you need to be true to yourself though, so my comments above maybe more of a rationalization than an attempt at sound reasoning.
Thank you, Tim. It is a really interisting way to see the things, maybe you are right. The odyssee must have been good for something and maybe it is the perfect Loxia in that case.
The last contact with Zeiss calmed my anger a little, they even sent me a lens cleaning kit as excuse for my trouble. I am going to keep the Loxia 2.8/21, although I already bought already a 4/16-35 that I just sold again. (Not the money to keep both).
I am planning to pair it with the FE 28 and the FE 55 for general work or with the CY 35-70 and the CY 3.5/100 for landscaping. Maybe the Voigtländer 4.5/15 or 5.6/12 will be a good addition at the lower end but they still have to convince me that they are worth the relatively high price tag.
Mar 03, 2016 at 04:01 AM
p.48 #13Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Samys ebay store has it in stock now
Mar 03, 2016 at 10:12 AM
p.48 #14Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Now in stock at Adorama. Looks like Zeiss is finally catching up with demand!!!
Mar 04, 2016 at 12:38 AM
p.48 #16Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Some fresh stuff from this morning 
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Zeiss Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Zeiss Loxia 2.8/21 by Jannik Peters, auf Flickr
Mar 04, 2016 at 12:34 PM
p.48 #17Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Looks great. You look to have a nice copy now. I really like this lens. I better I retooled my kit for it.
Mar 04, 2016 at 12:51 PM
p.48 #18Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Thank you!
I have to do that too. I am planning to do the following setups:
General photography:
Loxia 21
FE 2/28
FE 1.8/55
Sth longer with AF, not sure what
Landscaping:
Maybe Voigtländer 4.5/15 III
Loxia 2.8/21
Contax 3.4/35-70
Contax 3.5/100
I have to do that too. I am planning to do the following setups:
General photography:
Loxia 21
FE 2/28
FE 1.8/55
Sth longer with AF, not sure what
Landscaping:
Maybe Voigtländer 4.5/15 III
Loxia 2.8/21
Contax 3.4/35-70
Contax 3.5/100
Mar 04, 2016 at 02:14 PM
p.48 #19Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
this is going to sound like a stupid question / point - but i've never had a MF lens before - but after reviewing all these amazing Loxia 21 photos, i thought i'd take the plunge - despite some UI concerns about the narrow aperture ring and being so close to the focus ring - which turned out to be a real pain in the ass - the reason i'm sending this back and am going to wait to see what the Batis 18 turns out to be is - having to set the aperture to f/2.8, focus (which turned out to be a relatively painless experience with the EVF, i'm happy to say) and then having to change to the shooting aperture - what a royal pain in the arse especially how narrow the aperture ring is. why couldn't Zeiss have done it where i set it at f/8 (or wherever i want to shoot) but while i am focusing the lens is wide open? am i missing something?
the aperture ring needs to be 2x wider than it is, then a gap between it and the focus ring equal to this doubled size and the ribbing on the rings needs to be deeper/grippier - perhaps because i was new to the lens and the whole MF, but i kept finding myself pulling the camera away from my eye to see what the i was grabbing onto.
no denying OUTSTANDING IQ.
the aperture ring needs to be 2x wider than it is, then a gap between it and the focus ring equal to this doubled size and the ribbing on the rings needs to be deeper/grippier - perhaps because i was new to the lens and the whole MF, but i kept finding myself pulling the camera away from my eye to see what the i was grabbing onto.
no denying OUTSTANDING IQ.
Mar 05, 2016 at 10:04 PM
p.48 #20Zeiss Unveils the Loxia 21mm f/2.8
I agree that the Loxias should have auto aperture closing, though I think it's less of a problem with the 21 than it is with the other ones. I mainly used the focus scale when shooting with this lens, as I'd put infinity on f/8, stop down and almost everything would be in focus from near to far.
Mar 06, 2016 at 07:42 AM