I bought my ZM50/1.5 from the Austrian shop. Came out to about $980 USD. I hate dealing with rebate credit/gift cards. I did have to give up the convenience of warranty service in the US. I need to ask the vendor if they'd support getting the lens serviced via whatever the Austrian equivalent it to Zeiss USA should the need arise. I had an issue with my original 35mm C-Biogon and sent it in under warranty. Zeiss USA couldn't have made it easier, they just sent me a new lens after verifying the problem. It must be cheaper to do that than fix a gritty helicoid.
I shot an XT-1 with the 23 1.4 beside A7RII tapped with the ZM 35D. Knowing I could get into a used XT-1 for travel/street work much less than a 35D, I just had to see what they looked like compared to one another. Damn, the ZM 35D on the A7RII is just in another class. And for me, the ZM's diminutive size is amazing. Loved the aperture ring, solid clicks, focus ring is beautiful...I think I'm sold. Really excited.
I can tell, honestly it's so nice to be using some of these RF lenses again that I had to give up for diffrent systems and with the TAP now it really changed my buying decisions. I have 3 ZM lenses in my kit and love all three. My back thanks me too. But more important is the 3D look, color, pop and bokeh that really adds to the images. All personal taste of course but I like being diffrent than some of the cookie cutter lenses. This stuff gets me excited to shoot and have to say that's a huge bonus for a guy like me.
Man, I need to stay away from these threads, my credit card is starting to get warm!. I Just added the 85ZM and the TechArt Pro adapter to my existing C-sonnar and I'm now considering the 35 Distagon. My hesitation with the Distagon is that I already have the Nokton 35 1.2 ver2, it's a pretty nice lens so I would have to get rid of it before buying the Distagon.
Since you have the 50 sonnar than I would say you want the 35 Distagon as your sharp lens since your Nokton 35 1.2 has more a soft feel to it and may act more like your Sonnar. It's nice to have a different look between 35 and 50 as your new ZM 85 is going to be a laser. The difference between the Distagon and Your 1.2 Nokton is going to be pretty big. The ZM 35 as you seen in this thread is a show stopper for 3D, punch and pop. I don't think your getting that now with your VC Nokton 1.2 as that's not its design. Just something to think about. I know having the ZM 35 that I can jump on that when I want sharp and my Sonnar 50 when I want a nice type of portrait look or glow let's say. Than you have the 35 and 85 that can do landscape very well..
Do not tell your spouse I said this. I'm on enough black lists. Lol
In fairness to the CV 35/1.2, it does landscapes arguably as well as the ZM 35/1.4, assuming one is stopping down. The CV lacks the sharpness and pop of the ZM at large apertures in the center. The CV sort of has a split personality and has a more painterly feel with great bokeh for portraits at close range from wide open, but get extremely sharp when stopped down.
I finally managed to put down my film cameras and shot some digital images. This was from an AfterBurn event in Venice last night, the B&W portrait was taken in a dimly lit room at the back of a restaurant, same evening.
p.s. that's not some weird lens flare in the second shot, but someone spinning led lights.
Great images. I recently went through a thread looking at the Loxia 35 and 50, and a common sentiment was folks really wanting a Batis 35 F2. Even if it existed, I can still see the advantage of a tapped ZM 35D--faster, and I'm sure smaller. Despite that, for some people I can see the ZM 35D being a stand-in for a future Batis, particularly people who'd rathe not deal wit an adapted lens. Where do some of you that have the ZM fit in there? Assuming at Batis 35 F2 came out and could be considered compact and had great performance, are you in love with the ZM enough that there'd still be no substitute to its charms/assets?
Jack Thompson wrote:
Great images. I recently went through a thread looking at the Loxia 35 and 50, and a common sentiment was folks really wanting a Batis 35 F2. Even if it existed, I can still see the advantage of a tapped ZM 35D--faster, and I'm sure smaller. Despite that, for some people I can see the ZM 35D being a stand-in for a future Batis, particularly people who'd rathe not deal wit an adapted lens. Where do some of you that have the ZM fit in there? Assuming at Batis 35 F2 came out and could be considered compact and had great performance, are you in love with the ZM enough that there'd still be no substitute to its charms/assets? ...Show more →
I personally don't like Voigtlander 35mm f1.7 barrel design. However, I think anyone serious in small manual focus 35mm lens should have a good look of that lens. Small, lighter, cheaper and It might have one of better 35mm Bokeh I have seen with beautiful sunstar, great sharpness stop down.
Well a couple of hours of ownership of the ZM and Im loving it already. Cant wait for the TechartPro to show up! My lens test model took some bribing this evening but I won him over in the end
I have also joined the 35 ZM club I really like the rendering of this lens. And it`s very nice to operate. I bought the silver version, because I got very nice deal on it. I think this is the best 35mm lens I have ever used!
PersonCyborg wrote:
I have also joined the 35 ZM club I really like the rendering of this lens. And it`s very nice to operate. I bought the silver version, because I got very nice deal on it. I think this is the best 35mm lens I have ever used!
Another convert here - I've now had it for four days, and it would have to be the best 35 mm lens I've ever used. It has some field curvature at infinity, but its easily manageable, and I now have it delivering beautifully sharp edge to edge images for landscape at F/5.6 or F/8, as well as the more shallow-field effects as in this shot. And with the TAP adapter it's fantastic as an auto focus lens.
I have had this lens for a couple of weeks now, and the initial impression is that its the best 35 I have had. To be clear, I use it on a A7 so I was a bit curious about how it would perform (most if not all photos I have seen in this thread is with a newer generation of cameras).
I generally use the lens either wide open for bokeh shots or at f8 (landscapes or cityscapes). For both purposes the lens has been better than I expected. As is well reported from others, center sharpness is excellent already from wide open, and edge to edge sharpness is excellent once the lens is stopped down. On my A7 the lens has a rendering style that I perceive to be somewhat different than what I get from my Loxia 35. Both lenses are sharp once stopped down, but without having tested it, I feel that the ZM has somewhat better resolution. Bokeh is smoother than the Loxia. Still, the ZM still retain some structure in the out of focus areas, which I like very much. The combination of narrow depth of field, excellent resolution and lovely colours create a 3d pop that is much more apparent than with the Loxia.
Last week I was deciding which 35mm lens I use the most: RX1RII or Zeiss 35/1.4 ZM?
The answer was RX1RII because it's a much lighter system with superb IQ and I tend to have it always with me.
Although I find the Zeiss 35/1.4 ZM spectacular on the A7RII, especially considering its size, it's no secret that it was not designed for the Sony's sensor stack. Still, it's superb wide open in the center and just as sharp, if not sharper than the RX1RII at f/6.3 and smaller apertures. (landscapes)
However, in a moment of weakness, trying to simplify my system, I decided to sell my 35 ZM and use the RX1RII exclusively for this FL. So, I went ahead and placed the ad on the buy and sell board... luckily got no initial bites. (Only trade offers, etc.)
To avoid any seller's remorse, I spent many hours with the lens mainly taking some candids and seascapes. (I mainly use this lens at f/1.4 and f/8!). After checking the LCD every other shot, I quickly realized it would be crazy to sell the ZM. I am drawn to the very high micro-contrast and rendering. It's now back in my bag next to the RX1RII. There is plenty room for both.
