Tariq Gibran wrote:
You may be waiting indefinitely on that one. Sony and Zeiss tend to avoid competing against one another at the same speed and focal length. So we have the Sony ZA 35/1.4, the Zeiss Loxia 35/2 and the Sony ZA 35/2.8. I don't think Zeiss will compete against the ZA 35/1.4 with it a Loxia 35/1.4 (even though one is AF and the other MF). I could be wrong but that's what I suspect.
Ohh, I think you're right .. wishful thinking on my part!
I *think* I bought mine close to a year and a half ago. Pre-ordered it as I knew it would be amazing (on my Leica). All these good examples show me that maybe I should give it another go on the Sony.... Either way, it has been one of my top lenses and I have never thought of selling it. It has been glued to my Leica for quite a while.
Does anyone have experience with this lens and the Zeiss Distagon *T 2/25? I have the latter, which I shoot with a Metabones adapter. They look like they render similar, but the ZM appears to have better extreme corners when stopped down.
scrappydog wrote:
Does anyone have experience with this lens and the Zeiss Distagon *T 2/25? I have the latter, which I shoot with a Metabones adapter. They look like they render similar, but the ZM appears to have better extreme corners when stopped down.
I don't mean the FL. I am referencing the rendering of the lens. I want to know if someone who has shot them both will confirm whether they produce a similar look.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
You may be waiting indefinitely on that one. Sony and Zeiss tend to avoid competing against one another at the same speed and focal length. So we have the Sony ZA 35/1.4, the Zeiss Loxia 35/2 and the Sony ZA 35/2.8. I don't think Zeiss will compete against the ZA 35/1.4 with it a Loxia 35/1.4 (even though one is AF and the other MF). I could be wrong but that's what I suspect.
The ZM 35/1.4 has 49mm filter thread and tweaking it for the Sony sensor stack in a form of a Loxia version with a 52mm filter is definitely feasible. It could happen down the road but I would not count on it.
I'm sure the next Loxia will be a 85mm.
I don't know if they will or won't eventually make a Loxia 35/1.4 based on this design, but if they do and they price it the way the priced the Loxia Biogon 35 and Planar 50 compared to their ZM counterparts, be prepared to choke on the $2500 price tag.
How far close does this lens focus with the TechArt adapter? I know this was talked about in another thread, but I couldn't find any info on the ZM 35. The picture of the dog that Bob posted on the previous page, looks quite close. Are we talking about an MFD similar to the FE 35 1.4 here (around 0.3m)?
The size, performance and the sunstars make this lens an intriguing proposition, but then again the big GM zoom would be much more versatile, at a similar price tag.
Chris_88 wrote:
How far close does this lens focus with the TechArt adapter? I know this was talked about in another thread, but I couldn't find any info on the ZM 35. The picture of the dog that Bob posted on the previous page, looks quite close. Are we talking about an MFD similar to the FE 35 1.4 here (around 0.3m)?
The size, performance and the sunstars make this lens an intriguing proposition, but then again the big GM zoom would be much more versatile, at a similar price tag.
Chris,
I just tested this and yes, it's similar to what we get with the FE 35/1.4.
With the ZM 35/1.4, it actually gets as close as 10 inches or 0.25m. That's from the subject to the imaging sensor.
The normal MFD for this lens is 0.7m. (without the adapter)
uscmatt99 wrote:
Man you guys are killing me. I've had my radar trained on this lens since its release, but I have enough lenses covering 35mm focal length that I've resisted so far. That may soon change. A couple of questions.
I currently use a CV 35/1.2 vII as my fast manual focus walkaround 35mm. I looks like the ZM 35/1.4 is about 90 grams lighter. I've always felt the lens was dens and somewhat front-heavy. How does the ZM feel in terms of handling on the Sony A7II series bodies? ......
To me, the ZM seems to have crisper in-plane qualities with less SA, but the bokeh leaves something to be desired, at mid-distances anyway. Would those of you familiar with both lenses agree with that assessment?...Show more →
Compared to the 35/1.2, my impression was that the ZM was surprisingly lighter and felt a bit 'hollow' in comparison, but not in a bad way. I generally agree with your assessment and it's the mid-distance bokeh/rendering that made me hesitate getting it. That and the price at release. Well... at PPE+ 2014 Zeiss was quoting ~$2000 and it landed at $2300. Meanwhile its retail price in Japan was $1750 (back when the JPY was weaker)... Factor in the CAD and I shelved the idea and got the CV35/1.7 instead. I dislike the CV's ergonomics, but image quality is very good. I shot it briefly in comparison to the ZM and it was difficult to tell the difference. At infinity, with the copy of each I had, I preferred the CV (on a Leica).
For anyone shopping around for one, do consider overseas options. I.e. Leicashop has demo copies selling for about $1450 with free shipping. IIRC, Rich might have bought from them, though don't recall if it was a good experience. I got my CV from them and it went OK.
One thing with the 35/1.2 is that it works pretty well on stock Sony sensors. From what I recall, it's more moderate contrast, but as a result, bokeh might be a bit more gentle in some situations.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Chris,
I just tested this and yes, it's similar to what we get with the FE 35/1.4.
With the ZM 35/1.4, it actually gets as close as 10 inches or 0.25m. That's from the subject to the imaging sensor.
The normal MFD for this lens is 0.7m. (without the adapter)
That's for checking, Fred. Much appreciated. 25cm is already in rx1r macro mode territory, which is great. I guess, that's another plus point for the ZM 35 and TechArt combo. May be I have to reconsider my 35mm options yet again after all .
Re: CV 35 1.2, apart from being somewhat front heavy, I also found the color rendition way over the top. It always felt as if I had a polarizing filter in front of that lens.
That is the one thing I like with the tech art is the close focus now is so much better , I did not like it without seemed to far away. So yes that is a bonus with the TA. I'll get the same with the ZM 85 f4 when it comes maybe even tomorrow.
rscheffler wrote:
Compared to the 35/1.2, my impression was that the ZM was surprisingly lighter and felt a bit 'hollow' in comparison, but not in a bad way. I generally agree with your assessment and it's the mid-distance bokeh/rendering that made me hesitate getting it. That and the price at release. Well... at PPE+ 2014 Zeiss was quoting ~$2000 and it landed at $2300. Meanwhile its retail price in Japan was $1750 (back when the JPY was weaker)... Factor in the CAD and I shelved the idea and got the CV35/1.7 instead. I dislike the CV's ergonomics, but image quality is very good. I shot it briefly in comparison to the ZM and it was difficult to tell the difference. At infinity, with the copy of each I had, I preferred the CV (on a Leica).
For anyone shopping around for one, do consider overseas options. I.e. Leicashop has demo copies selling for about $1450 with free shipping. IIRC, Rich might have bought from them, though don't recall if it was a good experience. I got my CV from them and it went OK.
One thing with the 35/1.2 is that it works pretty well on stock Sony sensors. From what I recall, it's more moderate contrast, but as a result, bokeh might be a bit more gentle in some situations. ...Show more →
Hi Ron,
Yes I purchased my Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZM Distagon from the Leica Shop in Vienna in November and overall it was a very good experience. At the time of my purchase with the exchange rate, I paid a little less than $1800 US for a new copy of the lens (and free shipping) and the B&H Photo price was around $2300. I felt that I got an extremely good price and service. Registering the lens on-line increased my warranty from as I recall 2 years to a 3 year International Warranty and unless mistaken, copies sold in the US may only have a 2 year warrranty
Yes I purchased my Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZM Distagon from the Leica Shop in Vienna in November and overall it was a very good experience. At the time of my purchase with the exchange rate, I paid a little less than $1800 US for a new copy of the lens (and free shipping) and the B&H Photo price was around $2300. I felt that I got an extremely good price and service. Registering the lens on-line increased my warranty from as I recall 2 years to a 3 year International Warranty and unless mistaken, copies sold in the US may only have a 2 year wa.rranty
Someone wanted to see lens on body. My new rig also for table top. A RRS mini pod and midsize leica ballhead. I need to get a cheap clamp that I can screw on to a normal thread. I can't remove the screw so I need to screw into a plate. Any ideas welcome. I want something small though
Sorry iPad sucks for photos
GMPhotography wrote:
Someone wanted to see lens on body. My new rig also for table top. A RRS mini pod and midsize leica ballhead. I need to get a cheap clamp that I can screw on to a normal thread. I can't remove the screw so I need to screw into a plate. Any ideas welcome. I want something small though
Sorry iPad sucks for photos
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