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Archive 2016 · Loxia 35 revisited

DavidBM
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Loxia 35 revisited

It's been a while since the Loxia 35 came out. It was received to underwhelming reviews: people said it was good, but too expensive, the FE 35/2.8 was better at 2.8, the Loxia was not great at f2, and that at f5.6 and below they were a wash.

So I never really was interested. But when I got a Lox 21, and was thrilled, I thought I'd try the Lox 50 when I found one at a good price. Well that thrilled me too. No doubt a new design from scratch could be better, but it's tiny and great stopped down - and has those lovely sunstars that the 21 had.

So I started to get interested in Lox 35. Borrowing one from a friend I was struck at how transparent and contrasty it is stopped down. Just wonderful (and for landscape can be even more wonderful if you focus on the centre and corner and focus stack. You don't have to of course - it's still plenty sharp enough - but if you do you get edges damn near as good as the very centre, which is astonishing.

But what it does do is produce those lovely sunstars. If you work the angle right it can produce a level of contrast in backlight that few lenses can manage. And it's tiny.

So I have one I bought on these forums, and I'm very pleased

Aug 19, 2016 at 11:45 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Loxia 35 revisited

Beautiful shot. It does showcase the lens very nicely.

I also think the Loxia 35 is a great lens. Stopped down to f/8-9 is shows strong mid-field and very good corners. It has very high micro-contrast, colors and as you wrote, the sunstar is beautiful.
At f/2.8 it has great pop or 3D if you prefer. It's very Zeiss.

Aug 19, 2016 at 11:59 PM

DavidBM
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Loxia 35 revisited

Another example of how it handles backlight with aplomb..

Edited on Aug 20, 2016 at 06:17 AM · View previous versions

Aug 20, 2016 at 01:37 AM

philber
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Loxia 35 revisited

David, I don't think that anyone said the Loxia 35 was a bad lens. Just, for a lens of that price, having to stop down very significantly to get sharp corners seemed underwhelming. It may also have suffered from being a rehash of the ZM 35 f:2.0, itself not the most loved lens in the ZM lineup. I owned and loved a Loxia 50 and a 21, but never connected with my ZM 35 f:2.0, so I didn't try out the Loxia 35. If you tell me it is as good as the 21 and 50, I could, and maybe should revisit that.

Aug 20, 2016 at 02:38 AM

DavidBM
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Loxia 35 revisited

philber wrote:
David, I don't think that anyone said the Loxia 35 was a bad lens. Just, for a lens of that price, having to stop down very significantly to get sharp corners seemed underwhelming. It may also have suffered from being a rehash of the ZM 35 f:2.0, itself not the most loved lens in the ZM lineup. I owned and loved a Loxia 50 and a 21, but never connected with my ZM 35 f:2.0, so I didn't try out the Loxia 35. If you tell me it is as good as the 21 and 50, I could, and maybe...Show more →

Hi Philippe

I won't tell you it's as good as the L21; that is, after all, state of the art for a 21.
And it's not as sharp as the L50 at wider apertures. F2 is a bit hazy from SA; though for some purposes that's fine. It gives that hit of "classic" if that's your thing. It's not as sharp in the corners as the FE 2.8 at 2.8 either - though I much prefer it's separation and contrast.

But at small apertures it's like a wider L 50. If has a contrasty look that I don't know how to get elsewhere in the FE mount (maybe the gmaster zoom?). It handles backlight wonderfully and it's ten straight bladed iris produces magic sunstars. And it's sharp from corner to corner stopped down for landscape.

I can't tell you if it's worth US 1300. But it does give a look that you can't get elsewhere. And good copies can be had used for a lot less than the new price - I think people were hoping for a lens that's sharp corner to corner 2-2.8. It's not quite that. But it's peerless stopped down in my experience (which means Canon 35 1.4, FE 35 2.8, cy 35-70, FE 35 1.4, Leica 35 ash, and assorted lesser zooms and legacy 35s from my film days).

Aug 20, 2016 at 03:40 AM

Chuck Coyne
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Loxia 35 revisited

David,

I agree with you about how nice the Loxia 35 performs for landscape work. I have all 3 Loxia's as well and they all make great sun stars and stopped down to f/8-11 are wonderful for landscapes. I also have focus stacked the 35 and find it to produce some very sharp center to corner shots and with that Zeiss character.
Chuck

Aug 20, 2016 at 07:53 AM

Mystik
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Loxia 35 revisited

What appeals most to me about the loxia lenses is the rendering...sunstars included.

They may not measure as well as other lenses in their range, or may not be the best when pixel peeping at 100%....but the images just have a look to them that I love.

Aug 20, 2016 at 07:56 AM

darbo
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Loxia 35 revisited

I purchased the Loxia 35mm a couple weeks back and returned it. I don't think I've ever been so conflicted over a lens. The gorgeous color and contrast are so wonderfully Zeiss, and the in-field shooting experience with the Loxia is sublime. But the f/2 performance was too weak (for me) and just couldn't bring myself to keep it at that price. Still, I would love revisit the lens one day.

Nice shots David!

Edited on Aug 20, 2016 at 08:53 AM · View previous versions

Aug 20, 2016 at 08:17 AM

klasGelinder
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Loxia 35 revisited

I have all three Loxias as well and I like all three, but I like the rendering of the 35 the best.

Floating lighthouse by Klas, on Flickr

Aug 20, 2016 at 08:34 AM

jhinkey
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Loxia 35 revisited

darbo wrote:
I purchased the Loxia 35mm a couple weeks back and returned it. I don't think I've ever been so conflicted over a lens. The gorgeous color and contrast are so wonderfully Zeiss, and the in-field shooting experience with the Loxia is sublime. But the f/2 performance was just too weak (for me) and just couldn't bring myself to keep it at that price. Still, I would love revisit the lens one day.

Nice shots David!

My experience too. Tried one directly against a 35/2.8 Sony and the Sony was the keeper. I can't believe Zeiss charges that much for a lens with such poor wide open performance. Otherwise it was fantastic for sunstars, contrast, build quality, size, etc.

Aug 20, 2016 at 08:46 AM

DannyBurkPhoto
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Loxia 35 revisited

I keep thinking about getting one. Have any of you tried it specifically with infrared? I've seen a few comments that it's good as far as hotspots, but I'm wondering if its resolution maintains superiority over the 16-35 zoom, for example, in IR. At first glance you'd think that "yes" seems logical, but you never know with IR.

Yesterday I tested my Zeiss 15/2.8 ZE against both of my 16-35/4 (Canon and Zony) and was rather surprised to see that there was basically no difference in the 15 as far as resolution in IR on a converted A7R (850nm). The 15 also has a rather hazy hotspot, which I expected, although it's not as bad as the hotspots in other Zeiss wides.

Aug 20, 2016 at 09:05 AM

MrTMan
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Loxia 35 revisited

I'm quite pleased with my Loxia. I switched from the 35/2.8 to the Loxia 35 and much prefer the Loxia's character and rendering.

I shoot it mostly at f/2-f/4, and while the Sony 2.8 is sharper across the frame at those apertures, I have no complaints at all with the Loxia's center sharpness. I love the results that I get from the Loxia and actually like the fact that it has a different character to it than my other, modern lenses.

The 2.8 just never worked for me. I had a good copy, and I think it's fine for snapshots or landscapes, but I found the color/contrast a little flat.

The 35/1.4 FE is still my favorite 35, but I also love shooting with the Loxia as a more portable alternative.

Loxia 35 at f/2

Loxia 35 at f/2.8

Aug 20, 2016 at 09:05 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Loxia 35 revisited

jhinkey wrote:
My experience too. Tried one directly against a 35/2.8 Sony and the Sony was the keeper. I can't believe Zeiss charges that much for a lens with such poor wide open performance. Otherwise it was fantastic for sunstars, contrast, build quality, size, etc.

I agree on the price. It should be the same as Lox 50/2.
From my experience it does not have poor wide open performance around the center area. It's actually quite good.
This lens has a classic biogon optical formula and is under-corrected for SA but imo, that adds to its character making it a great choice for environment portraits.
It draws differently compared side-by-side to the FE35/2.8, with better subject separation and smoother rendering. It may not match the 35/2.8 in terms of resolution at f/2.8 but there are other aspects of the lens to consider and appreciate. At f/8, astigmatism is still visible towards the corners though.

Of course, it you put this lens through an optical bench, it may not perform as good as its peers towards the corners at wider apertures but it's more about the look and rendering for this one.

Aug 20, 2016 at 10:21 AM

DavidBM
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Loxia 35 revisited

darbo wrote:
I purchased the Loxia 35mm a couple weeks back and returned it. I don't think I've ever been so conflicted over a lens. The gorgeous color and contrast are so wonderfully Zeiss, and the in-field shooting experience with the Loxia is sublime. But the f/2 performance was too weak (for me) and just couldn't bring myself to keep it at that price. Still, I would love revisit the lens one day.

Nice shots David!

Yep I t all depends on the brief you had for the lens. If a principal need you had was contrasty across the field performance ar f2 (perhaps cityscapes at infinity at night, for example, where. everything is at infinity so f2 is fine, you want to hand hold, but you need snap and across the field performance) then you were right not to keep the lens. The ZA 1.4 stopped down will perform better. There's no compact alternative that dies this well, though a good copy of the ZA 2.8 does this sort of job at 2.8 better than the Lox.

But at 2.8 (and even for central subjects) enviro portraits produce a lovely rendering and separation and look that you can't get with other lenses, and then there is the principal selling feature which is the contrast and colour stopped down, and those sunstars, in a compact and haptically nice package. I'm sure a Batis f2. Will come one day, and it'll be an overall better optic. But it won't have the sunstars, be as compact, or render the way this symmetrical design does. Does all of this make it a sensible purchase even second hand? Well it's not cheap and it's not perfect. And it'll depend (of course) on your in tended use.cases and the rest of your kit. But it's earned a vey happy place in my kit for the foreseeable future.

Aug 20, 2016 at 11:27 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Loxia 35 revisited

DavidBM wrote:
Yep I t all depends on the brief you had for the lens. If a principal need you had was contrasty across the field performance ar f2 (perhaps cityscapes at infinity at night, for example, where. everything is at infinity so f2 is fine, you want to hand hold, but you need snap and across the field performance) then you were right not to keep the lens. The ZA 1.4 stopped down will perform better. There's no compact alternative that dies this well, though a good copy of the ZA 2.8 does this sort of job at 2.8 better than...Show more →

David, are you still shooting with the 35-70/3.4? I sold mine and regretted after reviewing some of my images.
It shares a similar look when compared to the L35. High micro contrast and great stopped down to the edges. I just got another copy.

Aug 20, 2016 at 11:33 AM

DavidBM
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Loxia 35 revisited

Fred Miranda wrote:
David, are you still shooting with the 35-70/3.4? I sold mine and regretted after reviewing some of my images.
It shares a similar look when compared to the L35. High micro contrast and great stopped down to the edges. I just got another copy.

Sure am! I use it for multi day backpacking together with the L21. Not much to choose between it and the L35 stopped down - very slightly better contrast and sparkle on the L35, better against the light, and those sunstars.... The c/y makes for a considerable weight and convenience saving alternative to a three prime kit, with little or no compromise in stopped down performance in most circs. It was thanks to your tests that I got the c/y.

Aug 20, 2016 at 11:46 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Loxia 35 revisited

DavidBM wrote:
Sure am! I use it for multi day backpacking together with the L21. Not much to choose between it and the L35 stopped down - very slightly better contrast and sparkle on the L35, better against the light, and those sunstars.... The c/y makes for a considerable weight and convenience saving alternative to a three prime kit, with little or no compromise in stopped down performance in most circs. It was thanks to your tests that I got the c/y.

Yes, the CY zoom is a keeper!

Aug 20, 2016 at 11:57 AM

DavidBM
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Loxia 35 revisited

So here a couple of Loxia 35 shots to show performance at less close distances.
They are hand held, but relatively decent shutter speeds. F8.
I include centre and extreme corner 1:1 crops from the opera house shot (LR default sharpening)

Sydney Opera House, detail.

Cruise ship blocks the view, Circular Quay, Sydney

Centre 1:1 crop (42MP) from Opera House shot.

Tope Right Corner 1:1 crop (42MP) from Opera House shot.

Aug 20, 2016 at 11:24 PM

arduluth
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Loxia 35 revisited

I've been thinking about getting a used copy of the 35mm. The SA wide open is the only thing giving me pause. One of the main uses would be concert photography. Light is usually poor, often shooting 1/60, f/2, and ISO 6400-12800. My main lens for this now is the Contax G 45mm, along with the Sony FE 28mm and Pentax 77mm Limited. I'd like to widen out my main lens and eliminate the 28mm to simplify things. Focus point 2-3m,not close or infinity.

I don't suppose anyone has any low light images along those lines? Concerts, maybe plays, folks across the table at dinner, etc. Just curious how the SA looks in that kind of situation. If I have to use f/2.8 it's not a ton of use for me, already have a nice Nikon 35mm f/2.8 Pre-Ai that is excellent wide open.

Aug 21, 2016 at 07:44 AM

DavidBM
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Loxia 35 revisited

arduluth wrote:
I've been thinking about getting a used copy of the 35mm. The SA wide open is the only thing giving me pause. One of the main uses would be concert photography. Light is usually poor, often shooting 1/60, f/2, and ISO 6400-12800. My main lens for this now is the Contax G 45mm, along with the Sony FE 28mm and Pentax 77mm Limited. I'd like to widen out my main lens and eliminate the 28mm to simplify things. Focus point 2-3m,not close or infinity.

I don't suppose anyone has any low light images along those lines? Concerts, maybe plays, folks across...Show more →

I might have some samples in a few days. But, love this lens though I do, I don't think it's what you need for concert photography. If you can find an OK copy of the ZA 35/1.4 you'd be better off - or the Sigma 35 with their new adapter.

Aug 21, 2016 at 07:52 AM

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