For landscape/long focus distance, the Zeiss MP100/2 is an excellent option (in addition to its macro capabilities).
Yes, the Zeiss is very sharp at all distances - including long range - as is the Leica 100/2.8. Both are easily capable of out-resolving our current sensors so that neither sharpness nor contrast is much of a differentiator between them.
Without wanting to downplay how good a lens the Zeiss 100MP is, the big difference between the two in optical performance is that the Leica shows none of the purple fringing that the Zeiss displays on high-contrast edges when shot at f/2 - f/5.6, and the Leica is almost totally devoid of the green-magenta bokeh fringing that the Zeiss produces at macro to mid-range subject distances unless it\'s stopped down significantly.
Other differences...
The Leica has a very very long focus throw, taking 2 full focus ring rotations to go from infinity to 1:2, while the Zeiss takes close to one rotation to do the same. This means that it\'s sometimes easier to focus the Leica accurately as it has more range of rotation for a similar range of focus change, but also means that the Zeiss is much quicker to focus quickly if you\'re shooting quickly. The Leica seems to take forever to focus at distances other than close-in, but the Zeiss can be very touchy to get accurate focus at longer focus distances.
As a couple of specific examples, a quarter turn from infinity on the Leica focuses down to about 6ft while the same rotation on the Zeiss is down to about 3 ft, but more critically for general use, the Leica takes about 45 degrees of focus ring rotation to go from infinity to 12ft while the same distance on the Zeiss is about 10 degrees of rotation. (And with either, they are so brutally sharp that they ruthlessly punish any focusing errors.)
From a flare perspective, the T* coatings on the Zeiss are significantly better at managing flare with contra-lighting. The Leica does lose quite a bit of contrast with backlighting where the Zeiss is significantly better. However the Zeiss isn\'t as good as the latest coatings from Canikon, as the Canon 100L is about as much better than the Zeiss at managing flare with contra-lighting than the Zeiss as compared to the Leica.
From a build quality perspective, both are superb - the Leica feels like a dense heavy duty tank, while the Zeiss feels a bit lighter - more like a medium duty tank - but compared to almost anything else out there, either is leagues better.
The Leica has a built-in sliding hood that provides pretty good shading when combined with the recessed front elements, while the Zeiss has a nice, reversible hood that also does a good job but makes the lens a bit more bulky in use than the Leica.
And one more minor difference ... the Leica focus and aperture rings rotate in opposite directions to those of the Zeiss ZF lenses and Nikon lenses.
...anyway, sorry for the dump of info, but it you\'re at all interested in either of these lenses as the high-water mark for 100mm IQ, I wanted to share this so you can understand the differences between them.
For landscape/long focus distance, the Zeiss MP100/2 is an excellent option (in addition to its macro capabilities).
Yes, the Zeiss is very sharp at all distances - including long range - as is the Leica 100/2.8. Both are easily capable of out-resolving our current sensors so that neither sharpness nor contrast is much of a differentiator between them.
Without wanting to downplay how good a lens the Zeiss 100MP is, the big difference between the two in optical performance is that the Leica shows none of the purple fringing that the Zeiss displays on high-contrast edges when shot at f/2 - f/5.6, and the Leica is almost totally devoid of the green-magenta bokeh fringing that the Zeiss produces at macro to mid-range subject distances unless it\'s stopped down significantly.
The Zeiss is a great lens, but after having shot with both, I believe the Leica yields better overall IQ because of it\'s better handling of colour.
Feb 03, 2012 at 06:00 PM
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