Name: Used Zeiss 28mm F/2 Distagon T* ZE Series Manual Focus Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras undefined
Brand: Zeiss
SKU: US1838764
Price: 336.00 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4.7 (3 reviews)

Zeiss 28mm F/2 Distagon T* ZE Series Manual Focus Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

Zeiss 28mm F/2.0

Zeiss

Adorama

Used

Photography

Lenses

SLR Lenses

Zeiss SLR Lenses

Zeiss 28mm F/2.0 

Top Rated Gear: Used Zeiss 28mm F/2 Distagon T* ZE Series Manual Focus Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras undefined

Carl Zeiss introduces the wide-angle lens Distagon T* 2/28 ZE with EF bayonet, suitable for all analog and digital EOS camera models. With an initial aperture opening of 1:2, it is among the fastest lenses of its kind in its focal length. From landscape photography at dawn to interior shots under available light, the Distagon T* 2/28 ZE offers photographers plenty of room for creativity for hand held photography. Following the recent introduction of its two ultra-wide-angle lenses, the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE and the T* 2,8/21, the new Distagon T* 2/28 ZE is Carl Zeiss' first moderate wide-angle lens with EF bayonet.  Despite its fast aperture and complex retro-focus construction, the Distagon T* 2/28 ZE has a compact build. These characteristics make the lens a highly versatile and performance-driven tool for all types of photographers. Even with its wide angle, the lens enables photographers to play fully with an image's depth of focus. With a wide aperture opening, for example, one can effectively separate the motif from its background. With a small aperture opening, photographers can use the sharpness of the lens system for the entire image range. It is also ideally suited for shooting HD video due to its wide focus rotation, superb image quality and minimal breathing characteristics.  The floating elements design guarantees high imaging performance each time, from close-ups to infinity, enabling the photographer to make razor-sharp close-up images of even the tiniest objects. Thanks to the Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating and meticulously crafted lenses, the new Distagon T* 2/28 ZE deals effortlessly with reflections and stray light. Brilliant pictures work every time, even under tough lighting conditions such as a breaking dawn. 

Used Zeiss 28mm F/2 Distagon T* ZE Series Manual Focus Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras undefined

Bought this as a landscape lens as I had issues with the nikon equivalents.  28mm f/2.8 AIS nikkor - not all that sharp across the field at infinity, muted colors, strange CA throughout the image.  28mm f/1.8G nikkor - although very sharp, produces rather pronounced field curvature (something they don't mention clearly enough in the online reviews).  Result? You can have a sharp image in the center or at the edges, but not both at the same time, even closed down to F11.  The Zeiss produces similar extreme sharpness, but does so across the entire image field by f7.1, which is a remarkable feat of engineering.  Since this is a manual focus lens, I was concerned if it would sync well enough with the electronic rangefinder, but all worries were totally unfounded.  The in-focus indicator in the view finder is 100% spot on and easy to attain.  Is the Zeiss perfect? No, it shows considerable purple CA in the extreme corners, although this is not noticeable at all in the rest of the image including at the edges.  Also, it has a massive amount of light fall-off wide open at f/2, to the point where it seems necessary to set exposure compensation to + 2/3 stops to get a proper exposure here.  However, this light fall-off could theoretically be exploited for creative use for street photography and still lives, especially as this is accompanied by some field curvature which falls off rather gracefully towards the image edges at the widest aperture.  The field curvature on the Zeiss bends away from the viewer towards infinity at the edges, which is inverse to the field curvature on all Nikon lenses I have tried which bend the plane of sharpness towards the viewer.  The image center on the Zeiss at F/2 is already sharp and relatively contrasty, with little veiling.  Overall, as a landscape lens the Zeiss 28mm F/2 delivers extremely satisfying results for pixel-peepers even on the high-resolution D850, and I expect to enjoy using this lens for many years to come.

Great on Nikon D850

There's not much to say here. When you select the 28mm focal length period you do it for a reason, when you pull out your Zeiss 28mm Planar you do that for a reason as well. I love the lens.

One of the absolute best 28mm perspectives.

A typical pixel-peeping user will find this lens equally sharp, in some f settings, with the Nikkor 35mm f/3D. That's as far as a superficial evaluation goes, until you start taking pictures of people and scenes, and experience the famous "3D pop" effect of the Zeiss. That is superior micro-contrast and color rendition that make your subject pop-out of the scene. That is also the one characteristic many are buying this lens. Others will be the quality construction (built to last lifetimes) and the preservation of its value if kept in good condition. They don't make lenses like that anymore.