Zeiss 28mm F/2 Distagon T* ZK Series Manual Focus Lens for Pentax K-Mount Cameras

2018-03-07T13:34:26

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.

ANTON D.

2017-05-06T00:50:19

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.

Darrick B.

2016-12-21T10:53:22

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.

Eleftherios K.