Zeiss 35mm f/2 Distagon T ZE Lens for Canon EOS SLR
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Zeiss 35mm f/2 Distagon T* ZE Manual Focus Standard Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

SKU: ZI352ZE

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Q&A

Questions & Answers

Shopper : Will this work well with the canon t2i 550d???A. N : I bought this lens for a Canon 5d Mark II. It works well on that camera... ...manual focus with focus assist that works very well (i.e. the lights in the view finder show you when and where you are in sharp focus). The camera is great and even better with this lens. I shoot 8x10 and it will never replace that camera and what it can do for me in terms of being able to enlarge to 44" sharp prints. anyway, keep poking round the user groups. What are you using it for?ROLF P : Should be just fine.ROGER F : I don't know, because I'm not familiar with that camera. Whatever camera you use with this lens must have either manual focus using Live View or the option to use interchangeable focusing screens. I use it with a Canon 5D MII and the focusing screen that comes with that camera doesn't allow me to do critical focusing, so I focus in Live View with a Hoodman loupe (with camera on a tripod). Since that camera does not have a full-frame sensor, you should be aware that the angle of view will probably be more like a normal lens than a wide angle.TERRY T : Hi, Don't know that model. Have tried it on the 7D and its about a 55mm due to the smaller 7D sensor. The lens is fantastic in terms of sharpness, color, build quality and weight. On the 5D its a true 35mm ... used exclusively for video! If you can afford Zeiss...VOUNIOZOZ, A : Yes! T2i, 5d, 7d
FRANCISCA N : I'm trying to decide what to get. Why did you pick this one?ROLF P : Its an excellent lens in quality of the optics and its construction. It is a mild wide angle on my film camera and a 45 to 55 mm equivalent on my digitals. I don't mind focussing.STEPHEN L : Zeiss glass is a superior choice for many reasons. The legendary reputation has much to stand on. A quick list: Zeiss lenses boast exceptional: 1) Construction (i.e. buttery mechanics of the focus barrel, a robust metal housing, and finessed hash marks) 2) Mind Blowing Glass (i.e. a nuetral and clean color rendition, high resolution image delivery, superior MTF (modulation transfer function), and gorgeous bokeh. I also chose these lenses because their elements cover a full frame sensor, which means no matter the sensor size (cropped or not) I have a usable lens. They will never become obsolete; in fact, they will probably accrue value. Manual focus means no reliability on a motor of any sort, and more control. If shooting video on a DSLR, these are also the best choice because of the longer focus throw on the barrel. At an f/2, the 35mm is a relatively fast lens. When put up against a kit lens, there is no contest. Zeiss is simply some of the best glass you can invest in. And your lenses are the investment, not the camera body. Digital camera bodies WILL become obsolete. Lenses can last beyond a lifetime if treated properly.BRETT D : At this focal length, for use on a 5D2, I was looking for the best wide-open, corner-to-corner sharpness that I could get with a large aperture. Sample photos sold me on this lens, but the prevalence of positive reviews didn't hurt. In addition to the quality of the images it produces (they are excellent), I appreciate the solid build of it, especially the long throw and great feel of the focus ring. (When I bought this lens, the f/1.4 version was not available. If I were to buy now, I might still opt for the f/2 as the better value.) I have no regrets; this is a great lens.DERICK T : Hey Little-- I picked up this lens for a few reasons. I wanted to enjoy something other than Canon L glass. I find manual focus to be engaging, refreshing, accurate and enjoyable. Zeiss quality is superb in every regard. The way this lens draws images (on both full and cropped sensors) is wonderful; the sharpness is second to none and the bokeh is quite special in the best of ways. It really is a fantastic lens at a classic focal length. I'm happy to answer any other questions. All the best.TERRY T : Hi, I have a Canon 5d mark II, so needed a Prime wide angle ... I did NOT want any of that wide angle distortion, since this lens was primarily for pro video. And, it has macro capability. Others using this lens were astounded at its sharpness ... you will not believe how good it looks ... as far as I can tell it has about the same "distortion" of a 50mm, but has a wider perspective. A bit heavy, but wow!ROGER F : I shoot landscapes. I don't need autofocus, and I want to be able to use the depth of field scale on a lens to make sure that what I want in focus in the photo will be in focus. I wasn't confident that my Canon lenses were giving me the maximum detail and sharpness I needed to render all of the foliage & texture that makes landscape shots really 'pop'. In the film days, I shot with a med. format Contax 645, and its Zeiss lenses were amazing, so I looked into this lens. The reviews from other pros were A+, and now, having used it for several months with a Canon 5D II, I know they're right. It has excellent detail & sharpness, and smooth manual focus that I use with the 5D's live view, and an easy-to-use DOF scale. It's been well worth the investment for me.BRUCE M : Mainly because of the fine build and picture quality. It takes beautiful pictures and video, I mostly use it for video on 5D Mark ii since it is only manuel focus. I really recommend this lense.JOHN M : 1) Price vs the Zeiss 35 f/1.4 (over 50% more for the f/1.4) 2) 35 f/2 better resolution up til f/5.6 and then the 35mm f/1.4 is better 3) contrast is better than the Canon 35mm f/1.4 and much better than the f/2 4) using for landscape and general, so more compact and lighter than the f/1.4 Only weak point is CA which is moderate but can be removed in RAW. It's a lovely lens and I can see the contrast in the viewfinder. Focus confirmation with manual focus. Comes with hood. Hope this helps.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2015-10-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Long time investment

I am glad that I choose this 35mm lens among many others. It is sharp, its rendering is very nice, gives nice and consistent details on the entire lens. Also, since it is built well, the lens is a pong time investment. I replaced the front lens cap immediately.

ANDRAS L.

2012-07-26T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Overcoming the Fears

First allow me to state my concerns going into this purchase. I read a lot of reviews and articles regarding the lens and the comparisons it had against other lenses. My two main apprehensions were 1) The crop factor on my 7D – many people are of the persuasion that it is not appropriate to use this lens on a camera that is not full frame, 2) The ability for us older cogs to properly focus if we have failing eyes. I have experienced no issues with the lens on my 1.6x camera. I am truly pleased with its scaling and it is a great normal lens. I was suspecting that this would be the case. My greater fears were the focusing issue with older eyes. I read on a site by a reviewer whom I've learned a lot from and who has the highest regards for Zeiss lenses that if your eyes are wearing out then you need to stick with the auto focus lenses. His comment almost stopped me from making the purchase! Yet on the Zeiss website they stated that it is possible to shoot with a manual focus lens while wearing glasses by shooting in live view; and they are absolutely correct. I could not be happier with the way that the lens performs. I am just an enthusiast and have no monetary dependence upon my ability to shoot pictures. I was at a wedding of the daughter of a good friend of mine and I pre-focused at f/2 a spot where the bride would pass by, clicked off three shots as she passed, with two shots I missed yet today the third shot is what is on display. They did hire professional photographers who clicked off thousands of shots of the overall event nevertheless in any given situation usually only one picture will be hanging on the wall (for some reason unknown to me none of them were shooting with a prime lens). Last of all I would like to affirm what you will read everywhere else that the colors are fabulous and that the lens is as sharp as a tack. Great lens.

Jim

2012-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Sharp and wide

Great lens

SAMUEL F.

2010-04-24T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Best wide angle! Love the quality

Great lens! One of the best focal lengths on full format! Love it for cinematography. Fascinating 3d effect, micro contrast and wide latitude!

EDW

2009-12-06T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Near Perfection

On a 1.6x crop sensor it's tack sharp corner to corner at f2.0 with little doubt it could do the same on full frame. Its ALL metal construction makes it a work of art in itself. Very reminiscent to Hasselblad V-lenses. Buttery smooth and extremely accurate manual focusing. Impressive close focusing on a 1.6x crop also. Little to fault with the lens. My copy showed purple highlight fringing only at f2.0 and only from 10+ feet. This fault proved easily fixable in software. Other than that the optics were flawless. Manual focusing can be quick, especially with a focusing screen upgrade. Have seen reputable sources showing it is sharper than the Canon 35mm 1.4 L wide open. I would highly recommended the Zeiss 35mm ZE for anyone looking for world class glass that will fully resolve the sensors of the next decade.

Paul O.

About Zeiss 35mm F/2

FEATURED REVIEWS

Best wide angle! Love the quality

By EDW

Great lens! One of the best focal lengths on full format! Love it for cinematography. Fascinating 3d effect, micro contrast and wide latitude!

Near Perfection

By Paul O.

On a 1.6x crop sensor it's tack sharp corner to corner at f2.0 with little doubt it could do the same on full frame. Its ALL metal construction makes it a work of art in itself. Very reminiscent to Hasselblad V-lenses. Buttery smooth and extremely accurate manual focusing. Impressive close focusing on a 1.6x crop also. Little to fault with the lens. My copy showed purple highlight fringing only at f2.0 and only from 10+ feet. This fault proved easily fixable in software. Other than that...

View full Review

Distagon T* 2/35 ZE.
The high-speed, moderate wide-angle Distagon T* 2/35 ZE fits all analog and digital EOS cameras. Its classic 35mm focal length is particularly well-suited for advertising, travel and nature photography as it captures dynamic perspectives with high depth of focus and few distortions. With a moderate wide angle of 53 degrees (horizontal), the Distagon T* 2/35 ZE can easily capture wide scenery without forcing photographers to consider perspective effects as design elements as they would have to with shorter focal lengths. The relatively short angle of rotation of the precision focusing mechanism enables fast but precise focusing when required

For the growing number of photographers and videographers using DSLR's for movie making, the Distagon T* 2/35 ZE is one of four prime lenses making a core set, joining the Distagon T* 2/28 ZE, Planar T* 1.4/50 ZE and Planar T* 1.4/85 ZE. These lenses are well suited for HD video applications due not only to their exceptional image quality, but for the smooth focus and long focus rotations.

The Distagon T* 2/35 ZE features high image quality for the entire aperture and focusing range. Thanks to its sophisticated optical design in which nine lens elements are perfectly aligned, it permits particularly high imaging performance across the entire image field.

When a tripod is not available, the fast f/2 aperture allows easily handling under low light, making perfect pictures possible even under difficult lighting conditions. Thanks to its special optical design and the Zeiss T* anti-reflection coating, this lens captures bright light sources without artifacts. The Distagon T* 2/35 is also perfect on-the-go thanks to its all-metal and extremely durable precision mechanics for which Carl Zeiss lenses are well-known.

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Key Features

  • ZF.2 Supports all-important operations
  • 58mm Warming Filter Kit
  • CPU also supports manual exposure settings
  • Universal Lens Cap Tether
  • Cleaning Kit
  • Newly computed fast reporter lens with moderate wide-angle coverage

What's in the box:

  • Zeiss 35mm Manual Focus Lens
  • Front & Rear Lens Caps
  • Lens Hood
  • Zeiss Warranty

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