# Zeiss 35 f/1.4 Official



## Canon Rumors Guy (Sep 1, 2010)

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<p><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/zeiss35.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4934" title="zeiss35" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/zeiss35.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="420" /></a><strong>Official for ZE

</strong>OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 01.09.2010.</p>
<p>A woman is sitting at the bar of a dimly-lit cafe. Lost in thoughts, she doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t notice the glass of wine the bartender places before her. From a distance, a photographer tries to capture her mood. He brings her face, which is leaning toward her phone, into focus. Everything around her becomes a blur, and the lights in the background coalesce into a wild Ã¢â‚¬Å“danceÃ¢â‚¬Â of diffuse shapes.</p>
<p>This shot will only work with a fast lens with short focal length and harmonious bokeh. Carl Zeiss introduces a new lens for just such images: the Distagon T* 1,4/35.</p>
<p>By introducing the Distagon T* 1,4/35, Carl Zeiss is complementing the Planar T*1,4/50 and T*1,4/85 lenses with a wide-angle lens that shares the same high speed. Crisp, sharp images work every time, whether at dusk or in the weak lighting conditions of a cafÃƒÂ©, and without the need for a tripod. With its 35-mm, the Distagon T* 1,4/35 matches the classic and versatile standard focal lengths when used on cameras with APS-C sensor formats.</p>
<p>Due to the special bokeh effects in both the foreground and background areas, the Distagon T*1,4/35 opens up new creative possibilities, giving photographers more options to Ã¢â‚¬ËœplayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ with focus. Thanks to its large focus ring, photographers can also create highly accurate, sharp pictures, even at maximum aperture opening. In addition, the optical construction of the lens guarantees high image quality across the entire image range. Furthermore, with one step less than the full aperture opening, the light fall-off toward the edges is just one f-stop.</p>
<p>With the ZEISS T*Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs anti-reflective coating, its sophisticated stray light reduction and the excellent flare control the new Distagon also takes pictures of bright light sources without artifacts. The Distagon T*1,4/35Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s extremely long-lasting and robust all-metal precision mechanics, for which Carl Zeiss is known, make this lens perfect for use on-the-go and for photo reports.</p>
<p>The Distagon T* 1,4/35 will be available in first quarter of 2011 at a recommended retail price of Ã¢â€šÂ¬1385.71 (excluding VAT)*.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.zeiss.com/C12567A8003B58B9/Contents-Frame/A0E0F6C4726E366BC125710E005F5A21"><strong>Official Release with sample</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
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## muteteh (Sep 1, 2010)

Considering the price tags, reviews in photozone, and the lenses being manual, I wouldn't be caught dead with a Zeiss lens attached to my Canon.


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## logaandm (Sep 1, 2010)

It figures. I bought the f2 a couple of months ago. Sharpest lens I own and I own 3 L primes. I suspect the Zeiss will be a winner for those doing video or who like manual focus.


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## muteteh (Sep 1, 2010)

logaandm said:


> It figures. I bought the f2 a couple of months ago. Sharpest lens I own and I own 3 L primes. I suspect the Zeiss will be a winner for those doing video or who like manual focus.



According to photozone's reviews on FF sensors, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 has sharper corners than the Zeiss Planar ZE T* 85mm f/1.4, and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II gives a very good fight to the Zeiss ZE Planar T* 50mm f/1.4

I would expect new Zeiss lenses to do better than 20 years old Canon lenses which cost ~1/5th their price, which is why I take wikipedia's word on those being Cosina lenses.


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## Justin (Sep 1, 2010)

I've never used a zeiss lens on a canon but these reviews referenced above have kept me from believing the hype. It makes no sense to buy unsharp lenses, even if tonality and contrast and bokeh are beautiful. First and Formost as a photographer our pics need to appear in focus.


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## wtlloyd (Sep 1, 2010)

Negative comments by people who have never used a Zeiss lens...why am I shocked?

Why aren't you embarrassed?


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## scalesusa (Sep 1, 2010)

Typical Zeiss announcement, a paper lens only, available next February, but deliveries might slip a year or two. They would better serve their customers by waiting until it existed before announcing it.


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## nzmargolies (Sep 1, 2010)

*tiny detail*

im surprised nobody has commented that the lens only goes to f/16. Not a huge deal, especially with the relatively large dof of a 35mm lens, but still. this lens is >24mm, so having a smaller aperture is necessary in some critical applications. Or even to slow the shutter speed. I don't understand why the aperture blades just can't be set to close a little smaller


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## muteteh (Sep 1, 2010)

wtlloyd said:


> Negative comments by people who have never used a Zeiss lens...why am I shocked?
> 
> Why aren't you embarrassed?



Because I have actual reviews to base my opinion on.

And I'm not shocked, because in today's Internet, for all I know any other responder might be a dog who never used a Zeiss lens (is Zeiss by any other name still a Zeiss ?) either, but will flatter the brand for money.


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## clarkia (Sep 2, 2010)

While no company has a perfect lineup--i.e. stellar lenses at all focal lengths--sounds like some folks are basing their thoughts on all zeiss lenses based on the performance of a couple--the 50 and 85 in particular. I totally get this, but i will say, owning only the ZE 21mm lens, that i've found nothing that compares to it for the photos it produces (out of the camera, pre-pp), and the sharpness at that focal length. If you look at the digital picture's review of that lens, you'll see that it's very different than the 85mm lens review. Those who only focus on reviews from others and don't actually try lenses for themselves are missing out in my opinion. 

i think there will always be a few camps--those that swear by zeiss glass and those that "won't be caught dead" using it. ford and chevy. or in this case, BMW and Audi since these are not cheap. for me, i pick and choose among all manufacturers products to meet my needs. Of course, i think the best photographer in the world is the one having the most fun, too...


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## clarkia (Sep 2, 2010)

as for this lens, who knows how it will perform, we're probably a year away from real testing. but given the weight (~30oz!), i think i'd rather test the ZE 35 F/2 which "they" say is great, sharp, and light enough to put in your bag. FM forum and other images i've seen from the F/2 are really nice although i'm not sure if it's the lens or pp. probably both. 

I'm just having way too much fun with my 35L to even start thinking about new lenses in this focal length


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## spxphotos (Sep 3, 2010)

can i ask a ridiculous question? on a canon body, is this manual focus only? if i'm going to use it primarily at f1.4 i don't know if my eyeballs are good enough to focus and i don't want to insert a cross-hairs type viewfinder.....i have a canon 24mm f/1.4 II that i love, so am i better off getting the canon 35mm f/1.4?


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## Sebastian (Sep 3, 2010)

spxphotos said:


> can i ask a ridiculous question?



No. 



spxphotos said:
 

> on a canon body, is this manual focus only?



Yes.


HTH,

Sebastian


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## clarkia (Sep 3, 2010)

spxphotos said:


> can i ask a ridiculous question? on a canon body, is this manual focus only? if i'm going to use it primarily at f1.4 i don't know if my eyeballs are good enough to focus and i don't want to insert a cross-hairs type viewfinder.....i have a canon 24mm f/1.4 II that i love, so am i better off getting the canon 35mm f/1.4?



yes, it's manual focus. many prefer to get a new focusing screen (matte) that allows for better focusing of these lenses. i have one for my 5D-it helps but it's not a night and day difference from the stock screen. it took me a while to get used to me ZE21mm. at F/1.4 on the 35, i think the focusing plane will be very narrow, and any movement in your subject (or more like yourself) could result in out of focus shots. at normal apertures, you'll be fine, especially at 35mm. I'd recommend you rent one from lensrentals.com or whomever and try one for a day or 7. i love my 21mm but the first few days, i was thinking, man, i really really like autofocus... you get better at MF quickly, but my eyes, and my hand movement still miss shots at F/2.8 on my 21. 
the rental charge will be a very worthwhile investment i think. I have the 35L lens, i love it.


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## sviz (Sep 5, 2010)

Posts by muteteh are really funny. Some reviews of couple of Zeiss lenses make him spitting all over the brand. That is some objective thinking right there. Watch and learn.

People who can see past their nose know, that every company has good and not so good lenses. Personally I don't like Zeiss 50/1.4 or Zeiss 85/1.4. But lenses like 21/2.8, 35/5, 50/2 or 100/2 are in different league. I do own Zeiss glass, as opposed to the smart guy writing negative comments in this thread.

As for Zeiss 35/1.4, nobody knows how it's going to turn out, since it is a completely new design - not close to the old 35/1.4. If it happens to be like 50/1.4 or 85/1.4, then I will NOT buy it. I understand that some people like their characteristics, but I don't. If the lens is going to look more like Zeiss top performers, then I am getting the lens, no matter what muteteh and the rest of the "I have never owned Zeiss lens" are saying.


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## baronfizzy (Sep 18, 2010)

wtlloyd said:


> Negative comments by people who have never used a Zeiss lens...why am I shocked?
> 
> Why aren't you embarrassed?



I trust the reviews of extremely fastidious photographers/cinematographers who tell me to avoid the Zeiss lenses, after having tested them against the Canon equivalents (not that they report the Zeiss lenses to be equivalents 
in any way.) I'm sure if you drove a car that was reported to have faulty brakes or used hair product that had made a friend's hair fall out, after having paid stupid amounts of money for both, YOU would be the foolhardy person that would be embarrassed.


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 23, 2010)

muteteh said:


> those being Cosina lenses



Well, today I counted up the Zeiss lenses that I 'own'. Turns out I have ~40 of them, ranging in cost from cheaper than a Canon 50mm f/1.4 to double the cost of a Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS. Of course, unlike the Zeiss camera lenses which are OEM'd by Cosina, all of mine are the genuine article, probably put together by some guy named Hans at the factory in Jena. 

Sadly, none of them will mount on my 7D - they are all microscope objective lenses...


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