I Love Zeiss Distagon ZM 35/1.4

It's a little too fat, that was my impression when I handled it. But I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I didn't already own the 35lux ASPH...
 
YYV_146 said:
It's a little too fat, that was my impression when I handled it. But I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I didn't already own the 35lux ASPH...
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True, its bigger than the 35Lux ASPH v1 and v2

True, its wider than these lenses

But I hafta say i'm very impressed with the performance and the lens isn't a monster

It balances decently on the M240, is slightly front heavy but doesn't tip the camera over.

I have the silver/chrome version and the build quality is excellent. Leica still get 5/5 whereas I'd give this one 4/5.

It sure looks large but doesn't weigh all that much
 
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Distagon's are retrofocus, though I'm not sure this is a dslr lens. I thought it was Zeiss' new rf design, aimed at 'taking the crown'. I'd buy one, but they're not inexpensive.
 
Agreed - Love the Zeiss ZM 1.4/35mm

Agreed - Love the Zeiss ZM 1.4/35mm

Hi I'm new to the forum which I found while researching vintage Nikkor rangefinder lenses adapted to the Sony A7s camera. I found a lot of very informative images taken with the W-Nikkor 1.8/3.5cm, but decided not to get it after the Zeiss ZM Distagon 1.4/35mm lens arrived a few weeks ago. (I have a weird obsession with 35mm focal length). Consistent with other reports on the internet, the lens has a solid feel, focusing is smooth, and the 1/3 stop aperture ring is great. On the Sony A7x series cameras, I'm sure image sharpness is generally better with the Loxia 2/35mm lens, but stopped down to f/8 the new ZM is more than sharp enough, and for a modern lens the ZM has a lot of character. The weather in NYC has been wrought with one snow blizzard after another, and the attached photo is the only one I could make that had any reasonable visibility.

Gavin
 

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sojournerphoto said:
Distagon's are retrofocus, though I'm not sure this is a dslr lens. I thought it was Zeiss' new rf design, aimed at 'taking the crown'. I'd buy one, but they're not inexpensive.
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No, it is not the DSLR lens. The rear lens protrudes some mm into the M body, giving less than maybe 25 mm for the mirror; definitively not a lens you might use on a DSLR.

I would not even know if it should by definition be a retrofocus lens, the main surface being within the third or so last lens of the system.

It is, however, not a Biogon design
 
If anything the 35mm/1.4 Distagon ZM owes a bit to the Leica Summilux ASPH family of lenses for its design, but it's supposedly a better corrected lens, at the cost of being bigger. Just got mine on Monday after more than 5 months of waiting. It's very good on my M9-P. I'm particularly impressed by its performance at minimum focus distance; it's no Makro Planar in terms of magnification, but is very capable of collecting detail. I'm going to keep it on the M9-P for a year to see what I can do with just it (though shooting other lenses on my D800E).

Early images from the 35mm/1.4 ZM here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk8warPq
 
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My Distagon 35mm f1.4 just arrived this afternoon. Quick shot to compare sizes between the Nokton 35f1.2, The Distagon 35f1.4 and the Ultron 35f1.7 in M-mount.
Smaller than the 35f1.2 - but not by much, bigger than the M-Nokton 35f1.7. It does balance very well on a M camera though. The hood is actually quite small (though the box for the hood is huge!).
Loaded a ZM with EFKE 50 and shall proceed to shoot some rolls with it in the next day or so.
 
Tom A said:
My Distagon 35mm f1.4 just arrived this afternoon. Quick shot to compare sizes between the Nokton 35f1.2, The Distagon 35f1.4 and the Ultron 35f1.7 in M-mount.
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The new Ultron looks amazing btw. I don't care for the ZM.
 
could there be a chance that the new Ultron takes 46mm filters? Tom mentions that his pre-production sample is 46mm but says the production model could be 43mm. If it were 46mm, I'd probably trade my chrome 35/1.2 for it!
 
It took me awhile to save for a lux asph 35 (non-FLE), and I'm very attached to its imaging and size, so won't be considering the new Zeiss. But I've seen web pics from the new ZM 35 that look wonderful. If I didn't have a fav 35, I'd sure consider the Zeiss.
 
helenhill said:
I may break down and go for the 1.2 Voit. Or Zeiss
If Miss Ultron doesn't get to the US soon
No longer too concerned about the size
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I wasn't either till I actually got the Nokton f1.2 and started using it. Yes, it's a great lens but no, I didn't keep it.
 
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Sony 7 with the Distagon 35mm f1.4 at f1.4. Cherry tree outside my "smoking" balcony. These are the late blooming trees in our neighbourhood. Usually around mid April - but due to the warm spring and lack of winter - early this year.
 
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Zeiss ZM and Zeiss Biogon 35mm f1.4 at f1.4. Kind of a Bokeh test. Efke 50 iso, developed in Rodinal 1:100 for 40 min, stand development
 
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