Zeiss 21mm Question

sonwolf

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I am considering purchasing a Zeiss 21mm 2.8 ZM. Has any owners of this lens tried a different Zeiss or 3rd party lens hood than the designated one?

The recommended hood seems to provide little shading. Considering that the R-D1 narrows the lens to a 32mm FOV, a 28mm hood seems a better option. The 21mm 2.8 and 28mm ZMs both have the same filter sizes, so the hood bayonets might also match.

Has anyone successfully dealt with this issue?
 
The ZM hoods work very well. I have used the ZM lenses a fair bit and I found a common characteristic was EXTREME flare resistance. So I wouldn't worry.

As for other 21mm FL lenses, the CV 21/4 and the ZM 21/4,5 both seem to be great performers from what I've seen on flickr. But do you need the faster aperture on the ZM 21/2,8 or Leica 21?
 
thomasw_ said:
As for other 21mm FL lenses, the CV 21/4 and the ZM 21/4,5 both seem to be great performers from what I've seen on flickr. But do you need the faster aperture on the ZM 21/2,8 or Leica 21?
The 21/4 and ZM 21/4.5 also vignette a lot more than the 21/2.8 on the R-D1. They do have less distortion, but that is easier to correct in software without significant degradation in IQ compared to the vignetting correction in some circumstances.
 
My question was not meant to spark a debate regarding the relative merits of both 21mm Zeiss lenses. I am interested in the 2.8 version because of its moderate vignetting and low light ability.

Getting back on topic, has anyone tried using the Zeiss 25/28mm hood on the 21mm 2.8 lens? Have there been any problems with this approach?
 
Zeiss answered my question:

Thanks for your request and your interest in our products.
Yes, you can use the 25/28mm lens hood (Art.No. 1365-66) on the Biogon T* 2,8/21 ZM lens without any problems on the Epson RD-1.
I tried out this combination and found no vignetting or other problems.


Considering the lack of shading the 21mm hood provides, a 28mm hood seems a much better option.

 
Hi,

As mentioned, the ZM 21mm Biogon translates into 32mm (in 35mm equivalent) on R-D1s. Anyone got experience with the Cosina Voigtlander 35mm external viewfinder?

I am in the midst of considering a wide angle lens at the moment, still not sure whether to get a 18mm Distagon, 21mm Biogon or 25mm Biogon.

Appreciate if someone can share the experience.

Cheers!
 
I tried the Zeiss 21mm with the Voigtlander 28mm metal viewfinder. The framelines were just slightly larger than the image, and seemed a good match for the lens.
 
Sonwolf: Hi and Thanks for the quick reply. You said the Cosina 28mm metal viewfinder match with the Zeiss 21mm? I presume the ZM 21mm will translates to 32mm (35mm equivalent) and so the best external viewfinder will be 35mm.

Just want to double confirm before I commint the purchase of external viewfinder :)

Thanks you.
 
I use a Voigtlander 28mm finder for my 21/4P, and it works very well. Since the lines are rather conservative they match up almost exactly with the 21mm on R-D1. The finder has a lot of distortion, though, but its very well built and is very bright.
 
Like PGMJ wrote, the framelines are conservative. The 32mm angle of view would
probably stretch beyond the 35mm viewfinder's coverage. The 28mm viewfinder's
framelines are probably closer to 30mm so they match very nicely with a 21mm lens
on the R-D1.
 
I use the ZM 21/2.8 with hood on my MP and have some RF patch interference at close distances- the hood gets in the way of the RF patch, so no focus help.
 
Regarding the eyeglass issue, the current CV metal 28mm finder works for those who wear glasses. I had no trouble seeing outside the framelines while wearing my spectacles.
 
Dear all,

This is my first shot when I received the 21mm Biogon F/2.8. I am really impressed with the virtually distortion free and the sharpness this lens yields. :)

I have the impression that this lens has the same construction as the 38mm Bigon attached to the legendary Hasselblad 903 SWC?:eek:

2335641141_abfae26df4_o.jpg
 
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