Zeiss ZF 18mm

I missed out on being able to use the ZF 18 at the Woodward Dream Cruise yesterday because on Friday afternoon we lost our power, and I had not charged the D700 batteries yet :thumbdown:: Took the 203FE and CFV digital back instead because the batteries were charged recently ... which turned out just fine anyway :thumbup:

Got power back last night and charged the D700 batteries overnight so I could take the camera and 18/3.5 and 50/2 to a Polish Festival at a fantastic old Catholic church in Hamtramck near Detroit (aka, Pole Town.)

These are literally Cathedrals built by the working class Polish immigrants that came to make automobiles on the assembly lines in the first half of the last century. There are a slew of them there, and you can see the towering steeples all over the immediate skyline.

Here are 5 handheld shots ... the Polish family and closer shot of the light fixture were with the ZF 50/2 Macro. The interior vistas were done with the 18mm.
One shows a close up of a carved knob and demonstrates the nice Bokeh of the 18 @ f/3.5. The other shots were done @ ISO 1250 and ISO 3200. Believe me this church is a dungeon inside a cave in terms of light. This is a more relevant test of the 18mm for me because that's where I will most likely use it ... in a poorly lit church while shooting a wedding. I would also use it when traveling ... times when I sure don't want to lug around the 14-24/2.8 no matter how good it is.

BTW, the Polish food was outstanding ... :thumbs:

I got my 18 3.5 on Friday and today it finally stopped raining so I could take a few shots. Please understand that these were all take while walking my 80 pound dog so the pictures are really poor but do show a fair amount about the lens.

Firstly I couldn't find a trace of CA in any of the pictures and i looked hard.

Secondly I wanted to check flare and the image looking up the road towards the clouds was intended to do this. The sun is at the top left 1/3 of the picture, just out of frame. I could do a more torturous test by getting the sun at a lower angle and actually include at least part of it in the frame. But in this image, I get no noticeable flare and the image contrast remains good.

Colors to me are typical Zeiss which means good. Not Leica but good.

So for a 20 minute walk with numerous distractions here are at least a few images which take a first, non critical, look at the Zeiss 18 3.5.

The size and weight are a big plus over the 14-24 even though there are some serious advantages to the zoom.

Hope this helps those who are looking at this lens as a possible add on to their Nikon kit.

Woody

I can't see myself carrying the 14-24. So, this is really quite interesting to me. I have made one promise to myself and that is absolutely nothing new before Photokina so come fall it may end up in my bag. I don't think I will miss 14mm and I start at 24 so 18mm might be the right focal length.

BTW, I realize I didn't editorilize concerning my opinion of these Zeiss lenses ...

I FREAKIN' LOVE THEM !

I have all the latest Nikon glass but there is a 3D quality I have always loved about the Zeiss results from day one using them on a Contax 35mm ... way back in the stone age.

Marc,
The church shots are wonderful. Any special tips in staying so perfect in your alignment?

FAB shots Marc......under the Zeiss Spell
Best- H

TEBnewyork said:

Marc,
The church shots are wonderful. Any special tips in staying so perfect in your alignment?

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The D700 has that horizon thingy in the viewfinder. I also know I am prone to off kilter shots if I don't pay attention :ROTFL:

Nice captures Marc!

What beautiful church!

Woody, i really like that capture of the road goin into the horizon.

Kindest

Gezzz ...I 'm just about to pull the trigger on a Nikon 14 -24.....is it that massive? Do any of you regrete the purchase the 14-24?

The zoom is massive but really worth it.

mwalker said:

Gezzz ...I 'm just about to pull the trigger on a Nikon 14 -24.....is it that massive? Do any of you regrete the purchase the 14-24?

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It is huge..and the very large front element is marginally protected...I am still thinking about it.

Steve

tetsrfun said:

It is huge..and the very large front element is marginally protected...I am still thinking about it.

Steve

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No filter protection will work correct...

Yes its huge, and no filter will protect it.

If its worth it or not, is a question only you can answer.

I own it and wouldnt want to be without it, its such a fun lens.

However if you want to travel light, or want to be able to use filters, or do alot of shooting with the sun in the frame its not the best option.

I was expecting the worst prior to testing it, but I didn't find it that bad at all. It's short and fat, but perfectly portable.

I know the chap at Lee filters is working on a solution for it - there is one now that works well at the wider end of the range, but still needs some fine tuning (see the FM thread in the alternate forum on 14-24 pics on EOS).

mwalker said:

Gezzz ...I 'm just about to pull the trigger on a Nikon 14 -24.....is it that massive? Do any of you regrete the purchase the 14-24?

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This lens looks pretty darn nice, thanks for filling us in. I am still waiting for Photokinia though and if nothing else in the market that I can use i may just get the D700 this lens and a few others. Primarily backup to the MF system and also some gigs for it.

mwalker said:

Gezzz ...I 'm just about to pull the trigger on a Nikon 14 -24.....is it that massive? Do any of you regrete the purchase the 14-24?

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Here's a photo of the two side by side. Remember, the Zeiss hood reverses for storage in your bag, the Nikon hood is fixed. In the bag, the Zeiss is much smaller than the Nikon ... especially if it's mounted on a D700 or D300 in the bag.

I don't regret the 14-24 at all ... I use it at weddings on a D3 ... it's well balanced on that camera, and it provides a range of focal lengths to work with plus a bit more max. aperture (not much really). I would not want to travel with the 14-24 nor would I want to carry it all day even at a wedding ... it stays in the wedding roller bag until I need it.

Thanks, very useful side by side.

Nice thing about the hood Zeiss is it comes off and anything that wide the hood is worthless anyway. So for me i would be going naked without it and use my hands. Man that just does not sound right does it. LOL

TEBnewyork said:

Thanks, very useful side by side.

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Hey your on vacation at the beach your not supposed to be peeping in but relaxing and getting a break.

wow its half the size