Zeiss Wide Angle 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM Manual Focus Lens for Zeiss Ikon and Leica M Mount Rangefinder Cameras - Silver

Comments about Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Lens - Silver:

I bought this lens and a 50mm f/2 Planar to replace a 50+ year old 50mm f/1.5 Summarit on my Leica M2. The Zeiss lenses are outstanding in quality and they are, in my opinion, every bit as good as Leitz lenses and much less expensive too. Focusing is smooth but tends to be a little "stiff" in cold weather. Image quality, even wide open, is outstanding.

Comments about Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Lens - Silver:

What I love about this lens is the nice warm Zeiss coloring. And as a BIG plus, it is easier to prefocus and shoot quickly than it's Leica equivalent, not to mention, a much better price.

I owned the Leica 35mm f/2, and while it produced more of the expected Leica bokeh wide open, it was very finicky to focus and one really had to concentrate for dead on accuracy or focus would be soft.

I tested their famous f/1.4 at an event in LA, and found the 1.4 to be even more critical. Fabulous when you hit it and not so when you missed.

I got this as a "last try" for a 35mm that would be as easy to use on the street as my Leica 28mm f/2.8 but in a 35mm format. I'm glad I tried that "last try" as this lens is great for fast real world shooting.

Not as clinically sharp as the Leica, but easier to use, and (important to me) a wonderful warm Zeiss tone to the colors.

As a bonus, it is even smaller than their lovely 21mm f/2.8 and has almost no intrusion in the viewfinder.

Comments about Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Lens - Silver:

This lens is an excellent option for any M Mount camera. The f2 max aperture is fast enough to be used indoors when paired with 400ISO film. Much of my formal photography involves repeating patterns or lines that run fully across the photo and this lens shows negligible distortion in such situations. The field of view also lends itself well to more modern styles such as street photography and environmental portraiture. In the Leica system where price can be a major concern this lens provides an excellent option at a much more reasonable price point, being approximately a third of the cost of the competing Leica 35mm f2 lens.

The only possible gripe is that the lens protrudes slightly into the bottom right corner of the viewfinder of a .72x Leica M. While this is normal for fast wide lenses you still have to watch out for odd objects peeking into your photo. It's really just something to be aware of beforehand.