Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

I recently sold my canon 17-40mm in order to switch to prime lenses only. I had a tough decision to make; do I get a the canon 24mm f1.4 ii or get the zeiss 21mm f2.8?

I went with the zeiss realizing...I rarely ever go below 2.8, I mean most apertures below 2.8 don't look good and are tough to get precise focus. I always manually focus my lenses even though they have auto focus. I think this is because I use to shoot a lot of 4 x 5 film, so I am use to manually focusing.

To be honest I could not see much of a difference in sharpness compared to some of my other canon L lenses. However the colors and bokeh look different, which is why I've grown to love this lens.

The colors look more neutral and clean instead of the over saturated and contrasty colors you get from a canon L lens. The bokeh looks more circular in the out of focus areas too.

I now plan to sell my canon 50mm 1.2 and replace it with a the zeiss 50mm 1.4 planar.

If you are looking for more analogue look and feel, I would go with the zeiss lenses. If you prefer contrasty and more vibrant colors go with the canon 24mm 1.4 ii

I am very happy with this lens! I forgot to mention I am using a uv filter on it (which is not slim it is normal) and I get no vignetting.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

No auto focus but you don't need it anyway with landscapes.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

Excellent wide lens with rugged construction. Good aperture in that focal length and excellent option for DSLR video shooting.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

This is a fantastic lens with a great speed rating. I would recommend any shooter this lens.

Things to be aware of: It is a digital photography lens. This means the aperture is adjusted internally on the camera not on the barrel. Also, being a still photography lens it breaths oh so slightly. after 6' you are at infinity so its really not much of a problem.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

Owned the previous version of this lens (C/Y mount adapted to Canon), decided to upgrade to this beauty as it became available.
The lens performs marvelously in harsh cold conditions, shooting extreme low light northern lights phenomenon. Wide open it is sharp (just focus correct), no unexpected comas at the sides of image.
Works smooth, manual focusing is nicely suitable for video work.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

the 21mm lens zeiss are the best. their definition of image, control of color fringe and contrast works more then usual lenses.
the aperture is perfect for filming, and very good for photography.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

It's a great Zeiss Lens! Work perfect without any adaptors in all my cameras: Canon 5D / 60D and T2i.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

I'm using this lens with my Canon 5D Mark2. This lens is my favorite lens now. It is great!!

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

I use this lens mostly for landscape and for fun. I actually used it for profit recently while photographing a tomb in the low and dark and dirty basement of an old church. The angle of view was perfect because I did not have much room to move.

All in all, the reviews are right: this is a top-of-the-range lens, which produces painting-like colors and contrast. Also, 21mm appears to be just perfect both for landscape and architecture. No need for the 17 TSE since all corrections can be made in PS.

I haven`t used the lens much yet, but I tell ya, this is top engineering and quality. Manual focus is a snap, specially if you close down.

I can`t wait to really put this lens to its paces. Worth every penny I paid for.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

I mainly shoot primes (a very expensive tendency) and had wanted something wider than my 35mm f/1.4L to get into landscape photography and time lapse videos. I had the 14mm f/2.8L on my radar but the protruding front element scared me. I felt 24mm was a bit too close and that I'd rather get the tilt/shift version if I were to use that focal length. Nothing in between those focal lengths really "popped out" to be that killer lens I wanted for the Canon EOS mount.

I think I was just browsing the highest rated lenses for Canon SLRs on B&H when I realized that several Zeiss lenses were very highly rated, including this one. Not having AF doesn't kill because I'd be using MF for landscape anyway. That said, I think that it's not a major shortcoming even when hand-holding thanks to focus confirmation. Just half press or use the back button auto focus (if that's your thing) and listen for the beep / look for the red dots to flash.

I rented this lens and the Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZE to compare. While the 18mm was certainly impressive and had a wider field of view, I ended up choosing the 21mm for its versatility, its sharpness, its overall image quality (CA, etc), and build quality.

Versatility is rather subjective, but I think I could certainly use the lens for tasks other than landscape photography. The sharpness definitely blew the 18mm out of the water. There was virtually no chromatic aberration when shooting wide-open whereas the 18mm suffers from that quite a bit - nothing software can't fix but it's just another extra reason the 21mm is worth the price difference. As for the build quality - the darn thing is entirely metal and glass. Even the lens hood is metal! It seems like such a serious lens that it makes the 35mm f/1.4L - a lens with really good build quality for a Canon lens - feel like a toy in comparison. The weight may bother people and I did list it as a con but it's really not that bad - especially if you're taking fantastic images with it!

If you're looking for a wide angle prime for Canon but you don't need really, really wide, I'd seriously recommend this lens. If you can get over having no AF, you won't regret it. I'm seriously considering Zeiss' 50mm to replace my nifty fifty next, despite it being MF.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

Reviews of this lens found on the web will tell you all about this lens quality and its image rendition capabilities: to summerize they are geat and i'm not disappointed at all. I especially like the contrast given to the images taken through this lens, it's just great. And the all-metal construction is extremely enjoyable.

Now for the main issue people probably have when reading about the zeiss lenses: how does one deal with the lack of autofocus? Well on a 21mm I'd say pretty well. And keep in mind that the lens will give feedback to the camera concerning the focusing so your focusing squares in the viewfinder will blink red when the focusing is correct.

I bought this one to find out if no-autofocus was a big deal on wide angles, and for me it's not on this 21mm. I'm planning on buying one 35mm and I'll definitely consider zeiss.

But for longer lenses I am probably going to stick to autofocus...

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

Was pleasantly surprised by the clarity, color detail, and sharpness of this lens. After I used the micro-adjustment feature on my 5D Mark II to calibrate the focus (-10 value) I was able to use the camera's internal focus signal to assist in manually focus my shots thru the viewfinder rather than always using the LCD.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

After using this lens for about half a year I can firmly say it is the best wide angle lens for Canon body! It really a must for FF body (I use it on 5D MKII). Images are sharp from F2.8. Color, bokeh and rendition is also like no other lens at this focal length. I am not talking about built quality, which is unique.

Is hard to find a real cons for this lens - maybe a little expensive, but you get what you pay for... Maybe a little heavy (especially on long hikes), but than again - the image quality you get it pays off... The real con is lens cap which could be much better designed.

All in all is just superb lens and I really enjoy using it.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

I bought this lens for landscape photography primarily, but have found it useful for general street shots and architecture as well. I have used the 16-35mm f2.8L II and the 24mm f1.4L II on my 5D Mk II for a while now, but this Distagon makes the best images of all. The pictures it produces are sharp edge-to-edge with hardly noticeable distortion, and the colors really pop. Flare is quite low, even with the sun in the picture. Manual focusing is not THAT difficult -- I did it for years until autofocus came along -- but I do not use this lens on fast-moving subjects. Critical focus requires "live view" on a tripod and maximum magnification on the Canon body (which is not optimized for visual focus evaluation). But one can still get great pictures handheld by taking advantage of the generous depth of field. I have never been disappointed with Zeiss lenses on any camera, 35mm or medium format, and this lens reinforces that experience.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

Having spent many hours researching what lens to use for my 5Dmark2 landscape photography I decided to go with the zeiss 21mm distagon. The reviews for this lens were very positive. Incredible sharpness, color, and micro contrast. Basically, the reviews built this lens up to be uber incredible and indeed some of the sample pix I saw were incredible. However, after using it, I could not understand all the hype. Even with a sturdy tripod and mirror lock up, I got sharper pix with my canon 24-70mm F2.8. The zeiss wasn't much better than the 17-40 F4 either. The sharp corners for which the zeiss is famous for were not that sharp. I looked so forward to owning this lens. I was really dissapointed. Not worth [$] when you can shoot w/ cheaper Canon lenses.Perhaps I got a bad copy but for that kind of price it better be very sharp. Thank goodness for B & H's return policy.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

I've had this lens for four months now so its not just new love. For a Canon mount this has to be the best landscape lens going. I've had the 17ts/24ts and 14L and this is just better.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

This is my first Carl Zeiss lens and so far I'm loving it. I shoot primarily wide, and the images that I'm producing with this lens deliver outstanding color, clarity and sharpness.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

Very sharp photos provided you take your time and use good technique. This lens will definitely reveal poor technique--i.e. bad focus or camera shake.

Tripod use is mandatory for the best results. Focus is more challenging than it would seem, even when using magnified 'live view' focusing technique. Not a great lens for indoor shooting due to the maximum aperture limitation as well as the time required to obtain critical focus manually.

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

Good lens clear optics - it's a keeper.

Still thinking about getting the canon 17m TS-e though... Could use a bit more wide angle and being an old 4X5 shooter I am tempted to buy for the tilt and shift movements

Comments about Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS DSLR Cameras:

I use this lens for landscapes and architectural projects. The lens produces crystal clear images.