Complete Review of the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE

The time has come for me to say goodbye to the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE. Even though this lens is not perfect, I can honestly say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve had to shoot with the Zeiss 35mm F/1.4. But is it worth the money?

Testing

Likes

Build quality: This lens is built like a tank. I honestly can’t think of a lens that I’ve used that can even come close in terms of build quality.
Looks: While it’s not terribly important, I do like when my gear is pretty to look at and this lens is a looker.
Image quality: Let’s face it, if you’re going to drop this kind of cash on a lens it better produce some stunning results. Luckily, the Zeiss 35mm F/1.4 doesn’t disappoint. While it is slightly soft wide open, the results are still very usable and this lens is razor sharp at F/2.8 and beyond.
Unique, unquantifiable image characteristics: As I’ve said before, there is something unique and awesome about the images produced by this lens. The areas in focus pop out with a 3D like effect.
Bokeh: Creamy and delicious
AF confirmation: I’m pretty sure I couldn’t use this lens effectively without this feature.

Dislikes

Weight: Weighing in at over 3lbs., the Zeiss 35mm F/1.4 is easily one of the heaviest 35mm primes on the market. If you plan on carrying this lens around all day, you better make sure you have a good bag or a good strap, I prefer the Black Rapid RS-7.
Cost: There is no way around it, this is a very expensive piece of equipment. Not everyone has the money to drop on a 35mm prime that doesn’t have AF. Is it worth the price? That’s a tough call and it will really depend on the photographer.
Lack of AF: In addition to cost, I think the lack of AF will ultimately stop people from buying this lens. Honestly, I think the weight and cost bother me more than the lack of AF. Focusing screens and the AF confirmation help a TON plus you can always use zone focusing or hyper focal distance if you are ever in a situation where focusing manually is simply too difficult.

Conclusion

Every photographer has different needs so it’s hard to say what someone should or shouldn’t do but here’s my $0.02. I wouldn’t use a Zeiss lens to cover a focal distance that I didn’t already have covered by another lens with AF, and here’s why: I feel that Zeiss lenses are almost like a specialty lens (think tilt-shift lens). Use this lens when the conditions are right, i.e. when AF isn’t of utmost importance, and you’ll love it. If you try to force the lens to do something it’s not designed to do, you are going to get frustrated and dissapointed quickly. If I already had a 35mm prime or a zoom (with AF) that covered this range, I would consider buying the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE because I could use the Zeiss when AF speed wasn’t a concern.

The Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE is a very expensive lens and most of you are probably thinking why would I ever drop that kind of cash on a lens that doesn’t even have AF? Well, I would say you need to look at this lens differently than you would if you were considering another 35mm prime, like the Canon 35mm F/1.4L for example. The Zeiss 35mm F/1.4 is very different from the Canon 35mm F/1.4L so it’s hard to fairly compare the two. It’s like trying to compare apples and oranges. The Zeiss is about quality craftsmanship, control of your images, and unique results. The Canon is about speed and image quality. Here comes another car analogy. It’s like a Rolls-Royce (Zeiss) and a Ferrari (the L glass). Both are very well made and both are impressive machines but the Rolls is known for it’s superior luxury and handcrafted quality while the Ferrari is known for it’s speed and performance. Both cars are impressive machines and provide a thrilling driving experience but in very different ways.

If you simply want a fast focusing, relatively lightweight lens, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE is not your lens. If you’re looking for top of the line craftsmanship and a lens that will produce stunning and unique images and you already have the 35mm focal length covered by another AF lens, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE should be on your short list.

I had a great deal of fun shooting with the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE, so much so that I’m actually considering picking up some Zeiss glass for my 5D. I personally enjoy shooting with a 50mm lens, so I would go for the 50mm F/1.4 lens over the 35mm which just so happens to be cheaper. Lucky me.

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Tagged as: 35mm, Canon 5D, carl zeiss, Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE, Lens Review, Manual Focus

Corwin Black

Main issue or “con” is that theres thing called Samyang 35mm f1.4. Zeiss has some great lens (28mm f2 for example, very strong 3D capability, or older 28mm f2.8 C/Y). But 35mm f1.4 doesnt seem to belong to same league.
- Anonymous
  
  If I’m correct, those lenses also don’t have AF confirmation and stopping
  them down makes the viewfinder super dark.
  
  Chris Gampat,
  Editor in Chief
  The Phoblographer
  - http://www.fajarnurdiansyah.com Fajar
    
    The AE version for Nikon provide focus confirmation. http://erphotoreview.com/wordpress/?p=1084&page=3
    - Anonymous
      
      Yes that is nikon though.
      
      Chris Gampat,
      Editor in Chief
      The Phoblographer
      - Corwin Black
        
        You can buy chip and glue it there yourself, if you wish so. AF confirm is so off on Canon, that it doesnt matter much anyway. Most manual focus lens are best with split prism. And on Nikon, unless you own D3, its not much better. AF confirm is at best guide, but almost never its as sharp as it can be when focused with prism.
        
        Just minor annoyance, I think everyone who wants such lens is going for them for pure performace. Im sure I do. No Leica or C/Y lens has AF confirm, but for price and mostly performace, I really dont care.
        
        Mike Pouliot
        
        Hi Corwin,
        
        I found the AF confirmation to be spot on with my 5D. However, I do agree that your best bet is to get a new focusing screen for you camera if you want to use manual focus lenses.
        
        Thanks,
        Mike Pouliot
        Lead Reviewer
        The Phoblographer
        
        Mike Pouliot
        
        Hi Corwin,
        
        I found the AF confirmation to be spot on with my 5D. However, I do agree that your best bet is to get a new focusing screen for you camera if you want to use manual focus lenses.
        
        Thanks,
        Mike Pouliot
        Lead Reviewer
        The Phoblographer
http://www.facebook.com/jordanplus 陳建宏

Dear Sir:
How about the picture quality or Unique, unquantifiable image characteristics between
the old Contax 35mm f1.4 and this New Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZE ?
Pingback: Complete Review of… « A Lens a Week Blog
http://www.facebook.com/mistermikkel Mikkel Snedig Jensen

I do not get what all the fuzz is about. If you look to many of the old masters, they managed to work without AF at all! Granted they had focus screens, but I’ve used manual focus on my D700 for about a year, and I have never, even when shooting concerts or dance, desired autofocus.
Especially if you work in low light, manual focus will be a good help, since there’s no AF hunting back and forth for a subject, plus it is easier to maintain a certain focus distance, while waiting for the subject to enter your composition again.
- Mike Pouliot
  
  Hi Mikkel,
  
  I wasn’t making a fuss, I was simply stating that most people that have been shooting with SLRs for the past 20 years or so are going to be used to relying on AF for the majority of their shots. There is no denying that a good AF system can focus drastically faster than any human with a manual focus lens, but it all comes down to the individual shooter’s preference. I’m sure, with enough practice, most photographers would get used to shooting with manual focus lenses, it’s simply a matter of taste and desire. I doubt a wildlife or sports photographer would take an old manual focus lens over the latest and greatest lens offering precise and lightning fast AF. Yes, there are circumstances where manual focus comes in handy (low light, macro, low contrast situations, etc.) but there are also plenty of situations where AF can save your bacon.
  
  So, in closing, if you read the entire review you will already know that I was not knocking the Zeiss for not having AF, it’s simply a limitation of the lens that readers need to know about. That’s it. I have nothing but love for you manual focus shooters.
  
  Thanks,
  Mike Pouliot
  Lead Reviewer
  The Phoblographer
- http://www.facebook.com/byazrov Vladimir Byazrov
  
  Some people don’t have good enough health to not to use AF. For instance, I have a very weird case of incurable astigmatism that also cannot be corrected with glasses, so I can’t work with manual focusing in most of situations.
  - Chris Gampat
    
    As a guy losing his vision, I can agree with this.
Erik-Alexander Richter

I think if you adore the image quality of the 35mm F1.4 Zeiss, don’t consider the 50mm F1.4. Go directly for the Zeiss 50mm 2.0 macro, it is stunning and nothing less. Your 35mm F1.4 will replace the situations with low light. but the macro is so sharp, you don’t need any more work in unsharp masking. On a 5D it looks like you upgraded the whole camera system with this type of lenses.
- Mike Pouliot
  
  You’re completely correct about the 35mm f/1.4 vs. the 50mm f/1.4, the 35mm easily outperforms the 50mm Planar. In all honesty, no one should really be surprised by this. The 35mm costs twice as much as the 50mm and the 35mm is a brand new design while the 50mm Planar has been around for decades.
  
  I’ve heard wonderful things about the 50mm Macro, I think that one will be next on my list from Zeiss.
Dhruba K Sapkota

Has anybody compared this lens with Leica R 35mm Summilux? if yes, would love to listen your story.