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(More customer reviews)This 'review' is meant to help hobbyists and professionals considering an ultra-wide angle for 35mm full frame Nikon or Canon bodies. Except for the excellent Lloyd Chambers reviews (for which you need to pay) there is very little information available for this lens, nor will you see it stocked at most camera stores for test shooting purposes.
It took me several months to compare the alternatives (as below) before getting the Zeiss 18mm prime:
Nikon 17-35 f2.8 (practical all-round pro glass)
Nikon 14-24 f2.8 (fantastic image quality, heavy and cumbersome to handle)
Nikon 20mm prime (not very popular)
Voigtlander 20mm f3.5 prime (a joy to handle, pack, use..wow!)
Nikon 20-35mm f2.8 (great compact alternative to the 17-35)
Nikon 16-35mm F4 VR (practical for a pro, though I find it is too long).
Canon 24mm TSE (yes, for a Canon body, and I use this for some interiors)
Nikon 28mm PC (great color, compact, beautifully built but it is difficult to find a good clean copy) Each of these lenses have some strengths. The real question is to find out what you want to achieve, what is most important to you: image quality, price, handling, packing, build quality, speed of shooting, ergonomics, hood type and ease of packing, weight, filter size (77mm is a practical choice), your current arsenal, what you shoot, if you get paid for it etc etc.
The new Nikon 16-35 f4 VR is an obvious choice and is relatively inexpensive (about $ 1250) considering you are getting a range of focal lengths, as well as it has Nikon's excellent nano coating. The Voit 20 is tiny (about $ 590 with hood), beautifully designed and built gem of a lens with close focussing and beautiful color; it is hard to argue against this manual focus beauty. The Zeiss 18mm ZF gets my highest recommendation for following reasons:
1) Image quality and color: this lens simply blows away Canon 16-35 or 17-40, Nikon 17-35, 16-35 etc for color, pop and sparkle. If you shoot the same scene with different lenses, you will be able to see the difference on your screen in most cases. The Zeiss images seem to jump off the page, the colors are almost luminous, sharpness and contrast are magazine quality. Some have have described this as a 3D effect, some call it 'micro-contrast'. I have not shot with any lens in Canon, Nikon or Pentax lines which comes close to matching the Zeiss line for color and pop (except the 300 F2.8 type plus $ 4000 lenses). Please note that this is my opinion, and is based on my shooting style and personal sense of aesthetics. I am not a professional image editor, and my opinion is NOT not based on detailed Optical / Scientific testing and comparison.
2) Sharpness, Contrast, Handling of Flare /distortion: A good as it gets!
3) Handling & Build quality; the 18mm is similar to the 21mm Zeiss (the ultimate reference wide angle) in design and build quality. However it is more compact (about 1" shorter) and is easier to handle, carry and pack. I do not care to walk several miles with long lenses which are front heavy and easy to bump into obstructions. It is very easy to carry as the lens barrel is quite small in diameter and it balances well on the D700. The metallic hood alone is worth over $ 100 in my opinion (Nikon sells cheap plastic hoods for similar lenses for over $ 30).
You have to handle this lens to appreciate how well it is designed and built. The Nikon alternatives do not come close, in fact are not even in the same league. It is a sensual delight; I love the look, feel and ergonomics of the Zeiss line. The Nikon 14-24 etc. have relatively large barrel diameters (not fun to use). The Zeiss 18mm is ergonomically perfect (almost). Even the lens cap works well with hood in place (important for me).
The Zeiss 18mm has some downsides you may want to consider:
1) Manual focus: you need to take your time to focus as there is no auto focus. It is easy to set at F8 and shoot at infinity with such a wide angle. You will nail your shots most of the time if you pay attention. The focussing feels smooth and buttery, is a pleasure to use. Nikon D700 has green dot confirmation and you can nail it if you take your time.
2) Exif data (image details): Manual lens setting on Nikon D700-you go into the camera menu (non-CPU lens) to set lens information for the first time (18mm, F3.5 etc). Once you do this, you can get exif information in Aperture priority (such as aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation etc.) The camera will not recognize this lens automatically. You need make sure that you check and set to lens 1, lens 2 etc every time you use a ZF lens (18mm, 50mm etc). Otherwise camera will display wrong information. You need to set aperture manually on the lens body. The Zf2 lenses display exif data automatically, but the ZF2 line is more expensive.
3) Price: yes, it is expensive for a prime, but it is worth the price (in my opinion) if you care about image quality, construction quality etc. and are willing to shoot manual focus. For such a wide angle lens design, almost everything past 6' feet is in focus anyway!
4) It is not suitable for event shooting unless you have a lot of experience with manual focus (or shoot F8 and infinity all the time). It is perfect for landscapes, interiors, products, commercial work etc. You can shoot flash but may need to practice using manual settings, use modifiers etc to cover this wide angle range.
5) Filter size is 82 mm (most pro Nikon glass is 77 mm). You will have to invest in expensive new filters to take full advantage of this lens's capabilities (Neutral density for waterfalls, Graduated filters for blocking skies etc)
6) Alternatives: The Nikon 14-24 is also an excellent lens for image quality, maybe almost as good. However it is bulky, takes no filters, is difficult to carry and pack. The 16-35 Nikon is most practical and Voit 20 is the best built and wonderfully compact (my second choice).
In summary, once you shoot Zeiss, there is no going back. That has been my experience. The colors are so gorgeous and so consistently larger than life, I am more than happy to put up with all of the "negatives". The true test of any lens is how often and how much you will actually use it. I will take every opportunity to mount onto my D700 and take a long walk. In fact I cant wait to make my next trip West to shot some Big Sky.
Highly recommended for those looking for the ultimate in image quality, color, 3D like pop, beautiful handling and and 'old world style timeless' build quality. You will know it when you see it, touch it and use it!
If you can afford it, go get one now :)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Zeiss Ikon Wide Angle 3.5/18mm Distagon T* ZF Series Lens for Nikon F Mount SLR Cameras
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