I have not found any other 35mm lenses you can pop right onto a Canon with the same build quality as this. Ever. The lens hood locks on with a metalic "cha-chink".

Weighs about 1/2 a kilo. I find that weight well balanced for my 5D body.

Manual focus mechanism is extremely smooth. Better than any Canon lens's manual focus, even the TS-E lenses. Period.

The "Zeiss T*" looks great if somebody happens to be taking a photograph of you holding your camera to your face.

Doesn't stand out.

Colour contrast is amazing.

Resolution is amazing. I can use 100% crops from the corner for web work no problem. Pixel perfect resolution corner to corner at F12.

Very low chromatic aberration. Very low flaring.

Superb landscape lens. Not as wide but better image quality than the Canon 17-40 L for the same price.

Images shot at F2 are more usable than images I've shot with the Canon 35mm 1.4L at F2. This can make a difference when shooting an event if you can pull off the focus.

It's a prime lens which makes it easier to make a superb lens at this price point.

Manual focus makes me much more aware of my subject. It takes extra time but the time spent improves the image.

2 year warranty.

High resale value.

No auto-focus. Some people need this, some people don't. My 5D has a problem with auto-focus in low light anyways. It's up to you. If you're not willing to learn how to focus manually this isn't the lens for you (remember, auto-focus didn't really show up till the 70's and there were amazing photographs being made before then).

It's so precisely machined it takes a little effort to get it onto the body. I wish the red marker for "up" was on the outside of the lens and not on the inside where you can't see it.

Electronics don't work 100% with my 5D body. About every 20-30th frame the lens and/or body messes up mid-shutter and I have to turn the camera off & on. This is troublesome when it's a paid shoot and it happened to be a "money shot" that it screwed up on. Unfortunately I've needed the lens too much to part with it for the short time it would take Zeiss to repair it. Hopefully I'll have a lull soon where I can send it in. This makes me give it an overall rating of 4 stars and not a perfect 5.

It's a prime lens. This means you may want to carry a second body with another focal range on it if you shoot events and other busy environments.

The metal body makes it cold to handle when it gets down to -30 celcius but I usually have more important things to worry about at that temperature, like camera damage.

The MSRP has gone up about $100 since I bought it. Zeiss knows this lens is becoming popular.

Welcome to the world of German engineered lenses, where you may find Zeiss, Schneider and Leica. This will be a magnificent new experience for you if you've never shot with any of these lenses!

Excellent build quality. Superb image quality. Exquisite manual focus. IR Focusing index. Exists in a class of it's own. I use it for paid event work and fine-art landscapes.

A lens of this quality can set your work apart from others and land you some extra contracts. Well worth the investment.

If you only have $1000 to buy a lens for landscape work, this is the lens for you. Hands down. If you have more and you need auto-focus or zoom, you may want to consider at others. If you don't need auto-focus and zoom, you're going to have extra money in you pocket which is always great.

Customer Service

Haven't experienced it yet. I will be experiencing their customer service when I finally have a chance to send it in.

Similar Products Used:

Schneider Super Angulon 90mm on 4x5 body (20mm equivalent at 4x5, 37mm equivalent at 6x9)
Canon 35mm 1.4 L
Canon 24mm TS-E II
Canon 17-40 L

Zeiss performance.

None

I am using this lens on a Nikon D700. You can use it on A and M; you can read the aperture inside the viewfinder. It is a manual focus lens. Use the Nikon SB 800 in AA mode.
This lens is in one word beautifull!
First: it is mechanical first class. Second: in its possibility to give you a 3D picture; this Zeiss lens is a topclass performer.
Sharpness, contrast, colors and his grafical black-, gray- and skin tones are in more then one word stunning! (Use in developping a black and white point to get the 3D).

Customer Service

Very good

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 2,8 24-70mm
Nikkor 1,4 50mm