Category Archives: Zeiss

Review: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5

October 9, 2024 Martin 12 Comments

Introduction

The Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f/3.5 is a vintage lens, originally designed in 1929. Renowned for its simple yet ingenious design and impressive sharpness, it’s also celebrated for its remarkably light weight. Historically, 135mm has been the classic focal length for portrait photography, and the most popular telephoto focal length for most photographers. Therefore almost all of the lens manufacturers had at least 2 of them, a f/2.8 and a f/3.5, many offered other speeds in between or even faster than 2.8. The Sonnar design, with its compact size, made it a popular choice for photographers on the move. While Carl Zeiss produced numerous Sonnar 135mm lenses, other manufacturers have also developed their own Sonnar-inspired lenses incorporating modern technology. Despite its historical significance, I found the Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f/3.5 price more reasonable than other coveted vintage lenses, prompting me to purchase one for testing. (I bought mine for €10 but prices normally start from €20)

camera-icon2 I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z 7II (Sample images Nikon Z6 and Nikon Zf)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5

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Leica M, Review, Zeiss

Review: Zeiss ZM 21mm 4.5 C-Biogon

June 30, 2024 BastianK 5 Comments

Introduction

zeiss zm 21mm 4.5 c-biogon classic wide angle leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting — Zeiss ZM 21mm 4.5 C-Biogon on Leica M6

The Zeiss ZM 21mm 4.5 C-Biogon is the widest of the three “Classic” designs in Zeiss’ ZM line up. It has long been discontinued and it wasn’t in production for a long time, so it is a bit rare and rather expensive on the used market. I always wondered how it would compare to the similarly compact yet newer Voigtländer VM 21mm 3.5 Color-Skopar and now we will finally find out.
Lens is being tested on 42mp Sony A7rII and 24mp Leica M10

Sample Images

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Laowa, Leica M, Sigma, Sony, Sony E-mount, Technical, Voigtlander, Zeiss

Different Filter Stacks and what they mean for us: Sony E | Nikon Z | Leica M | Kolari UT

June 11, 2024 BastianK 28 Comments

Introduction

filter stack comparison sony e nikon z fe leica m kolari UT

When Sony released the first affordable fullframe camera with the A7 in 2013 almost none of the enthusiast photographers were aware of issues related to filter stack differences. Filter stack describes what is in front of the sensor and different manufacturers decided to go for different thicknesses here that can influence how our lenses perform. If you stay within just one system this is usually not something to care about, but when adapting lenses it is very helpful to be aware of this topic.

In this article I try to tell you about these differences and for what lenses they matter, so you can find out if it is something that might affect you.

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Analogue, Leica M, Voigtlander, Zeiss

Analogue Adventures – Part 30: Kodak Portra 800 C-41

April 11, 2024 BastianK 5 Comments

kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om — Kodak Portra 800

There are already two articles covering Portra 800, but both times they have been developed in the ECN-2 process by Silbersalz35. What was missing was Portra 800 developed in the more common C-41 process, so here we go.
Exposed as ISO640. Processing (C-41) and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany.

kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om c-41 minolta cle — Leica M6 | Voigtländer VM 21mm 1.4 | f/1.4 | Portra 800 C-41

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Comparison, K&F, Nikon, Nikon Z, Pergear, Sigma, Tamron, Techart, Viltrox, Zeiss, Zeiss C/Y mount

Comparison: The Battle of 35mm lenses – Nikon Z vs Sigma vs Tamron vs Zeiss vs Pergear vs Nikon Ai-s

January 1, 2024 Martin 25 Comments

Introduction

Comparison: The Battle of 35:s - Nikon Nikkor Z 35 1.8 S vs Sigma 35 mm HSM Art vs Tamron USD vs Carl Zeiss Distagon vs Pergear vs Nikon Ai-s 35mm Which one best 35mm Viltrox ETZ ef to Z, FTZ adapter Megadap adapter K&F Concept adapter AF adapter

If you ask all the photographers, which single prime lens they would choose if they could own only one lens in the world, the majority would say the 35mm, and most of the rest would say a fast 35mm. This is because it is one of the most versatile prime lenses. Although it’s a wide-angle lens, it is sometimes referred to as the alternative normal lens because it is so close to the standard focal length that it does not distort the subject much. With such lenses, you can also get a good background separation with a nice bokeh. They are useful in almost all kinds of photography, especially in everyday photography, street photography, environmental portraits, landscapes, weddings, events, and travel. Additionally, it works well for stitched astrophotography.

Its popularity has led to numerous 35mm lenses being produced by various manufacturers from the early days of photography to the modern era. In this article, I will compare six of them, from vintage to old to new. Let’s have a look together!