Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon: Brilliant and Sharp (Aperture Series Pine Creek Buildings Thunderstorms, Nikon D810)
This series shot very close in time to the similar series with the 15/2.8 Distagon, so it’s an interesting perspective on the two lenses.
Light was changing by the second; this entire series was shot 4 times (!) to finally manage a complete series with the “spotlight” lighting as I desired, for each aperture. It provides an interesting complement to the 2013 series with its serene autumn weather.
The Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon offers high brilliance, superb flare control and terrific sharpness. These are reasons to select it over other ultra wides.
But like all ultrawides that are f/2.8 or faster, a field curvature is present (very mild with the 21/2.8 Distagon). This series shows that behavior and discusses how to work with it for optimal results.
In Guide to Zeiss:
Aperture Series 21/2.8 Distagon: Pine Creek Stormy Light (Nikon D810)
Also discussed and shown are its superlative point spread function and the behavior with stopping down.
Include HD and Ultra HD images and large crops from f/2.8 through f/16 along with both color and black and white images and how converted.
I’ve learned that a 1-megawatt hydroelectric generator is planned for the existing mine shaft, to upgrade the current ~100 KW plant. The mine shaft offers natural water flow with a “head” of at least 1500 vertical feed, offering tremendous hdyropower potential. It’s a shame to see a tungsten resource abandonded (risk of foreign supply for a critical metal), but what an awesome and perfect use for an old mine!
Toggle the image below to see the black and white rendition.