Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon: Drawing Style
See my Zeiss DSLR lenses wish list.
Here I’m discussing the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon for Canon or Nikon, not the fabulous Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon (entirely different optical design) for Leica M.
See Guide to Zeiss for my reviews of Zeiss DSLR lenses.
To say it up-front, the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon (for Canon or Nikon) is not the strongest f/1.4 performer in technical terms out there; the Canon 35mm f/1.4L II is better corrected for color, for example.
But in sheer drawing style terms, the Zeiss 35/1.4 Distagon is worthy of consideration; it has the most “painterly” style of any lens I can think of. Sometimes rendering style is a priority over technical performance (not that the 35/1.4 is lacking when stopped down).
I have no idea if and when an all-new 35/1.4 design is coming or if there will be a Milvus version released with the current optical design (unlikely). But in terms of classics, the ZF 25mm f/2.8 Distagon and the 35mm f/1.4 Distagon are two lenses to consider for their classic drawing style.
For the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon, there is a $400 mail-in rebate and 4% rewards for a net price of $1443.
The about $1004 Zeiss 25mm f/2.8 Distagon (Nikon only) does not have a rebate, but it has 4% rewards.
This image is f/1.4 from the f/1.4 - f/13 Aperture Series: Bristlecone Vista, Late Dusk (Canon 5DS R).
This images is part of the Examples, Nikon D3x in Sierra and White Mountains page.