EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-04-23 13:37:45
UA_SEARCH_BOT_compatible_botmozilla/5.0 applewebkit/537.36 (khtml, like gecko; compatible; claudebot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) @ 18.223.32.230
For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login. 
vs Nikon 20mm f/1.8G: Mt Conness Glacier Remnants (Nikon D810)
Shot with the 36-megapixel Nikon D810 at ISO 64.
The Zeiss ZF.2/ZE 21mm f/2.8 Distagon has long reigned as the champ in the ~21mm range for its high brilliance and strong control of color aberrations. Weaknesses include wave-type distortion, a mild forward field curvature in the outer zones, and an off-center cyan tinge.
In October 2014, the Nikon AF-S 20mm f/1.8G ED arrived on the scene, and your author quickly gained the impression that it might be Nikon’s best wide angle lens. With an aggressively faster lens speed, a reasonable supposition is that it might have to make some compromises, but at f/2.8 it is already stopped down by 4/3 stop while the 21/2.8 Distagon is wide open and thus it has a chance to eliminate any wide-open weaknesses. Moreover it benefits from all modern design techniques as of 2014, and lens design certainly has made progress.
Article continues for subscribers...
Diglloyd Guide to Zeiss is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 21 cents a day ($75/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for about 75 cents a day!
Diglloyd Guide to Zeiss offers comprehensive integrated coverage of Zeiss DSLR lenses for Canon and Nikon. Nearly a decade in the making, it covers everything you need to know for every lens in the ZF.2, ZE, Milvus and Otus lines. Guide to Mirrorless and Zeiss ZM rangefinder lenses in Guide to Leica.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away. A “cheat sheet” saving months of ad-hoc learning—Guide to Zeiss is much more than lens reviews.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time. A year’s subscription covering ALL these lenses is a tiny fraction of the cost of just ONE lens.
- Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning—Guide to Zeiss spells out best practices.
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt. And see Lloyd’s articles for Lenspire.Zeiss.com.
