Hands On: Zeiss ZF Macros for Nikon

I've been shooting lately with two new Nikon F-mount Zeiss lenses, the ZF 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar T* and the ZF 50mm f/2 Makro-Planar T*. (I love it when they spell macro that way.) As you'd expect from a Zeiss-made optic they are both simply razor sharp, and are also impressively heavy, in these days of featherweight zooms, due in part to their full-metal barrel. No, they don't have autofocus--nor do any of the other "premium" manual-focus lenses Zeiss is making for Nikon F, Pentax K, and M42 (threaded) mounts--but I haven't really missed it.

Depth of field is so shallow when you're shooting very close that autofocus can be more of a hindrance than a help: Wide-area AF arrays rarely pick the focus point you need to put the plane of focus where it should be to optimize depth of field, and even if you switch to single-point AF it can take a few lock-focus-and-recompose routines to get it right. As you know, you often want to place the plane of focus midway into the subject and leave it there, stopping down to sharpen everything else that matters.

In fact manual focus is such a pleasure with the viewfinder of the full-frame Nikon D3, which I've been using with the lenses, that I've been shooting wide-open to get really, really shallow depth of field. (I've included a few examples here.) The Zeiss ZF macros invite that kind of fun because they're a stop faster than other good macros, which typically have a maximum aperture of f/2.8. Shooting with the lenses set to f/2 with reproduction ratios approaching 1:2, their limit, produces a pinpoint-focus effect with dramatic defocus--no Lensbaby needed. And the defocused areas are beautifully smooth because they aren't being aided or abetted by distortion. (Zeiss says that these optics borrow from its super-duper cine lenses, technology that gives them "exceptionally selective focus," but isn't depth of field depth of field?)

I favored the 50mm macro, an eight-element design, because I've always loved the combination of normal perspective and very shallow depth of field. It's entirely different than the shallow depth of field you get with long lenses, which comes hand-in-hand with compressed perspective. On a Nikon D300 or other Nikon D-SLRs, of course, the cameras' APS-C-sized image sensors make the 50mm lens equivalent in its angle of view to a slightly-long 75mm in the full-frame 35mm format.

For most purposes, though, the nine-element 100mm, which is equivalent to about 150mm (in 35mm) when used on any Nikon D-SLR other than the D3, is probably the more versatile of the two lenses. That's because it provides greater working distance (meaning you can shoot the same area of the subject from farther away) and smooths out-of-focus background detail (because it "sees" less of the background behind the main subject). I just wish that like my old Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro it stopped down to f/32 instead of f/22, for those times when you want just about everything sharp.

I confess I'm also fond of the combination of shallow depth of field with a wide angle of view. So when I return these two lenses to Zeiss I'm hoping to borrow the new ZF 28mm f/2 Distagon T* in their place. I still have my old 28mm f/2 AF-I AI-S [that's what I meant] Nikkor in a drawer, inviting comparison. The new wide-angle is also available as a ZK lens, but unfortunately there's no full-frame Pentax D-SLR to put it on at this point, so I wouldn't get the full goodness of its angle of view. Maybe I'll have to start looking for my old Pentax K1000. Wait--I gave that to my sister, about 30 years ago. --Russell Hart

Comments

[Roger Knight]

Russell: Enjoyable reading. These lenses are made by Zeiss, not Cosina? I assume that the build-quality is there but they do remind me of generic 1970's Japanese products. I share your appreciation for the 28mm f/2 Nikkor. Regards.

[Roger Knight]

Russell: Enjoyable reading. These lenses are made by Zeiss, not Cosina? I assume that the build-quality is there but they do remind me of generic 1970's Japanese products. I share your appreciation for the 28mm f/2 Nikkor. Regards.

[Mark]

What is the difference between the Zeiss Makro 50mm and the Zeiss Normal 50mm f/1.4 ZF Planar T* in terms of captured image composition from same camera/same place?

[Russell Hart]

Do you mean the actual, precise angle of view? If so, obviously the difference will be very slight, but I can find out.

[Russell Hart]

Roger--The lenses sure do have that old-timey look, which may be quite deliberate. And they are in fact manufactured by Cosina, though apparently with much Zeiss oversight. Here's what Zeiss U.S. product manager Rich Schleuning wrote me:
"Zeiss designs the ZF lenses in Germany and manufactures them in Japan at a 3rd party partner. The lenses are made to Zeiss' specs, Zeiss QC & MTF equipment is used for calibration, and Zeiss employees perform the final inspection prior to packaging."
That may sound like PR rationalizing, but all I can tell you is that the lenses are first-rate. -- Russell

[Steve Vihon]

Russell -- with the D300, how did you find focusing with both these lenses?

[Russell Hart]

Steve--I didn't actually shoot with the lenses on the Nikon D300. The D300's viewfinder is one of the best among D-SLRs that have APS-C-sized image sensors, as opposed to the full-frame sensor in the D3, and actually has higher magnification than the latter. But it still looks smaller because of the FOV crop, so manual focusing probably wouldn't be quite as easy as with the D3. --Russell

[John Falkenstine]

Why do these lenses look almost identical to the old LENTAR on my Nikon F? down to the markings and ribbed focusing ring?

[KESHAV RAJ / AT ' CHENNAI' INDIA]

THE INFORMATION ON ZEISS LENSES IS INTERESTING ,I AM AN ARDENT LOVER OF THOSE MANUAL PIN SHARP ZEISS LENSES,I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A COMPARISON LAB REPORT BETWEEN NIKON 'ED'LENSES & ZESISS LENSES,CAN SOME BODY GIVE A FEED ON THIS ? BEST REGARDS