Category: 35mm Lenses

Olympus 21mm f2 v Sigma 15-30mm v Nikon 17-35mm AFS [published 2004] OK: so everyone knows the best 21mm in the world by a country mile is the Zeiss 21mm, but not everyone can afford one, and not everyone can live with the awkward waveform distortion. So, what most people have come to realise is […]

Sigma 12-24mm v Sigma 15-30mm v Canon 17-40mm L v Contax Zeiss 21mm Distagon f2.8 [published 2004] ISO 100 / Full frame Canon 1Ds Mark I with mirror lock up, f8 / 1 second / AWB on a Manfrotto 155 with view camera head, legs locked. All were shot RAW and processed in 8 bit […]

A Tale of Two 28mm Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS sample variation demonstrated [published december 2005]   Preliminary to the 28mm group test, two samples of the well-regarded Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AI-S were obtained to compare with the Olympus 28mm f2 and Carl Zeiss Contax 28mm f2.8 Distagon. Both were sourced from a reputable UK dealer […]

[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS v Olympus 28mm f2 v Zeiss 28mm f2.8 [published january 2006] So what is the best 28mm lens? Is it the so-called ‘Hollywood’ edition Zeiss f2? Te Nikon f1.4? Surely the Leica 28mm Super Elmarit is in the top three? Quite likely each of these in their own way […]

[nextpage title=”Introduction”] [Voigtlander Super Wide Heliar 15mm f4.5 v Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 [published january 2006] The Canon 5D/Voigtlander Rangefinder The Voigtlander 15mm f4.5. Where on earth are you going to put THAT? First: yes, you can use Voigtlander’s true wide angle lenses on Canon digital cameras: here’s my 15mm f4.5 SL on an EOS 5D. […]

[nextpage title=”12-15mm”] 12-15mm Hall of Fame [nextpage title=”17-21mm”] 17-21mm hall of fame Despite being a highly desirable focal length for landscape,interiors and architectural photographers, at the time of writing no uncompromised retrofocus SLR lens exists that can resolve to the limit of the latest 13MP and 16MP 35mm sensors across the frame. This may come […]

[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Canon 14mm f2.8 L v Nikon 14mm f2.8 EDIF v Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 DG [published march 2006] So you’ve got your killer wide angle zoom: either the Canon 16-35mm L or the (better) Nikon 17-35mm AFS – or, if the budget won’t quite stretch (but the field of view must) you’re working around […]

[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L (Mark 1) v Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 AFS [Published March 2006] Over here, Nikonians; over there, Canonites – and ne’er the twain meet. Team Nikon loves its 17-35 and Camp Canon loves its 16-35. Each claims the superiority of its champion but rarely are they tested head to head. Nikon-EOS […]

[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Nikon 15mm f3.5 AIS v Sigma 12-24mm f3.5-4.5 [published may 2006] As King Solomon advised: “Don’t say: ‘Why were the olden days so much better than these?’ It is not due to wisdom that you have asked this.” Proverbs were so much better then. Yet for Nikon users it’s true: in many cases […]

If you’ve read the previous 85mm test, you won’t be surprised to hear that the Zeiss ZF 85mm f1.4 was returned to the dealer: weak close range performance and a painfully tight focusing ring were cited as reason enough for dissatisfaction. Fast forward one month, and the Mark I Canon 85mm f1.2 L has been […]