Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/28

By Jim Fisher

When used on a full-frame camera, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/28 ($1,283 list) is a wide-angle lens of a classic 28mm focal length. Oddly enough, this translates to a true normal on APS-C cameras, which have sensors that are 28mm in diagonal measure. It can focus as close as 9.4 inches, making it possible to create a very shallow depth of field behind your subject when shot wide open. This makes the lens an attractive option to owners of either camera type. It is available for Canon and Nikon camera systems.

The Distagon measures 3.8 by 2.8 inches (HD), but is quite heavy at 1.3 pounds. It accepts 58mm filters, a common size for SLR lenses. The construction is all metal, which accounts for its density, and the focus ring has a smooth, long throw, so you can focus with precision when working close to your subject. The bokeh produced by the lens in these shooting situations is absolutely gorgeous, especially when the area behind your subject is colorful.

The lens is sharp at the center at all apertures, but at f/2 its center-weighted score in Imatest, which takes the edges and corners into account, is only 1,622 lines per picture height due to some light fall off and softness at the corners and edges of images. This is shy of the 1,800 lines we used to define a sharp image. The test was performed on the full-frame Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III , so if you use the lens on an APS-C camera the corner and edge softness should be less of an issue. Stopping the lens down to f/2.8 eliminates the issue?it breaks the 2,000-line mark at that aperture. Resolution increases to 2,200 lines at f/4, crosses 2,300 lines at f/5.6, and breaks 2,400 lines at f/8. There's a slight amount of barrel distortion, 1.1 percent, but nothing that can't be corrected during post-processing.

Manual focus fans who are looking for a 28mm lens should be happy with the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/28, as many wide-angle optics with fast maximum apertures have softness at the corners. The lens is a bit pricey, however, especially when compared to the Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM and Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G lens, both of which are slightly faster and available for roughly half the price of the Zeiss lens. Whether or not the character exhibited by images from the Distagon is worth the extra money is up to you and is dependent on your photographic style. It's a lens that I fell in love with very easily, but its price and lack of autofocus limit its audience.

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