Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3,5/18

By Jim Fisher

The Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3,5/18 ($1,395 list) ?is an ultra-wide angle lens for Canon and Nikon cameras. Its 18mm focal length is extremely wide, but not as tricky to use as the 12mm-equivalent wide end of the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DS HSM ?zoom. The construction is all metal, and the maximum f/3.5 aperture necessitates a very large front element, which requires you to use expensive 82mm filters when necessary. It measures 3.3 by 3.4 inches (HD) and weighs a hefty 1.1 pounds.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of images captured with this lens. At its widest aperture it is just a tad soft when paired with the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III , recording 1,767 lines per picture height. We use 1,800 lines as the cutoff for an acceptably sharp image. Stopping down to f/5.6 boosts the resolution to 2,100 lines, and the lens scores similarly at f/8. There's surprisingly little distortion for a lens of this width?only 0.6 percent of the pincushion variety, but as with all wide-angle lenses, you'll want to make sure that you shoot subjects straight on to avoid curving straight lines. This effect can pop up if you're just a bit askew from your subject.

Even though it's a manual focus lens, you won't have to pay too much attention to getting the focus dead on. Any object beyond 10 feet is going to be in focus if you set the lens to infinity. You can focus down to about a foot, which makes it possible to use the lens for dynamic wide-angle compositions. The f/3.5 aperture isn't the fastest in the world?it's a half-stop slower than the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF lens?but you'll be hard pressed to find a really fast full-frame SLR lens anywhere near this focal length. Leica does make a 21mm Summilux f/1.4 lens for rangefinder cameras, but it's priced at a staggering $6,995.

Many shooters will find a zoom lens to be more useful on the wide end of things, as changes in field of view as you move from focal length to focal length in sub-20mm optics are quite dramatic?especially if you're shooting up close or in a confined space. But if you're a wide-angle fan who doesn't mind a prime lens, you'll find that the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3,5/18 to be a rewarding optic. On full-frame cameras it lends itself to dramatic compositions, and also serves nicely as a 24mm-equivalent on APS-C cameras.

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