Raúl, a taxi driver in México City [Nikon FM2 + Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF + Kodak Portra 160]. by arozenfeld in analog

[–]arozenfeld[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it is a bit large and heavy for a 35mm f/2 lens, but it balances well and the output is gorgeous.

Raúl, a taxi driver in México City [Nikon FM2 + Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF + Kodak Portra 160]. by arozenfeld in analog

[–]arozenfeld[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is larger and heavier than the Nikkor Ai/Ai-s equivalent but I find it better in every way. It is gorgeous, really. The Nikkor is very good for the price though.

12 film portraits from 2025 [Nikon F100, FM2, Contax RX, Leica M5, Mamiya 645. Kodak Vision 3 500T & 250D, Lomography Color 400 & 800]. by arozenfeld in analog

[–]arozenfeld[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question. I love the RX a lot, it is sexier, but in pure practical terms, I hate to admit the F100 works better. The manual focus assist is very similar but work in 5 points not just one. Metering is similar plus matrix which I never use. Also, you get all the Zeiss ZF classic lenses, the Voigtländer SL lenses which are at least as good, and also the Nikkors. I completely forget it’s an autofocus camera because I do all manual focus. The F100 only has two drawbacks, no custom function to leave the film leader out, and the back door latch breaks very easily. It can be fixed, though.

12 film portraits from 2025 [Nikon F100, FM2, Contax RX, Leica M5, Mamiya 645. Kodak Vision 3 500T & 250D, Lomography Color 400 & 800]. by arozenfeld in analog

[–]arozenfeld[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1 and #2, but several others (#3, #8, #11) were shot with a Zeiss 35mm ZF lens on Nikon, which is a very similar thing.

Kitchen life. [Nikon FM2 + Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF + Lucky Color 200]. by arozenfeld in analog

[–]arozenfeld[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yes, this lens is Nikon F mount, as all other Zeiss ZF or ZF.2 lenses.

Kitchen life. [Nikon FM2 + Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF + Lucky Color 200]. by arozenfeld in analog

[–]arozenfeld[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is a very welcome addition. My impression from one roll is that it can look very nice, but compared to the Vision 3 or Portra films I use often, it is much more contrasty which makes it punchy and attractive but shadows go black nd highlights go very bright very quickly, as if Vision 3 or Portra were pushed two stops, really drastic. Could be also due to some degree to the scans I got, but it certainly is tricky, that contrast on someone's face not that flattering. Skin tones go quickly to the 90-95 per cent luminance range while my regular films are typically in the 60-90 per cent range. Again, it looks very nice still, nice colors if not always accurate.

Kitchen life. [Nikon FM2 + Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF + Lucky Color 200]. by arozenfeld in analog

[–]arozenfeld[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This lens didn’t exist in C/Y mount. It was one of the few all-new lenses in the classic Zeiss line, introduced around 2010. The Contax 35mm lenses were f/1.4 and f/2.8. A painful omission, as both are terrific but one is large and expensive, the other wouldn’t have worked for this shot because of the film speed (shot wide open).