Nov. 2008 - A weekend with a Carl Zeiss Planar T* 1,4/85 ZE
At the end of November I had the opportunity to test one of the new ZE lenses from Carl Zeiss that fits onto Canon bodies. I took photos at the Christmas Market in Baden-Baden, took the lens out into nature on a frosty morning and later took photos in Strasbourg.

Here’s my impression of this lens:

First off, as I am a physicist and expert in Lithography optics and know more about optics then I would ever need to know as a photographer, I could talk about MTF, distortions, aberrations and such. I won’t do any of this here. This is not about physics. Plus, everyone can read about this lens on multiple reviews. I look at this lens and the personal experience I had with it, with the eyes of an artist (and also a little with the eye of a technical geek).

The first impression I had was exactly in line with what everyone would expect: It’s a very solid piece of craftsmanship. The ZE lenses communicate with the camera, so I can handle f-stop with my camera and have a fully open aperture when I look through the viewfinder. The focus is smooth and has an extremely low slope. That allows very accurate focusing, but feels also a little long, when going from short distance to infinity. When using f/1.4, the manual focus is of course difficult - even with my EC-L cross split focus screen. Quick focusing for snap shots is pretty much out of discussion at 1.4. Some of my photos were off focus, because the viewfinder doesn’t have enough sensitivity to make full use of the fine focus adjustment capabilities of the lens, especially not if you have to be quick.

I still enjoyed working with this lens very much. The bokeh is incredible. In times of autofocus, autoexposure, etc. the fact that you have to manual focus to make your picture somehow brings you closer to the scene, makes you part of it - I know... completely irrational... but I can’t help it, that’s what I felt. Also: IT SIMPLY FEELS INCREDIBLY COOL TO HAVE A ZEISS LENS ON MY CAMERA... I can’t believe it, I thought after working working for this company for more than 20 years I should be immune to this... Having this lens on the camera is not just an experience with optics. Somehow it carries along some 150 years of a glorious history of making superior optics and making my photos through such a lens makes me part of this history.

I got one for myself... 

Click here to see the results of my photo tour with this lens.

Aug. 31. 2008 - Finalist in NJPE08

1. -This photo from my Abstract Cloudscape series entered the finals of the
   ‘National Juried Photography Exhibition 2008’ at the 12 12 Gallery in Richmond, VA. Juror is Dr. Carol McCusker from the Museum of Photographic Art in San Diego, CA. The exhibition begins Oct. 3rd and ends Nov. 9, 2008.

Aug. 28. 2008 - 4th place in outdoor photo contest

1. -A landscape photo at the top of ghost mountain in CA made the 4th place in the photography contest “The best outdoor Picture” of the german Magazine GEO
   

Two days in Maui

France

Belgium