Vintage Lens Review | Zeiss 35mm “Zebra” Flektogon F2.8
A concise review, after a few months (sample images provided)
Author Note: Discover why I highly recommend these vintage lenses for your collection! This review series focuses not on technical specs, but on the lens’ unique character, quirks, and my personal experiences with each.
Logic behind purchase:
As a sorta “self-gifted” wedding present to myself and Julia we bought this lens and also a Jupiter 85mm F2 lens. Having previously really enjoyed my Zeiss 20mm and also (though to a lesser extent) the *sometimes/sometimes not* bokeh-monster Zeiss 50mm, I decided to pick up the Zeiss 35mm Flektogon primarily to use on my Leica CL as a 50mm equivalent.
Impressions:
Handling is nice, with really smooth focusing, though a bit too loose for the aperture ring (with minor clicks). Wide open sharpness is sub-par, and missed focus was prevalent in alot of my first test shots on my crop sensor Leica CL. I was pretty knee-jerk in my reaction to shelve the lens for half a year.
However, Julia ended up trying it and loving it on her full frame Canon RP (especially the macro functionality). The bokeh at times can be really dazzling and dreamy, which fits her fantasy aesthetics. She would use it in a similar way to…
