Introduction

The Zeiss 35/1.4 Distagon is a pretty straightforward lens. It’s essentially perfect in terms of optics, but at the cost of size and handling. I bought the Zeiss 35/1.4 after I had spent a year using the 35 Summilux Pre-FLE. I had become frustrated with focus shift and other optical imperfections with that lens, and I was excited to finally use a 35/1.4 lens that delivered sharp images, every time. The Zeiss 35/1.4 does exactly that.

Build quality

Fantastic. All metal construction and my copy felt solid in every way.

Size and feel

I dislike this lens’s size and handling. It’s large and heavy for a 35mm lens. I also dislike how long it is and that it’s barrel-shaped. The size is particularly annoying to me since 35mm is my standard lens that is on my camera most of the time. I don’t want my most-used lens to be big and heavy.

The ergonomics are only OK. The focus ring lacks a true focus tab and has more resistance than I prefer. I have a much better time focusing my Leica 35/1.4 Summilux FLE. The aperture ring is unusually far forward; grabbing the aperture ring on my Summilux feels much more natural.

Image quality

Distortion: None.

Vignetting: Without in-camera correction, vignetting at f/1.4 is somewhat strong. I would recommend using Lightroom’s lens profile to correct for vignetting as needed.

Bokeh: One obvious question when choosing a 35mm lens is whether you really need an f/1.4 aperture. If not, several other 35mm lenses offer superb image quality while saving both size and cost.

I am not a bokeh addict and when choosing lenses in other focal lengths, I rarely go for the widest aperture available. But there’s something about the combination of 35mm and f/1.4 that makes a big difference in my photos. A 35mm f/1.4 lens gives lots of context to the subject while still separating out the background in a beautiful way. For this reason, I’ve never been completely satisfied with 35mm f/2 lens. The Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 has gorgeous bokeh and gives off that special look I’m talking about:

Bokeh with the Zeiss 35/1.4 is very clean and smooth in both the foreground and background. This is noticeably different from the Leica 35 Summilux FLE, which has soap-bubble bokeh in the background that can sometimes appear messy.

Longitudinal chromatic aberration: As far as I know this is not an apochromatic lens, but spherochromatism is very well controlled. The following sample has the most I’ve ever noticed with this lens:

The following image is a torture test for longitudinal CA, but the Zeiss 35/1.4 hardly shows any:

This is a significantly better performance than the Leica 35 Summilux, and approaches the performance of the 35 APOs.

Purple fringing: I rarely notice purple fringing with this lens, but it can show up in the periphery at f/1.4:

Lateral chromatic aberration: This is already a non-issue on digital since Lightroom automatically corrects for lateral CA, but I see absolutely none even with correction turned off.

Sharpness: The Zeiss 35/1.4 is sharp corner-to-corner even at f/1.4. Instead of analyzing test shots, here’s a sample at f/1.4 with a corner crop:

Fine details are rendered with extreme sharpness even in the corner of the frame at f/1.4. This is an impressive performance, and especially useful for astrophotography. If you want to see a detailed sharpness test and a comparison to the Leica version, check out the Leica 35 Summilux FLE review.

Focus shift: None.

Summary and recommendations

The Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon is an optically excellent lens, at less than half the price of its Leica equivalent. But its worse handling and large size prevented me from bonding with it. I was finally happy when I switched to the Leica 35 Summilux FLE, which feels a lot better as a standard lens. The difference in size and handling is important enough to me that I won’t be switching back to the Zeiss, even though doing so would free up enough cash to pay my rent for over a month.

So who should buy the Zeiss 35/1.4? It’s a fantastic choice for those who, unlike me, care less about size and weight and are looking for a fast 35. And it’s especially good for those who want perfectly smooth, modern bokeh. An alternative to consider if size isn’t a factor is the Voigtlander 35/1.2 III, which isn’t as optically perfect as the Zeiss but offers an impressive f/1.2 aperture.

The second situation where the Zeiss 35/1.4 makes sense is when extreme performance is needed, e.g. shooting landscapes on an M11. Even in this niche, there are a few alternatives to consider. The Zeiss 35/2.8 Biogon sacrifices two stops, but is extremely sharp, compact, and affordable. You can also choose from the two new APO 35s: the Voigtlander 35/2 APO (review) and the Leica 35/2 Summicron APO. Both of these lenses deliver apochromatic correction in addition to incredible sharpness. The downside to the Voigtlander 35 APO is its large size for an f/2 lens, and the downside to the Leica 35 APO is its price tag of over $8000.

For those in search of a more general-purpose 35 that balances speed, size, and image quality, I would recommend opting for either the 35 Summilux (review) or the Voigtlander 35/2 Ultron (review). The latter doesn’t have an f/1.4 aperture, but it’s so compact and affordable that it’s the first lens I recommend to people looking for a 35.

Good
Image quality
Build quality
Price

Bad
Size and handling

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Other alternatives

Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Classic
This is a very popular lens since it’s f/1.4, tiny, and cheap. It’s never interested me due to its soft, vintage image quality, strong focus shift, and very messy rendering.

Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 versions I-II
The version III of this lens is so much better that I don’t recommend anyone bother with versions I-II.

Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux Pre-FLE
I owned this lens before switching to the FLE version, and I don’t recommend it on digital because the foc

Leica 35 Summicron ASPH (review)
Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon
Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5
These lenses are good but I haven’t found any reason to choose them over the Voigtlander 35/2 Ultron or Zeiss 35/2.8 Biogon.

TTArtisans 35mm f/1.4
7Artisans 35mm f/1.4
Phillipreeve.net has detailed reviews of both of these lenses. They’re both as large as the Zeiss, but with worse image quality, mechanical quality, and quality control. They are very affordable, but I would recommend saving up and buying a lens with fewer compromises.

Additional reading

Detailed comparison vs Leica 35 Summilux FLE
Review by KJ Vogelius
Review by PC Mag
Review by Silas Chu
Video review by Benj Haisch

More sample images