Show - Shots in 65:24 / XPAN Aspect Ratio

Z60_5380.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Squall coming in - in fact, it arrived only minutes later, the temperature dropped from bloody chilly to positively icy.

Camera and lens took it in their stride (we could call this the Z 26mm's "baptism of fire" - even though it was by water), but the wind-driven rain actually hurt in the face and made me cut my walk short by a major margin.

M.
 
Last edited:
View attachment 372423

Squall coming in - in fact, it arrived only minutes later, the temperature dropped from bloody chilly to positively icy.

Camera and lens took it in their stride (we could call this the Z 26mm's "baptism of fire" - even though it was by water), but the wind-driven rain actually hurt in the face and made me cut my walk short by a major margin.

M.
How are you liking the little 26mm Matt?
 
How are you liking the little 26mm Matt?
More and more. I first had to get to grips with the fact that, as a pancake, it works differently than other Z primes - i.e. not as noiselessly and quickly -, but optically and in terms of handling (size, weight, build), it's actually a very appealing lens. And as I've said a few times already, this thing's really well done optically - not only in terms of sharpness, but also in terms of aberration corrections. While rendering is very similar to the Z 28mm f/2.8 at first glance, close-up quality is way superior (no spherical aberrations to speak of, hardly any LoCA, if at all - so, in many cases, crisper and cleaner results than from the cheaper, bigger lens). The only issue I see is AF speed (accuracy is fine if you take your time) - but comparatively speaking, this is still the fastest focusing pancake lens I've shot with (I'm very familiar with the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and the Fujifilm 27mm f/2.8 - can't speak for Canon's and Pentax's offerings), and AF-C actually works (if noisily). Furthermore, yesterday, sealing came in *very* handy, and, as usual with Z primes, it worked flawlessly (I didn't have any doubts about that - I've come to trust Nikon on this). In summary, a neat, useful lens with a pleasantly small footprint and very good optical quality. The only caveat I'd add is that if you're going to use it as a street lens, zone focusing is probably your best bet.

M.
 
More and more. I first had to get to grips with the fact that, as a pancake, it works differently than other Z primes - i.e. not as noiselessly and quickly -, but optically and in terms of handling (size, weight, build), it's actually a very appealing lens. And as I've said a few times already, this thing's really well done optically - not only in terms of sharpness, but also in terms of aberration corrections. While rendering is very similar to the Z 28mm f/2.8 at first glance, close-up quality is way superior (no spherical aberrations to speak of, hardly any LoCA, if at all - so, in many cases, crisper and cleaner results than from the cheaper, bigger lens). The only issue I see is AF speed (accuracy is fine if you take your time) - but comparatively speaking, this is still the fastest focusing pancake lens I've shot with (I'm very familiar with the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and the Fujifilm 27mm f/2.8 - can't speak for Canon's and Pentax's offerings), and AF-C actually works (if noisily). Furthermore, yesterday, sealing came in *very* handy, and, as usual with Z primes, it worked flawlessly (I didn't have any doubts about that - I've come to trust Nikon on this). In summary, a neat, useful lens with a pleasantly small footprint and very good optical quality. The only caveat I'd add is that if you're going to use it as a street lens, zone focusing is probably your best bet.

M.
Thanks for your thoughts Matt. I do like pancake lenses. I hope that someone in the L-mount alliance gets round to making some. It would be even better if we could get an a7c equiv body to go with it! But the Z5/Z6 are small enough to make a pancake worthwhile too. I guess this 26mm is great on the APSC Z50 too.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top