Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZE

Widen your imagination

With a field angle of 110°, the super wide-angle Distagon T* 2,8/15 is the ideal companion when it comes to capturing events in a way that makes them dynamic and extraordinary. Whether salt crystals or drops of water – its integrated lens shade and standard filter thread afford the front lens optimal protection from wind and weather.

The technically impressive features of the Distagon T* 2,8/15 include extraordinary chromatic aberration correction as well as two aspheric lens elements, special types of glass with exceptional partial dispersion and a floating element design guaranteeing high image quality from close-up to infinity – allowing you unlimited possibilities to let your imagination run free.

Design
When wide angle views go to extremes and beg the control via an SLR viewfinder, the back focal distance has to be much larger than the focal length, a retrofocus design called Distagon is the right choice.

• Distagon with 15 lens elements in 12 groups
• Lens with aspheric surface
• Lens made of special glass with anomalous partial dispersion
• "Floating Element" design

Features

Aspherical design
The aspherical lens design ensures consistent imaging performance throughout the entire focusing range as well as sharpness to the periphery of the image. The asphere's more complex surface profile can reduce or eliminate spherical aberration and also reduce other optical aberrations compared to more basic lenses.

Floating Elements Design
State-of-the-art camera techniques and high-resolution digital image sensors increasingly demand more from lenses. The modern floating element design of this lens reduces aberrations at different distance settings. This is accomplished by changing the axial distance of single lens elements or element groups to each other. The adjustment of the element distance is coupled to the distance setting so that it always results in the right correction. The mechanical design of these lens elements is very complex and the workmanship must be particularly exact – both specialties of Carl Zeiss production.

Excellent resolution and high contrast
Rich, vibrant colours are vital to creating a lasting impression. Stray light in the lens, however, would lead to a brightening of the image, which is particularly visible in shadow areas. Image contrast is lowered; the image appears dull and bleached. Zeiss combine various, elaborate techniques to reduce unwanted stray light.

Virtually distortion-free optics
Dramatic perspectives and a view from extraordinary image angles – SLR lenses from Carl Zeiss open up new composition possibilities. Distortion would disrupt the composition because straight lines, whose image does not go through the image center, would be reproduced with a curved shape. This annoying effect is accordingly and largely compensated through elaborate optical designs at all focal lengths.

Homogeneous image quality throughout the image field
ZEISS lenses are famous for their extraordinary image quality. Even with challenging subjects, perspective, colour and light are optimally rendered – throughout the entire 35 mm image field. For this reason, Zeiss places great emphasis on particularly high image quality, e.g. low distortion and outstanding stray light reduction for rich colours.

The Fascinating Zeiss Museum of Optics