One of my favourite landscape photos taken with the Zeiss 35mm f2 - Canon EOS 3 with Velvia 100 slide film.

Zeiss 35mm f2 Distagon lens: thoughts

January 30, 2023

As I’ve become more experienced and comfortable in my style of photography, I’ve come to realise there are certain lenses and focal lengths that suit my style and that inspire me to take photos. There are some lenses I love using but don’t quite connect with the resulting images (such as the Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro-Planar), others that I love using and love the resulting images but rarely find myself wanting to use that focal length (such as the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 Distagon), others that I don’t particularly enjoy using and don’t quite like the resulting images but have unique capabilities (such as the Venus Laowa 15mm f4 macro), others that I love but are rather heavy (such as the Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS USM), and yet others that don’t really excite me but perform well as workhorses to get the job done (such as the Canon EF 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro, the Canon EF 16-35mm f4 IS USM and Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM II).

But there’s one lens that more or less combines all the right attributes - I love using, I love the resulting images, and I love the focal length. And that lens is the Zeiss 35mm f2 Distagon Classic.

Leptospermum laevigatum, the coast tea tree, at Cape Schanck, Victoria. I love the crinkly flowers. — Leptospermum laevigatum, the coast tea tree, at Cape Schanck, Victoria. I love the crinkly flowers.

Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro-Planar: a belated review

May 24, 2020

This post is a review-of-sorts of the Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro-Planar, although in actual fact its more like an answer to my own question: is the Zeiss worth it for macro photography?

You've got to be prepared to get up close and personal with the 15mm f4 Macro (face off with a bird orchid, Pterostylis barbata; photo taken by my trusty iPhone 6s). — You've got to be prepared to get up close and personal with the 15mm f4 Macro (face off with a bird orchid, Pterostylis barbata; photo taken by my trusty iPhone 6s).

Review: Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f4 Macro lens

September 26, 2017

I've never written a review of a camera or lens before, but I've been asked by many people what I thought of this lens since getting it, so I thought it was worth putting fingers to keyboard and getting some of my thoughts out there.

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The view from the kitchen window this morning. Nature photography is a little different in 2020!
#smoke #fires #climatechange #canberra

The view from the kitchen window this morning. Nature photography is a little different in 2020! #smoke #fires #climatechange #canberra

Those who’ve seen Rufous Bristlebirds know that they’re simply the best. Such characters.

Those who’ve seen Rufous Bristlebirds know that they’re simply the best. Such characters.

I was recently asked to provide images of Red-kneed Dotterels for a sign at Jerrabomberra, and I had to go off digging in my old hard drives from way back in 2011. I’d forgotten that I’d spent a magical afternoon at Calperum Station with

I was recently asked to provide images of Red-kneed Dotterels for a sign at Jerrabomberra, and I had to go off digging in my old hard drives from way back in 2011. I’d forgotten that I’d spent a magical afternoon at Calperum Station with Red-kneed Dotterels coming almost within touching distance in beautiful sunset light. At the time I was out with @hoops.daniel helping him catch dragons near Renmark in South Australia for his PhD. . . #redkneeddotterel #southaustralia #australianbirds #ausgeo #canonaustralia #plover #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #bird_brilliance

The lowly greenhood is quite an incredible orchid. It grows in central northern Victoria and flowers in November-December at a time when most other orchids in the area have died off for the season.
It grows on soil which is baked hard by the hot sun

The lowly greenhood is quite an incredible orchid. It grows in central northern Victoria and flowers in November-December at a time when most other orchids in the area have died off for the season. It grows on soil which is baked hard by the hot sun and seems an inhospitable place for a delicate little orchid to be growing. Plus, it is rare and just looks damn cool! . . #australiannativeorchids #australiannativeplants #pterostylis #pterostylisdespectans #summer #orchids #ausgeo #canonaus #macro_secrets #zeiss100mmf2

The Campbell Albatross is the celebrity of seabird world. Well dressed, perfectly drawn eyeliner, audacious lipstick. Always ready for a night out on the ocean.
#noeyelinerneeded #iwokeuplikethis #seabirdcelebrity #albatross #campbellalbatross #wild

The Campbell Albatross is the celebrity of seabird world. Well dressed, perfectly drawn eyeliner, audacious lipstick. Always ready for a night out on the ocean. #noeyelinerneeded #iwokeuplikethis #seabirdcelebrity #albatross #campbellalbatross #wildlifephotography #canonaustralia #annateenlyf

Sun. Orchid. Explosion! I remember this scene, 5 years ago I found this spotted sun orchid in beautiful Bush at Royal National Park. The last golden rays of the sun were hitting the back of the flower causing the most magnificent explosion of pinks a

Sun. Orchid. Explosion! I remember this scene, 5 years ago I found this spotted sun orchid in beautiful Bush at Royal National Park. The last golden rays of the sun were hitting the back of the flower causing the most magnificent explosion of pinks and purples and yellows. . . #australiannativeorchids #australiannativeplants #sunorchid #thelymitraixioides #sun #orchids #macro_secrets #canonaustralia

So happy for the #hoiho to win NZ Bird of the Year, the first seabird to win. I feel incredibly privileged to have seen these gorgeous penguins on Enderby Island in the sub-Antarctics.
#yelloweyedpenguin #forestandbird #enderbyisland #birdoftheyear2

So happy for the #hoiho to win NZ Bird of the Year, the first seabird to win. I feel incredibly privileged to have seen these gorgeous penguins on Enderby Island in the sub-Antarctics. #yelloweyedpenguin #forestandbird #enderbyisland #birdoftheyear2019 #penguin #subantarctic #seabird

A little bit tongue-in-cheek 😛
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how weird these plumed greenhoods are. The densely hairy labellum is probably involved in pollinator attraction somehow but exactly how is unclear. There is some sugges

A little bit tongue-in-cheek 😛 I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how weird these plumed greenhoods are. The densely hairy labellum is probably involved in pollinator attraction somehow but exactly how is unclear. There is some suggestion dagger flies are involved in pollination (including a great set of photos by Rudie Kuiter) but evidence is still scarce. . . #australiannativeorchids #pterostylis #greenhood #ausgeo #orchid #australiannativeplants #macro_secrets #zeiss100mmf2