Zenit Zenitar 16mm F2.8 MC Fisheye A-mount lens review by wallyb
 wallyb#3995 date: Aug-23-2008 | |
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| sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | missing |
| price paid: | 175 USD LNIB |
| positive: | - Very sharp wide-open WITH REAR FILTER - Really small and pretty light - Fast - High-quality super-wide at an affordable price - Being a fisheye, you're not missing much by having it MF-only |
| negative: | - Mediocre build quality; good construction but occasional printing and glass misalignments - Not an A-mount lens - Prone to flare due to angle - Can't put filters on it, lens cap can be tricky - Necessary rear filters are easy to lose, and don't always come with the item when buying used |
| comment: | This lens is extremely sharp at f/2.8 _when the rear filter is attached_! It is not just plain glass, it has a magnification ratio to it. Without it, of course, the lens is hopelessly soft until f/16; try seeing how well any of your lenses fare with an element missing :P It's a fisheye, so distortion and flare are almost irrelevant. All fisheyes can have lots of both depending on what you're shooting. The build quality is great for the price, I mean, it's very solid, mostly metal. However, the plastic lens cap just rubs me the wrong way. Needing rear filters to obtain sharp pictures can make this item worthless used if not paired with them. Lens elements can focus "past infinity" on some copies, a sign of poor quality control. Other than that, it's wonderful! A full-frame fisheye for 2 bennies. It's very small and has excellent quality as long as it has the rear filters. |
; 10MPrating summary
- total reviews: 21
- sharpness: 4.12
- color: 4.29
- build: 4.14
- distortion: 4.29
- flare control: 3.76
- overall: 4.12