Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 vs Fujinon 14mm f/2.8 R

With the release of Zeiss lenses for Fuji and Sony’s NEX, many owners of Fuji’s X system have been wondering whether the new Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Distagon is worth the nearly $400 price premium over Fuji’s already outstanding 14mm f/2.8.  I reviewed the 14mm f/2.8 last month, and I’ve found it to be one of the very best ultra-wide lenses for any system, and the very best ultra-wide I had used to date.  However, if there’s one company that is known for outstanding wide-angle design, it’s Zeiss.  Their 21mm f/2.8 for full frame cameras (originally for the Contax/Yashica mount, later re-released for Canon and Nikon) is widely considered the best wide-angle lens ever made.  Their recent 15mm f/2.8 is also extremely highly regarded.

I have the Touit 12mm in hand for a week for review. (Edit: Full review of the Touit 12mm is now up)  In addition to that full review, I wanted to pit the Zeiss 12mm against Fuji’s 14mm.  Obviously, if you have a preference in focal length, that will likely be more important than some of the optical differences here…if you really need the wider field of view offered by the Zeiss, then that should be your route.  I personally find, for a prime lens, the slightly longer focal length of the 14 is slightly more usable day-to-day, but when you need the width, you need the width.

The Lenses

Fujinon 14mm f/2.8 (left), Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 (right)
Fujinon 14mm f/2.8 (left), Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 (right)

Both lenses have a very solid build quality, and both are made predominantly of metal.  While the Fuji 14’s focus and aperture rings are also metal, the Zeiss takes a different approach, using a very grippy and soft rubber for both rings.  The aperture ring on the Zeiss feels better, with less play and similar resistance to the Fuji 14mm, while the Fuji’s manual focus feel is far superior, with the focus clutch mechanism to provide a true distance and depth of field scale.  I am not a fan of the focus ring on the Zeiss 12mm, as it provides very little tactile feedback, and the texture of the ring is a little bizarre.

They are somewhat similar in size.  The Zeiss is very slightly longer, but it flares at the end, and that small difference in diameter makes a big difference in how they feel on the camera.  While the Fuji 14mm is not small for a mirrorless lens, it is relatively compact and fits well in bags and balances well on the camera.  The Zeiss 12mm, with its large hood and wide diameter feels very large on the camera, and the extra width of the lens makes it much harder to deal with in smaller bags that I use for my mirrorless kits.  The Zeiss is heavier than the 14mm, but the weight isn’t much of a factor with either lens.

Next, let’s take a look at a direct head to head comparison.

Continue: Head-To-Head Test 1

Comments

10 responses to “Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 vs Fujinon 14mm f/2.8 R”

  1. […] So, for those interested in the Touit 12mm, I am currently testing one for the next week for review (I'll post when my review is done). However, I did some tests against the Fuji 14mm, and while the Zeiss is very good, the Fuji 14mm is just a little bit better. The Zeiss is also much harder to deal with in my bag, simply due to the much larger diameter of the front of the lens and the hood. It's not much bigger than the Fuji, but WHERE it's bigger causes some issues. Anyway, full writeup with comparison crops, etc, is here: Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 vs Fujinon 14mm f/2.8 R @ Admiring Light […]

  2. […] « Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 vs Fujinon 14mm f/2.8 R […]

  3. Alexander Avatar

    Awesome review, this pretty much stamped my decision to purchase the 14mm lens instead of the Ziess. Thanks!

  4. […] -/+ ?????????? ?? Fujifilm ?? X-E2: -/+ Fujifilm XF 14 mm f/2.8 R (slrgear.com ????)  ???? (16.11.2013): Fuji 14 mm f/2.8 ? ??-????? ?? Carl Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 ??????????? ??????: Fuji 14mm f/2.8 vs. Zeiss 12mm f/2.8  ??????????? ????: Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 vs Fujinon 14mm f/2.8 R […]

  5. […] Zeiss lenses are worth their premium over the excellent options from the OEMs.  Last year, I did a faceoff between the Fuji XF 14mm f/2.8 and the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8.  Today’s battle?  Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 Planar vs. Fujifilm Fujinon XF 35mm […]

  6. Jiri Ruzek Avatar

    Thanks for the comparison. I have XF 14/2.8 and yes, it is really an outstanding lens

  7. Finlay Avatar

    I read a lot of interesting content here. Probably you spend a lot of time writing,
    i know how to save you a lot of time, there
    is an online tool that creates unique, SEO friendly posts
    in seconds, just search in google – laranitas free content
    source

  8. Derrick Avatar
    Derrick

    Hello, just tested both lenses and am now returning the Zeiss 12mm. The Fuji 14mm is definitely sharper and has better contrast across the entire frame. Regards, Derrick

  9. Bob Dumon Avatar
    Bob Dumon

    I sold my Fuji 10-24mm to get my Zeiss 12mm prime, giving up a little coverage in order to get a smaller, lighter prime for my real estate interiors work. With my Nikon cameras I was using a full frame 15mm lens, but the coverage I’m getting from the Zeiss lens is sufficient for my needs. From what I’ve seen from these tests between the Fuji 14mm and my Zeiss 12mm it doesn’t appear to me I’m losing too much in the way of image quality, which I’ll happily sacrifice in order to get wider coverage for my real estate shoots. Also keep in mind listing photos for many MLS boards aren’t generally blown up very large, or at least large enough where my clients would see the difference in IQ between the Zeiss 12mm and the Fuji 14mm photos. So I’m happy enough using the Zeiss 12mm for my work. I do dearly love these Fuji prime lenses, though, and just today purchased a Fuji 16mm f/2.8…. So glad to have found you and your excellent reviews, Jordan. Thank you so much!!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search


Categories


Recent Posts


  1. I think it is near Hillsboro.

  2. This article got me thinking… Why does Canon make RF S lenses starting with 18mm when most full frame RF…

  3. Great review. I shoot Nikon and may try an old Nikon D200 and see how it compares with the new…