I can't give you an apple-to-apples comparison but I bought the Zeiss
Distagon 2.8/25mm ZF lens for my D200 based on migrating to digital
from a Contax RTS system and being a nut-job for sharpness. (Which is
a bit masochistic in the digital realm, but that's another thread.)
It is a gorgeous bit of engineering. The lens is used primarily for
landscapes so the lack of autofocus isn't an issue. I never use it in
a street-shooting situation. This particular lens can also double as
a macro if needed though bug-shooters would probably want a dedicated
macro. And the bokeh... mmmmmm.
The Zeiss lenses are generally reviewed as being superior (at the
level of technical data) to the Nikon prime counterparts with the
one, huge caveat being that you need to manually focus them. Even
with my landscape application I decided to replace the D200 focusing
screen with a Katz Eye split prism style screen for extra confidence.
If you're happy with your current lenses then I wouldn't even try to
convince you to spend the extra money to get "less" functionality.
You have to WANT to go Zeiss. Since you're predisposed to seeing then
as "so damn expensive" and "uncomfortable" I would say just walk
away. For instance, at 50mm / 1.4 the Zeiss lists at $517 while the
Nikkor is half the price and the Nikkor 1.8, at around $100, is one
of the best price-to-value deals around.
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