Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Review
The Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 shown here on the Fujifilm X-H1
Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Distagon T* Review
Is the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 a Worthy Alternative to the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R?
Thanks to Leo’s Camera Supply in Vancouver for making the Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 available to me for my lens reviews. I was able to try it out over a long weekend in July.
A fellow photographer and friend of mine, Matt Lucas, was in town while I did this review. Matt is a pro photographer in Kelowna, BC. and among many topics, he favors music and architectural photography, so we headed for downtown Vancouver.
Downtown Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2 with Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 @ f/8
Introduction
The Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 was released around the same time as the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R back in 2012 as part of a two-lens Touit lineup. The other lens is a 32mm f/1.8. A Touit is a bird in the parrot family and has little to do with lenses but there you have it. A Touit it is.
There were speculations at the time if Zeiss would continue to build this lens lineup but we have only seen one other addition to the Touit lineup since; a 50mm f/2.8 macro lens.
On the official Zeiss website, you can read the following:
The 12mm will soon become a firm favourite for landscape and architectural photography with breathtaking image quality from edge to edge and corner to corner of the entire image field.
In this review, I will be making comparisons to the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R.
Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 vs. Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R
Focal Length Comparison
You would not think a difference of 2mm would make a huge difference but for a wide-angle lens, it is significant. In the example below another building comes into view on the bottom right at 12mm.
My choice of ultra-wide-angle is the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R and I was surprised it took me a while to get the hang of shooting at a wider focal length.
I used to shoot a Canon EF 16-35mm but it has been a while since I have been shooting anything wider than a 21mm full-frame equivalent. The Zeiss 12mm would be an 18mm full-frame equivalent.
Zeiss 12mm f/2.8
Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R
Handling
I tested the Zeiss 12mm on my Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Fujifilm X-H1. On the X-H1 it has a comfortable weight/size ratio to the camera body. The design is slick and a good fit with the X-H1.
On the X-Pro2 it is somewhat of a design clash as the X-Pro2 is a retro design and the Zeiss looks very modern. Not a big deal and the size of the lens is still manageable on the X-Pro2 with no issues.
The Zeiss 12mm has a very comfortable grip with the rubberized focus ring. The large petal-shaped lens hood covers and protects the lens well but has a slight wobble. This is not uncommon and gaffers tape would fix this in a few seconds.
I have one gripe and it has to do with the aperture ring. It is too easy to bump out of position and I constantly had to move it back to my desired aperture when putting the camera up to my eye.
The weight difference between the Zeiss Touit 12mm and Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R is insignificant with the Zeiss at 270 g, 9.5 oz, and the Fuji at 230 g, 8.1 oz. The Zeiss lens, however, is larger at 88 x 68 mm with Fuji at 65 x 58.4 mm.
The filter size is also larger at 67mm for the Zeiss and 58mm for the Fuji. Add this up and the Zeiss looks and feels noticeably larger without being much heavier.
In a blind test, my wife thought the Fuji lens was heavier and I think it is due to heftier metal construction. The Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R feels solid in the hand with a better aperture ring that stays in position. It also has the clutch mechanism manual focusing ring which is very useful when trying to obtain infinity focus.
Zeiss Lenses, Old versus New
I used to own Zeiss lenses for my Contax film cameras back in the twentieth century. These lenses felt rock solid and were great performers.
I wonder why Zeiss decided to stray from this concept and classic design. For those of you who know these lenses, you may agree, it feels almost as if Fuji has taken over where Zeiss left things.
I guess the Touit line may cater to a new audience and perhaps I should applaud Zeiss for this. We have seen a similar design in the Milvus and Batis lens lines from Zeiss. I did own a Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 for a while.
While this lens shares the design aspects of the Touit and Batis lines the build quality and feel of the Milvus lenses are certainly better.
Image Quality
I only did a few shots comparing lenses and mainly just shot the Zeiss 12mm for the entire weekend. However, in the two shots above of the Vancouver skyscrapers, when zoomed in to 100%, the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R looked a tad sharper.
In the two shots below my Fujifilm X-H1 is mounted on a tripod shooting at f/8, 1/60 of a second. To my eye, the Fuji XF 14mm looks sharper again.
Of course, this is important but during my normal editing process and posting rather large JPEGs online, I did not notice a huge difference. If you are an avid landscape shooter and do larger prints this added sharpness of the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R is a bonus.
Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 - 100% crop
Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 - 100% crop
Conclusion
So much has happened since 2012 and the choice of wide-angle lenses for the X-series has grown significantly. We now have an XF 10-24mm f/4 or XF 8-16mm f2.8 if you are into zooms.
Samyang has a 12mm f/2 manual focus option which gets lots of praise. I have only tried it very briefly. Laowa has a 9mm and I am sure there are lenses I am not mentioning.
I have tried the XF 8-16mm and Laowa briefly and both impressed me in their own way. I literally just took them around a city block so won't have sample images to share. Especially the Fujifilm XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR was a wonderful fit on my Fujifilm X-H1.
8mm really is crazy wide but the price, at $1,499.00, is not for the faint of heart. I applaud Fujifilm for making the lens but it is not for me. It is a niche lens, and I think I would rather put that kind of money toward a GFX 50R.
The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 impressed me by being lightweight and very portable. A true travelers lens and within reach for most photographers at a price of $499.00. Look out for sales.
At the time this article was last updated the Zeiss 12mm was listed at $849.15 (on sale - regular $999.00) and the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R was listed at $899.00. Watch out for Fujifilm sales, which happen frequently, and the Fuji 14mm will be less. The two lenses are similarly priced depending on sales.
I have been a bit harsh on the Zeiss 12mm in this review but in actual fact, I have enjoyed using it and find the files very pleasing.
The colors are wonderful and there is a certain element of 3D effect with these shots which can be hard to explain so perhaps Zeiss is right in the above marketing statement.
Personally, I will not be switching my Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R out for a Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8. The 14mm fits better into my system as it is right now. This does not mean that it will not be a good fit in your lineup of lenses. I can only imagine that with more time with this lens, it would produce lots of keepers in the right hands.
A full review of my XF 14mm is here:
Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R - Review
Pros
Comfortable rubberized grip
Beautiful color rendition
3D effect
Cons
Easy to move aperture ring inadvertently
Larger than the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R
Images from the Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 is slightly sharper
Update:
Viltrox has entered a strong competitor in the field of ultra-wide angle lenses. You can read my review here of the 13mm f/1.4:
Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 XF Review
Please see more sample images below.
Price / Availability
Thank you for reading my review. If you are planning a purchase and would like to support us, you can do so, at no additional cost, by using the affiliate link below. A small commission goes to us and helps us keep the wheels turning at 5050 Travelog.
Check the current price at B&H Photo
Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 - B&H Photo
Thank you for being supportive.
Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 - Sample Images
Please see more sample photos taken in Vancouver over the weekend. I have used Fujifilm film simulations such as Velvia, Classic Chrome, and Acros.
Please click to view larger photos. 
Third-Party Lenses for Fujifilm X-Mount
7Artisans 35mm f/0.95
7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II
TTArtisan 17mm f/1.4
TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4
TTArtisan AF 27mm f/2.8
TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8
TTArtisan 35mm f/0.95
TTArtisan 50mm f/0.95
TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2
TTArtisan 50mm f/2
Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 XF
Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4 XF
Viltrox AF 33mm f/1.4 XF
Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.4 XF
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