The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18 and the Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 is the longer of the two lenses at 135mm. The Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18 with a length of 84mm, is 51mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 also has a larger diameter of 103mm compared to the Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18's 87mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18 weighs 470g, which means it is 260g (35%) lighter than the Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 which has a weight of 730g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18 has a filter size of 82mm whereas the Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 has a 95mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 82mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18:
And these are the 95mm filters that we recommend for the Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15:
Lens Mounts
Both the Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18 and the Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18 is also available in Canon EF and Pentax KAF mounts.
Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 is also available in Canon EF mount.
Focal Range
Carl Zeiss Distagon T3,5/18 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 18mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
27mm.
On the other hand, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T2,8/15 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 15mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 22.5mm.