Zeiss Rumors

Business model of the 21st century

2012-02-03T17:28:00.001-05:00

We received a letter asking us to ask Zeiss about producing a camera. A camera of this kind of spec is often discussed over at different enthusiast site like RFF, FM, APUG etc.., it has certain number of supporters, also about the equal number of nay-sayers. Those discussions often turn into arguments about actual buyers in the end, or the insignificance of the niche market (think Leica?).

Here is the content of the letter:

I recently read, the average Leica owner owns 1.4pieces of lenses, so one great lens per owner would certainly do also from marketing aspects:
So I ask you to ask the Zeiss guys, why are they not producing a fixed lens Zeiss RF like the Fuji X100 but FF, real RF (means MF only), without all the Fuji gimmick. I would die for a high IQ camera with a focal length somewhere between 35 and 50mm and f2 to f2.8. This would also avoid the CMOS disadvantages for RF's. And if I could add some more wishes, throw away the displays, meanwhile WB is so good, mine is always on AWB, or on Kelvin if I take pictures at night; for the settings I see them in the viewfinder, so I don't need a display. And make it a rugged small tool. And yes, focus confirmation in the RF.
I want to throw away my 5DII but stay with Zeiss lenses, that's why. The 5DII is good enough in all aspects, but toooooo big.
I know a lot of people who would go for something like my wish, tech is all there, I don't know what Zeiss is waiting for. We would pay good for such a pro-tool.

I decided to give a *PERSONAL* answer to this wish. (repeat, this answer is personal, subjective, or even fictional, so even if you absolutely hate it, disagree with it, or even get annoyed by it. Stay calm, this is a small opinion of an individual among billions of netizens).

First of all, we need to face the fact that manufacturing is hardly profitable in the 21st century. Second, technology advancement is so rapid that producing day-to-day intellectual properties becomes very competitive and exhaustive. For a company to stay on top of others and ahead of the game, the first step would be to step away from those two mentioned aspects. This is what Zeiss did. Zeiss's business model is very different from Zeiss 20 years ago or Leica, or Canonikonympusonicohuji. Restrict ourselves to Zeiss photography division (just to avoid counter examples). Zeiss produces optic designs, lens formulae, product ion standards, quality control management etc.... They are not the typical manufacturing like assembling iPads, or day-to-day technologies like squeezing pixels onto a sensor. They are unique aspects of Zeiss that it carried from the previous century, and they will allow Zeiss to play the game in the 21st century in a unique way. Think IBM, they are another company that made this transition of their business model for the 21st century. Think Kodak, they are a company who failed the transition. And think Canonikonympusonicohuji, are they really that successful as companies? compared to Zeiss?I suppose we would be seeing more business model transitions for the manufacturing sectors in developed countries. The transition will be either to a niche market fetcher or turning oneself into the ``service'' sector.

This is it. I haven't spelled out that many solid points, but the ideas are there.

Carl Zeiss 2011 Photography Contest: “Every Moment Tells a Story”

2011-12-21T13:31:00.005-05:00

Entries until January 15, 2012 on Flickr photo community

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 15.12.2011.

Every moment tells a story. That is the theme of the Carl Zeiss Photo Contest 2011, which was launched today. Anyone can enter the contest provided the photos are shot with a ZEISS lens. It also does not matter if the photographer uses an SLR reflex camera or a smartphone with a ZEISS lens.

The theme

“We are looking for that moment when you not only see a subject, but also a story. We are searching for that very special moment,” says Martin Dominicus, Head of Marketing of the Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division. “Every life, every situation and every place is full of such moments. The ability to capture a moment in such a way that you recognize the story behind it — this is, and has always been, the high art of photography.”

Carl Zeiss encourages photographers from around the world to look for moments that fit the theme, and to submit their best image. The ability to consciously stage a moment of time into an image and press the shutter button at just the right time was mastered by the legendary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. He always knew what image he wanted to depict when the shutter was released. “Cartier-Bresson had an unmistakable way of expressing the story of a moment. We look forward to seeing how the participants of our photography competition capture the moments of everyday life in their own individual style,” says Dominicus.

As in 2010, this contest will again take place on the global online photo community Flickr. Participants should upload their best image to the theme “Every moment tells a story” on the official Carl Zeiss group on Flickr and tag it with the keyword “ZEISSContest2011”.

For more information about the contest and the terms of participation, visit: www.zeiss.com/photo/contest

The jury

Photographers and photo enthusiasts have until Sunday January 15, 2012 to submit their images on Flickr. Subsequently, the jury, consisting of Carl Zeiss employees and professional photographers, will shortlist the best images. One of the jury members will be the well-known Slovak photographer and researcher Filip Kulisev, who has received several international photography awards for his spectacular landscape photography.

The highest number of points will be given to images that have been consciously composed and in which one can recognize a story. The Flickr community will select the ten best images from the jury’s shortlist by designating them as a “favorite”. The images that receive the most “favorites” on Flickr will win.

The prizes

1st prize:

A ZEISS lens of the winner’s choice (ZE or ZF.2) with exclusive engraving +

Carl Zeiss T* UV filter +

Carl Zeiss Comfort Camera Strap +

Carl Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit

2nd prize:

Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens

3rd prize:

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55 digital camera with Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens

4th prize:

Logitech HD Pro webcam C910 with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens

5th and 6th prizes:

Carl Zeiss Comfort Camera Strap +

Carl Zeiss knapsack+

Carl Zeiss watch +

Carl Zeiss umbrella +

Carl Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit

7th and 8th prizes:

Carl Zeiss Comfort Camera Strap +

Carl Zeiss umbrella +

Carl Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit

9th prize:

Carl Zeiss Comfort Camera Strap +

Carl Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit

10th prize:

Carl Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit

Crazy Steve Huff comparison: SLR Magic 23 1.7 vs Zeiss 24 1.8 on NEX-7

2011-12-14T16:06:00.002-05:00

Steve Huff over at stevehuffphoto.com often has some interesting (sometimes crazy) comparisons on lenses. Today, he just published a comparison between the SLR Magic 23/1.7 and the Zeiss 24/1.8 for NEX.
The comparison looks at sharpness, distortion, bokeh, close-up performance. Just as you could possibly guess who the contender is for each (and all) the category (including color rendition), let's also keep in mind that it is a comparison between a $379 lens with a $999 lens, and the added size/weight to the $999 lens.

Link: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/12/14/slr-magic-23-1-7-hyperprime-vs-zeiss-24-1-8-sonnar-on-the-nex-7/

Carl Zeiss revenue tops 4 billion EUR mark for very first time

2011-12-14T12:26:00.000-05:00

Carl Zeiss reported a record revenue of EUR 4.237 billion for the fiscal year 2010/11:

STUTTGART, Germany — 14 December 2011. Carl Zeiss has now presented its annual financial statements. In fiscal year 2010/11, the company generated revenues of EUR 4.237b (prior year: EUR 2.981b), an increase of 10 percent*. With a figure of EUR 607m, EbIT was clearly above the prior year's figure (EUR 423m).

“We have achieved record figures for almost all performance indicators,” said Michael Kaschke, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG. “Carl Zeiss has remained on track to continued profitable and sustained growth and has further consolidated its position as a technology leader and global player.” Carl Zeiss generated 87 percent of revenue outside Germany. Particularly strong growth in revenue was posted in Asia (+12%*) and America (+11%*).

The entire press release can be found here.

Original post from Photo Rumors.

New cine lenses coming in 2012

2011-12-10T14:48:00.000-05:00

Zeiss will be announcing more cine lenses in 2012.
There will be a new light weight zoom lens (in picture), and more CP.2.
The new arena that will be opened in 2012 is a series of anamorphic lenses.

What is it you ask? Rather than projecting the image as it is on a sensor/film (i.e., a circle appears as a circle on the sensor), an anamorphic lens will squeeze the horizontal dimension, so a circle will appear as an ellipse like a standing american football. The reason of doing that is that one can project a wide screen format like 2.39:1 onto a 4:3 sensor like the one in a m43 camera (Panasonic/Olympus).
For more info. on the new cine lenses can be found on page 16-18 in this PDF.

Links:
http://www.fdtimes.com/pdfs/45FDTimes-LoRez150.pdf
http://twitter.com/#!/carlzeisslenses

ZE Distagon 25mm f/2.0 reviewed at ZeissImages.com

2011-11-26T10:47:00.001-05:00

Zeissimages.com just posted the review of the highly anticipated Zeiss 25mm f2.0 ZE lens.

I hear quite a lot of people are going to purchase one for various reasons, such as image quality over other counterparts and its moderate size and weight. The review at Zeiss Images will only boost your confidence.

Take a look at http://www.zeissimages.com/showreplies.php?qid=850 and view some sample images.

Link: http://www.zeissimages.com/showreplies.php?qid=850

New A-mount Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM coming in 2012

2011-11-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

Sonyalpharumors just posted a top-rated (SR5) rumor of Sony releasing a new Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM lens for their full frame SLR's in A-mount. Not much is known beyond this point, but it is definitely plausible.
In fact, it is almost effortless for Zeiss in doing so. All they have to do is provide an optical core unit to be housed inside Sony's fancy SSM electronic housing.
And if this lens is to surface, it for sure will be a Planar.

Link: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-new-a-mount-zeiss-50mm-f1-4-ssm-coming-with-the-a9x/

A disappointing update concerning the digital rangefinder

2011-11-18T16:38:00.000-05:00

A letter our reader Henri received from Carl Zeiss --

Dear Henri,

Thank you for your inquiry to Carl Zeiss.

As a specialist for high performance lenses, we will continue to concentrate to develop, manufacture and distribute high-end lenses as perfect tools for many cameras in still photography and professional cinematography, like we do now for more than 120 years.

We never built any camera body, and we do not plan to do this within the next future.

But we plan to expand our current portfolio of lenses for further cameras systems in future.

Sincerely,

Bertram Hoenlinger

50mm shoot-out (for bokeh) at La Vida Leica

2011-11-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

Quality of bokeh.... that's something never easy to be defined. Some argue that you can measure bokeh quality by MTF charts, but I have to say the best way to tell what's better is to capture the same scene with different lenses. In other words, is to compare!

La Vida Leica did a simple comparison on

Voigtländer 50mm f/1.1 Nokton
Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM
Zeiss Planar T* 2/50 ZM
Voigtländer 50mm f/2.5 Color Skopar Classic

Pay attention to the C Sonnar at f/2.8 and the Planar at f/2.8. Which one do you like the best?
(Sorry, subconsciously I ruled out the Nokton and Skopar already)

Link: http://lavidaleica.com/content/lens-shoot-out-50mm

Zeiss 18mm and 21mm ZF review and comparison

2011-11-06T12:35:00.001-05:00

Let us face the fact that people like comparing. Here is an interesting review with comparison of the Distagon ZF 18/3.5 and 21/2.8 offered by Jorge Torralba. Their sizes differ by quite a bit, focal length differ by 3mm, and speed by less than a stop. While both of the lenses are spectacular, I find that the 18/3.5 has a slightly stronger lateral CA. What do you think? Find it out yourself at Zeiss Images.

Link: http://www.zeissimages.com/showreplies.php?qid=837

ZM Planar 50mm f/2.0 Review by La Vida Leica

2011-10-30T13:09:00.001-04:00

La Vida Leica posted a review on the ZM Planar 50mm.
The ZM Planar directly competes with Leica's 50mm Summicron. They have the same focal length (50mm), same speed (f/2.0), and same design layout (double gauss symmetrical arrangement). And one obvious difference between them is their price tags. What else? Check out the review at La Vida Leica to find out.
There is also a thought on the difference with the C Sonnar.

Oh! Did we hear that the Leica 50mm Summicron will be revised with asph elements soon?

Link: http://lavidaleica.com/content/zeiss-planar-t-250-zm
Here is a kenrockwell review for those who'd like to compare http://www.kenrockwell.com/zeiss/zm/50mm-f2.htm

Distagon 25mm f/2.0 for SLR official

2011-10-27T11:20:00.005-04:00

Carl Zeiss presents the Distagon T* 2/25 ZE and ZF.2

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 27.10.2011.
Carl Zeiss presents the Distagon T* 2/25 ZE and ZF.2 moderate wide-angle lenses. The large image angle allows photographers to capture exciting perspectives. With its excellent imaging quality at all aperture settings, the lens flexes its muscles particularly for photo documentaries in interior rooms where space is at a premium, as well as for pictures of objects, architecture and landscapes. In many situations, a flash is an unwelcome feature — at family gatherings, in a museum or in a church for example. To capture the mood in such places, photographers gladly do without aggressive lighting and instead work with particularly high-speed lenses that enable short exposure times even under difficult lighting conditions.
The optical experts have now virtually eliminated the chromatic aberrations on these lenses through a special design and selection of materials. Selected types of glass and two aspheric surfaces prevent color fringes from appearing on high-contrast edges. "The Distagon T* 2/25 elegantly combines a compact design with a large initial aperture," explains Christian Bannert, Senior Director of Product Development in the Camera Lens Division at Carl Zeiss AG.
Lens elements meticulously crafted to minimize stray light and reflections in the lens, and the Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating to increase light transmission enable high-contrast image rendition and color saturation.
The previously available Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF.2 will continue to be on stock and supplements the new Distagon T* 2/25.Therefore, this new lens is also the first 25-mm lens of Carl Zeiss for the EF-bayonet.
The Distagon T* 2/25 will be available end of 2011 at a recommended retail price of €1217 (excluding VAT)*.

Technical Data

Focal length	25 mm
Aperture range	f/2 to f/22
Number of lens elements/groups	11/10
Focusing range	0.25 m - infinity
Angular field** (diag./horiz./vert.)	81° / 71° / 51°
Coverage at close range**	219 × 144 mm (close-up)
Image ratio at close range	1 : 5.9 (close-up)
Filter thread	M67 × 0,75
Length with caps	95 mm (ZF.2) 98 mm (ZE)
Diameter	71 mm (ZF.2) 73 mm (ZE)
Weight	570 g (ZF.2) 600 g (ZE)
Mounts	ZF.2 (F bayonet) ZE (EF bayonet)

It doesn't look too big, which may appeal to some who had size/weight concerns.
Now we need some MTF charts, reviews, and what not!

The 16mm Distagon will have to wait apparently.

Links: Zeiss product page, Zeiss PR, Zeiss Blog

(Thanks Michael, Mistral)

New lens, new perspectives... Oct 27-29 PhotoPlus Expo

2011-10-21T14:22:00.003-04:00

The announcement of the new lenses should be coming real soon. On October 27-29, Zeiss is expected to show us something new at the PhotoPlus Expo (booth 1218). We are expecting two SLR lenses, the Distagon 25/2.0 and Distagon 16/2.8.

Anything more? Let us know at tips@zeissrumors.com

Link: http://lenses.zeiss.com/photo/en_DE/home.html

(Credit: Thanks Michael, the author of La Vida Leica)

ZM Biogon 25mm f/2.8 Review by La Vida Leica

2011-10-09T00:47:00.000-04:00

La Vida Leica just posted a review of the ZM Biogon 25mm f/2.8.
This 25mm is reputed with its insane resolving power at 400lp/mm. It definitely out-resolves any of the (normal speed) film and digital sensor made to date. So if your friends are saying X megapixels is enough already, Y is way too much, then you can tell them there is still plenty of room for improvement before we hit the optical bottleneck.

Check out La Vida Leica's review here. Also available is Steve Huff's review for comparison.

You may also want to check out La Vida's other ZM reviews on the 50mm C-Sonnar and 35mm Biogon.

Link: http://lavidaleica.com/content/zeiss-biogon-t-2825-zm

Distagon 15mm(or 16mm?) f/2.8 coming to SLR soon

2011-10-06T18:02:00.001-04:00

Zhao Jia, a professional photographer in China who has authored several books about various photographic equipment and who is in business contact with Zeiss, posted on his Sina micro-blog, on September 30th (loosely translated excerpt):

"Finally ... Zeiss ZE 25/2, while the previous 25/2.8's advantages are color rendition and macro capability on film, the newer version is better in image resolution and uniformity)".

When being asked why the 25/2 can't be found on Zeiss' official site, he frankly responded that

"it's not out there? if will be released soon :)"

and Also added :

"Oh, by the way, for those who's interested in astrophotography and ultra-wide angle, Zeiss will be releasing a 15mm/2.8 soon, and it will be available in both ZE and ZF mount, for more details, please wait for Zeiss official announcement."

For those of you who are familiar with the (German made) ZM Distagon 15mm f/2.8, you know that is a hell of a killer lens. Looks like it is making its way into the SLR world, but the design will inevitably different due to flange clearance. Will it still be German made though?

Edit: today Zhao Jia posted another entry saying:

"I meant 16mm/2.8 instead of 15mm/2.8".

so it could be a typo, either 15mm or 16mm

Links: Zhao Jia's blog, Luminous-landscape's intro to the ZM 15mm

(Credit: Thanks Joe)

New Distagon 25mm f/2.0 to be announced in October

2011-10-05T18:13:00.001-04:00

From a from forum post by Vincent Kluwe, it is indicated that a new Distagon 25mm f/2.0 for SLR will be announced in October, and delivery of the first batch will be in Germany right before Christmas:

``...I have an idea about the new 25. It will be announced in October, so keep an eye for the Zeiss website. And if everything goes well, delivery of the first production batch will be in Germany right before Christmas...''

Currently, the 25mm has speed f/2.8, so the new one will be one stop faster.

Link: FM post

(Credit: Thanks Chris for pointing out)

Edit: Big teaser! Lloyd Chambers, the author of ``diglloyd'' we link to at the lower left Link section, commented:

"I am planning a number of new additions to my Zeiss Guide in October and November, including something new (please don’t ask as I can’t tell)."

A number of new additions means more than one, so what are the other additions?
Since Lloyd isn't allowed to disclose, this will be rumor time.
If you happen to know anything, anything at all, even speculations, please tell us at tips@zeissrumors.com or using the Share News/Rumors With Us box at the left of the page.

Sonnar T* E 24mm f/1.8 ZA for Sony NEX E-mount

2011-08-24T12:27:00.004-04:00

From Sonyalphanex blog:

Here is the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* E 24mm f/1.8 ZA Lens for the Sony NEX E-mount camera, official Sony part number SEL24F18Z. This lens gives us an equivalent fov of 36mm - the perfect wide-normal lens. The maximum magnification ratio is 1:4. It has 8 elements in 7 groups. The minimum focus distance is 0.16 meters or 6.3 inches. The filter diameter is 49mm. The overall dimensions are 63mm (2.5") diameter by 65.5mm (2.6") long. It weighs approximately 225 grams of 0.5 lb. The lens will approximately cost $999 and will be released in December 2011.

Finally we have some solid information about this Zeiss lens for NEX. Its Zeiss line codename is ZA, same as the Zeiss SLR line for A-mount. But obviously it cannot be used on an A-mount camera.

The lens construction consists of 8 elements in 7 groups with 2 aspherical elements (marked in purple) and 1 ED element (marked in green). The first 5 elements do somewhat resemble the heritage of a Sonnar. Presumably the last 3 extra elements at the end are to further correct the original Sonnar, however they may also serve the role of pushing further the exit pupil, making the light rays more parallel as they exit the rear element to counter the short comings of digital sensors. As a result, the lens is longer.

Performance is quite respectable from the MTF charts. It still exhibits a little the corner softness characteristic of the Sonnar, but overall the lens does have fairly decent microcontrast.

Edit: This picture gives a sense of size of this lens - again from sonyalphanex blog

Link: http://sonyalphanex.blogspot.com/2011/08/sony-nex-carl-zeiss-24mm-sonnar-e-mount.html

Edit:
Sample shots: http://www.photographyblog.com/previews/carl_zeiss_24mm_emount_lens_photos/

Sonnar 24mm f/1.8 for Sony NEX confirmed with hi-res pic

2011-08-13T13:25:00.001-04:00

It is confirmed by a high resolution picture from dpreview forum that the new Zeiss lens for Sony E-mount will be a Sonnar 24mm f/1.8, it does look big. Filter thread is 49mm. The expected MSRP is $999, announcement should be on August 24th.
If anybody has the block diagram to share, please send it to tips@zeissrumors.com, we are interested in knowing the element arrangement and the true design of this Sonnar.

Link: dpreview forum discussion

Zeiss E-mount for Sony NEX is 24mm f/1.8 Sonnar?

2011-08-02T09:26:00.006-04:00

The long awaited Zeiss E-mount lens for Sony NEX appears to be a Sonnar f/1.8 according to the image from Sonyalpharumors.

The Sony NEX uses 1.5x crop sensor, that would put the 24mm as 36mm (in 35mm equivalent), which is still considered a wide angle. Due to design limitation, there aren't too many wide angle Sonnar's around, needless to say a fast one. I only know of the Rollei 40mm f/2.8 Sonnar in LTM mount, which isn't considered a wide angle by many, also I vaguely remember a 35mm Sonnar clone by Nikkon, but that one isn't fast either; and looking at the lens barrel, it doesn't look like it only has 5-6 elements in it. For these reasons, I don't quite believe the image yet. It doesn't mean that the Zeiss E-mount lens won't be a 24mm f/1.8, however it just doesn't sound like a Sonnar to me. Perhaps, it is a Distagon in disguise with a Sonnar branding, or perhaps smaller image circle and advance technology allow Zeiss to achieve f/1.8 as a Sonnar. (warning: personal opinion here)
Having said that, whatever spec the lens carries, it is coming soon! Announcement on August 24th.

Link: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-huge-sony-leak/

SLRLensReview test of Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1.4

2011-07-07T18:50:00.005-04:00

After perhaps reading a not so positive review from LensTip.com, here is a different review by SLRLensReview.com. The conclusion from SLRLensReview is very positive, in particular the color fringing issue highlighted in LensTip.com's review now appears different under the hands of SLRLensReview:

The Imatest measure lateral CA at ~1.5px at f/1.4 around borders and at ~1px through the rest of the aperture settings. It's not too bad, and the CA will be visible only under high magnification. You would also need to deal with occasional longitudinal CA in out of focus areas, which can also be observed in some of the sample shots below, but overall, Distagon performs on par, maybe even slightly better than other 35/1.4 lenses I've tried in the past, and so I would say that the color handling in this lens is top notch.

I wonder if there was a sample discrepancy between the lenses in this review and the previous one. However, I have to say that the CA test at SLRLensReview isn't very extensive, so they might not have teased out as much fringing as LensTip.com did.

Go make your own judgement by following the link below

Links: Review

Edit: Thanks to Markus (from photozone.de) for pointing out my wrong understanding of the two different CA tested by LensTip and SLRLensReview.

To reiterate what Markus points out in the comment. The CA found to be high in LensTip's review is longitudinal CA, the direction transverses to the focus plane, while the CA found to be good in SLRLensReview is lateral CA, the direction in the focus plane. Hence, these are CA in different directions.

Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1.4 tested at LensTips.com

2011-07-01T12:43:00.000-04:00

The Distagon 35/1.4 is a long awaited lens by many. It is a manual focus SLR lens by Zeiss that is expected to excel in optical performance over other auto focus competitors, so lots have high expectation of this lens. However, how does it fare in lab?

LensTips.com says:

...The tested lens is outstandingly sharp in the frame centre and provides useful photos up from the maximum relative aperture but exactly the same was written about the Canon 1.4/35L. When we pass to the frame edge, the cheap Samyang provides better images than the Zeiss. The lateral chromatic aberration is corrected well, but the problem is that the longitudinal CA is a lot higher and it doesn’t present the Zeiss in a favourable light, especially when compared to its rivals. The distortion of the Zeiss is, to tell you the truth, the lowest but the differences between the tested lens and other competitors aren’t huge. Despite being the heaviest and the biggest instrument the Zeiss didn’t fare well in the category of vignetting, losing again to the cheap Samyang or the small Sony. The coma is corrected in a splendid way only on the APS-C/DX sensor, becoming already distinct in the corners of full frame. The work against bright light can’t be praised either as the majority of competitors fared better there....

Go over to LensTips.com to read their full detailed review.

Links: http://lenstip.com/1918-news-Carl_Zeiss_Distagon_T*_35_mm_f_1.4_ZE_ZF.2_-_lens_review.html

Official statement regarding to "babyPrimes" from Carl Zeiss AG

2011-06-08T00:07:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we posted a PR of babyPrimes from kevinkamera+. Then very quickly we received an official letter from Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division regarding to the babyPrimes from kevinkamera+.

Here is the direct copy -

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

We would like to address a report that has been released by the company Kelvinkamera+ on June 5^th regarding Carl Zeiss as an e-mail press release. This report contains several statements that need to be clarified for the benefit of our customers. We would be very grateful to receive your support in this undertaking.

In the report, the company Kelvinkamera+ has announced a new line of lenses to be called “Carl Zeiss babyPrimes.” It also states that the company has reached an agreement with Carl Zeiss. Furthermore, the report declares that the manufacturer has already worked on an earlier project at Carl Zeiss (DigiPrimes). This gives the impression that the babyPrime lenses were created together with, or with the approval of, Carl Zeiss.

However, these statements do not reflect the truth. Since Carl Zeiss enjoys a very good reputation in camera lenses of high quality and performance we would like to clarify the situation for the benefit of our customers:

Carl Zeiss is in no way involved in the babyPrimes project or product of and does not maintain a relationship to the manufacturer.
The company Kelvinkamera+ or the quoted persons were not and are not in any form involved in the DigiPrime project or other projects at Carl Zeiss.
Carl Zeiss cannot confirm that the optics used in the advertised product line are from Carl Zeiss, nor can we confirm that these optics meet the typically high standards of a Carl Zeiss lens
All Carl Zeiss lenses are subject to extreme specifications, tests and measurements to ensure the respected Carl Zeiss Quality from their development to production to use. In this case, it is not permitted to label these products as “Carl Zeiss” lenses.
We would like to emphasize that Carl Zeiss cannot accept any liability for products that have been altered through unauthorized modifications. Therefore these products cannot be covered under the international warranty of Carl Zeiss.

For 120 years, Carl Zeiss lenses have been known for their outstanding performance, quality and reliability. In manufacturing these lenses, we take advantage of everything that is optically and mechanically possible to create an extraordinary product experience from development to production to use of the lens. This is just one of the many reasons for the outstanding reputation enjoyed by the name ZEISS among photographers and moviemakers around the globe.In case you have further questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

With best regards
__________

Carl Zeiss AG
Camera Lens Division

http://www.zeiss.com/cameralenses
http://www.facebook.com/carlzeisslenses
http://www.twitter.com/carlzeisslenses

Contact for Press:
Martin Klottig, Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division
Phone: +49 7364 20-8370, Email: m.klottig@zeiss.de
Tobias Brandstetter, Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division
Phone: +49 7364 20-4694, Email: to.brandstetter@zeiss.de

Carl Zeiss babyPrime?

2011-06-06T04:58:00.000-04:00

We have heard a lot of the CP.2 lenses lately. A common consensus is that Carl Zeiss CP.2 line is more or less its SLR lenses in cine housing for aperture and focusing control. They are called Compact Prime's because they weight almost half of what Master Prime's do, being only about 1kg+. However, to some users, they are still too heavy and also too pricey!
Any way around it? kelvincamera+'s babyPrime may be a solution.

Presented by the engineer/mechanic of kelvincamera+, Dante Cecchin, the babyPrime cine lens line.
What is it? It is in its heart ZF.2 lenses with the housing custom made by Dante Cecchin for cine-graphic purposes, just like the CP.2 line. The differences? size/weight and price(more info to come).

Dante Cecchin has 30 years of experience in mechanical and optical rehousing, his enthusiasm prompted him to create this babyPrime project. He then arranged an agreement with Carl Zeiss AG to bring his project to the market.

Official babyPrime PR

The babyPrimes are a new rehoused film-style lenses project now in production,
with delivery estimate for the end of July 2011.

Carl Zeiss ZF.2 high quality optics inside, robust and reliable construction for professional use.
Full-Frame coverage (24 x 36mm) for all the focal lengths 18 to 100mm (50and 100mm makro).
No need for adapter solutions anymore, special custom stainless-steel interchangeable mounts.
Four different mounts available (EF, F, E and MTF Mount), open to future applications.
Improved ergonomics with left and right side meter/feet, iris scales with enhanced graphics.
Consistent front diameter of 95mm, for simplified use of lightweight 4X4/4x5,65 matteboxes and filters.
Independent filmmakers price range, different set choices and upgrades.
Special ultra-lightweight dedicated clip-on matte box available with the different kit solutions.
Custom rehousing engineering made in Italy.

More details to come in the future.

Links: www.babyprimes.com
Disclaimer: Information provided by kelvinkamera+. ZR is not in any way affiliated to kelvinkamera+

Carl Zeiss CP.2 Distagon T* 35mm T/2.1 ZE Review

2011-05-19T18:55:00.000-04:00

You rarely see a review of a CP.2 lens, partly because of its price tag and its cine specialization. Here is a rather test by slrlensreview.com, who tested the CP.2 Distagon 35mm T/2.1 rather extensively.
The CP.2 line is supposedly a direct copy of its SLR line lenses, however the review noted "... we can generalize and probably claim that while both lenses offer superb center resolution, the CP.2 Distagon has a more balanced border performance..``, which is quite interesting.
Full review can be viewed at http://slrlensreview.com/web/carl-zeiss-slr-lenses-51/wide-angle-slr-lenses-93/790-carl-zeiss-cp2-distagon-t-35mm-t21-ze-.html
Also note that the author intends to do a comparison review later on to compare the CP.2 and its SLR counterpart.

Photozone: 50mm Planar f/1.4 and Makro-Planar f/2.0 reviewed

2011-05-09T21:17:00.000-04:00

Apple to apple comparison here. Do you ever wonder if you should choose the Makro branding at the cost of 1 stop lens speed? I wonder about that a lot. I know what I would choose, do you? If not, take a look at these reviews of Planar 50mm f/1.4 and Makro-Planar 50mm f/2.0 to decide. They are again tested on Nikon FX (full frame).

Links:
http://www.photozone.de/nikon_ff/588-zeisszf5014ff
http://www.photozone.de/nikon_ff/589-zeisszf5020ff