I read posts here about the Zeiss lenses that work with EOS Canon cameras. I don't own any, but am considering one. I am confused by all the acronyms, and as a newbie to these lenses, I need some explanations. What are ZE, ZF, C/Y and other terms? What are the differences? An alternative lens primer with descriptions and ratings would be a big help around here.
ZE are Canon mount. ZF are Nikon mount. C/Y were for Contax, but can be used easily on Canon with an adapter, although the 5D does require a mirror shave down with some C/y lenses. ZS are m42 lenses. ZK are for Pentax. ZA are for Sony.
Well, that helps! I thought all Zeiss lenses needed adapters for canon, nikon, etc. Now I see there are new ones that are already built for certain mounts. That may be the way to go for me.
Z[?] = the latest line of Zeiss glass for [?] mount
for example:
ZE is for (Canon) EF mount, ZF is for (Nikon) F mount, ZS is for (M42) Screw mount, ZK is for (Pentax) K mount.
They are basically all the same series of lenses (with minor tweaks for the various mounts). Opinions differ on how they compare to the C/Y (Contax) line.
-----------------------------
C/Y (stands for Contax/Yashica) mount Zeiss lenses are a previous generation of lenses that Zeiss and/or Kyocera produced for the Contax line of cameras. Some very famous glass in this line-up.
-----------------------------
Then there are the Carl Zeiss Jena lenses (mostly in M42 screw mount) which are generally made to a lower standard, although there are some diamonds in the rough.
-----------------------------
All of them can be either directly mounted or adapted onto your Canon body.
Somethings I learned when I picked up my first Zeiss: T* is the multi-coating, and for C/Y lenses, there are two most recent varitals: AE and MM.. I believe Zeiss won't service AE lenses, but will service newer MM lenses.
)