Hi,
there are interesting news from Zeiss via their blog. They will show the following new products at Photokina:
- new moderate telephoto lens for SLR for end 2012 (probably 135 F2) (EDIT: now official)
- prototype of new high-end SLR lens series. will come end 2013 (Distagon 55 F1.4)
- new series of AF ! lenses for CSC (mid 2013)
- at least one new lens for ZM will come in 2013
Dergiman wrote:
The image of the new 55/1.4 is quite strange. 55mm of focal length but a Distagon design, 82mm filter size. What a monster of a lens!
I noticed that too. Distagon would mean that this lens is for medium format (wide angle), but it is for ZF.2. They probably just slap in whatever name for the rendition. So I doubt that even the 55mm focal length is true.
yeah the 35mm 1.4 is massive! I was tossing up between the f2 and 1.4 and in the end I couldn't justify its weight and size for a slightly faster aperture. Btw isnt the distagon name used for their full frame lenses not medium format?
hiepphotog wrote:
I noticed that too. Distagon would mean that this lens is for medium format (wide angle), but it is for ZF.2. They probably just slap in whatever name for the rendition. So I doubt that even the 55mm focal length is true.
hiepphotog wrote:
I noticed that too. Distagon would mean that this lens is for medium format (wide angle), but it is for ZF.2. They probably just slap in whatever name for the rendition. So I doubt that even the 55mm focal length is true.
It's a real picture, not a 3D rendering. The blog also says it's a prototype, so I expect it to be released next year. It's interesting that they are talking of a whole new line. That's really exciting, I'm guessing they design these for big megapixel full-frame cameras.
The name Distagon just means the lens is of retrofocus construction. A retrofocus design could make possible a significant jump in large-aperture performance (sharpness and vignetting) of an f/1.4 lens of around 50 mm, though only at greatly increased cost.
Let’s face it: the current 50 mm f/1.4 SLR lenses have superb stopped-down performance, but they’re dire at f/1.4. Even the aspherical Sigma isn’t all that great at f/1.4 (though at least it retains decent on-axis contrast and neutral background bokeh at f/1.4, which is more than can be said of my Nikkor AF-S).
Zeiss says the 55 mm f/1.4 is the ‘first model of a new product family designed for demanding users.’ Commercial photographers who once used larger formats are increasingly using 135-format SLRs, and photographers of all stripes have higher expectations than ever, so it might make sense for Zeiss to bring out a range of really high-end lenses. People on this forum have been clamouring for that for years.
