CBokeh wrote:
Distagon is the type of optical design, doesn't mean wide angle.
From Dr. Nasse's paper:
"I would like to present three different lens types. All share the final syllable “gon” in their name, which indicates that the lens has a large field angle."
"I would like to present three different lens types. All share the final syllable “gon” in their name, which indicates that the lens has a large field angle."
And ‘Dista’ refers to the increased distance to the focal plane made possible by the retrofocus design.
But today it’s just a brand. It’s best not to analyse these names to death, other than for a historical perspective. One glance at the 55 mm f/1.4 prototype will tell you all you need to know: it’s not a traditional double-Gauss.
Romain wrote:
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.
Next generation of lenses for next generation of sensors?
I am shocked nobody is lamenting the fact they can't "walk through the lens." I think Carl would be miffed that everybody just wants to shove money his face and doesn't care about all the design implications of his products.
S Dilworth wrote:
And ‘Dista’ refers to the increased distance to the focal plane made possible by the retrofocus design.
But today it’s just a brand. It’s best not to analyse these names to death, other than for a historical perspective. One glance at the 55 mm f/1.4 prototype will tell you all you need to know: it’s not a traditional double-Gauss.
Will be interesting to see how it performs vs. the C/Y 55/1.2.
Yes, it wouldn’t be worth their while to make a new range of high-end lenses and price them at $500 more. This will be much more expensive, I’m sure.
By the way, the photo of the prototype on the Zeiss blog is a full-resolution D3X photo. It’s taken with a 35 mm lens at f/5.6, so it’s mostly out of focus, but here’s a crop of an in-focus area:
Anyone fancy hazarding a guess at the material? Magnesium or aluminium alloy? That’s some kind of smooth synthetic rubber on the focus ring, apparently.
Another thing: the top-right area of the photo seems to have a cut-out for the distance scale. I hope this lens has a seriously long focus throw, like a cine lens. (And if it does, that would explain why recent ZF.2 lenses have been given a fairly short throw.)
I might be interested to have 55mm f1.4 one. (why 55?) But I worry about its size. After honeymoon period with new lens, the excitement decay, but weight of lens will a PITA.
If they bring 35mm ZM f1.4, it will sell like a hot cake at $2500.
"A must-see attraction is a high-performance, full-format SLR camera lens with manual focus. With a focal length of 55 mm and aperture of f/1.4, this lens is the first model of a new product family designed for demanding users. Thanks to a newly developed optical design, this lens is superior to conventional full-frame lenses, and it achieves with powerful full-frame, full-format cameras an image performance that until now has only been seen with medium-format systems."
You read my mind wiseguy010 about the 15mm. Ship end of May...no wait, ship end of June/early July...no wait, end of August...no wait, guidance from Zeiss by end of August...no wait, guidance coming in the next week or two....no wait...
This is the US experience, I realize globally some have received the lens. But in the meantime, roll out the fanfare for the next set of new lenses...lather, rinse and repeat.
-Tim
wiseguy010 wrote:
And so will be the price. It will be substantially higher than the current ZF/ZE lineup.
High end means high price as well.
I am still waiting for months for my ZF.2 15/2.8 and I would like Zeiss to start delivering this lens before announcing all kind of new stuff.
Ooh, exciting times. I'm definitely happy (if my wallet/budget isn't) about all the stuff on the horizon.
I'll hazard a guess at the 55/1.4 MSRP: $2,995
And yes I guess it must be designed for cameras like the D800E and future cameras with 36+ MP.
Meanwhile, the fast ZM. . . it could be a re-design of the 85/2 Sonnar, but I don't think the market is that large for that. My first guess is a retrofocal 35mm 1.4 or 1.5 to compete with the 35 Lux, and one that they could possibly share the design of with a new AF CSC lens. They acknowledge the "ZM adapted for mirrorless" trend, which makes me think it'll be designed with some accommodation for mirrorless sensors.
I'm on the fence as to whether or not I believe the new AF CSC lenses will be full-frame-capable. If they are, then I would take that as HUGE evidence that Sony will indeed release a FF photo Nex. But, if the design is really going to be a "one-design-fits-all" (eg with Nex and MFT mounts on essentially the same lenses, a la Sigma's 19 and 30), then I'd find it a bit harder to believe they can pull off a design that won't seem overly large on MFT. I'd love to be wrong there, though.
Anyway, a fast 35 is great for both FF and APS, so that's my bet. Leica have shown it can be done without being gigantic (35 Lux is 320 grams, at it even has floating elements).
Though, "fast" could mean f/2 or really even f/2.8 depending on who you ask (Leica calls their 28/2.8 ASPH 'fast'). So, it might not be as exciting as we hope.
S Dilworth wrote:
And ‘Dista’ refers to the increased distance to the focal plane made possible by the retrofocus design.
But today it’s just a brand. It’s best not to analyse these names to death, other than for a historical perspective. One glance at the 55 mm f/1.4 prototype will tell you all you need to know: it’s not a traditional double-Gauss.
Yet, such design is only needed for WA to accommodate the mirror box.
