jopeme wrote:
So now they are introducing a whole new line....
Already have the 21 ZE and 1.4/35ZE...
Thanks for making such new lenses, released just about nothing ago, obsolete.....
Am I missing something?
The new lineup of high end lenses will come with a higher price tag. I think someone speculated it will have similar pricing to leica which wouldn't surprise me. I cant afford those glass so it won't even be an option for me.
Finally I dont mind the way Zeiss does a release. An announcement and then 2years later a lens. My upgrade path is different to the general Nikon community so I get to go fishing at different times and for a different fish.
Ignoring the D600 and keeping my D700 and waiting for a new monster 85mm then D800.
In the meantime for street I've moved into a new technology, they call it film and I'll take all those crappy zeiss lenses from you.
Wish I had video coz you could watch me run in circles looking for somewhere to pee.
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 is well-known that building a "normal" lens with a retrofocus design is a way to 1> Utilize only the center of the image circle, and 2>Make the design more telecentric. It might be fake, but it might be real...
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....Show more →
Difficult to disagree with this analysis (particularly that the 35mm focal length would be popular for both FF and APS-C shooters). I'd personally prefer a Distagon 25/2 ZM to replace my 25mm Biogon but that's highly unlikely.
Rodluvan wrote:
I haven't read every post, but are we in agreement that this can only be to comply to the new Ultra High Res bodies and/or to introduce weather sealing (making them more "pro")?
I don't think so. In my opinion this new line is addressed to the wealthy amateur who wants the best quality down to the last millimeter in the corners, and even beyond. I don't think many pros care about that, or even have the time to pixel peep the corners. When the first Z* Zeiss lenses started to appear, there was a lot of criticism about building the lens to a price point, instead of going all way out and building the best lens. Many users on this forum found it scandalous that Zeiss lenses were not sharp until the last millimeter, and we're still talking about the corners of the 25/2 until today. So I guess that Zeiss is making this über-collection for those crazy perfectionists
genji wrote:
Difficult to disagree with this analysis (particularly that the 35mm focal length would be popular for both FF and APS-C shooters). I'd personally prefer a Distagon 25/2 ZM to replace my 25mm Biogon but that's highly unlikely.
The biogon 25/2.8 is the best WA ever known in the history of human kind. There is no way I would replace it.
the german text at the Zeiss website says the 55mm is an MF lens. No AF anywhere in sight!
No aperture ring on the Nikon lens, which I find a pitty. Won't be my series anyway, I will stick to the pedestrian series and my wonderful grainy D700 that brings out Zeissness so well ;-) hopefully someone is going to sell me their used 25/2 soon when upgrading to those super new lenses. Things can only get better :-)
cyra wrote:
the german text at the Zeiss website says the 55mm is an MF lens. No AF anywhere in sight!
yeah, it's the CSC lenses that are going to be autofocus. i'm assuming i can't afford and don't want to carry around the new 55mm. it'll be awesome if they make it a lens to compete with the new 50 cron apo for the most perfect lens title though.
"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."
Can anyone tell me precisely what they mean by that statement? What aspect(s) of "image performance" are they talking about, and how are they measuring and comparing them?
"Carl Zeiss will offer a sneak preview of a new family of autofocus lenses for mirrorless system cameras (CSC) that will most likely be available in mid-2013."
So will these fit Sony NEX? And is this the reason we don't see more Zeiss lenses made available through Sony? What does this mean for their relationship with Sony? Will they be available for Fuji X-Pro1? Canon EOS-M? Samsung? Or is this just a 4/3'rds consortium offering (the fact they didn't say 4/3rd's, and were more broad, suggests a wider offering of lens mounts).
Finally, who is gong to make these AF CSC lense for Zeiss. Cosina? AF, has in the past, has not been within Cosina's expertise or interest. Has that changed? Or have they hooked up with someone new (Tamron perhaps, through the Sony connection?)?
edwardkaraa wrote:
I don't think so. In my opinion this new line is addressed to the wealthy amateur who wants the best quality down to the last millimeter in the corners, and even beyond. I don't think many pros care about that, or even have the time to pixel peep the corners. When the first Z* Zeiss lenses started to appear, there was a lot of criticism about building the lens to a price point, instead of going all way out and building the best lens. Many users on this forum found it scandalous that Zeiss lenses were not sharp until the last millimeter, and we're still talking about the corners of the 25/2 until today. So I guess that Zeiss is making this über-collection for those crazy perfectionists ...Show more →
Yes, we were critical of the 25/2 because it was f2 and not a more leading edge. f1.4 design like Canikon.
And the smudged extreme corners even at f8 at infinity was annoying and unZeiss-like.
Also Nikon and Canon have been upping their game designing lenses more recently and pushing lens prices higher.
With much smaller margins and prices on cameras, more money is available for higher priced and higher margin lenses which bring us better IQ for our high rez sensors.
Lotusm50 wrote:
With regard to the new 55/1.4, Zeiss says,
"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."
Can anyone tell me precisely what they mean by that statement? What aspect(s) of "image performance" are they talking about, and how are they measuring and comparing them?
Means not your grandfather's double gauss 50 lens design!
Less aberrations wide open. at the expense of size, weight, and price.
Will it even blow away the C/Y 55?
Also the 50/1.4 although a nice lens, is one of the cheapest and weakest in the Zeiss lens lineup.
Having a higher performing 55/1.4 will now match the new 35/1.4, solidifying their portrait lend lineup.
85 might be next.
Lotusm50 wrote:
With regard to the new 55/1.4, Zeiss says,
"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."
Can anyone tell me precisely what they mean by that statement? What aspect(s) of "image performance" are they talking about, and how are they measuring and comparing them?
wayne seltzer wrote:
Means not your grandfather's double gauss 50 lens design!
But normal focal length medium format lenses (~80mm) were also double gauss lens designs...
Note, for example, the Contax 645 80mm f2.0 Planar, and the Hassy 80mm f2.8 Planar designs...
double gauss is still the preferred design strategy for large aperture lenses. It's just inherently simple and effective due to its symmetrical concept. Zeiss may have improved their distagon, but I see no reason to choose the hard way.
