p.35 #1 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
AcuteShadows wrote:
DPReview has published a studio shot taken with the ZX1, and it's clearly ahead of the Leica Q2. In particular, the faces on the left and right are more detailed. I also like the colors better, however, I don't know how the original looks like.
p.35 #5 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
chez wrote:
I agree, the ZX1 has more pleasing colours than the other 3 and captures more detail. It also handles higher ISO better than the other 3. Maybe something to build on.
Perhaps Sony RX1RII owners can speak to this: if the RX1RII's performance isn't being negatively affected by substantial field curvature up close, then, in the outer half of the field at least, the new Zeiss ZX1 lens blows it away for sharpness!
p.35 #6 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
The RX1 lens is really an old design (though nice) and it has already shown its age before the ZX1 launch. I'm not sure at all it should be an example of paramount 35mm design as there are other lenses which beat it already before the ZX1. It has nice rendering, but surely after 6 or 7 years things move on.
Speaking of ZX1, it looks like ZEISS has designed an outstanding lens. What should be interesting for those too who don't warm to the industrial look of the ZX1 is the size/performance ratio. This is a very small lens with AF (same filter thread as with the MF Loxias), but looks like it can produce superb results (at least regarding sharpness). With the Dpreview-tool I compared it to Hasselblad medium format lenses and it's about the same quality. For full frame systems it's like couple of evolution steps ahead of anything else out there in size/performance ratio. If one is interested about lenses, this should grap one's attention. I, at least, find this very interesting.
p.35 #7 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
Kalainen wrote:
The RX1 lens is really an old design (though nice) and it has already shown its age before the ZX1 launch. I'm not sure at all it should be an example of paramount 35mm design as there are other lenses which beat it already before the ZX1. It has nice rendering, but surely after 6 or 7 years things move on.
Speaking of ZX1, it looks like ZEISS has designed an outstanding lens. What should be interesting for those too who don't warm to the industrial look of the ZX1 is the size/performance ratio. This is a very small lens with AF (same filter thread as with the MF Loxias), but looks like it can produce superb results (at least regarding sharpness). With the Dpreview-tool I compared it to Hasselblad medium format lenses and it's about the same quality. For full frame systems it's like couple of evolution steps ahead of anything else out there in size/performance ratio. If one is interested about lenses, this should grap one's attention. I, at least, find this very interesting....Show more →
Certainly a very interesting technical result and IMO not unexpected of a precisely fitted Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35. We will probably never see MTFs for this fixed camera lens so I think the DPR Studio Scene comparison really helps for those of us interested. The DPR staff sure seems enthusiastic about the RAW output of this camera. Wonder if they can figure out who made the sensor.
"We're continuing to work through our Zeiss ZX1 review, and have just finalized the studio scene images – here they are! While we're less impressed with the camera's JPEG engine, we have to say, in Raw mode, that 35mm F2 lens really shines. Check out the chart's far corners to see how it compares against other fixed-lens, large sensor cameras."--DPR
p.35 #8 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
Kalainen wrote:
The RX1 lens is really an old design (though nice) and it has already shown its age before the ZX1 launch. I'm not sure at all it should be an example of paramount 35mm design as there are other lenses which beat it already before the ZX1. It has nice rendering, but surely after 6 or 7 years things move on.
Speaking of ZX1, it looks like ZEISS has designed an outstanding lens. What should be interesting for those too who don't warm to the industrial look of the ZX1 is the size/performance ratio. This is a very small lens with AF (same filter thread as with the MF Loxias), but looks like it can produce superb results (at least regarding sharpness). With the Dpreview-tool I compared it to Hasselblad medium format lenses and it's about the same quality. For full frame systems it's like couple of evolution steps ahead of anything else out there in size/performance ratio. If one is interested about lenses, this should grap one's attention. I, at least, find this very interesting....Show more →
A widely praised lens attached to an almost universally condemned body—what use is that?
p.35 #9 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
Kalainen wrote:
The RX1 lens is really an old design (though nice) and it has already shown its age before the ZX1 launch. I'm not sure at all it should be an example of paramount 35mm design as there are other lenses which beat it already before the ZX1. It has nice rendering, but surely after 6 or 7 years things move on.
Speaking of ZX1, it looks like ZEISS has designed an outstanding lens. What should be interesting for those too who don't warm to the industrial look of the ZX1 is the size/performance ratio. This is a very small lens with AF (same filter thread as with the MF Loxias), but looks like it can produce superb results (at least regarding sharpness). With the Dpreview-tool I compared it to Hasselblad medium format lenses and it's about the same quality. For full frame systems it's like couple of evolution steps ahead of anything else out there in size/performance ratio. If one is interested about lenses, this should grap one's attention. I, at least, find this very interesting....Show more →
Where are things moving if not towards rendering? 3D, bokeh etc. RX1 / ZX1 / Q2 style camera is an item that is bought ether as a luxury item or because of joy of photography. Unfortunately for ZX1 neither of the prime selling points have very little to do with sharpness - there are plenty of sharp optics available for ilce-cameras if that is what makes one happy. Sharpness is not anymore the issue, we have moved past that point.
ZX1 was an interesting episode in camera market. Or actually waiting for ZX1 was interesting. What we really want is that someone grabs Fuji X100 / Ricoh GR market with a well designed, fun to use and semi-sensibly priced full frame camera. I think the price is in region of 2500-3000usds/eur. If Sony wants, RX1m3 can be the game changer - just rethink some of the oddities of previous RX1 cameras and you have another classic. Or then Canon or Nikon fill a the void in market. Just a matter of time
p.35 #10 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
tuomkok wrote:
Sharpness is not anymore the issue, we have moved past that point.
And yet we continue to test sharpness at different points across the image, at different distances and at different apertures...yeh...we've moved past it.
p.35 #11 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
tuomkok wrote:
Where are things moving if not towards rendering? 3D, bokeh etc. RX1 / ZX1 / Q2 style camera is an item that is bought ether as a luxury item or because of joy of photography. Unfortunately for ZX1 neither of the prime selling points have very little to do with sharpness - there are plenty of sharp optics available for ilce-cameras if that is what makes one happy. Sharpness is not anymore the issue, we have moved past that point.
ZX1 was an interesting episode in camera market. Or actually waiting for ZX1 was interesting. What we really want is that someone grabs Fuji X100 / Ricoh GR market with a well designed, fun to use and semi-sensibly priced full frame camera. I think the price is in region of 2500-3000usds/eur. If Sony wants, RX1m3 can be the game changer - just rethink some of the oddities of previous RX1 cameras and you have another classic. Or then Canon or Nikon fill a the void in market. Just a matter of time ...Show more →
The Zeiss ZX1 is already an interesting story. From when it was announced to when it actually became available for sale. Zeiss clearly sought to think out of the box for their long awaited re-entry into the camera market but clearly faced some logistical issues along the ZX1 way.
**Not sure exactly what's going on with some of the frankly disturbing emotional comments posted repeatedly by a few in this thread concerning an inanimate object, but okay--all opinions welcome, otherwise the "hide me" feature on this forum is very helpful.
Why it took Zeiss until the last quarter 2020 to bring the ZX1 to market we will probably never know. But I would like to know. I am sure it had to do with internal politics and external supplier issues. That my friends is the real story and how a small Zeiss team managed to push the ZX1 to production and sale against all odds internal and external AND in a COVID-19 economy is probably in and of itself a remarkable bit of tale that I hope "comes out" at some point in time.
p.35 #13 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
chez wrote:
And yet we continue to test sharpness at different points across the image, at different distances and at different apertures...yeh...we've moved past it.
Frankly, very few of us do And when we do it has very little to do with real life photography, it is more about playing with new toys. I do not mean that all lenses are the same, but there are many other qualities such as distortion, ca, bokeh etc. that are much more critical to overall rendering than sharpness outside image center.
Regarding ZX1, to me it's standout feature was integrating Lr. That is something that many photographers have been hoping for, although I am not use sure if Zeiss got the implementation right. The overall appearance of ZX1 was kind of clunky, not stylish.
p.35 #15 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
The long delay and the feedback during that time should have told them that their clunky design isn’t going to get them anywhere. The “odds” are imposed by themselves.
They will join the likes of Sigma Quattro.
LBJ2 wrote:
. That my friends is the real story and how a small Zeiss team managed to push the ZX1 to production and sale against all odds internal and external AND in a COVID-19 economy is probably in and of itself a remarkable bit of tale that I hope "comes out" at some point in time.
p.35 #16 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
tuomkok wrote:
Frankly, very few of us do And when we do it has very little to do with real life photography, it is more about playing with new toys. I do not mean that all lenses are the same, but there are many other qualities such as distortion, ca, bokeh etc. that are much more critical to overall rendering than sharpness outside image center.
Regarding ZX1, to me it's standout feature was integrating Lr. That is something that many photographers have been hoping for, although I am not use sure if Zeiss got the implementation right. The overall appearance of ZX1 was kind of clunky, not stylish. ...Show more →
Well, I'm a big fan of sharpness, for one. A sharp photo at f/2.4 can have more apparent subject separation than a soft photo at f/1.4, even if many people wouldn't be able to immediately point out the reason. Sharpness also improves post-processing, as the algorithms can more easily distinguish noise from details. Finally, with a fixed lens camera, you need to crop more often, making resolution more important. If I were into fixed lens cameras, I might indeed be a target customer for the ZX1, I guess
p.35 #17 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
I feel like the camera that people wanted is something more 'classic' in terms of design, like the Leica Q. Zeiss has a lot of history they could've drawn on and if they released a $6k camera that didn't carry with it the possibility of rapid obsolescence due to software updates or lack thereof, they'd likely find a larger market. It would interest me more, that I know. But I also dream of owning a Lotus Elise and a Seiko Credor so, yeah.
I'm glad Zeiss swung for the fences and released something that, it turns out, is well executed for what it is. I just think they executed the wrong project.
p.35 #19 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
DougDolde wrote:
What fool would buy one?
I would, though at a much lower price when it's deemed obsolete as others said. Chances are it's running a full Android build on a reasonable smartphone CPU - maybe finally a software customizable camera after some work that I've been waiting ages for.
p.35 #20 · In-Stock: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame camera
lora_to wrote:
I would, though at a much lower price when it's deemed obsolete as others said. Chances are it's running a full Android build on a reasonable smartphone CPU - maybe finally a software customizable camera after some work that I've been waiting ages for.
Lens looks awesome. If the price drops precipitously on the used market, I'd look at it. The whole mobile LR thing...well, yeah, I still don't see the point. I'd be surprised if Zeiss opened the OS up for any sort of customization, though the hacking community is always pretty industrious.
