I suspect the former resources Zeiss had to develop lenses have either left/retired or were transferred internally to other projects (for example microscope optics where Zeiss is still very successful or as earlier mentioned Cinema lenses). The ZX1 was likely planned and for multiple years before being released to the market - while the market had already changed in the meantime. Maybe Zeiss still has a skeleton crew working on new lens designs - but they likely just use existing plans to bring to the market but not creating something new for the photography market.
For Zeiss M-lenses, I am less optimistic to see anything new here in the future - this market was likely slopped internally. Maybe something new for mirrorless cameras at most.
It's possible they're just in a self-imposed cooling period while they decide A, if there's enough of a stills market worth addressing with new products, and B, how to best move forward.
My hope is that we'll eventually see a line or two dedicated to multi-platform mirrorless. A more basic line like what they've got going with the Loxias' moderate specs and sizes, with options from 15 to 135, and a premium line of fast, high performers. I just don't expect to see anything from them in the near term
I just received confirmation today from the Zeiss Australian distributor, that Zeiss has exited the stills lens business: Batis, Loxia etc and even their filter range has been discontinued. End of an era
Petegh wrote:
I just received confirmation today from the Zeiss Australian distributor, that Zeiss has exited the stills lens business: Batis, Loxia etc and even their filter range has been discontinued. End of an era
I am saddened to read this, but, thanks for the heads-up on this matter.
Perhaps I should consider adding a couple from the Classic and Milvus lines, that have been on the back-burner of my mind, for a while. I would like to be able to afford to acquire the entire Milvus line, in ZF.2 mount, except perhaps for the 21mm, which I would be unlikely to use, but that is unlikely to be a justifiable expense.
I have already been considering adding additional copies, of some favored ZM lenses, as I have long suspected that they are simply selling older ZM stock, except perhaps for the relatively recent 35mm Distagon. (I already have two 85mm Tele-Tessar lenses, which are no longer available new, and two 35mm Distagon ZM lenses, the latter of which is my most-favored 35mm M-mount lens.)
Petegh wrote:
I just received confirmation today from the Zeiss Australian distributor, that Zeiss has exited the stills lens business: Batis, Loxia etc and even their filter range has been discontinued. End of an era
A good Leica M lens competitor leaving this business. Glad we still have CV and some Chinese companies (e. g. TTArtisan, 7Artisans) as alternative!
Petegh wrote:
I just received confirmation today from the Zeiss Australian distributor, that Zeiss has exited the stills lens business: Batis, Loxia etc and even their filter range has been discontinued. End of an era
Very sad news. My ZE lenses and the Canon L telezooms were what kept me with Canon. I was hoping / counting on Loxia for Canon RF.
Fuji and Leica and the rest are cashing checks right now in the industry. Zeiss makes one of the worst cameras in history, gets upset that not a single person bought it and takes their toys and goes home.
Let's be honest here. Zeiss priced themselves out of the market. Back in the day, it was only them and Leica, with Voigtlander being a minor player in offerings.
Then the Chinese came along, and Voigtlander really upped their game both optically and mechanically.
Zeiss stayed unchanged - at the very least they should have dropped their prices because their ZM lenses are not built that well - from my experience with them. They did nothing, and here we are.
Desmolicious wrote:
Let's be honest here. Zeiss priced themselves out of the market. Back in the day, it was only them and Leica, with Voigtlander being a minor player in offerings.
Then the Chinese came along, and Voigtlander really upped their game both optically and mechanically.
Zeiss stayed unchanged - at the very least they should have dropped their prices because their ZM lenses are not built that well - from my experience with them. They did nothing, and here we are.
But weren't both the Voigtlander and Zeiss lenses built by Cosina for the last many years?
Who makes their Cine lenses -- the CP.3 primes, Supreme primes, and Cine zoom lines? I think Zeiss themselves make those, and I doubt they'll be discontinued anytime soon as they're quite popular.
1bwana1 wrote:
But weren't both the Voigtlander and Zeiss lenses built by Cosina for the last many years?
Yes. Zeiss licensed Cosina to build the ZM line. Most prob most of the other lines too. Cosina 'owns' the right to use the Voigtlander name, and so build those lenses to its own specs.
Zeiss stayed put with its designs, Cosina/Voigtlander moved onwards and upwards with theirs.
Desmolicious wrote:
Zeiss stayed put with its designs, Cosina/Voigtlander moved onwards and upwards with theirs.
There were rumors - without clear confirmation unfortunately - that CV uses(d) Zeiss blueprints to build their M lenses. Significant similarities between some lens samples indicate it even it could also be made by reverse engineering of Zeiss lenses.
bjhurley wrote:
Who makes their Cine lenses -- the CP.3 primes, Supreme primes, and Cine zoom lines? I think Zeiss themselves make those, and I doubt they'll be discontinued anytime soon as they're quite popular.
From what I recall, the best-performing lens assemblies (that is to say, glass elements in metal helicoid assemblies) made by Cosina are shipped to Zeiss in Oberkochen to be assembled there into the cine housing, with some exceptions.
That aside, this is definitely the end of an era, but the writing's been on the wall for a while. There's no more "middle" market left, especially not for niche products like manual focus lenses. Leica has owned, and will continue to own, the top of the market, and the rest is split between the dozen(?) Chinese competitors and Cosina.
For manual lenses on e-mount (as well as M, F and EF), this is one less competitor. I love the Loxia 85, and am sad to see there will be nothing similar after this. Voigtlander has also done a great job, but has slowed down in e-mount as well.
For AF lenses, I keep hoping someone would make a reasonably fast compact medium telephoto prime (250-300mm f4) for Sony, kind of like the Batis 135 but longer. Given that Zeiss made the Batis 135, they were at least a possibility (although I recognize that they haven't made anything new for several years). With them out of the picture, and Tamron and Sigma making mostly slower long zooms in e-mount, there is just a little less chance of anyone making that lens in e-mount.
Sony could always do so, but does not seem inclined to do so, at least so far, and seems to be leaving that lens range to Nikon (PF 300mm).
Sam_W wrote:
From what I recall, the best-performing lens assemblies (that is to say, glass elements in metal helicoid assemblies) made by Cosina are shipped to Zeiss in Oberkochen to be assembled there into the cine housing, with some exceptions
My understanding was that the cine line are not simply rehoused stills lenses (which is what companies like Sigma and others do for most of their cine lenses); they are completely different designs. The Supreme primes and the Otus line have similarities but I don't think the Supremes are merely rehoused Otus assemblies.
They make awesome ophthalmic lenses. ... and guess who is making the lenses for Apple's VR goggles? Zeiss is betting on the future. Looks like I'll be holding on to my Loxia and Batis lenses. Perhaps, it's time to add the loxia 21 back into my kit. I owned that lens and sold it because I wasn't using it. With that said, I LOVED the image quality.
bjhurley wrote:
My understanding was that the cine line are not simply rehoused stills lenses (which is what companies like Sigma and others do for most of their cine lenses); they are completely different designs. The Supreme primes and the Otus line have similarities but I don't think the Supremes are merely rehoused Otus assemblies.
Correct, I was referring to just the CP.2 (and now CP.3) primes. Even the zooms are new designs and assemblies done by Zeiss.
