Re: Official: 37MP Zeiss ZX1 full frame fixed lens camera
philip_pj wrote:
Brand loyalty looms large. And Carl Zeiss have made large sums from licensing their name on the products of others - a dubious and confusing practice. From back when we had almost no lenses, Sony people remember things like:
(i) speaking of 85s, the failed Batis 25/85 launch, when the 85/1.8 was announced April 2015, to be delivered Jan 2016;
(ii) the misfire over fast mirrorless lenses not being appropriate for the Sony system;
(iii) the release of only three new design Loxias in six years, for the now-dominant FE camera series;
(iv) the rehousing of moderate weight ZEF lenses into huge, heavy Milvus casings.
So Zeiss appears to have a recent history of ineptitude and mis-steps, a narrowing of focus. At present, no one knows what they stand for. Maybe they make more money from cine lens sales these days and can afford to let things slide, or maybe simply walk away?
Good list Philip, and I agree with your sentiment overall. The other aspect I don’t hear people knocking Zeiss enough for is their subpar haptics across lines. The Milvus 85 has a small aperture ring too close to the mount that is easy to turn despite the lens being massive. The Batis line is bloated. Zeiss’ decision to make smooth texturesless focus rings (Milvus, Batis, ZX1) is idiotic. The OELD screens on the Batis line are a gimmick—actual distance scales are so much more practical. Or just nothing—less to break, less expense and less build complexity and size reduction. And no aperture rings or focus hold buttons for the Batis. At this point, I prefer most other manufactures size, build, styling and ergonomic decisions.
Funny thing is, Zeiss is just trying to be modern at the expense of practicality. I think they are having a hard time differentiating themselves on optics/price performance alone. Their AF line should look to Sony GM or Fuji or Canon. Their MF look to Voigt or Leica M.
Or better yet, they could just look at their own lines from the past and get back to the top of the mountain.
The last modern Zeiss lens to really impress me was the ZM 35 1.4.
Dec 05, 2019 at 12:06 PM
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