zeiss

Carl Zeiss today announced 15mm and 135mm members in its CP.2 family of adaptable lenses geared for both cinema and SLR uses and due to ship in the fourth quarter.

The CP.2 line of Compact Prime lenses can be fitted with adapters to Canon or Nikon SLRs, to PL-mount cameras common in the video and cinema industry, Micro Four Thirds cameras from Olympus and Pansonic, or Sony's NEX cameras with E-mount lenses. The CP.2 line is geared for cinema purposes, though, for example with a long-travel focusing ring.

The lens family spotlights the convergence of traditional … Read more

Carl Zeiss, a premium maker of camera lenses, announced a new wide-angle model today, a 15mm F2.8 model that should ship in May for $2,948.

The Distagon T* 2,8/15 joins other members of the Distagon family with fixed focal lengths of 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 28mm, and 35mm. The 15mm model should be particularly desirable for people serious about architectural and landscape photography--subjects that need a wide shooting angle and that often afford enough time for manual focusing.

With a price that high, it's not something a lot of customers will be able to afford. But … Read more

Those looking to buy the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T E 24mm F1.8 ZA lens may have a hard time finding it for sale anytime soon.

In an announcement today, the Japanese company informed consumers that it cannot keep up with demand for the popular E-mount lens, which starts at around $999. The shortage situation is on the path to a resolution, as the Sony notice says that "we are working diligently in order to meet the needs of customers as much as possible."

Why is this lens so popular? "It's fast (wide aperture), sharp, and bright with nice bokeh, plus it has a good feel and comfortable manual focusing," says CNET Senior Editor Lori Grunin. Read her review of the most current cameras that use the lens, the Sony NEX-7 or NEX-5N, at CNET Reviews. … Read more

The new ranges of compact digital cameras from Olympus and Panasonic got a shot in the arm with the announcement today of future lenses from two prestigious German lens makers, Carl Zeiss and Schneider Kreuznach lens maker Jos. Schneider Optische Werke, along with Horseman lens maker Komamura from Japan.

Panasonic and Olympus got the camera industry fixated on a new range of compact ILC (interchangeable-lens camera) models that dispense with SLRs bulk by leaving behind the internal reflex mirror and viewfinder. To go with their cameras, the companies came up with a new lens standard, Micro Four Thirds, a cousin … Read more

Carl Zeiss, a venerable German maker of camera lenses, is showing new ambitions by trying to tap into the market of video SLRs and by expanding into the realm of accessories.

The company has announced two new lenses in its Compact Prime CP.2 line, a second generation of hybrid lenses designed for use either on cinema cameras or on newer SLRs that can shoot video.

The new CP.2 models are a 50mm f2.1 macro with 0.24-meter close-focus distance and a 100mm f2.1 with a 0.7-meter close-focus point. The new products debuted at the IBC Conference for the media and entertainment industry.

The CP.2 models are notable for an adapter ring that makes it possible to fit the lens to a variety of camera bodies--initially those using Canon's EF mount and the PL (positive lock) mount used in filmmaking circles. Now Zeiss has released an adapter that lets the lenses attach to the F mount of Nikon SLRs as well. That helps with photographers or videographers who might have a variety of cameras in use. … Read more

Carl Zeiss' camera lens division renewed a partnership with Sony for another five years, the companies announced Wednesday.

The partnership began in 1996 with a Sony camcorder using a Zeiss lens, then extended to compact cameras. More recently, with Sony's entry into the SLR market, Zeiss-branded lenses are available on those high-end cameras, too.

Another electronics giant making its way into the camera market, Panasonic, has adopted a similar strategy with another German camera company renowned for its engineering, Leica.

Zeiss, maker of a line of high-quality, single focal length manual focus lenses for SLRs, had been running a teaser ad on it's Web site alluding to a new lens mount, creating a lot of speculation as to what it might be.

Monday, it was revealed and, as I had hoped, the new mount is Canon EF. Making the lenses compatible with all Canon EOS auto-focus SLRs from the EOS film cameras to the all the EOS digital cameras. Considering Canon's market share, this was a smart choice by Zeiss. The new lenses will carry the ZE designation. … Read more

Zeiss, maker of a line of high-quality, single focal length manual focus lenses for SLRs, is running an ad on its Web site teasing the announcement of a new lens mount to be announced September 15. They are currently available in Nikon mount (ZF), Pentax mount (ZK), and 42mm screw-mount(ZS). See the ad here.

Internet speculation really runs the gamut, from wishes for it to be for Olympus, to rumors of the rebirth of the Leica R system. There's also talk of it maybe being for the Sony Alpha mount, which is a serious possibility, given the companies' … Read more

There are so many makes and models of video glasses on the market that we lost count of them long ago. But one that was launched at Macworld this week may be worth mentioning, for the famous name associated with it if nothing else.

Expert photographers may debate the quality vs. hype of Carl Zeiss lenses, but the companies that use them in their products clearly think the brand packs plenty of marketing muscle--just ask Sony, which touts them every chance it gets for its cameras. So it makes sense that the German company would want to cash in on … Read more