The "Moon lens" ZEISS Biogon 5.6/60: A camera lens custom-made for the Moon

The "Moon lens" ZEISS Biogon 5.6/60: A camera lens custom-made for the Moon

The "Moon lens" ZEISS Biogon 5.6/60

Photo © and courtesy of ZEISS

Even though 50 years have passed since the first Moon landing on 20 July 1969, the images have lost none of their fascination. The main reason this event become so firmly entrenched in our collective memory is that it gave us the iconic images captured during the Apollo missions. These were not only the first photographs ever taken of the Moon’s surface – the image of the Earth as seen from the Moon also continues to inspire people of all generations to this day. And all these missions used cameras with lenses developed by ZEISS.

The first Moon landing was also the first global media event. According to media reports, audience ratings amounted to 50 per cent throughout the world, which means that more than 500 million people followed the event live on television. Many of them still know exactly where they were when the Moon landing took place. Newspapers and magazines published special issues that often featured the first color images these publications ever printed. Together with the first stills of the footage shot on the Moon, these photographs are highly coveted collectibles today, among connoisseurs and ordinary people alike.

The history of photography in space took off with the Mercury (1962) and Gemini (1964) program that preceded the Apollo missions. Increasingly, camera lenses were used in the Earth’s orbit. During these years, the ZEISS laboratories further refined their technology and designed camera lenses ready to meet the challenges posed by space.

In October 1968, ZEISS received the order for a camera lens to be used during the Moon landing, which was scheduled to take place a mere nine months later as part of the Apollo 11 mission. “The time for development was extremely brief,” says Dr. Vladan Blahnik who works in research and development at ZEISS. The optical data for the preceding model the ZEISS Biogon 4.5/38 still had to be calculated manually, an extremely time-consuming process. However, a mainframe computer helped to determine the mathematical parameters for the ZEISS Biogon 5.6/60, the camera lens designed for the Moon landing, in a mere couple of weeks. Dr. Erhard Glatzel (1925-2002), a leading mathematician from the optical design department at ZEISS, received the Apollo Achievement Award for this and the development of other special camera lenses for space photography.

The customized ZEISS Biogon 5.6/60 “Moon lens” had to meet a number of requirements. While it was supposed to work within an easy-to-use camera, it also had to precisely map the lunar surface around the landing site. “They decided on a camera fitted with a Reseau plate, which created a grid of cross-marks on the images. These made it possible to calculate the distances between individual objects on the Moon,” explains Blahnik. “The special symmetric design of the camera lens provided an excellent correction for distortions and all other image errors.” A straight line remains a straight line. The images have great definition and edge-to-edge contrast.

Apart from the ZEISS Biogon used on the surface of the Moon, ZEISS designed a number of other special camera lenses for space photography in the 1960s, among them lenses that could transmit UV-waves or extremely fast lenses such as the ZEISS Planar 0.7/50. The engineers at ZEISS continue to benefit from this research until the present day. Some examples are the development of fast lenses for professional movie cameras, lenses for aerial photography used in surveying the Earth’s surface and lithographic lenses employed in the production of microchips.

The camera lens was a small but significant contribution to the Apollo 11 lunar mission. And, incidentally, the cameras with the ZEISS lenses are still up there on the Moon, because on the return journey the astronauts wanted to save every gram in order to take back as many samples of Moon rocks as possible. Only the valuable exposed film made it back to Earth.

ZEISS

www.zeiss.com

Carl Zeiss New CP.2 Super Speed lenses presented at NAB 2012

Three new Super Speed cine lenses are presented by Carl Zeiss at NAB 2012 : the Compact Prime CP.2 35/T1.5, Compact Prime CP.2 50/T1.5, Compact Prime CP.2 85/T1.5 Super Speed

Three new Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses with a T-stop of 1.5
Photo: Courtesy of Carl Zeiss

Available with a fast T1.5 aperture and in focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm and 85mm, the new Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses offer filmmakers new opportunities for shooting in low-light conditions. Like the other Compact Prime CP.2 lenses, the new Super Speed lenses cover a full-frame sensor format and are equipped with the interchangeable lens mount system for use with a variety of cameras ranging from HDSLR to professional cinema cameras.

“With the new Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses with a fast T-stop of T1.5, we expand our family of CP.2 lenses with an even more powerful choice of lenses”, says Michael Schiehlen, Sales Director of the Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division. “This opens up new creative possibilities in low-light situations, especially with the new high ISO HDSLR’s and HD video cameras. The Super Speed name has a long history at Carl Zeiss and these new lenses are a fitting tribute to their legacy”.

The faster T1.5 aperture is one of the key advantages to the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses, especially for night-time shots or under low-light conditions. This helps to limit the need for artificial light, delivering more natural looking scenes with less effort and expense.

The cinematographer Sebastian Wiegärtner has tested the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses and was very enthusiastic about the faster aperture while shooting a short film: “We filmed for three days in outdoor locations, with about eighty percent of the shots being taken at night. During the medieval-looking filming of two actors, the faster aperture was particularly effective by using lighting accents in the form of torchlight. The resulting images achieved the desired look and were appropriately stylish and soft.”

As with the rest of the CP.2 family, the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses feature a 14-blade aperture, which creates a round iris opening and a natural, out of focus rendition. The standard cine-style housing with gearing allows the attachment of any standard follow-focus system. A long, 300 degree focus rotation and smooth action provides fine control, which is especially important given the shallow depth-of-field when using these lenses at wide open aperture. By using the interchangeable mounts for PL, EF, F, MFT and E, the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses can be easily adapted to numerous camera systems and ensures compatibility with future cameras as technology changes. Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflection coating ensures the maximum contrast and color rendition by minimizing stray light and ghosting within the lens.

The Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses can be purchased individually, or combined as set with other Compact Prime CP.2 lenses in the product line.

The lenses will be shipped in August 2012. The recommended retail price for the Compact Prime CP.2 35/T1.5 Super Speed is €3,700 or US$4,900 (excluding VAT)*. The recommended retail price for the Compact Prime CP.2 50/T1.5 Super Speed and Compact Prime CP.2 85/T1.5 Super Speed is €3,300 or US$4,500 (excluding VAT)*.  * Status: 16 April, 2012

Carl Zeiss photography contest 2010 winning image

THIMOTHY POULTON, A Pier Too Far  (c) Thimothy Poulton - Courtesy Carl Zeiss

A Pier Too Far by Australian photographer THIMOTHY POULTON is the winning image in 2010 CARL ZEISS PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION “Light is my language”. 

The second-prize winner is CARL DE SOUZA from Great Britain. 

The third-place winner, CLARENCE LAM from Singapore.

Timothy Poulton took the winning picture “A Pier Too Far” at the Bellinger and Kalang rivers in Urunga in New South Wales, Australia. The image shows a timber footbridge that, thanks to a clever perspective, appears endless, disappearing into the horizon. The footbridge is framed by a yellow-violet sea of color in which the sunrise and river are immersed. The photograph symbolizes a moment of absolute serenity.

No effort was too great for Poulton in order to take his picture. He waited several hours with his ZEISS Makro-Planar T* 2/50 ZF.2 in order to capture the perfect light. “’A Pier Too Far’ stands for life’s journey with all its twists and turns and highs and lows. At the same time, the light emphasizes the beauty of the Australian coastline,” says Poulton, who lives in Sydney. “I would have never thought my picture had a chance among the many high-quality submissions. All the waiting was more than worth it.”

“The Carl Zeiss jury nominated the image to be among the top 10 because light has been used outstandingly as a design element. The picture has a very interesting atmosphere of light, with soft color gradients and strong contrasts. The conceptual composition of the image was excellent and the technical execution flawless,” said Martin Klottig, Marketing Manager of the Camera Lens Division at Carl Zeiss AG.

The members of the Flickr community selected A Pier Too Far as the winner from the top-10 shortlist. In order to make the contest more transparent, Carl Zeiss held it for the first time on Flickr, the global online photo community. Group members could not only follow all submissions, but also select the actual winners from the jury’s list. More than 800 votes were cast during the two-week evaluation period. The winning image received 369 votes, well ahead of the second- and third-place winners, who received respectively 107 and 106 votes. “We wanted to actively involve our community in the competition because the interaction with photographers is so important to us. That worked well, as the active and extremely creative participation shows,” says Klottig. 

Under the theme “Light is my language”, Carl Zeiss encouraged photographers from around the world to illustrate and capture their ideas in exciting images between December 15, 2010 and January 16, 2011. Anyone could participate provided the image was taken with a ZEISS lens. That the expressive forms of light can be so diverse was evident in the numerous submissions with impressive light reflexes, messages in the out-of-focus area of the image (the bokeh), colorful accents created from long exposure times, and the soft glow of barely discernable light. “The three winning images exude both creativity and conscious composition,” says Klottig.

Winner Tim Poulton will receive a ZEISS Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF.2. The second-prize winner, Carl de Souza from Great Britain, will take home cinemizer Plus video glasses including a Nokia N8. The third-place winner, Clarence Lam from Singapore, will receive a Sony DSC-TX9 compact camera with ZEISS optics.

For more information about the winners and their images, visit  www.zeiss.com/photo

Sony - Carl Zeiss Cooperation

Carl Zeiss today announced that its Camera Lens Division will extend their successful collaboration with Sony Corporation for a further 5 years. Taking full advantages of their competence both companies agreed to cooperate even closer in developing and commercializing new imaging devices in the future. As early as 1996, the two global specialists in imaging technology start a collaboration. Now, this cooperation has been extended. “The excellent competence of Sony in electronics and sensor technology in combination with the best possible optics for film and video cameras – that is what this partnership stands for”, states Dr. Winfried Scherle, General Manager and Vice President, Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division. “Numerous outstanding devices are the product of this corporation and there are more to come.” In 1996 the first Sony camcorder with Carl Zeiss lens was launched onto the market. Since then the cooperation has been expanded to compact digital cameras or camcorders to high end bridge cameras and interchangeable lenses for the Sony Alpha digital SLR camera system. Today both companies agreed on a partnership allowing Sony to apply ZEISS branded lenses on an exclusive basis on selected digital cameras and camcorders.

Photo : Shigeki Ishizuka, President, Digital Imaging Business Group, Sony Corporation and Dr. Winfried Scherle, General Manager and Vice President, Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division. (c) Carl Zeiss - All right reserved - www.zeiss.com/photo

About Carl Zeiss AG

Carl Zeiss is a leading international group of companies operating worldwide in the optical and opto-electronic industry. Carl Zeiss AG is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany.

The business groups are generally ranked first or second in the strategic markets of medical and research solutions, industrial solutions und lifestyle products. They offer products and services for biomedical research and medical technology, as well as system solutions for the semiconductor, automotive and mechanical engineering industries. Planetariums and high-quality consumer goods such as camera lenses and binoculars carry the ZEISS name to millions of people around the world.

In fiscal year 2006/07 (ended 30 September), the Carl Zeiss Group, which is wholly owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, generated revenues totaling EUR 2,604 million. The Carl Zeiss Group has approximately 12,300 employees, including about 4,300 outside Germany. It is directly represented in more than 30 countries and operates production facilities in Europe, America and Asia.

The eyeglass business operates as Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH and is the number two eyeglass provider in the world. This company is owned equally by Carl Zeiss AG and a private equity company.

Further information is available at www.zeiss.de/en

2008 Carl Zeiss photo contest

Carl Zeiss photo competition 2008 (c) All right reserved

Carl Zeiss AG is launching a photo contest: Pulse of the City

Under the motto “Pulse of the City“, the manufacturer of premium lenses is looking for interesting photos showing the spirit of time of a modern city. The focus will be on the streets and avenues standing symbolically for the pulse of a city. The use of a lens from Carl Zeiss is obligatory for participation in the contest. Decisive evaluation criteria are personalized composition and creativity.

The promotion lasts until 15 January 2009. After that, an international jury will assess all submissions and select ten winners. The famous photographer Uwe Ommer will be participating as a jury member.

The ten winners will be awarded with exciting prizes such a Carl Zeiss SLR lens of choice, a Nokia N96 and the Carl Zeiss video goggles “Cinemizer”. All winning photos will be published on www.zeiss.com/photo.

Customers who wish to take part in the photo contest can find further information and the participation form at www.zeiss.com

Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* 4/85 ZM

Carl Zeiss Presents Compact 85 mm Tele Lens for Rangefinder Cameras

Carl Zeiss announce the compact tele lens Tele-Tessar T* 4/85 ZM and indicate that despite the compact design of this lens, its image quality is by no means inferior to that of other lenses in the ZM line. The Tele-Tessar T* 4/85 ZM is almost distortion-free and features excellent field curvature correction.

Its shortest possible distance setting of only 0.9 m can offer maximum diversity of use.

Its all-metal mount and sturdy design make it a multi-purpose lens for a wide variety of applications, even in tougher conditions.

Delivery of the Tele-Tessar T* 4/85 ZM is scheduled to begin by the end of the year. Its recommended retail price is at 769 euros (incl. 19% German VAT).

Carl Zeiss 21mm Distagon T* 2.8/21

Carl Zeiss Launches New 21mm Super Wide Angle Lens for SLR Cameras

The legendary Distagon T* 2.8/21 is now being introduced for SLR cameras with EF, F and K bayonets. Thanks to its excellent performance, this modernized version from the former Contax system sets new standards in this focal length class.

“The outstanding correction of chromatic aberration enables photos without color fringes even in high-contrast light conditions”, says Martin Klottig, Marketing Manager, Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division. “Even at full aperture, the floating element design ensures optimum edge-to-edge image quality over the entire focusing range. And even in difficult light conditions, the new Distagon provides excellent results thanks to its T* coating, optimum reflection reduction and exceptional chromatic correction.”

The shortest possible distance setting of only 0.22 m makes the lens ideal for impressive perspectives. Typical applications include architectural, journalistic and landscape photography.

The Distagon 2.8/21 is available with an EF bayonet (ZE), F bayonet (ZF) and a K bayonet (ZK). It is suitable for both digital and analog full-format SLR cameras.

Delivery of the Distagon T* 2.8/21 is scheduled to begin by the end of 2008 with the ZF and ZK version. Its selling price is estimated at 1,399 euros (incl. 19% German VAT).

www.carlzeiss.com

Photo: (c) 2008 - Carl Zeiss - All rights reserved

Carl Zeiss ZE lenses with EF bayonet

Carl Zeiss is expanding its successful line of SLR lenses: ZE lenses with EF bayonet for all analog and digital EOS camera models

As with all EF lenses, the new ZE lenses from Carl Zeiss transfer all information exclusively via electronic contacts. This means that all exposure modes such as programmed auto exposure, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual setting are supported. The camera’s automatic focus confirmation also remains available to an unlimited extent with these manual focus lenses. With digital SLRs, the lens data and all exposure data can also be accessed via the camera’s EXIF file. Even E-TTL flash metering is supported.

The first lenses to be available will be the Planar T* 1.4/50 ZE and the Planar T* 1.4/85 ZE in the last quarter of this year.

Further focal lengths will be added to the line within the next few months.

Recommended retail price of both lenses:

• Planar T* 1.4/50 ZE 579 euros (incl. 19% German VAT)
• Planar T* 1.4/85 ZE 999 euros (incl. 19% German VAT)

http://www.carlzeiss.com/

Photo: Carl Zeiss Planar T* 1.4/50 ZE with EF bayonet - (c) Carl Zeiss - All rights reserved

Sony Reflex Numérique A900

Un reflex numérique Sony qui répond aux egixences des photographes qui ont besoin de photos haute résolution ne craignant pas les agrandissements importants.

"Le premier reflex numérique plein format de 24,6 millions de pixels au monde." se plait à souligner le communiqué de presse annoncant la sortie de ce réflex semi-professionnel qui pourrait même séduire certains professionnels comme boîtier supplémentaire pour les reportages.

Principales caractéristiques

• Capteur CMOS Exmor plein cadre de 24,6 millions de pixels effectifs
• Viseur pentaprisme ultra-lumineux
• Viseur 100%
• Stabilisateur intégré SteadyShot INSIDE
• Processeur de traitement d’image Dual BIONZ
• Ecran LCD Xtra Fine haute résolution de 3 pouces
• Autofocus 9 points avec 10 points d’assistance
• Mode rafale à 5 images/s en pleine résolution (24,6 millions de pixels)

Capteur et qualité d’image

Produit phare de la gamme α (Alpha), cet appareil est le premier reflex numérique au monde à être produit en série avec un capteur CMOS plein cadre de 24,6 millions de pixels effectifs. Il est doté d’un nombre de pixels élevé et d’une grande taille (correspondant à une pellicule de format 35mm), qui permettent d’obtenir une large plage dynamique ainsi que des images d’une finesse de détail extraordinaire.

Cette nouvelle génération de capteurs permet de prendre des photos d’une perfection et d’une fidélité sans précédent. Outre sa résolution native ultra élevée, ce capteur possède la technologie Exmor : la conversion analogique/numérique est assurée par un convertisseur intégré et l’élimination du bruit numérique se fait en deux phases. Cela garantit l’obtention de fichiers images ne souffrant que d’un très faible niveau de bruit, ce qui permet d’exploiter au mieux l’exceptionnel piqué des objectifs de haute précision de la gamme α.

De plus, les nouveaux processeurs Dual BIONZ prennent en charge toutes les données à une vitesse extraordinaire: de puissants algorithmes de réduction de bruit opèrent d’abord une première fois avant la conversion des données brutes, puis à nouveau lors du traitement de l’image. Il en résulte un bruit extrêmement faible ainsi qu’une image parfaite et restituant les détails les plus subtils. En fait, les processeurs Dual BIONZ assurent également la réactivité absolument spectaculaire de l’appareil, le dotant ainsi d’un mode rafale à 5 images/s en pleine résolution qui peut être maintenu de façon prolongée.

Les véritables passionnés sauront apprécier le viseur à pentaprisme en verre d’une clarté spectaculaire qui dispose d’un champ de vision couvrant à peu près 100 % de la surface de l’image saisie par le capteur plein cadre. En outre, la rapidité et l’extrême précision du système autofocus 9 points réduisent le nombre de clichés manqués. L’appareil propose également une mise au point assistée centrée à 10 points facilitant la détection de sujet, ainsi qu’un dispositif amélioré de détection de flous permettant de réduire les mises au point intempestives. Par ailleurs, la présence d’un capteur F2,8 dédié permet d’améliorer la précision de la mise au point des objectifs à grande ouverture.

Avec l’A900, c’est également la première fois qu’un appareil plein cadre incorpore la technologie SteadyShot Inside. Il s’agit d’un système de stabilisation d’image améliorée dont la correction anti-tremblement permet, lorsque l’appareil est associé à l’un des objectifs compatibles, de réduire la vitesse d’obturation de 4 paliers. Cela permet de nouvelles possibilités créatives pour celui qui photographie à main levée.

Ecran Xtra Fine de 3 pouces

Ensuite, l’écran LCD Xtra Fine de 3 pouces, d’une résolution exceptionnellement élevée (921.000 points), permet de visualiser les images avec une netteté et une clarté remarquables, que l’on soit en intérieur sous une lumière éclatante ou en extérieur. De plus, non seulement il est possible de choisir parmi un large choix de modes d’affichage, mais on peut également d’accéder à un histogramme RVB très complet ou à un affichage des informations relatives aux prises de vue. Sur simple pression d’un bouton, l’afficheur LCD bascule vers le mode Quick Navi qui permet de modifier de manière rapide et immédiate les réglages de l’appareil.

De plus, la fonction Intelligent Preview simule un ajustement de la balance des blancs et une optimisation du réglage du contraste et de l’exposition. Cela s’effectue au niveau de l’écran LCD sans que la moindre photo soit prise. Il suffit alors simplement de valider le choix des nouveaux paramètres pour que ceux-ci soient appliqués à la prise de vue suivante. Exercer un contrôle précis sur l’image résultante devient ainsi plus aisé, même lorsque les situations de prise de vue sont complexes.

Pour visualiser les photos prises, il est également possible de relier l’appareil à un téléviseur HD. Le mode Photo TV HD permet d’optimiser cette visualisation. En branchant l’appareil sur un téléviseur compatible grâce à une prise HDMI, les vues sont restituées avec une netteté à couper le souffle et des couleurs plus vraies que nature.

Un boitier robuste et polyvalent

Le châssis de l'Alpha 900 est en aluminium renforcé tandis que le boîtier est en alliage de magnésium. Cette robustesse du boitier est un élément fondamental bien connu des professionnels et souvent pas assez pris en compte par les non professionnels lorsqu'ils choisissent un appareil photo. Les emplacements pour cartes mémoires, boutons de commande, viseur et autres parties sensibles sont protégés des poussières et de l'humidité par des joints en silicone. L’intérieur de l’appareil est également protégé grâce à un système anti-poussière qui permet d’éviter que des particules ne se déposent sur le capteur plein cadre lors des changements d’objectifs.

Des accessoires performants

La nouvelle poignée verticale VG-C90AM, en option, est parfaite pour assurer une prise en main stable et confortable de l’appareil, aussi bien pour les portraits que les photos de paysages. Cette poignée a été conçue avec la même exigence de qualité que pour l’ Alpha 900 : elle est donc elle aussi constituée d’éléments en alliage de magnésium et de protections en silicone.

D’autre part, les nombreux objectifs compatibles de la gamme α permettent au capteur de l’appareil de révéler tout son potentiel de création visuelle.

En effet, Sony élargit encore sa série G d’objectifs haut de gamme avec son nouveau téléobjectif 70-400 mm F4-5,6 G SSM équipé d’un SSM (moteur à vague supersonique) à couple moteur élevé effectuant une mise au point silencieuse et rapide.

L’objectif Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35 mm F2,8 ZA SSM présente l'avantage d'être un zoom lumineux. Cela permet une plus grande rapidité lors des prises de vue - atout important en particulier lors de reportages photos et plus généralement lorsque le sujet de la photo est en mouvement. Le fait que cet objectif soit lumineux, offre également l'avantage de pouvoir prendre des photos en situation de faible luminosité en réduisant le risque de flou lié au bougé du photographe - ce risque est plus important lorsque les objectifs sont supérieurs à f/2.8.

Photos (c) 2008 - Sony - All rights reserved A venir Autres messages sur l'Alpha 900 - Autres messages sur les reflex numeriques Sony Alpha - Liens vers les objectifs et accessoires compatibles. Liens vers les reflex numériques bénéficiant d'un capteur d'une résolution proche.

Carl Zeiss medium format lenses ZV Classic

Carl Zeiss ZV Classic Lenses – Limited Special Edition for the V System

With a limited high-quality special edition of lenses for three different focal lengths, Carl Zeiss offers enthusiasts of the Hasselblad V system a special treat. The series is limited to 1,000 lenses for each of the focal lengths. Each lens receives a certificate with the edition number and is delivered with a leather case and an attractive presentation box. The company thus honors one of the most popular professional systems for traditional medium format photography.

Dr. Winfried Scherle, Vice President of the Camera Lens Division at Carl Zeiss, emphasizes that “the Hasselblad system holds a special place at the summit of camera technology. We are proud to have been active contributors to this success for more than 50 years. With this special series, enthusiasts of this proven system receive three high-quality products that recall the first ZEISS lenses for the V bayonet, but are state-of-the-art medium format lenses."

This special series covers three of the most popular focal lengths of this system: the wide-angle classic Distagon T* 4/50 ZV, the universal macro lens Makro-Planar T* 4/120 ZV and the Sonnar T* 4/180 ZV, popular for portrait photography.

They are outstanding examples of value-retaining, high-performance optics featuring extraordinary, elegant stability. Thanks to their excellent imaging properties, these lenses are also ideal for digital photography. The robust, all-metal mounts guarantee mechanical precision. The noble, silver satin finish underscores the high-quality of these lenses and recalls memories of the first Carl Zeiss lens for the V system introduced in 1957.

The lenses of the ZV Classic series will be incrementally available at authorized dealers from May 2008 and on the Carl Zeiss homepage www.zeiss.com/photo

Distagon T* 4/50 ZV €4150 Makro-Planar T* 4/120 ZV €3850 Sonnar T* 4/180 ZV €3850 (All prices include German sales tax.)

Photo: Carl Zeiss AG - All rights reserved

Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM Lens

The New Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM Completes Any Compact Photography Equipment

As the latest member of the ZM lens family, the C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM lens is the perfect addition to your light, mobile photo equipment. The C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM will inspire you with perfect images, even at full aperture. Together with the compact C Biogon T* 4,5/21 ZM, it creates the ideal equipment for a wide range of applications such as documentation and architecture photography.

The “C” in the title indicates another outstanding feature: rather unusual for a lens of this performance class, its moderate speed of 1:2.8 permits an exceptionally compact construction. The symmetrical Biogon construction with 7 lens elements in 5 groups allows for practically distortion-free images.

The ZM lens series from Carl Zeiss is suitable for cameras with M-bayonet. As with the other lenses in this line, the C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM features an intuitive operating concept, a robust all-metal frame and a precise, noticeable click in 1/3 aperture stops.

Delivery of this lens is scheduled to begin in mid 2008

Price: Approx. € 590.00 (excluding VAT)

Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM - Technical Data

• Focal length: 35 mm
• Aperture scale: f/2,8 – f/22 (in 1/3 increments)
• Focusing range: 0.7 m – infinity
• Angular field, diag./horiz./vert.: 62°/53°/37°
• Coverage at close range: 41 x 62 cm
• Image ratio at close range: 1:17
• Number of elements/groups: 7/5
• Filter thread: M 43 x 0.75
• Weight: 200 g
• Dimensions (with caps): 52 mm diameter, length 55 mm

http://www.carlzeiss.com/

Photos (c) Carl Zeiss AG - All rights reserved

Design Award for Technical Lenses from Carl Zeiss

Optics for industrial applications from Carl Zeiss have received an award for their outstanding design: the Visionmes® technical lenses. The "iF Industrie Forum Design“ has honored the Visionmes lenses in this year’s iF Product Design Award.

Visionmes lenses are developed for measuring tasks in industry and feature telecentric optics. This means that the ray paths run parallel in the imaging system – an important requirement for highly precise measurements. This results in distortion-free image formation over the entire object field. Even shapes with unfavorable geometries can be exactly imaged without any need for software correction of the measured results.

A characteristic feature of the lenses is the conical shape of the tube, whose bright, matt metal surface impressively underscores the contouring. The design was created by the Henssler & Schultheiss design office in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. “The primary element of the concept is its clear design vocabulary with exactly defined details” explains Martin Schultheiss, Managing Director of the design office. Therefore, the striking appearance of the Visionmes product family immediately echoes the high quality of the lenses.

Dr. Winfried Scherle, Vice President of the Camera Lens Division at Carl Zeiss, sees the award as a confirmation of the company’s strategy. “In product design we also devote our attention to details which the user may not consciously notice at first sight. In the VISIONMES lenses, however, the impressive design directly conveys the message that this is a long-lasting, high-quality product.”

www.carlzeiss.com

Photo: Telecentric Visionmes lenses from Carl Zeiss - (c) Carl Zeiss - All rights reserved

Carl Zeiss ZA Lenses for Sony Alpha DSRL

Zeiss ZA – High Performance Lenses for Sony Alpha Digital SLRs

Zeiss ZA lenses are the top-of-the-line range for the new Sony Alpha digital SLR camera system. Designed for the demanding photographer, the Zeiss ZA lenses provide the Sony Alpha DSLR with features superior to many of today’s zoom lenses and their typical bulk, moderate speed, susceptibility to flare and ghosting, poor contrast and unpleasant distortion.

The Zeiss ZA lenses offer very high image quality and rich detail due to their superior sharpness. The fast aperture provides the photographer with maximum versatility and a pleasing image quality due to the shape of the aperture blades. The lenses offer full auto-focus functionality with manual focus override and excellent durability for many years of dependable service.

The first three Zeiss ZA announced for the Sony Alpha camera are:

• Planar T* 1.4/85 ZA: a famous classic portrait lens design, covering the full 24 x 36 mm format.
• Sonnar T* 1.8/135 ZA: a very fast telephoto lens with stunning performance, also covering the full 24 x 36 mm format.
• Vario-Sonnar T* DT 3.5-4.5/16-80 ZA: a versatile, compact, lightweight travel companion, covering the APS-C format of the Sony Alpha CCD sensor.

Since the Zeiss ZA 1.4/85 and 1.8/135 lenses cover the standard 35mm format, these lenses have the added benefit of being compatible with previous film-based SLR’s using the Alpha lens mount.

Zeiss ZA lenses are distributed exclusively through Sony.

Photo: Zeiss ZA – High-performance lenses for the Sony Alpha System - (c) Carl Zeiss AG - All rights reserved

Cooperation Nokia-Carl Zeiss

Accord de coopération entre la société Carl Zeiss, spécialisée dans l'optique, et Nokia, leader sur le marché de la téléphonie mobile

La société Nokia et l’entreprise Carl Zeiss ont annoncé leur coopération afin d’intégrer un objectif de Carl Zeiss aux portables Nokia équipés d’un appareil photo. Le partenariat ainsi scellé associe les compétences de Carl Zeiss dans le domaine de l’optique avec la position leader de Nokia sur le marché de la téléphonie mobile. Les deux parties considèrent cet accord comme la base d'une coopération à long terme.

Le premier produit Nokia doté d’une optique de Carl Zeiss est le modèle Nokia N90 présenté en même temps que leur accord de coopération.

« L'étroite collaboration avec Carl Zeiss, l’une des entreprises les plus renommées de l'industrie de la photographie et de la cinématographie, souligne le souci de Nokia de proposer des produits d'imagerie mobile d’une qualité exceptionnelle », déclare Juha Putkiranta, Senior Vice President, Imaging, de Nokia. « Nous sommes fiers d'être le premier fabricant de caméraphones au monde à présenter des produits porteurs de la qualité Zeiss à ses clients. L’échange permanent de connaissances et la ferme détermination de voir nos efforts couronnés de succès vont nous permettre d’établir une nouvelle référence dans la branche de la téléphonie à imagerie mobile ».

De son côté, le Dr. Dieter Kurz, Président du Directoire de Carl Zeiss a déclaré : « Nous nous réjouissons de conjuguer nos activités avec celles du leader inconstesté de la communication mobile. Ce faisant, nous franchissons un pas important vers la création d'un marché de caméraphones à imagerie mobile haut de gamme ». « La maîtrise technologique et l’ancrage de Nokia sur le marché de la téléphonie mobile se combinent parfaitement avec le prouesses de Carl Zeiss dans le domaine de l’optique pour former une équipe de grande force dotée d’un immense potentiel», poursuit Kurz.

Photos (c) 2005 - Nokia - Carl Zeiss - Tous droits réservés

Kyocera terminate Contax business and Carl Zeiss Cooperation

Information from Kyocera Yashica UK Limited

Kyocera Corporation has decided to terminate Contax - branded camera business.

Although Carl Zeiss and Kyocera have entered into a long term co-operation regarding the development, production and sale of Contax-branded cameras, Kyocera has decided to terminate such business due to difficulties in catching up with the recent rapid market changes.

Consequently, Kyocera will terminate the shipment of Contax-branded cameras, and the exclusive lenses and accessories in September 2005, except for the Contax 645 camera system, the shipment of which to some markets will come to an end in December, 2005.

Kyocera will continue to provide after-sales services to its customers for their Contax -branded cameras, and the exclusive lenses and accessories over the maximum period of ten years within the specified time of each model.