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First leaks about Zeiss lenses

Well, this is interesting news ... and could be very interesting news for wedding photographers depending on the actual image quality, higher ISO performance and built quality/durability.

If the 16-80/3.5-4.5 is a full frame lens with optical performance anywhere near the 24-85 N, it will be of considerable interest. Coupled with the other Zeiss lenses, it could be an excellent alternative to Canon or Nikon.

A Zeiss 85/1.4 is good news, a Zeiss 135/1.8 is phenomenal news (is this the first ever f/1.8 in that focal length?) No Zeiss 35/1.4 T* lens in the line up is sad news.

What will be of paramount importance will be AF speed, Flash offerings, and the offering of a full frame sensor to compete with the Canon 5D ... which is the camera to equal or excel.

I doubt the anti-shake technology can be applied to a full frame sensor, but that remains to be seen.

If this camera is indeed using the same sensor as the 10 meg Nikon D200, and you can use Zeiss AF lenses that focus quickly, especially a 16-80, it will be a much better camera than the Canon 350D. All Canon wide angles, including the EFS models are relatively poor performers compared to anything Zeiss makes. Sharpness it there, but the distortion is bad and color fringing is apparent even in smaller enlargements.

I wish Sony the best of luck in this venture. Canon needs a worthy competitor ... and Zeiss could aid them in this objective.
 
Hey guys, very quick:

Any special questions you have for Zeiss that you want to be answered?

I put some questions questeiosn together and want to make sure not to miss anything important to you. Because of time restrictions, I can only wait for 15 minutes, then I have to send the questionnaire to Zeiss.

So please post quickly!
 
These are my questions so far:

1. Are all Zeiss lenses with Sony Alpha mount (ZA lenses) desigend for fullframe?

2. How would you compare the optical quality of ZA lenses with ZF lenses (Zeiss lenses for Nikon F mount)?

3. How would you compare the optical quality of ZA lenses with Contax/Zeiss RTS lenses?

4. How would you compare the optical quality of ZA lenses with Contax/Zeiss N-lenses?

5. Do you plan any adapter for Zeiss N-lenses or RTS lenses, to be able to use them somehow on Sony Alpha cameras?

6. What are in your opinion the advantages for Konica-Minolta users to switch over from KM lenses to ZA lenses?

7. Who is producing the ZA lenses and where will they be produced?

8. How does Zeiss make sure, that the quality standards of Zeiss are met in the current production?

9. Will there be any technical data about ZA lenses available on your website (MTF etc.)?

10. Will there be more ZA lenses?

11. Many Contax users were missing in the N-system FFL-WA with wide aperture i.e. 35/1.4. Are these kind of lenses planned with ZA mount?
 
Most important to me will be:

... what kind and speed can we expect of the AF? How will it compare to Canon?

... are they MF/AF at will, or do you have to select which one you want?

... what if any Zeiss wide angles are planned for this mount? (This is the Canon killer IMO).
 
Hi Marc

the AF question would be more for Sony. I do not think that Zeiss knows how good/bad the Af of the sony camera is. I am thinking about putting also some questions together for Sony. But Sony has not been very cooperative in the past (see Sony R1 issue).

"...... are they MF/AF at will, or do you have to select which one you want? .."

What do you mean by this. A Dual mechanism like the N-system?

The third question is included already in my question #11. I thought at you when I wrote this
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I hope that they will be as specific as possible (the answers). But it might be (becausee of political decisions), that they will not give the information what lenses exactly are still in the pipeline. But I guess we will know this latest at Photokina, although knowing it now woul be nice
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Hi Marc, Just to say, re the 135mm f1.8, Pentax produced an SMC-A* 135mm f1.8 in Pentax K manual focus mount. It is VERY highly regarded, as are all the A star lenses.. Cheers Steve.
 
Hi Christopher,

as Marc mentioned somewhere in this forum, the Dynax/Maxxum bodies are really not on par with i.e. Contax bodies. I used to have the Dynax/Maxxum 7000, 9000, 7xi, 9xi and 800si.

There are some advantages at that time with these cameras, but handling & feeling while using it were non among them
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Go to a dealer's second hand shop and take them in your hands, to make your own judgement. I would only buy them, if there is no other option and if I absolutaly want to use film with this eqipment.

I would rather keep the RTS or N equipment for film and invest in another brand (Sony or Nikon for ex&le) for the digital purposes.

I would not go now for these camera to use them with film. There is no need to rush. The Zeiss lenses for Sony Alpha /Minolta mount will be probably avalailable not before the end of this year.
 
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