How cool it would be to own a lens that traveled to the moon? Well, it’s possible now as a rare Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7 is up for an auction. It’s one of only ten of these lenses in the world, responsible for some iconic shots: photos from the Apollo missions, as well as iconic footage from Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon.
Anime photoshoot featuring Zeiss new lens causes backlash; Zeiss apologizes
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Earlier this year, Zeiss announced the Otus 100mm f/1.4 lens and it was promoted at Anime Fest in Brno (Czech) this May. After the event, the company tweeted a few photos of a model holding the lens, wearing a Disney-inspired Ariel (as in, The Little Mermaid) costume. However, there was such a backlash from the community, that Zeiss had to issue an apology to everyone who found the photos offensive.
Nikon, ASML and Carl Zeiss settling all litigations, Nikon will be paid €150 million
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After nearly two years of legal battle, Nikon, ASML and Carl Zeiss are about to settle all litigations. The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which will settle of all legal proceedings over patents for lithography equipment and digital cameras. By this agreement, Carl Zeiss and ASML are due to pay Nikon a total of €150 million, or approximately $170 million.
This 70 year old projector lens creates “insane swirly bokeh” that rivals a $7K Leica
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Weird and crazy lenses is what Mathieu Stern has become known for. He seems to find some of the most unusual lenses that ever existed, and then makes them fit onto his Sony mirrorless camera. Fortunately for us, he posts images and video captured by those lenses he finds to YouTube.
And this particular lens is a beauty. A Carl Zeiss Kipronar 120mm f/1.9 projector lens which cost him only $70. It’s fixed wide open at f/1.9 and was never meant to be used for shooting photos. But Mathieu was able to adapt it. He says the closest he could find to a modern equivalent of this lens is the $7,000 Leica APO-Macro_Summarit-S F2.5/120mm.
The most important tip for shooting through a window
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Last year I scored a really amazing gig. I had a two-week shoot for a tour company in the Canadian Rockies creating promotional content for their boutique medical conference. One of the best things about that gig was the chance to shoot some stunning sites out in the Banff National Park.
I wanted to try out my skills at nightscapes in some of the most stunning parts of the world to shoot them. The challenge though was that I had to be shooting the whole day from about 7am till 10pm or 11pm most nights.Then I would get back to my hotel room and have to back up cards, charge batteries and get everything ready for the next day. Needless to say, I didn’t have that much energy left to stay up all night shooting the stars most nights. But I wasn’t going to be deterred by a little thing like no energy! Instead, I tried to shoot out of the window of my hotel room.
This of course lead to some technical challenges and, if I do say so myself, some McGyver-like solutions.
Zeiss officially launches their new $2000 lens: Milvus 35mm f/1.4 ZE
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Zeiss has expanded their Milvus line of lenses, and they have officially launched their new 35mm lens. Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/1.4 ZF is a faster lens than the previous one of the same length from this line, which featured the f/2 aperture. Because of its speed, it’s especially suitable for portrait photography, according to the Zeiss press release. Of course, it’s also useful for shooting in difficult lighting conditions, and for different types of photography, like landscape, architecture, and interior.
Watch As Zeiss Lenses Get Baked, Frozen, Dropped And Beaten For Durability Tests
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When I go through my gear bag and I pick out a lens I get visions that flash through my head. What if it snags on the bag? What if I drop it as I put it onto the mount of the body? Will I pass out if it hits the ground?
I have always known Zeiss lenses to be built very well. I did not know what kind of testing they go through before they leave the factory. We get to watch examples of the tests a lens goes through in this video from the Carl Zeiss Group.
I will warn you that the first thing that happens… ok I can’t. Just watch the video, it’s a great look into what these lenses go through. Let’s just say that Zeiss feels confident enough to make the following statement: “A device that doesn’t work is like not having it all”.
Sigma’s 50mm f/1.4 Art Lens Comes in Second Only to Zeiss in DxOMark Tests
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Back in February, we posted about Xitek’s testing of the highly anticipated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lens. Against the $4000 55mm Zeiss Otus, Sigma came out on top in comparisons and shocked almost every photography blog out there. Today, however, DxO mark put both lenses up against each other and it seems from their end that the Zeiss Otus hasn’t been ousted just yet.
Sigma’s Unbelievable Price Tag for its Upcoming 50mm f/1.4 Art Lens: $790
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If you’ve been following news on the Sigma 50mm Art lens, then you already know how exciting things are looking for it by now. Today might just be what quenches our thirst for more information on the lens until its actual release date: Sigma Bielorussia just posted up the price tag for the lens at an incredibly low amount of $790.
New Sigma 50mm F/1.4 Compared – Comes Out On Top
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Earlier this year, Sigma generated a good amount of noise throughout the photography community when the company stated the intended target competition of their upcoming 50mm F/1.4 lens: Zeiss’s $4,000 55mm Otus. That can either result in us getting one a big leap in quality for lenses on the market at a (hopefully) more consumer-friendly price, or it can end with us having some serious trust issues.
Just recently, Xitek has posted the first few pictures of the Sigma lens engaged in tests with three other lenses: the Sony Planar T 50mm F/1.4 ZA SSM, the Nikon Nikkor AF-S 58mm F/1.4G, and the targeted Zeiss 55mm F/1.4 Otus. (cheapest of which is ~$1500).[Read More…]
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