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Recently I was rummaging around in a box of old cameras, and I stumbled across a cute little Zeiss lens that I didn’t even know I had.
It was a 5cm (50mm for you youngsters out there) f: 3.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar. I researched its serial number (in the 411,000 range) to discover this little lens was manufactured in 1920, that’s 103 years ago.
Zeiss has acquired UK-based Ncam Technologies Ltd. Founded in 2012, Ncam is a developer of camera tracking systems. These are used for things like motion control, visual effects and virtual production. Zeiss appears to want to move into the camera tracking space, hence the acquisition.
What makes Ncam special is that its a system you can use anywhere. Indoors or outdoors, in just about any environment you can think of. Compact hardware mounts directly to the cameras, letting you visualise AR, MR, XR, set extensions or complete new environments.
After reports surfaced last week on the Fred Miranda forums stating that Zeiss was leaving the photography industry, Zeiss has put out a statement. The initial report said the Zeiss Australian distributor claimed that Zeiss was leaving the photo industry. Given past photo and cinema lens releases, the death of the ZX1, and outlets reporting that communication with Zeiss had ended, it seemed believable.
Now, Zeiss has apparently released a statement. It states unequivocally that Zeiss is not leaving the photography industry. The company says they’ve faced some challenges during the pandemic, as every company has. They also talk about their continued ventures into smartphone camera modules.
According to reports stemming from a post on the Fred Miranda forums, Zeiss is leaving the world of photography. The post, by the user Petegh, states that they’ve received confirmation from the Australian Zeiss distributor that they will be discontinuing all of their lenses and filters, including Batis, Loxia, etc.
It’s probably not much of a surprise. While Zeiss was once one of the biggest names in the industry, in recent years, they’ve been rather limited. Their recent mirrorless lenses releases are only really available for Sony E mount, and since Sony caught up and started making their own lenses, Zeiss kind of fell by the wayside. And then there’s the somewhat disastrous and recently discontinued ZX1 camera.
Android cameras have had a bit of a funny history. Every so often, a new one randomly pops up, people get excited, and then it just seems to go nowhere. Samsung’s Android-powered cameras all disappeared – to much dismay – then Yongnuo released one a few years ago that apparently didn’t leave China, although Linus Tech Tips got their hands on one, and then in 2018, Zeiss announced the ZX1.
Between the Photokina 2018 announcement and actually releasing the camera took two years. The camera didn’t become available to order until October 2020. With a price tag of $6,000, it was never going to be super popular, but it appears Zeiss hasn’t sold enough to justify continuing it. While Zeiss has not yet made an official announcement about its demise, it’s already disappearing from retailer websites.
Vivo’s X90 and X90 Pro have been out in China for a little while now, but today sees their global international launch. Both smartphones feature Zeiss cameras, with the X90 Pro sporting a large 1-inch sensor. Both smartphones feature 50-megapixel Zeiss camera modules, with the non-Pro model also sporting 12-megapixel telephoto and wide-angle cameras. The X90 Pro, on the other hand, features 50-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel telephoto cameras.
With Zeiss optics in both devices, featuring Zeiss’s T* lens coatings, pixel shift, dual-tone LED flash, HDR and panorama modes, the expectations are high for this one. The X90’s 50-megapixel 1/1.49″ sensor offers 4K video at up to 60fps, while the X90 Pro’s 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor lets you record up to 8K at 60fps. Both devices also include a 32-megapixel selfie camera that shoots up to 4K 30p.
Last week, Sigma announced two new 20mm f/1.4 DG DN and 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art series lenses. While the latter was also targeted towards photographers in general, both have a heavy lean toward astrophotography. But how well do they really perform? In this video, Nico at Nebula Photos puts seven 20-28mm prime lenses to the test including the two new Sigma lenses to try to figure that out.
As well as the two new Sigma lenses for mirrorless cameras, he also includes Sigma’s predecessors, designed for DSLRs, as well as others from Rokinon (Samyang) and Zeiss. It’s a pretty in-depth comparison, running a hair under 40 minutes, but includes a lot of detail in each lens with some fantastic comparisons of all seven lenses shot side-by-side using the Sigma fp L mirrorless camera.
Zeiss, the famous German lens manufacturer, is reportedly about to increase prices in the US. Starting from 1 October, most lenses and filters will be up to $100 or 10% more expensive, depending on the product.
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.
If you use Zeiss lenses, love birds, or both, here’s something you’ll find really interesting. Zeiss lens families all have names like Milvus, Batis, Touit, and so on. And have you ever wondered how they’re named? Well, Zeiss’s five lens families carry the same names as families of birds.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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