New ZEISS SLR Lens Family for ZE and ZF.2 Mounts

[Zeidora]

Otus 55/1.4 ~$4K, Milvus 50/1.4 $1.2K. That tells me pretty much everything I need to know. The rest is re-housed classic lenses. Waiting for the new true Otus lens.

I wonder whether they are going to replace all classic ZE lenses with the new Milvus look. Omissions in the new line-up include the 35/1.4, the 25/2 and the fairly new 15. I wonder whether the F-Distagon 16 is going to come back from C/Y days.

Re weather sealing, I've used C/Y and ZE lenses for the past decade and a half, mostly outdoors, including marine field work. Never had to send in anything. Zeiss is a master at the understatement.

 

[SloPhoto]

Yes - but did they reengineer the lens cap?

 

[Viggo]

Me: No AF, no buy, no interest. At all.

And yes, i am old enough to have lived through some of the pre-AF times. Ever since i really dislike MF. Bought the first Minolta AF SLR as soon as it was available and have not twisted any focus ring ever since. Actually I would prefer pure AF-lenses. No focus ring and mf gear whatsoever. AF only. Simpler, more compact, less costly. And all the money to go into glass and optical performance rather than into metal/rubber/mechanical bits.

I actually agree 100% and I'm not afraid to admit it ;D I use Ai Servo for 97% of my shots, and I sometimes feel the Ai counteracting the MF ring movement when I accidentally turn it. It's in the way!

 

[Eldar]

Me: No AF, no buy, no interest. At all.

And yes, i am old enough to have lived through some of the pre-AF times. Ever since i really dislike MF. Bought the first Minolta AF SLR as soon as it was available and have not twisted any focus ring ever since. Actually I would prefer pure AF-lenses. No focus ring and mf gear whatsoever. AF only. Simpler, more compact, less costly. And all the money to go into glass and optical performance rather than into metal/rubber/mechanical bits.

I actually agree 100% and I'm not afraid to admit it ;D I use Ai Servo for 97% of my shots, and I sometimes feel the Ai counteracting the MF ring movement when I accidentally turn it. It's in the way!

I have no problem understanding why people prefer AF. In most cases I do as well. But manual focus primes does something to your photography. And when it is accompanied by the optical performance of Zeiss, it is well worth it.

I had been waiting for a wide angle Otus for some time, so I'm a little less enthusiastic about this series. Add to that the high expectations created for the new L-series 35/1.4 and other focal lengths that hopefully will follow, it may be that my last manual focus lens is bought.

 

[Nitroman]

+1 for No AF ??????!!!

Not even interested in upgrading if no autofocus.

I'm sure the glass is great but use is very limited to slow static subjects with no af. Big flaw in Zeiss product development department. Somebody needs to get the sack ! lol

 

[dash2k8]

More lenses that I can't afford!

 

[Bernard]

Why no AF?

Because you need to focus for yourself if you want to take your photography to the next level. Even if your camera can find something to focus on in your frame, it's almost never the exact thing that you want. My camera doesn't know which person I want to focus on, or whether the eyelash or iris should be sharpest. Focusing an AF lens manually is a pain: backlash, lack of accuracy, inconsistent feel, many AF lenses don't even have an infinity stop.

Re: 99% of photographers don't want this... That's the whole point! The people who feel the need for high quality manual focus lenses are willing to pay extra. The rest are happy with AF lenses. Zeiss is selling to a small niche, and that's a good thing.

 

[AvTvM]

Why no AF?
Because you need to focus for yourself if you want to take your photography to the next level. Even if your camera can find something to focus on in your frame, it's almost never the exact thing that you want.

Well, all my AF cameras and AF lenses focus exactly on the very spot where I want them to. My photography is taken to the next level, if a higher percentage of my shots are in focus thanks to newer AF-features and tools like face and eye recognition. 99% of all images of people taken will be perfectly focused, if a capable AF-system focuses by default on the human eye closest to the front lens. for the remaining shots user may select AF point him-/herself.

The "problem" of "focus on eyelash or iris" also does not require manually twisting rubber rings on lenses ... just point the desired AF-point at the desired spot.

Rather than manual focus lenses I would like to get an (improved version of) Canon's Eye Control-Focus (ECF) ... so the active AF-field is automatically moved to the point I am looking at through the viewfinder - or on an EVF. That would be even more useful and intuitive than AF point selection on a touchscreen.

 

[Bernard]

The "problem" of "focus on eyelash or iris" also does not require manually twisting rubber rings on lenses ... just point the desired AF-point at the desired spot.

So the solution is more complex than the problem (twist the focus until what you want is sharp).

Now I'm supposed to fiddle with the focus points, get a focus lock, recompose, and hope that I or my model did not move too much. On top of that, the eyelashes and iris are close together, the camera doesn't know which is which.

As far as I am concerned, it's substantially easier and less distracting to set the focus myself. That way I can concentrate on my work rather than being a button pusher who's always looking for a highlighted red square in the viewfinder.

Obviously, your own experiences, expectations, and requirements may differ. No problem, we don't all need to be the same, and you can't honestly complain that there aren't enough autofocus lenses available for you to use.

 

[privatebydesign]

The "problem" of "focus on eyelash or iris" also does not require manually twisting rubber rings on lenses ... just point the desired AF-point at the desired spot.

That works fine if the indicated AF points actually line up very closely with the AF sensor points, they rarely do.

 

[Good24]

Re: Zeiss Announce Milvus Lens Lineup

NEXT! So pay more for new design, (they do look nice), yet still no AF and Less than Otis Optics. The trade off of cost and no AF is justified w/ the unparalleled optics on the purchase of an Otis, this line just looks like copies of L lenses lacking AF. BTW Zeiss, all Canon lenses MF, so if anyone's needing to learn the art of MF, there's a button for that! Looks like Canon really has an opportunity to move ahead if the blue gel is as good as they claim in the 35mm. No doubt, these are some exciting times for Photography!

Sure, you can MF with an AF lens, but the MF experience is nowhere near as good on AF lenses as it is with lenses designed for MF - among other things, the focus "throw" is usually too short, and they're often not well damped, both of which make fine adjustments tricky. So I don't think an AF lens would be the best place to start if trying to "learn the art of MF"....

Agreed - and would add that I hate how my AF lenses do not have a hard stop at infinity when manually focusing. You just keep turning it forever. (e.g. my 50L). With focus confirmation I find that MF lenses are very easy to use, and very nice to use. I'd be interesting in taking the new Zeiss 50mm 1.4 for a spin some day.

 

[grainier]

Why no AF? Because you need to focus for yourself if you want to take your photography to the next level.

Really? I've always thought it was the wet plates.

 

[chrysoberyl]

Re: Zeiss Announce Milvus Lens Lineup

Zeiss had always a specific characteristic (compared to others, e.g. Leica, or Cooke), and I hope they continued in this series with it.

I'm sold from the second I read the announcement. Just to be clear, I really enjoy the Art series from Sigma, but manual focus is just something else. I prefer it for most of my work. (Your milage might differ of course, no argument here)

The price seems cheap for a new Zeiss series, even it is not really a spontaneous-buy item ;o)

What strikes me is the 50mm -- again in F/2.0 and F/1.4, which brings back not the best of memories, I hope there is no inheritance.

It will be nice to see how people use them in tests and reviews, and I hope that "sharpness" is the least of their concerns. Lenses are so much more.

drs, please elaborate on 'not the best of memories' - what was it you do not like about the 50mm f/2.0? I am intrigued by this lens for close-ups, and Photozone and Lenstip gave it positive reviews, except for coma.

Thanks,
John

 

[sdsr]

Re: Zeiss Announce Milvus Lens Lineup

Sure, you can MF with an AF lens, but the MF experience is nowhere near as good on AF lenses as it is with lenses designed for MF - among other things, the focus "throw" is usually too short, and they're often not well damped, both of which make fine adjustments tricky. So I don't think an AF lens would be the best place to start if trying to "learn the art of MF"....

Try the MF on the 85 L. It is a long throw and extremely well done albeit focus by wire.

Well, I did say "usually".... Maybe I will try it some time, but for now I'm enjoying my FD 85L, which cost far less, is smaller and considerably lighter, and a delight to focus manually (not, of course, that I have a choice!).

By the way, if anyone wants to take an early peek and doesn't mind the fact that a Sony a7rII was involved, take a look here:

http://www.mirrorlessons.com/2015/09/11/zeiss-milvus-sony-a7r-ii/

I guess names don't matter much, but am I alone in being reminded by "Milvus" of a certain Seinfeld episode?

 

[deleteme]

Re: Zeiss Announce Milvus Lens Lineup

NEXT! So pay more for new design, (they do look nice), yet still no AF and Less than Otis Optics. The trade off of cost and no AF is justified w/ the unparalleled optics on the purchase of an Otis, this line just looks like copies of L lenses lacking AF. BTW Zeiss, all Canon lenses MF, so if anyone's needing to learn the art of MF, there's a button for that! Looks like Canon really has an opportunity to move ahead if the blue gel is as good as they claim in the 35mm. No doubt, these are some exciting times for Photography!

Sure, you can MF with an AF lens, but the MF experience is nowhere near as good on AF lenses as it is with lenses designed for MF - among other things, the focus "throw" is usually too short, and they're often not well damped, both of which make fine adjustments tricky. So I don't think an AF lens would be the best place to start if trying to "learn the art of MF"....

Agreed - and would add that I hate how my AF lenses do not have a hard stop at infinity when manually focusing. You just keep turning it forever. (e.g. my 50L). With focus confirmation I find that MF lenses are very easy to use, and very nice to use. I'd be interesting in taking the new Zeiss 50mm 1.4 for a spin some day.

For me manual focus died with the advent of today's "modern" viewfinders that favor brightness over the ability to see focus.

Focus confirmation is nice but isn't really manual focus. Rather it is analogous to manually setting the exposure to what the meter says instead of letting the camera set it for you. Both results are the same just one lets you think you are doing work.

 

[sdsr]

Re: Zeiss Announce Milvus Lens Lineup

For me manual focus died with the advent of today's "modern" viewfinders that favor brightness over the ability to see focus.

Focus confirmation is nice but isn't really manual focus. Rather it is analogous to manually setting the exposure to what the meter says instead of letting the camera set it for you. Both results are the same just one lets you think you are doing work.

That's where mirrorless cameras with EVFs come in; MF is enjoyable again and perhaps easier than before.

Anyway, here's a first-look review of the new Zeiss 85mm:

http://www.dearsusan.net/2015/09/13/402-zeiss-milvus-1-485-brief-review/

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Re: Zeiss Announce Milvus Lens Lineup

For me manual focus died with the advent of today's "modern" viewfinders that favor brightness over the ability to see focus.

Focus confirmation is nice but isn't really manual focus. Rather it is analogous to manually setting the exposure to what the meter says instead of letting the camera set it for you. Both results are the same just one lets you think you are doing work.

That's where mirrorless cameras with EVFs come in; MF is enjoyable again and perhaps easier than before.

Anyway, here's a first-look review of the new Zeiss 85mm:

http://www.dearsusan.net/2015/09/13/402-zeiss-milvus-1-485-brief-review/

His description of the tightness of the focus ring reminds me of my experience with the Makro-Planar 2/50mm. Otherwise a brilliant lens.