Carl Zeiss joins m4/3

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rjmsilva

New member
PRESS RELEASE:
“Announced jointly by Olympus Imaging Corp. (President : Masaharu Okubo) and Panasonic Corporation in 2008, the Micro Four Thirds System standard has rapidly grown in popularity. Now, support for the standard is expanding with the decision of Carl Zeiss AG to join the Micro Four Thirds System standard, and the company is releasing lenses compliant with the standard.
For more than 160 years, the lenses of Carl Zeiss AG have been defining the state-of-the-art in optical technology. Now, as Carl Zeiss AG joins the Micro Four Thirds System group, ZEISS HD Video lenses will be available to users of Micro Four Thirds cameras, contributing to a vastly expanded product line and enhancing the joys of digital imaging with the Micro Four Thirds System.
As the originator of the Four Thirds System and Micro Four Thirds System standards, Olympus Imaging Corp. will continue to develop and enhance the product lineup for both standards to meet the diverse needs of our customers.”

http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/2011a/nr110207zeisse.html
 
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Now this is some good news. I would guess at a minimum this would mean native adaptations of the ZA lenses (which are like the ZF's, but for the Sony Alpha mount, and there are lenses in that line that aren't available in any other mount yet, including a couple of zooms and a sweet-looking 135mm).

Man, m43 is on fire -- Voigtlander, Schneider, and now Zeiss...

Although I think the one that a whole lot of people would love to see, is if Fujinon or Canon Industrial would join...
 
I wouldn't hold my breath that the Sony zeiss lenses would be adapted to native m4/3 because from what I've read, Sony makes them and uses zeiss and Sony technology and are tested with zeiss testing equipment. So unless Sony joins m4/3 consortium over it's nex, or some other company like panny work closely with zeiss to make their version, it most likely won't happen soon. I'd love it if it did though!!!
 
James Bridges said:
Just remember these lenses will not be cheap.
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As micro 4/3 is smaller than full-frame, it is likely that m4/3 lenses may offer a lower cost solution, since the glass area can be made smaller. Also, if the Voightlander/Olumpus examples are any indication, the lenses can be faster too.
 
Paul Vicente said:
As micro 4/3 is smaller than full-frame, it is likely that m4/3 lenses may offer a lower cost solution, since the glass area can be made smaller. Also, if the Voightlander/Olumpus examples are any indication, the lenses can be faster too.
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Exactly! That's the hope -- that they won't just adapt the existing lenses (like the ZF's), but that they'll engineer lenses specifically for this system. Smaller, faster, and less expensive are all possible. The Leica f/0.95 lens for full frame is $10,000 and the Voigtlander f/0.95 lens is $899. A typical zoom is 28-70 f/2.8 for full frame, but Olympus makes the same FOV lens on m43 in their 14-35 at f/2.0. A full stop faster.

Hopefully Zeiss and Voigtlander and Schneider will embrace the full capabilities offered to them by the new, smaller, and electronic-coupled format, to deliver lenses that take advantage of what the m43 format offers them. That should result in faster, smaller, less expensive lenses.
 
The pain of early adopters is making due with what's available, but once cameras ship in enough numbers the lens manufacturers will follow. If they were smart they'd have reps on this forum to gage demand and get wish lists. I know some wishes to price point are ridiculous, but once film style glass is no longer and elite niche market economies of scale have to follow. If they ship even close the dvx numbers the lens makers will respond. Certainly if a higher end avc-intra product is announced you'll see a range of options at various price points. If they realize how many gh2 are being purchased for the sole purpose of making video, fast, video friendly lenses have to be in the plans, its just a matter of when.
 
Update: According to their Facebook page, Zeiss ONLY plans to convert the CP.2 line to u4/3.

"Other lenses with MFT Mount are currently not planned."
 
Paul Vicente said:
Update: According to their Facebook page, Zeiss ONLY plans to convert the CP.2 line to u4/3.

"Other lenses with MFT Mount are currently not planned."
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Wow, so they're really diving in head first and developing... a little stainless adapter ring for their CP.2s?

Lame.
 
Barry I just shot a sequence tonight using 18dBs and two lenses...the 25mm Voigtlander NOKTON f0.95 mFT and the 50mm Canon f1.2 L lens with Kipon adapter the pictures are unreal.
 
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