Digital Camera Review

Never before has the world of photography seen such a lens. The ZEISS Apo Sonnar T* 4/1700 was developed by Carl Zeiss for a customer with very high demands and a special interest in long distance wildlife photography. To achieve the highest possible image quality, the customer decided on the Hasselblad 203FE 6×6cm medium format camera and ZEISS lenses as the best combination for his special needs.

At a focal length of 1700mm and a speed of f/4, this project even challenged the manufacture of the optical glass. The delicate, special glass types required for this unique design had never been cast before in such huge dimensions. Some of the resulting lens blanks weighed more than 25 kg (55 lbs.) and were valued more than a luxury sedan! Turning these blanks into the finished lens elements added even more to their value.

The design of the ZEISS Apo Sonnar T* 4/1700 required new lens assembly techniques and quality assurance methods never before applied in photo lens production – even by Carl Zeiss’ normally high standards. The finished lens weighs a staggering 256 kg (564 lbs.), placing unique demands on the focusing mechanisms. To address this issue, Carl Zeiss developed a totally new way of operating a telephoto lens, including servo controlled aiming and focusing systems like those used in large telescopes and similar instruments for astronomical scientists.
Drawing from its expertise in developing and producing satellite and space optics, as well as ultra-high resolution microlithography lenses for semiconductor fabrication, Carl Zeiss was happy to accept this challenge.

The resulting Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 4/1700 lens consists of 15 optical elements in 13 groups. It is the largest telephoto lens ever produced for civilian photographic purposes and a testament to the precision design and manufacturing capabilities at Carl Zeiss.

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High-speed wide angle puts everything else in the shade 

Oberkochen, 17.09.2007.
A new high-speed, wide-angle lens complements the advanced SLR line of lenses from Carl Zeiss for analog and digital 35 mm single lens reflex cameras. With an aperture of 1:2.0 and 28 mm focal length, the Distagon T* 2/28 lens is the ideal bridge between the existing wide-angle lenses with 25 mm and 35 mm focal lengths. It is available as the Distagon T* 2/28 ZF for cameras with the F bayonet and Distagon T* 2/28 ZK for cameras with a K mount. This lens is among the most high-speed optics for these focal lengths and is thus ideally suited for taking pictures in unfavorable lighting conditions. Equipped with manual focus, a high-quality metal casing and floating elements, it provides demanding photographers with a creative, top-class tool with lasting value. As a result, the performance potential of the lens is also available throughout the entire image field even with professional digital cameras featuring full format sensors.

28 mm lenses are primarily used for landscapes, architectural photography and excellent, short-range portraits. It is particularly suited for picture taking indoors – even in natural light. The high image quality down to the close focus range of 0.24 m extends the application range of this lens to include photography of small objects.

The use of floating elements ensures equally impressive image quality in the close-up range as well as at larger distances. With the initial aperture of 1:2.0, photographers enjoy greater creativity through flexible use of the depth of field. This enables them to effectively separate the subject from the background at full aperture and achieve a strong 3D effect. If needed, they can also use the full definition of short focal length optics with smaller apertures over a wide range. High image quality is provided under all conditions despite the extremely high speed.

With its numerous, outstanding properties, the Distagon T* 2/28 from Carl Zeiss is a multi-purpose lens. Thanks to the standard F and K bayonet connections, it can integrated into the corresponding camera systems – with limited compatibility on a case-by-case basis with simple camera models.

This lens will be available for shipping by the end of 2007:
Distagon T* 2/28
1,049.00 € (incl. 19% German VAT)

Tags: Carl Zeiss, Lens by deshot
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Carl Zeiss well known lens manufacturer, announced new lens for SLR camera, Distagon T* 2/28.  The Distagon T* 2/28 will be shipped in the fourth quarter of 2007 with list price of US$984 in  U.S.

There are two type of this lens, F Mount (ZF) and K Mount (ZK).

For ZF it will compatible with :
Nikon
F, F2, EL, FE, FM, Nikkormat-Series, F3, FM3A
F50, F55, F65, F75, F80, F401, D40, D40x, D50, D70, D70s, D80, D100
FG, FA, F301, F501, F4, F5
F70, F90/F90x, F100, F601, F801, D1, D1X or D1H
F6, D200 or D2-Series
FujiFilm
FujiFilm FinePix S1Pro, S2Pro, S3 Pro
FujiFilm FinePix S5 Pro
Kodak 
Kodak Pro 14n

For ZK it will compatible with:
Pentax
K100D, K110D, K10D
*is D, *is Ds, *is DL, *is Ds2, *is DL2
MZ-M, ZX-M, MZ-S, MZ-3, MZ-5, ZX-5, MZ-5n
ZX-5n, MZ-6, ZX-L, MZ-7, ZX-7, MZ-10, ZX-10,MZ-30
ZX-30, MZ-50, ZX-50, MZ-60, ZX-60, *is
P3, P30
A3, A3000
Program A, Program Plus, P5, P50, P30n, P3n, P30T, PZ-10, Z-10
Super A, Super Program, SF-1, SFX, SF-10, SF-1N, SF-7
SF-XN, PZ-1, Z-1, PZ-1p, Z-1p, MZ-5
LX, ME super, ME-F
ME, MV, MV1, MG
KM, KX, K1000, MX
Samsung
GX-10, GX-1L, GX-1S

Press Release

Thornwood, N.Y. – The Zeiss Distagon T* 2/28 is a new, high-speed, wide-angle lens, complementing the line of advanced SLR lenses from Carl Zeiss for analog and digital 35 mm single lens reflex cameras. With a fast aperture of f/2 and a 28mm focal length, the Distagon T* 2/28 is the ideal bridge between the existing wide-angle lenses with 25mm and 35mm focal lengths.

The new lens is available in two versions: Distagon T* 2/28 ZF for cameras with the F-bayonet mount and the Distagon T* 2/28 ZK for cameras using a K-bayonet mount. It is one of the fastest lenses available in this focal length and is ideally suited for taking photographs in unfavorable lighting conditions. Equipped with manual focus, a high quality metal casing and floating elements, it provides demanding photographers with a creative, top-class tool with lasting value. The performance potential of the lens is consistent throughout the entire image field, even with professional digital cameras featuring full format sensors.

Lenses with a 28mm focal length are popular for landscape and architectural photography – and the Distagon T* 2/28 ZF is ideal even for high quality, close-range portraits. Due to the high speed of the lens, it is particularly suited for taking pictures indoors under natural light or other low light conditions.

The Zeiss Distagon T* 2/28 uses floating elements, ensuring impressive image quality in both the close-up range as well as at longer distances. With a fast aperture of f/2, photographers enjoy greater creativity through flexible use of the depth-of-field. This enables them to effectively separate the subject from the background at full aperture and achieve a strong 3D effect. High image quality is provided under all conditions, from wide open to stopped down and at different focus ranges, despite the extremely high speed.

With its numerous, outstanding properties, the Distagon T* 2/28 from Carl Zeiss is a versatile, multi-purpose lens for the demanding commercial, landscape and fine-art photographer. Thanks to the standard F and K bayonet mount connections, the lens can be integrated into the corresponding camera systems – with some limited compatibility on a case-by-case basis with the simpler camera models.

Tags: Carl Zeiss, Lens, News by deshot
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