Dr Scherle Interview + mystery lens unveiled

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Mazurka

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Dr. Winfried Scherle, Vice-President and general manager in the Camera Lens Division of Carl Zeiss AG talks about the Zeiss Ikon:
http://keppler.popphoto.com/blog/2006/09/speaking_frankl.html#more

The mystery ZF lens turns out to be a 2/35 Distagon!

zeissinterview_zm235zf2_2.jpg
 
guess not, plus im a canon user and have no interest what so ever in switching over, pity...leica, bring some r lenses for canon already!
 
Ehm.... Are you a Canon EOS user? But you can use Leica R lenses on EOS bodies... You'll have to stop down manually, but that's not much of a problem, and there are adapters that give you focus confirmation (aka electronic rangefinder) and access to the various metering modes.

There are adapters for Leica R lenses on Canon FD bodies as well. Haven't been looking for them in a while, but they definitely exist.

Philipp
 
Hmm, who would need 35mm f/2? I thought f/1.4 was comming... it has to be really magic to beat autofocus nikon 35mm f/2, or small, or sharp, or anything...
 
rxmd said:
Ehm.... Are you a Canon EOS user? But you can use Leica R lenses on EOS bodies... You'll have to stop down manually, but that's not much of a problem, and there are adapters that give you focus confirmation (aka electronic rangefinder) and access to the various metering modes.

There are adapters for Leica R lenses on Canon FD bodies as well. Haven't been looking for them in a while, but they definitely exist.

Philipp
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yes I know all about the r to eos things but I have no interest in stopping down manually since the type of shooting I do I can be sitting the messing with the camera. Ive looked briefly at the r to fd since I got an ae1 but I think I would rather just spend money on M lenses rather then the r stuff
 
Mazurka said:
The mystery ZF lens turns out to be a 2/35 Distagon!
Click to expand...
The Distagon is a ZF mount lens for Nikon SLR cameras, the comparison with the ZM Biogon 35/2 is just to highlight the difference in size between rangefinder and SLR optics.

Canon EF mount lenses are even bulkier than Nikon lenses due to the physically larger diameter. My Canon 35mm f/1.4L dwarfs my Noctilux in size, if not in weight.

It's a bummer about their not introducing a digital rangefinder soon, however, I would have loved to see some competition to the R-D1 and M8.
 
I found very interesting the reasons why a digital ZI is not on the cards yet:

...At Carl Zeiss, we can imagine such a camera. But we feel that is not the right time to introduce such a camera now. Today digital technology is still developing fast and the initial value of a digital camera is lost in quite a short time. Carl Zeiss wants to protect the investment of its customers and will therefore require a high level of maturity of products before we can justify to offer them to our customers. At the time we introduce such a camera we want to be sure that the owner has invested in a long term value....

Even if the statement exercises some sort of economy with the truth, it sounds credible and, importantly, as though Zeiss really cares for its customer base.

It was also funny to read the different (but stereotypical) ways that enthusiast rf photographers are classified according to their origin:

Japanese, Chinese and Asian photographers are 'camera lovers'.

North-Americans are 'users' interested in 'street photography' and 'photojournalism'.

Europeans use rf's for 'photo-poetry'.

I doubt these are real trends in geographical areas (once into rfs you use them for all of the above - fondling, work and play) but it made for a slightly funny read, as it was obvious that Dr Scherle resorted to stererotypes in order to avoid repeating the very same reasons that make rangefinder-philes, from different geographical areas, prefer them over other cameras.

Last, what a surprise that the Distagon is a 35 f2 lens! I was fully expecting a 28mm f2 one. I may be interested, if the price is right.
 
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Nachkebia said:
telenous : Hello, did you test cron 75 yet? I am sooo interested :)
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Just got my hands on it today :D

I 'm shooting a few photos today, developing tomorrow.

First impression: it looks and feels a lot similar to the 50 Lux Asph (but is longer and thicker -E49 filter- of course).

I am so poor - but so happy (Did I grin already - here's another one :D )
 
Congrats congrats! :D can`t wait to see samples, I think I have desided to go with 75mm cron in the future for the tele, well I am also pointing at black MP :)
 
Nachkebia said:
Congrats congrats! :D can`t wait to see samples, I think I have desided to go with 75mm cron in the future for the tele, well I am also pointing at black MP :)
Click to expand...


Thank you Vladimir, I will definitely post results here. If the reports on the lens are anything to go by then this must be a trully stellar lens. Go for it mate, we can make our little Summicron 75 faction here (Bob Blakley will be the leader of course) :D

But let me not hijack this thread (which is after all for Zeiss). I will start soon a separate thread for the lens.

Best,
 
telenous said:
I found very interesting the reasons why a digital ZI is not on the cards yet:

...At Carl Zeiss, we can imagine such a camera. But we feel that is not the right time to introduce such a camera now. Today digital technology is still developing fast and the initial value of a digital camera is lost in quite a short time. Carl Zeiss wants to protect the investment of its customers and will therefore require a high level of maturity of products before we can justify to offer them to our customers. At the time we introduce such a camera we want to be sure that the owner has invested in a long term value....

Even if the statement exercises some sort of economy with the truth, it sounds credible and, importantly, as though Zeiss really cares for its customer base.
Click to expand...

Wow, I need to qualify what I said - I 've just seen the comments right after the article - there are a lot of users of Contax SLRs and Contax Gs aggravated by what seems to be the abandoment of these lines of cameras by Zeiss.
 
And I do think it surprising that the whole thing is written as if the RD1 and Leica M8 don't exist at all.
 
jaapv : well, they are absolutly right saying digital is not mature, so is RD1 and so will be M8, zeiss can servive without digital rangefinder, leica can not, so everybody is pushing there own! just wait until leica puts digital rangefinder marketing monster, how humiliting all film users will be :)
 
>>Wow...there are a lot of users of Contax SLRs and Contax Gs aggravated by what seems to be the abandoment of these lines of cameras by Zeiss.<<


Not to mention Contax RF users ... that product line was in existance for three decades, then just faded away. ...
 
telenous said:
Wow, I need to qualify what I said - I 've just seen the comments right after the article - there are a lot of users of Contax SLRs and Contax Gs aggravated by what seems to be the abandoment of these lines of cameras by Zeiss.
Click to expand...


Contax SLRs and Gs weren't made by, or for, Zeiss, it's Kyocera who let me down.
 
If Zeiss is concerned about long-term value, perhaps they should introduce reasonably priced adapters so that Contax RF users can fit their lenses to the Zeiss Ikon.
 
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