New Cosina lenses

[JohnL]

Those new Zeissina lenses look good.
However, I can't imagine a new M mount lens unless it's a fast 75 or 90. That's the only hole in the CV lineup, IMO.

I'd like to see a faster 50, say f/1.2, to match the 35 Nokton.

 

[Spider67]

C'mon....

C'mon....

There you have it, 50,000 yen.
Stop dreaming! Yes, you can buy the hood for $17.42 :angel:
Stephen says the price will be available in a few days...let me guess?
$500.00

Nice, they are not only AIs mount, they come with the Matrix chip now.

Kiu

I had translated it to 15 000 Yes which also would have been quite affordable....But no you had to destroy that illusion...

 

[BillBingham2]

NIKON KIU> Won't matter when you mount it on a Nikon F2 or F3

On my F2A they will work fine, but I do not see a prong for my F2 Photomic! Matrix Smatrix, give me center weighted or give me hand held!​

NIKON KIU> I wonder what's next, AUTO FOCUS??

God I hope not! My goal is to have a face body and all good solid manual focus primes to work with. Way too much fancy linkages to go bad after 15 years of use.​

B2 (;->

 

[rolleistef]

58/1.4 looks fun. a bit more than a 50 and 1.4 for a nice bokeh. However, such a lens will be hardly usable on a digital camera, except a nikon D3 of course, I've been using a 50/1.7 on my K100D and it's almost impossible to get a correctly focused picture at full aperture since it turns it into a 75. How usable would a manual-focus 80/1.4 equivalent be on an ultra-bright focusing screen? Maybe it's time to get a split-image one...

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

that is your view, and you are of course entitled to it.
but zeiss fanatics will argue that on to hell and back with you.

I do agree that Zeiss's success in marketing the new lenses seems to be a lot less than they were hoping for. Don't forget, these is the same company that stopped producing cameras in the 1970's because they publicly admitted they were not good at marketing retail products to the public.

Stephen

Zeiss's name was what kept Kyocera with the Contax brand in business during the 1990's despite the lack of autofocus in Contax SLRs. At that time Zeiss made lenses exclusively for the Y/C-bayonet in the 35 mm SLR market. Or rather Kyocera made them for Zeiss's specifications just as Cosina makes them today.

The story of Zeiss Ikon, the Zeiss camera company, is more complex. They failed to compete with the Japanese camera companies both in innovation and price to quality and performance ratio during the 1960s. It is perhaps telling that the East German Pentacon made more innovative and practical SLR's than Zeiss Ikon in West Germany. They could not design much to compete with the Japanese fixed lens rangefinders either.

Of course Zeiss Ikon was also facing the much higher production costs of West Germany and relocating the manufacturing to a cheaper country was not really an option in the 1960s. Better marketing would not have saved Zeiss Ikon. Streamlining the product range to a few prestige models sold at extraorbitant prices similar to Leica might have done it, but by the late 1960s it was essentially too late for that as well.

 

[CameraQuest]

from the Bessa forum .. lens update

from the Bessa forum .. lens update

NEW Voigtlander SLII 40/2 & 58/1.4
Mr. K has just announced his new Voigtlander SLII series 40/2 and 58/1.4 for Nikon and Pentax SLRs.
http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt...sl2/index.html
http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt...sl2/index.html
http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt...sl2/index.html

These are new versions of the previous Voigtlander SL 40/2 and the limited edition Cosina made Topcor 58/1.4 of a few years ago (produced in chrome for Nikon AIS or Pentax M42 mount). The superbly performing Cosina made Topcor 58/1.4 is popular and very sought after in Japan. Unfortunately it sold out too quickly for most other markets to be very aware of the lens. and See previous versions here http://www.cameraquest.com/Voigt SL.htm

Although the new SLII lenses have the same glass as the previous versions, there are very important differences:

1) both are chipped for full metering capacity with digital SLR lenses. This is a first for Voigtlander Nikon mount lenses. While covering the full frame 35mm format, they are also ideal fast lenses for Nikon digital SLRs. With Nikon discontinuing most of their manual focus single focal length lenses, Mr. K once again offers lenses not available elsewhere.

2) Both new lenses are available in black only. The new version 40 now includes the interesting dome lens hood (previously sold separately) and a close up lens. the 58's lens hood is sold separately (previously included)

3) SLII lenses are so far announced only in Nikon AIS (with metering matrix chip) and Pentax KA mounts. Voigtlander did produce the now discontinued 125/2.5 in manual focus Canon EOS and Minolta AF mounts, with the needed metering chips. Unfortunately neither sold well, so it remains to be seen if Mr. K will make more lenses in those mounts.

4) The Cosina factory will start shipping mid November for the 40, mid December for the 58. Nikon mounts will be produced first.

5) Despite some speculation on RFF, the Voigtlander lens designs and Zeiss lens designs have nothing in common. Both product lines are the results of different design teams.

6) USA price initially has been set at $379 for either the 40 or 58, $39 more for the 58 lens hood.

7) CameraQuest is now accepting orders for the new SL II 40/2 and 58/1.4

feel free to post this info in other forums if you like.

Stephen

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

5) Despite some speculation on RFF, the Voigtlander lens designs and Zeiss lens designs have nothing in common. Both product lines are the results

You mean the optics, right? Looking at the 40mm Nokton for M-mount, for example, and the ZM lenses seem to share a lot in common. Unless, of course, that is all pure mind-meld/coincidence.

 

[Uncle Bill]

One thing, I don't see rabbit ears so I won't able to use these lenses on my F's, F2 and Nikkormat. Pity.