The great Zeiss sell-off

[Archiver]

The new Nokton 50 1.5 II is coming soon, and the 28 2.0 Ultron has been in production for quite a while now. I don't think that Zeiss really has to compete with Voigtlander though, very different renderings.

There's a new Nokton 50/1.5 II coming? I must have missed the announcement. Are they also rehousing the Ultron 35/1.7?

Edit: I just read the announcement. This new lens looks great! None of the narrow, sharp focus ring about which so many complained. Am glad that I didn't get the previous version.

 

[twvancamp]

It may be random, but as someone said the ZM lenses may fall into that 'first to go' category. I think they're wonderful, but if I needed to drop something a Cosina could do the trick for half the cost.

Still love my 35/2.8 though! And it's great on digital!

 

[Out to Lunch]

a Cosina could do the trick for half the cost.

Which trick?

 

[f.hayek]

Consider that people locked away for weeks and months may have started cleaning house and so some lingering items that remained out of mind, found their way to market. After a while, you run out of things at home to do. Also, when income stops coming in a hierarchy of essentials naturally develops.

 

[djnato10]

Thought I read somewhere the Hexar was a rough copy of a Summicron

It is, and a personal favorite of mine.

As for the Zeiss stuff, you won't find me selling off my Planar 50; it's probably worth mentioning that I only shoot film though. The Planar is absolutely amazing on film.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Downtown camera in Toronto slashed prices on ZM lenses next to twice. All are "open boxes".
I never seen this store to be this generous. They are pushing next to trashed Leica gear on high price.

 

[PaulDalex]

I have many Zeiss.
They either wobble or have a stiff focusing ring.
And I regret spending a lot of money for such a poor mechanical quality, although optically they are excellent.
Isn't that the one of the reasons why everybody want to get rid of them?

 

[raid]

I own only one ZM lens, the 35/2.
My other modern Zeiss lens for my Leica is the 45/2 Planar G that someone modified into M mount. It is superb optically. I am not sure if the infinity focus is correct. I rarely have to worry about such an issue, though. I focus on something in the foreground.

I may one day sell the 35/2 but not the 45/2. On the other hand, Leica lenses are well built and they have great glass too. I prefer them.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I own only one ZM lens, the 35/2.
My other modern Zeiss lens for my Leica is the 45/2 Planar that someone modified into M mount. It is superb optically. I may one day sell the 35/2 but not the 45/2. Leica lenses are well built and they have great glass too.

Zeiss lenses wobble only develops in hands and by very regular use.
If lens is most of the time on display among with another fifty lenses, no wobble.
I have readed one report of returning wobble after multiple professional repairs as person was traveling and taking pictures with one camera, one lens kit. One repair in Moscow, one in Germany, one in Japan. For same lens after many days of daily use.
Here is old thread at old forum where some known repair person explains why Zeiss or who ether choice for material in focus helicoid pair was wrong.
And as usual, here is proof in the pudding 🙂. Zeiss had special and separately mentioned service for ZM lens wobble. It was pricey. Hundreds of dollars.

 

[PaulDalex]

Mine has seen very little use because I shoot little and cycle different cameras
And yet they wobble.
I have also two ZF. One is very stiff. The other one I have not checked recently

 

[Out to Lunch]

It was pricey. Hundreds of dollars.

I had my Biogon 2.8/28 fixed in Vietnam a few weeks ago. The focusing ring is now smooth as butter. Turn-around time: 20 hours. Cost: VND 500,000 = US$ 21.

 

[das]

The Hexar is not a copy of the Summicron. If anything, it is a copy of the 1950s 35mm 1.8 W-Nikkor. Both are modified Xenotars. The Hexanon outperforms the Nikkor overall, but the Nikkor has less distortion. The AF is neat because is automatically compensates for focus shift.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Like OTL, my local friendly camera tech repaired either my ZM 50mm f2 Planar or my ZM 28mm f2.8 Biogon, can't remember which, by removing the factory grease and replacing it. Still works fine. As I remember, he did it while I waited and charged me nothing as we do each other small favors.

 

[gavinlg]

A new biogon 35mm f2 bought this year had slight focussing wobble and differing stiffness in the focussing ring depending on the angle I held it. That was enough to put me off the zm line permanently. Pity because they’re so nice optically. My ultron has no such issue though.

 

[jsrockit]

The Zeiss wobble probably isn't the reason unless the ad says that the lens has it. Nobody sells these without telling about the wobble. I think what happens is that these lenses are cheaper than Leica so people assume they are inferior. They aren't. That 50mm Planar is awesome, but to some maybe too high contrast compared to what they are used to.

 

[Rayt]

I had my Biogon 2.8/28 fixed in Vietnam a few weeks ago. The focusing ring is now smooth as butter. Turn-around time: 20 hours. Cost: VND 500,000 = US$ 21.

Another reason to move to Vietnam. Banh Mi in San Francisco $8, Hanoi VND 15,000 (75 cents) 🙂

 

[Rob-F]

randomness has a quality of producing things (event clusters, strings, "hot hands") that we perceive as "patterns"...and then the explanation inclination goes into high gear. It's fun to speculate about reasons for things and to find correlations.....and even wade into the muck of cause and effect.

I'm not saying you or anybody that comes up with a reason is wrong. If you want a more academic like answer then read Fooled by Randomness.

It is interesting that a bunch of Zeiss lenses are up for sale. But not to make that much out of it. And if you are in the market, then maybe you can make a good deal.

I agree, it would take more instances over a longer period before suspecting that anything more than coincidence is going on.

 

[PaulDalex]

Yes those on sale don't wobble
But there is the presumption that sooner or later they will!
I bought all my Zeiss new and I resent very much that they released on the market defective lenses

 

[FrozenInTime]

Sold my 21/4,5 , 35/2,8 , 50/1,5 to part fund a M10M . None of them had any wobble.
I have a theory that the first release ZM lenses were prone to developing issues, but the later developed ones not so.
The CV 40/1,2 has been my goto lens for the last couple years, even sold the 50/1.4 ASPH.

 

[David Hughes]

It's just randomness.


You get clusters now and then and you get spells when nothing happens and a lot in between.


I've also noticed - on ebay and in charity shops - that when something slightly unusual turns up it reminds others and they put their one up for sale or give it to the charity shop. I call it seeding...


Regards, David