msbarnes
Well-known
1. Are the hasselblad lenses still being made?
2. Are they made in Germany?
I'm just curious.
2. Are they made in Germany?
I'm just curious.
Zeiss lenses
- Thread starter msbarnes
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kbg32
neo-romanticist
msbarnes
Well-known
it looks like they are still in production and probably made in Germany.
I'm not all into it must be "Made in Germany" camp, but I'm wondering why Zeiss doesn't produce their own small format lenses in Germany.
I know that some of the G and ZM lenses were manufactured in Germany, but why didn't they make all of their lenses in Germany. It would cost more, for sure. If it is for the sake of economy, then why wouldn't they outsource the Hasselblad lenses too?
I'm not all into it must be "Made in Germany" camp, but I'm wondering why Zeiss doesn't produce their own small format lenses in Germany.
I know that some of the G and ZM lenses were manufactured in Germany, but why didn't they make all of their lenses in Germany. It would cost more, for sure. If it is for the sake of economy, then why wouldn't they outsource the Hasselblad lenses too?
sparrow6224
Well-known
Many pro studio photographers use Hasselblad bodies and lenses with Phase One or Hasselblad-marketed digital backs. One assumes it's still a lucrative market. Manual focus 35mm lenses is I bet a smaller market. Zeiss is a vastly diminished company from what it was, the world's largest optical glass firm, up through WWII. It was divvied up like so much loot by the US and Soviets and poorly managed thereafter. Zeiss's greatest asset has been the company name and the quality control that it, putatively, has maintained in order to protect that name. But its return to the 35mm business was accomplished via cooperative programs with Asian companies, most importantly Yashica in the 70s and 80s, and (here my knowledge is sketchier, and it has not been all that UN-sketchy from the get go) Cosina in the last decade or more. Once the infrastructure, equipment, and personnel resources for manufacturing lenses (and cameras) is gone, it is very capital intensive -- that's how business folks apparently say expensive -- to build it up again. Thus, these deals. Meanwhile the Hasselblad program has proceeded uninterrupted since the late 1940s. It didn't get shut down and need to be revived with the help of an established company with adequate resources.
That's my answer and I'm sticking to it, like Romney, until someone tells me another answer might be more popular. Truth? Phooey.
That's my answer and I'm sticking to it, like Romney, until someone tells me another answer might be more popular. Truth? Phooey.
EdwardKaraa
Well-known
As far as I know, 3 ZV lenses ares still available from Zeiss as a limited edition.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Not ZV, but (I hope) an interesting aside: there's a new made-in-Germany 55/1.4, seen as a prototype at photokina, manual focus, ZM. SERIOUS money, though: no price fixed yet, but maybe $6000. It's not designed as a street lens: it's designed as a studio lens to re-create the effects of MF (d-o-f, bokeh) on ultra-high-resolution 24x36 sensors.
Cheers,
R.
Cheers,
R.
Pirate
Guitar playing Fotografer
I seem to recall that most of the Zeiss glass now is made by Cosina, in Japan. Very few are made in Germany, and none of us could afford those that are.
jschrader
Well-known
Like Leica glass. Made in Germany and nobody of us could affort it?
I am happy about a high-quality alternative to Leica glass. If Zeiss would make another incredibly good 1.4/35mm at 4000 Euro, who needs it? There is one on the market already.
redisburning
Well-known
I believe the autofocus Hasselblad lenses are made by Fuji, in Japan.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
These are the three 'classic' V lenses, I believe. And yes, they were made in Germany last time I tried 'em. These are top-flight lenses, built to similar standards to those of 50s Hasselblad lenses. I say 'similar' because (a) the optical formulae may have been improved still more and (b) the shutters are probably different.
Cheers,
R.
Cheers,
R.
agoglanian
Reconnected.
I did a quick little post during Photokina about that lens in particular (http://www.thephoblographer.com/201...lenses-and-challenges-the-laws-of-resolution/)
But it seems there will be at least three primes to start with at around $4k a piece (final pricing still pending). From what I gather these actually ARE medium format lenses with a different mount to support 35mm systems. The idea is that you're essentially only using the sweet-spot of the lens. But then it made me wonder, if these really are medium format lenses, then what's to stop them from making f/1.4 lenses on medium format systems??
Anyways, I'm sure the quality will be outstanding. I hope I'll get to review them when they come out.
agoglanian
Reconnected.
That's correct. The entire H-System was a joint venture with Fuji. (As was the X-Pan system). In fact you can buy the fuji version of the H cameras and lenses in Japan as the "GX645AF".
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Hmmmm.... One way of looking at it. Not the way I understood Dr. Nasse, but equally, either of us could have misunderstood. One of us certainly got the wrong impression on the price. Frances recalls 'lots'.
Cheers,
R.
Matus
Well-known
Concerning the original question - Zeiss has not done any lenses for Hasselbald since a long time. Hasselblad lenses are made by Fuji (AFAIK).
Only few (photography) lenses from Zeiss are made in Germany. From the ZM lenses it is only the Distagon 15/2.8 as the 85/2.0 was discontinued and for the SLR lenses it is the 15/2.8 and the newly announced 55/1.4 (which has incredible performance wide open - I have seen a comparison to 50/1.4 from Zeiss lab). I am not sure about the new Apo Sonnar 135/2.0 (which is great too) - but I guess it is also made in Japan.
Those lenses made in Germany all cost around €3000. Of course - these are the most demanding designs.
The AF lenses for the mirror-less cameras are not made by Zeiss, but Zeiss still controls the quality of the final product (otherwise there would not be a Zeiss sticker on them)
Only few (photography) lenses from Zeiss are made in Germany. From the ZM lenses it is only the Distagon 15/2.8 as the 85/2.0 was discontinued and for the SLR lenses it is the 15/2.8 and the newly announced 55/1.4 (which has incredible performance wide open - I have seen a comparison to 50/1.4 from Zeiss lab). I am not sure about the new Apo Sonnar 135/2.0 (which is great too) - but I guess it is also made in Japan.
Those lenses made in Germany all cost around €3000. Of course - these are the most demanding designs.
The AF lenses for the mirror-less cameras are not made by Zeiss, but Zeiss still controls the quality of the final product (otherwise there would not be a Zeiss sticker on them)
Roger Hicks
Veteran
But not ZV: http://www.shutterbug.com/content/zeiss-zv-lenses-hasselblad-classics-modern-age
All right, that's 4 years ago, and I've not checked if they're still available: there were supposed to be only 1000 in each focal length.
Cheers,
R.
veraikon
xpanner
A far as I know the only consumer lenses "Made in Germany" are:
_ the 15/2.8 mm ZM
_ was the 85/2.8 ZM (currently not in production)
_ and the 15/2.8 ZF.2/ZE
_ some (not all) of the future "HD" ZF.2/ZE lens line for high resolution dSLRs (like D800/D800E or the future Canon equivalent) like the new Dista 1.4/55mm.
The rest is produced in subcontract by Cosina, Nagano Japan for Zeiss . Lens design , production surveillance and end control is made by Carl Zeiss. This subcontract was in my opion necessary to get the licenses for chipping the lenses (ZE or ZF.2) .
From the "non consumer" lenses which are interessting for photographers all the cine lenses are still "Made in Germany*"
Imho from these cine lenses the CP line (with ZF odn ZE mounts [interchangeable] may be get some interest for photographers. But note the CP line prices is about 40-60% higher than the comparable ZF.2/ZE lenses.
Imho the ZV lens line for Hasselblad V is out of the current lens program. May be there are still some lenses in stock.
Hasselblad has stopped the production of the V-cameras in 2008 (no younger camera is known) and has "stopped the support". You are not able to get even simple spare parts for Hassi V from Hasselbald. It´s all out of stock 🙁
* naturally some parts in the lenses are from Nagano. 🙂
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