Zeiss up-dates their Nikon mount lenses

[Rob Skeoch]

Zeiss has been making lenses in the Nikon F mount for the last few years.

They have just announced the ZF.2 line-up which has a CPU chip and support all important operations such as the aperture settings and program modes.

The new line-up will start shipping later this month and includes the following lenses.

18mm F3.5
21mm F2.8
35mm F2
50mm F1.4
50mm F2 Makro
85 F1.4

The 100mm F2 Makro and 28mm F2 will ship in the spring.

The 25mm F2.8 is being reworked and will come out later.

There is a price increase with the new lenses as well.

I will post the prices on my website early this week.

-rob

 

[John_Nikon_F]

Yeah, they've essentially updated them to the Nikon AI-P spec. It looks like all lenses lost their non-AI coupling shoes as well. Some lenses still have the holes in the aperture rings to accept the coupling shoes, though.

-J

 

[Joe Grodis]

Will I have to take out a second mortgage to pick up one of these fine lenses?

 

[werra]

Selling kidney or some bone marrow might do the trick as well.

 

[FilmOnly]

Good question, Joe...if the price of the first series of these lenses is an indicator, you may have to just go ahead and sell your house. According to the first post, there will be a "price increase," too.

We must applaud them, though, for what would seem to be excellent build quality. There are many plastic lenses selling for similar prices.

 

[Colin Corneau]

The Zeiss lens is actually cheaper than the Nikkor, at least in my dream lens of 85mm f1.4 (apparently Rob's fave, too)

http://www.vistek.ca/store/CameraLenses/133760/nikon-af-85mm-f14-d-telephoto-lens.aspx

 

[FilmOnly]

Good point, Colin...I really would not need the 1.4 speed. An 85/1.8 or 85/2 would be fine for me.

 

[polyglot]

Or you could get a Minolta AF body and have AF Zeiss primes and zooms (85/1.4, 135/1.8, 16-35/2.8, 24-70/2.8). Not to mention the STF. Of course, us Minolta people are now waiting for Zeiss to release those wider primes in M-AF mount.

 

[Uncle Bill]

Reading the release on the Zeiss.com site the current ZF line is still available as long as demand holds:

“We will offer the ZF series as long as the demand lasts,” stresses Klottig. (From the November 16, 2009 News Relase on the site).

 

[eddym]

Ooo wow, I used to have that 18mm f3.5 Distagon in Rollei mount. But the 85 f1.4 is still my favorite. But I couldn't afford them even BEFORE a price increase!

 

[drkhalsa8]

Will the ZF.2 lenses tell a Nikon F5 to matrix meter even thought it is a manual focus lens?

 

[polyglot]

Is there a technical reason that Nikons can't matrix-meter on manual lenses? I have Minolta & Sony Alpha cameras and they will happily use any metering mode on a fully manual (M42) lens.

 

[Colin Corneau]

The F4 was the last Nikon camera to allow matrix metering on all lenses. At the risk of sounding overly technical, it's because of the little pin doo-hickey.

 

[polyglot]

OK, I shall pretend not to be baffled. I assume it's an aperture-coupling thing, just not sure why this means you can't do stop-down metering.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

Not sure if it will meter with the F5 but I think there is a list of compatible cameras on the zeiss site.

The 28mm and 100 macro and both sold out in the old version.

The 25mm is being reworked and released later.

I've put the new prices next to the old prices on my website.... rather large jump per lens.

I don't know if there will be a second jump in Dec. when Zeiss prices go up.

-Rob

 

[drkhalsa8]

Rob,
Here's what the Zeiss page you referred to says regarding Nikon cameras:

"For details regarding metering modes and further functions, please check the camera´s manual. The ZF.2 lenses accord to the Nikon AI-P standard (manual focus lenses with CPU)."

Here's what the F5 manual says:

"Note that Matrix Metering system can only be used with lenses
having a built-in CPU (such as AF Nikkor and AI-P lenses.)"

So I take that as a yes for matrix metering on the F5 using a new Zeiss ZF.2 lens.

Thanks.

 

[zenrhino]

Rob,
Here's what the Zeiss page you referred to says regarding Nikon cameras:

"For details regarding metering modes and further functions, please check the camera´s manual. The ZF.2 lenses accord to the Nikon AI-P standard (manual focus lenses with CPU)."

Here's what the F5 manual says:

"Note that Matrix Metering system can only be used with lenses
having a built-in CPU (such as AF Nikkor and AI-P lenses.)"

So I take that as a yes for matrix metering on the F5 using a new Zeiss ZF.2 lens.

Thanks.

Wow. That seals it for me.

Now comes the hard part. 50mm or 35mm...