ZEISS is listening to us.
This is very interesting news coming from Zeiss.
In 2012, Carl Zeiss will add wider and longer focal lengths to their existing line of Compact Prime CP.2 lenses. The current ZEISS Compact Prime Lens set consists of 9 lenses. Its expected to introduce a 18mm and 100mm. Also new Anamorphic Primes in a complete set.
The new zoom will have an industry-standard geared focus, iris and zoom rings. Nobody else has a lens like this; it should be very popular. The price is promised to be attractive and competitive. Not known is if it will share the CP.2’s interchangeable mounts? I think it will. If they can make an affordable zoom lenses in the same way they did with the CP.2 primes that will make many shooters very happy. I hope it’s not a beast and is fast. Those two don’t go hand in hand unfortunately. RED 17-50 cost $6000. so maybe that’s a good baseline. This is the single biggest missing link with large sensor cameras. Now competitively priced and affordable are two very different thing. Knowing the CP.2 cost $4000 will give you a good base for how much a 70-200 Zesiss zoom will cost. The first version will probably be a 70-200 then go up and down from their. How great will that be! Also with the news from Canon that they will have a new line of cine lenses to complement the C300 hopefully competition will make for good prices.
Zeiss comments are from Film and Digital Times. Page 16. Very good articles in this issue. Covers many interesting news out of IBC 2011. Check it out. WARNING! If you’re a gear head like me this issue can be dangerous.
Nice piece of news.
It would be really great to complement the two good PL priced zooms on the market right now (Duclos 11-16 and Red Pro Zoom 17-50), but I don’t think Sony or Canon will sell their new units under $10k… especially the zoom 70-200. A glass of that range competing with a 6k tag? I’m not that confident 🙁 probably more around 8k, but I’m hoping for a more “affordable” price, please! It would be amazing if that could be true.