By technical editor Matt Allard:
On the Teradek live show at NAB we caught up with Michael Schiehlen from Zeiss to talk about the company’s offerings for digital filmmakers. He was very keen to point out that they make lenses that cover full format sensors so your investment will be protected now and into the future.
Michael showed us the Loxia series of lenses that were developed for Sony E mount camera systems that feature the ability to have a clicked or click-less aperture. The Loxia series have been designed to be small and flexible to work well on cameras ranging from the Sony FS7 down to the Sony a7S. Another wide angle Loxia lens will be added to the range later this year.
Zeiss also showed us the highly acclaimed Otus series which were designed as a no compromise DSLR lens. Although not designed for video shooters it seems a lot of Otus lenses have found their way into shooters kits.
Finally Michael ran us through the company’s range of CP2 cinema prime lenses. Zeiss were the first to introduce a user removable mounting system that allows the lenses to be changed from PL to Canon EF, Nikon, M4/3 or Sony E mount. Joining the CP2 range of lenses are the CZ zooms that come in 3 focal lengths: 15-30mm, 28-80mm and 70-200mm. The CZ zooms are the only professional cinema lenses on the market which cover full frame sensors. One interesting piece of news is that the CZ zooms will work on the newly announced RED Weapon 8K Vision Vista sensor.
Zeiss has also been working on a servo zoom accessory that will work with the CZ cinema zooms. An early prototype was shown to us at IBC last year, but Zeiss have been hard at work improving the design after receiving customer feedback.
This from Zeiss:
The CZ.2 Servo Unit is an accessory which transforms the CZ.2 lens into an ENG style lens. The Servo Unit can be attached to the lens easily and without the need for any tools, and enables motorized control of zoom, iris functions and option focus. The unit is compatible with a wide range of cameras and optional accessories, thus increasing the versatility of the ZEISS Compact Zoom family.
For more information on Zeiss lenses head over to their website.
