By site editor Dan Chung:
Zeiss is set to give the world it’s first look at their new 15-30mm T2.9 Compact Zoom lens at the IBC show this week.
Clearly aimed at cinema shooters and rental houses it will be priced somewhere under €20,000 (excluding tax). It shares similar characteristics to the existing 28-80mm and 70-200mm CZ.2 Compact zooms that Zeiss (recently tested by Clinton Harn). Like the other two zooms the 15-30mm will cover a full-frame 24x36mm sensor like that in the Canon 5D mkIII as well as being suitable for the more common Super35/APS-C sensor size. I have no doubt the optics will be superb.
The lens mount is interchangeable and comes in most popular mounts including PL, Canon EOS and Nikon F.
The lens focus, zoom and iris rings are geared ready for follow focus and focus motors. If it is the same as the other Zeiss Compact zooms it should also have buttery smooth manual focus by hand.
Obviously quality comes at a price and its good to see the development of lenses that have the right characteristics for high end documentary shooters. The 15-30, 28-80, 70-200 trio together would be enough to cope with 90% of my shooting scenarios – if only I had a spare €60,000. I hope my local rental house gets them in soon.
This from Zeiss:
“With the Compact Zoom CZ.2 15-30/T2.9 we are closing a gap in the wide-angle range in our family of cine zooms,” says Michael Schiehlen, Director of Sales of ZEISS Camera Lenses. “This offers sophisticated clients the greatest possible flexibility so that there are no limits to their creativity — even in cramped shooting situations.” The new zoom complements the existing Compact Zoom CZ.2 70-200/T2.9 and CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 lenses with a wide-angle zoom in the focal-length range of 15-30 mm.
The new cine zoom lens has all the features of the ZEISS Compact Zoom family. This includes a compact, lightweight design (2.5 kg/5.7 lbs on a length of 252 mm/9.92”), the interchangeable mount system (PL, EF, F, MFT and E mount) and full-frame coverage (36×24 mm), which creates a sweet-spot effect when used on Super-35 camera sensors. Additional features are the color matching and an ergonomic surface for handheld operation as well as for use with a follow-focus system. In addition, the lenses correspond to 4K production standards (4096 x 2160). The Compact Zoom CZ.2 lenses offer better protection against typical environmental influences on the set such as splashing water and dust.
“Thanks to its many characteristics, the Compact Zoom CZ.2 lenses are also suitable for professional big-screen productions together with the ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime and ARRI/ZEISS Ultra Prime lenses, and therefore build an ideal set of cine zooms for the rental market,” adds Schiehlen.
Sales of the Compact Zoom CZ.2 15-30/T2.9 are expected to begin at the NAB in April 2014. It is not yet possible to place orders. The recommended price will be under €20,000 (excluding VAT).
