2004Rangefinder
Source: WikipediaPhoto: say_cheddar from Kent, UK, CC BY 2.0
LENSES · CINEMA
Zeiss
Photographic, cinema and scientific optics.
- Founded
- 1846 to today
- From
- Oberkochen, Germany
- Status
- Active
Its lens designs became templates that much of the optics industry still follows.
LANDMARKS
- 1902Tessar
- 1896Planar
In the library
2020Compact
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0
1890Optical design
Zeiss Protar (Anastigmat)
ZeissPaul Rudolph's asymmetric anastigmat, often called the first modern photographic lens, built on new Jena glass.
1896Optical design
Zeiss Planar
ZeissPaul Rudolph's double-Gauss design, the family behind a great many fast standard lenses.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Tamasflex, CC BY-SA 3.0
1899Optical design
Zeiss Unar
ZeissA four-element Rudolph design that sat between the Protar and the Tessar in Zeiss lens history.
1902Optical design
Zeiss Tessar
Zeissf/6.3Rudolph's four-element design: sharp, simple to build and used on cameras for generations.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Mliu92, CC BY-SA 4.0
1927Optical design
Zeiss Biotar
Zeiss50 mm · f/1.4A six-element double-Gauss first drawn for cinema; its later 58 mm form shaped the Soviet Helios-44.
1929Optical design
Zeiss Sonnar
ZeissLudwig Bertele's high-speed design, grown out of his earlier Ernostar for Ernemann.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Mliu92, CC BY-SA 4.0
1933Optical design
Zeiss Topogon
ZeissRobert Richter's symmetrical wide-field lens, later licensed in America as the aerial Metrogon.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Mliu92, CC BY-SA 4.0
1934Optical design
Zeiss Biogon
Zeiss35 mm · f/2.8 · Contax rangefinderBertele's first Biogon, a seven-element wide-angle derived from his Sonnar.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Mliu92, CC BY-SA 4.0
1932Standard prime
Zeiss Sonnar 50 mm f/1.5
Zeiss50 mm · f/1.5 · Contax rangefinderBertele took the Sonnar to f/1.5 for the Contax I rangefinder.
2013Standard prime
Zeiss Otus 1.4/55
Zeiss55 mm · f/1.4 · Canon EF, Nikon FA manual-focus premium standard prime for Canon and Nikon DSLRs.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: GodeNehler, CC BY-SA 3.0
1954Wide and ultra-wide
Zeiss Biogon 21 mm f/4.5
Zeiss21 mm · f/4.5 · Contax rangefinderBertele's roughly symmetrical ultra-wide for the Contax rangefinder.
1954Wide and ultra-wide
Zeiss Biogon 38 mm f/4.5 (Hasselblad SWC)
Zeiss38 mm · f/4.5 · Hasselblad SWA/SWC (fixed)Built into Hasselblad's Super Wide camera, which had levels for exacting architecture work.
1969Wide and ultra-wide
Zeiss Hologon 15 mm f/8
Zeiss15 mm · f/8 · Contarex Hologon (fixed)An extreme three-element ultra-wide first sold built into its own Contarex camera; about 1,400 were made.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Mliu92, CC BY-SA 4.0
2012Wide and ultra-wide
Zeiss Touit 12 mm F2.8
Zeiss12 mm · f/2.8 · Fujifilm X-mount, Sony E-mountAn ultra-wide autofocus Zeiss prime for APS-C mirrorless cameras.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: BrianOliverBarth, CC BY-SA 4.0
2015Wide and ultra-wide
Zeiss Loxia Distagon T* 21 mm F2.8
Zeiss21 mm · f/2.8 · Sony E-mountA full-frame manual-focus wide-angle for Sony E-mount.
2016Wide and ultra-wide
Zeiss Batis Distagon T* 18 mm F2.8
Zeiss18 mm · f/2.8 · Sony E-mountA full-frame autofocus wide-angle prime for Sony E-mount.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Franz van Duns, CC BY-SA 4.0
1936Telephoto
Zeiss Olympia Sonnar 180 mm f/2.8
Zeiss180 mm · f/2.8 · Contax rangefinderA classic early fast telephoto for the Contax rangefinder.
2015Telephoto
Zeiss Batis Sonnar T* 85 mm F1.8
Zeiss85 mm · f/1.8 · Sony E-mountA full-frame autofocus portrait prime for Sony E-mount.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Franz van Duns, CC BY-SA 4.0
1938Tilt-shift and special
1966Tilt-shift and special
Zeiss Planar 50 mm f/0.7
Zeiss50 mm · f/0.7Developed for NASA's Apollo programme; Stanley Kubrick used it to shoot Barry Lyndon by candlelight.
Source: WikipediaPhoto: Gbentinck, CC BY-SA 4.0
1966Tilt-shift and special
Zeiss Super-Q-Gigantar 40 mm f/0.33
Zeiss40 mm · f/0.33A prop, not a working lens: Zeiss showed it at Photokina to mock the fast-lens fad.
1890Optical design
Protar (Anastigmat)
ZeissPaul Rudolph's first anastigmat, correcting astigmatism and field curvature together for the first time.