Our brothers at HuffPOL/Engadget snagged this press release announcing that Carl Zeiss, lensmaker to the stars, will start selling M4/3 lenses in the near future. Note the release does not describe any particular lens but instead promises to start building in the format over the next few years and that they are now part of the Micro Four Thirds System group, a set of companies dedicated to the format.
Why is this important? Well, to begin with, Carl Zeiss is the beginning and end when it comes to high-end lenses. By putting their might behind the new standard, it proves that M4/3 is, at the very least, a respected format. As a convert, I’m excited to see where these cameras are headed in the next few years, especially once the big boys like Canon and Nikon finally accept the inevitable and join the party. → Read More
Gunnar Optiks, makers of advanced lenses to ease eye strain for computer users, is teaming up with Carl Zeiss to bring a whole new class of “optics” to you. Not a whole lot of details at this point, other than Zeiss coatings and tints “will be used on the Gunnar Optiks lenses to change the lenses to suit specific digital viewing environments.” → Read More
I’ve always been skeptical about third-party lenses, but I know in my heart that even Canon makes some stinkers (18-55mm EF-S anyone?) and on the flipside Sigma and Tamron probably have some great glass. But there isn’t even any room for doubt with Carl Zeiss — the famous lensmaker is bringing its craft to Canon’s EF mount. These Planar T* F/1.4 50mm and 85mm lenses look nice, although they face competition from Canon’s own excellent (and cheaper) 50mm F/1.4. The 85mm fills a gap in the Canon lineup between their 85mm F/1.8 (nice) and the 85mm F/1.2 (really nice). I’m poor so I won’t get to even touch any of these things, but it’s nice to pretend. → Read More
Logitech today announced two new webcams that each incorporate hot Carl Zeiss lenses. The QuickCam Pro 9000 (above) is true 2-megapixel cam intended for desktop use, while the QuickCam Pro for Notebooks incorporates the same features into compact and portable unit that includes a tripod. Both of the units carry a price point of $99 and should be available soon. I had the opportunity to look at these a couple of weeks ago and I can attest that they have the best image quality of any webcam I’ve seen. It’s game changing sort of stuff. The interesting part though, is that Logitech now has an exclusive arrangement with Zeiss Optics that allows them to be the sole producer of Zeiss-equipped webcams. → Read More
