Zeiss has officially announced the new 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 lenses for Sony full frame E-mount cameras. The new Zeiss Loxia family of lenses will be displayed at Photokina 2014.
The new Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2.0 and 50mm f/2 lenses have been designed for mirrorless cameras with full frame sensors, such as the A7R, A7S.
Zeiss says that Sony A7, A7R, and A7S users have demanded high-quality prime lenses with manual focus support, so the new 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2.0 are here to “exceed” their expectations.
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 Lenses Officially Announced
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 Lens Price and Availability
The Loxia 2/50 will be available worldwide starting October 2014 and the Loxia 2/35 from the end of the fourth quarter of 2014.
Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 lens release date has been set for October 2014 with a price tag around $950. Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 lens will be released by the end of 2014 for about $1,300.
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Specifications
| Focal length | 35 mm |
| Aperture range | f/2.0 – f/22 |
| Focusing range | 0,30 m (11.81‘‘) – ∞ |
| Number of elements/groups | 9 / 6 |
| Angular field, diag./horiz./vert. | 63,02° / 54,06° / 37,57° |
| Coverage at close range | 210,2 mm x 139,4 mm (8.28‘‘ x 5.49‘‘) |
| Filter thread | M52 x 0.75 |
| Dimensions (with caps) | 66,0 mm (2,60‘‘) |
| Diameter of focusing ring | 62,1 mm (2.44‘‘) |
| Weight | 340 g |
| Camera mounts | E-Mount |
Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Specifications
| Focal length | 50 mm |
| Aperture range | f/2.0 – f/22 |
| Focusing range | 0.45 m – ∞ |
| Number of elements/groups | 6 / 4 |
| Angular field, diag./horiz./vert. | 46.78° / 39.38° / 26.70° |
| Coverage at close range | 255.1 mm x 168.3 mm |
| Filter thread | M52 x 0.75 |
| Dimensions (with caps) | 66.2 mm |
| Diameter of focusing ring | 62.1 mm |
| Weight | 320 g |
| Camera mounts | E-Mount |
Press text:
ZEISS Loxia: Setting new standards for full-frame mirrorless
With the new Loxia 2/35 and Loxia 2/50 lenses, ZEISS combines maximum image quality with classic ease of use for E-mount full-frame cameras. During photokina, which will take place in Cologne from September 16 to 21, photography enthusiasts can see and try out this new family of lenses for the first time.
“Ever since the Sony Alpha 7/7r/7s helped compact system cameras break through to the full frame, there has been a growing desire for a ‘digital manual focus‘ experience that combines the best of both worlds. With the Loxia 2/35 and Loxia 2/50, which are the first members of a new family of manual focus lenses for the E-mount full frame, ZEISS is ready to exceed those expectations,” said Christophe Casenave, Product Manager with ZEISS Camera Lenses.
The Loxia Lenses offer several key highlights, including optimization for digital sensors and electronic viewfinders, the mechanical aperture setting and – for ambitious videography – the mechanical deactivation of the aperture click stops (de-click).
The Loxia family has been specially optimized for digital sensors and the functions of mirrorless E-mount full-format cameras. An electronic interface transmits lens data (EXIF), but also recognizes focus movements and, if desired, activates the camera’s magnifier function. Moreover, the Loxia lenses enable precise manual focusing and a mechanical setting of the aperture (working-aperture aperture priority). This traditional way of working can express one’s personal photo lifestyle, and open up surprising new creative possibilities to compose the image that go beyond all automation.
“If I had to describe Loxia lenses in just one sentence,” according to Christophe Casenave, “I would say, ‘tradition meets modernity’. These lenses have been designed for photographers who enjoy shooting spontaneous scenes, but without giving away the work of composing the image to the camera.”
Yet photographers are not the only ones who will enjoy the Loxia. Ambitious videographers will have at their disposal the possibility of progressive aperture settings (de-click). This will put a tool with enormous creative potential into their hands thanks to the mechanical deactivation of aperture click stops. The lenses’ precise manual focusing also makes the Loxia suitable for professional video productions.
The Loxia lenses are optimized for digital full-frame sensors, and incorporate the approx. 2.5 mm thick low-pass and infrared filters in front of the sensor in the corresponding Sony cameras.
As a Biogon, the optical design of the Loxia 2/35 consists of nine lens elements in six groups. With a full-frame focal length of a moderate wide angle, this lens is a specialist for nature, landscape and architectural photography. Because it has a low minimum object distance of just 0.3 meters, all the advantages of close-ups with an unusual perspective also come to the fore.
The design of the Loxia 2/50, which is based on the famous Planar, has six lens elements in four groups. As a ‘classic’ normal lens, it has a field of view that corresponds to natural eyesight. The Loxia 2/50 therefore reveals all its strengths in many different situations, from travel and family photography to photojournalism and portraiture. And with a minimum working distance of 0.37 meters, it can also be used for close-ups. The Loxia 2/50 is an uncomplicated but at the same time high-quality standard lens that photographers can keep on their camera continuously; this enables them to react flexibly to a wide range of everyday situations.
The effective isolation of motifs with a low depth of field as well as free-handed photography, even in poor lighting conditions, are just two examples of the many possibilities that both Loxia lenses offer thanks to their high speed of f/2.
The Loxia lenses were intentionally designed to be manual-focus lenses; this makes them extremely compact and therefore a perfect companion for travel and street photography. An important advantage in this respect, especially for photographers who work in these disciplines, is that they cannot be recognized right away as professionals. Using the Loxia lenses, they can capture completely true-to-life situations, without attracting attention.
The lenses offer a high resolution across the entire image field and — especially at the maximal aperture opening of f/2 — a harmonious bokeh in the background. The superb mechanical quality that ZEISS lenses are known for can also be found in the Loxia family. The smooth focus operation, with a large focus rotation angle of approximately 180 degrees, allows for the finest variations in focusing. The filter diameter is a consistent M52 across the entire lens family. The robust barrel, made entirely of metal, can withstand the rough everyday situations that professional photographers work in and ensures a long product life. In addition, the lenses have a special weather sealing at the lens mount to prevent spray water from getting between the camera and the lens.
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