Carl Zeiss Lens News July

copyright, Shoot Studio

This month's CZ lens newsletter is online now, and features some intriguing street shots of New York City taken with the Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 (or 2.8/21 in Zeiss speak). The 2.8/21 is one of the more recent additions to the expanding range of full-frame manual focus Zeiss lenses, made under license by Cosina in Japan.

It's available in Nikon (ZF) and soon to come Pentax (ZK) and Canon (ZE) mounts but the Distagon T* 2.8/21 is not for the faint-hearted, after all it has a front filter diameter of 87mm and weighs in at a trifling 600g (21.6 oz).

Needless to say all that hefty teutonic glass and T* coating is capable of delivering the finest color and that legendary Zeiss high contrast rendering. Just look here for the T* coating's intolerance of flare and ghosting.

What a brute, and what a contrast to the diminutive Cosina Voigtlander 20mm f/3.5 Color Skopar. Still, as they say, 'you pays your money...'

Links (and credits):

Carl Zeiss Lens News, July '09

Shoot Studio

Voigtlander add Nokton 50mm f/1.1

Following in the footsteps of the Leica Noctilux f/0.95 and Nikkor-N 5cm f/1.1, Voigtlander has added a Nokton 50mm f/1.1 to the range. Priced at €999 ($1379) and expected mid June, the new Nokton is designed to be used with Voigtlander Bessa RF cameras, though will also fit Leica M models, including the latest digital M8.2. There's also a following using these and M-series lenses on the Lumix G1 with adaptors (such as those announced in the previous post). Filter diameter is 58mm and the lens uses 7 elements in 6 groups. It weighs in at a substantial 428g. A new vented lens hood (pictured) has also been announced.

More information can be found at the Voigtlander, Japan site here.

Update 12 July '09:

B&H still don't have it listed, and aren't as yet accepting orders.

UK distributor, Robert White, is listing the new Nokton for £950 plus VAT (15%).

First look at Voigtlander 20mm f/3.5 Color Skopar (part II)

Thought I would post a 100 per cent crop (actual pixels) of the corner of the frame from the previous post. Raw file from full-frame (FX) Nikon D700 at f/8 (well actually f/9) developed using Aperture, mono conversion using Nik Silver Efex Pro, and no output sharpening. Looks very encouraging to me.

Remember the APS-C format Nikon DX and Pentax DSLRs will be pulling from the central 'sweet-spot' of the CV 20mm f/3.5, and FOV will become the equivalent to a 35mm f/3.5.

UK link: Robert White

USA link: B&H Nikon fit, Pentax fit.

Update 01/22/10: Please note a full test of this lens will be published in the near future.

Cosina announce Voigtlander VM Micro FourThirds lens adaptor

It's not the first I've seen, but welcome nonetheless, Cosina has announced a Micro FourThirds lens adaptor for the Panasonic Lumix G1 and recently introduced GH1.

That means you can marry those gorgeous VM series lenses, as well those superb Leica M and Zeiss ZM lenses with those little Lumix hybrids. L series require a converter, but with one or two exceptions can be used.

More information, albeit in Japanese (though you'll get the gist) can be found here.

The price is 19,800 Yen or around $200 (£140 + VAT), using a straight currency conversion.

For a list and link of the official worldwide distributors, please take a look here.

Epson to resurrect R-D1 rangefinder with new R-D1x?

Epson Japan has announced the R-D1x, but while there are some improvements including a 2.5-inch LCD screen and compatibility with SD-HC, the maker has stayed with the 6.1MP resolution CCD of the original R-D1 and R-D1s. 

As you can see from the photo above, there's an optional handgrip but what you can't see is that the fold-out and twisting screen of the orginal is now fixed in position. 

According to the Epson Japan site, the new model will be available from the 09 April. No word as yet whether it will be available in Europe or the US.

Cosina unwrap new Voigtlander 20mm f/3.5 Color Skopar SL II Aspherical for Nikon and Pentax DSLRs

Cosina have lifted the wraps on the Voigtlander Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL-II Aspherical for Nikon FX (full-frame) and DX (APS-C) format DSLRs. A version with the KA mount for Pentax DSLRs has also been announced. Like others in the range, it's a manual focus lens but has a built-in CPU for metering control with the latest DSLRs.

We have the following lens specification, but no word as yet on price or availability:

Lens Construction :6 groups 9 elements
Smallest Aperture : F22
Picture Angle :94°
Aperture Blades : 9
Nearest Distance : 0.2m
Diameter x Length :φ63mm x 28.8mm
Weight :205 g
Mount : Ai-S / KA

All this looks promising, and reminds me of the the long-discontinued Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 Ai lens from the late 70's and early 80's. Can't help but think this would be an excellent choice on the D700, but as the equivalent to a 35mm f/3.5 on the Pentax K20D it doesn't feel quite as compelling, in my view. Lets hope Pentax (Hoya) comes up with a full-frame model before too long - it has to be on the cards, recession or not, right?

For more information from the UK distributor, Robert White, visit their site.

For US visitors, the retailer B&H carry an extensive range of Voigtlander - to order the item or check the price, click here.