The new high-end SLR lens Distagon T* 1,4/55

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Dr. Hubert Nasse, Staff Scientist at Carl Zeiss has already seen a lot in his long career. But he is particularly impressed by the Distagon T* 1,4/55, the development of which he has shaped significantly. He shows examples of image results of this new ZEISS lens that has been designed without compromise for imaging performance and will come out at the end of the year.

Tags: Carl Zeiss, Carl Zeiss Lenses, Distagon, Distagon T* 1.4/55, high-end, high-end SLR lens, Hubert Nasse, slr

February 15, 2013 |

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27 Responses to The new high-end SLR lens Distagon T* 1,4/55
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zmfan | February 15, 2013 at 10:57 am

where is new zm lens which u promised last year

Carl Zeiss Lenses | February 19, 2013 at 1:01 pm

Dear zmfan,
We promise: This year at least one fast lens with M bayonet will go on sale. But you’ll have to be patient, we are still not yet revealing anything more.
Best regards,
Carl Zeiss Lenses Team

Eric | March 3, 2013 at 2:24 am

Will this ZM lens have a flange distance calibrated for film (ie the Ikon), or for Leica digital cameras?

Carl Zeiss Lenses | March 15, 2013 at 12:38 pm

Hi Eric,

Unfortunately, right now we cannot give any further information on that. We’ll keep you posted.

Best regards
Carl Zeiss Lenses Team

Mike Devlin | February 15, 2013 at 12:18 pm

I have been patiently waiting for more information about this lens… And I would like to say that this was a nice little advertising snippet… But… Fairly little real value when you do not quantify the results… Which lens was the “standard” lens that you compared it with in the examples shown ?? I personally would like to see the same results with the two 50mm lenses that are already part of the Zeiss lineup… I really love my Makro-Planar 50/2 ZF2… ( as well as the 100mm)… What am I going to gain with the new lens… I know it is a f1.4 but for me, it is a question of quality verses price… More than ever photographers have to compete on every level, including price… Many freelancers will be asking this same question… The film industry is constructed very differently to stills… I purchase lenses for the long-term… Which is why I choose Zeiss, but, at the end of the day, I have to balance the books… So, please, show us what we NEED to see… A comparative test that is quantifiable….

Regards & thanks for all the great lenses I have been lucky enough to use over the past thirty years…
Mike

Carl Zeiss Lenses | February 19, 2013 at 1:05 pm

Dear Mike Devlin,
thank you for your interest in our upcoming lens on Facebook and here on our blog. As said on Facebook we understand your wish to get to know which specific lenses by which company we used in our comparisons. However, our fairness towards our competitors precludes us from giving such details.
We can ensure you that the Distagon T* 1,4/55 was compared with almost all current 50 mm lenses for full-format SLR cameras – our own and those of successful competitors.
Certainly there will be lots of comparisons in independent magazines and blogs after the launch confirming our statements. We are looking forward to that.
A first impression can be found on the Phoblographer today: http://www.thephoblographer.com/2013/02/18/zeisss-new-55mm-f1-4-receives-some-serious-hype/.
Best regards
Carl Zeiss Lenses

peterv | February 15, 2013 at 2:59 pm

I think Mike brings up some very interesting questions. I’d appreciate answers from the Zeiss team very much.

My questions:
Why is the first of this upcoming lenses not wheather sealed?
I noticed above it is mentioned the lens will come out by the end of this year. I was under the impression that around Photokina it was said to hit the market this summer. Is production somehow delayed/postponed?
Thanks!

Carl Zeiss Lenses | February 19, 2013 at 1:08 pm

Dear Peterv!
Due to the feedback we received from experienced photographers in the forefront of the devlopment of our upcoming Distagon T* 1,4/55 we decided not to seal the lens in a specific way. The benefits are a less complex construction and therefore a lower price.
Needless to say, the new high-end lens will answer our high quality standards concerning robustness and impassivity in everyday life. In intensive tests we control all our lenses on vibrations, shocks and temperature resistance which simulates a long durability. More information about our testing procedures can be found on our blog via http://blogs.zeiss.com/photo/en/?p=1402.
The launch or the lens is planned for autumn this year.
Best regards
Carl Zeiss Lenses Team

CarstenW | February 15, 2013 at 9:57 pm

I do not demand anything, contrary to current fashion. From what I see, I am already beginning to save up my pennies, and look forward to seeing the new 55/1.4. I do hope that the focusing ring will have some texture for focusing when conditions are not optimal.

David | February 16, 2013 at 10:05 am

At least now we know the new Distagon 1,4/55 has 12 elements. But the number of elements alone is no guarantee to better performance, especially at wide open apertures. From recent developments of the fixed 2/35 Sonnar (on Sony RX1) and the Distagon 2,8/15 ZF2/ZE it seems that serious advance in imaging and optical science has been developed and fully materialized in the design of the upcoming 1,4/55. Thus, a new family of (advanced) aspheric elements is easily inferred. Will be grateful if you could throw some light on the new glass elements?
All the best

Carl Zeiss Lenses | February 19, 2013 at 1:11 pm

Dear Juan,
thank you for your interest and your question. As soon as we can provide more detailed information and technical data on the upcoming Distagon T* 1,4/55 we will let our readers know. Please have some patience…
Best regards
Carl Zeiss Lenses Team

Ben | February 16, 2013 at 2:40 pm

Thank you, Zeiss and Dr. Nasse, someone finally listened to my asking for a lens like this…

Juan José Pascual Lobo | February 16, 2013 at 6:51 pm

Could we have more information about aspects like distortion, optimal f satops, and field curvature?

Carl Zeiss Lenses | February 19, 2013 at 1:11 pm

Dear Juan,
please have some patience. As soon as we can provide more detailed information and technical data on the upcoming Distagon T* 1,4/55 we will let our readers know.
Best regards and thank you for your interest
Carl Zeiss Lenses Team

andy | February 16, 2013 at 10:00 pm

At last, a standard lens worthy of the d800 sensor. Nikon should be ashamed of themselves. I’m sure zeiss will make a lot of money from this lens, and deservedly so

Wolfgang P | February 16, 2013 at 11:37 pm

The color of the lettering on the lens is completely wrong. Reminds me of yellow snow.
Compare this to the beautiful white and red on top of the page that says Camera Lens Blog.

Den | February 17, 2013 at 5:35 pm

Any updates on when will 12mm, 32mm and 50mm lens for mirrorless cameras be released ?

Carl Zeiss Lenses | March 15, 2013 at 12:36 pm

Dear Den,

The 2.8/12 and 1.8/32 will be available this summer.

Best regards
Carl Zeiss Lenses Team

Mark C | February 19, 2013 at 3:48 pm

For the Distagon T* 2,8/15, the stock availability was quite limited and I had to wait quite some time to purchase the ZF.2 version. Will this 1,4/55 have the same limited availability issue after launch date? Thank you Zeiss for setting what seems like another new benchmark!

Carl Zeiss Lenses | February 21, 2013 at 3:56 pm

Dear Mark C,
we are always trying to launch our products on the dates announced. Unfortunately it is always possible that due to unexpected shortages delivery has to be postponed. In case of the Distagon T* 2,8/15 demand overwhelmed our expectations. Though this is very positive it lead to initial delays until we could ramp up production. As we are making sure to meet our high quality standards we could not meet the initial demand and it led to the limited availability you mentioned.

photographe mariage | February 20, 2013 at 1:59 am

The leans is very expensive but now i understand why i need this perfect lens.

Paul W | February 21, 2013 at 11:23 am

Its such a shame your MF lenses are not available to Sony customers in A-Mount, do Sony block you for producing lenses for the mount as part of your agreement/collaboration on their Sony AF Zeiss lenses?

Ram | February 21, 2013 at 9:30 pm

Is the 55mm F1.4 an apochromat?
My intended application of a lens of this focal length is astrophotography. Astrophotography is a VERY demanding test of lens quality. Highly rated lenses exhibit all kinds of aberrations under star testing.

Do you have a sense of how well corrected this lens will be (both wide open and slightly stopped down) with regard to coma, lateral and longitudinal CA and astigmatism? How will the field curvature be at infinity focus?

Regards

Carl Zeiss Lenses | March 11, 2013 at 11:23 am

Dear Ram,

Our future high-end SLR lenses like the Distagon T* 1,4/55 will be extremely well controlled regarding longitudinal and lateral chromatical aberrations. When focussed correctly, they will show perfect results especially for demanding applications like astrophotography. Further details about those future lenses will be published when they will be introduced on the market (Q4/2013).
Names like “Apochromat” or “APO” are not officially selected or defined by ISO norms or anything similar, they are mainly used for marketing purposes and do not predict a certain amount of performance of the lens that is named with them. So we decided not to name our new high-end 50mm lens as “APO”.

Best regards
Carl Zeiss Lenses Team

Dave | February 22, 2013 at 7:14 am

Although this 1.4 / 55 is impressive, I would prefer a smaller but equally perfect f2.5 version because large f-stopps contribute more to prestige than to usefulness.

vijay chitte. | March 21, 2013 at 7:55 pm

sir, as when will this lens available in market at what would be cost …?

Brian Smith | March 23, 2013 at 12:31 pm

Spectacular lens! I love all the Zeiss ZA glass, but I got to play with a prototype of this lens in New York and it’s truly amazing…

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