The De-Click function on the ZEISS Lokia lenses is a direct invitation to videographers, as are the Lens Gears for easy implementation of follow focus. The new offers all that right in time for Photokina 2016.
Right after IBC 2016, where ZEISS introduced three lenses, the company announces a new solution, the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 for Sony cameras with E mount, including the Sony PXW-FS7 and PXW-FS5.
The next edition of Photokina will be the stage for a series of products from ZEISS. The company will have a “touch, test, ask questions” area where visitors can not only see but also test some of the new products from the different series from ZEISS. Photokina, the world’s biggest photography exhibition, runs from September 20 – 25 in Cologne.
The newest member of the ZEISS Loxia family is a short telephoto lens, the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85. It supplements three focal lengths that are already available for this lens family, namely the ZEISS Loxia 2.8/21, Loxia 2/35 and Loxia 2/50, and was specially designed for mirrorless full-frame cameras with E mount.
The compact ZEISS Loxia lenses are the ideal choice for travel and street photographers who value light and compact camera equipment. “In terms of its technology and the feel of its surface, the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 fits perfectly with the existing focal lengths, and is particularly well suited for portrait photography,” said Christophe Casenave, product manager with ZEISS Camera Lenses. The ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 will be available in stores starting mid of December 2016.
The new ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 has been designed for digital sensors. Based on an optimized ZEISS Sonnar design, it has seven lens elements in seven groups. “With the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85, we have managed to develop a well-rounded and new interpretation of the original ZEISS Sonnar optical design that meets all the requirements of digital photography and videography,” continued Casenave.
The lens has a minimum object distance of 0.80 meters and a manual focus ring with a rotation angle of 220 degrees, enabling the subtlest variations of focusing. The large aperture of f/2.4 combined with the high-quality optical design ensures an appealing bokeh. The electronic interface transfers both lens data (EXIF) and focus movements, and activates the magnification function of the camera if desired by the user. “Precise manual focusing with hard stop and the mechanical setting of the aperture (working aperture priority mode) provide sophisticated photographers who don’t want to leave everything to the camera abundant possibilities for composition,” said Casenave.
Photographers will appreciate the focal length and speed of the lens, but this is also a lens for videographers. ZEISS offers a De-Click function on this lens as in the other lenses of the Loxia family. This means it is possible to mechanically deactivate the click stops on the aperture ring — a condition for silent and smooth adjustments of the aperture. As a result, the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 is also an attractive lens for video cameras that have an E mount, such as the Sony PXW-FS7 and PXW-FS5. A robust metal barrel, the filter diameter of M52 (which is identical across all focal lengths) and protection against penetration of dust and spray onto the lens mount complete the entire package. In addition, the external diameter, which is uniform across all ZEISS Loxia lenses, simplifies film shoots.
ZEISS Loxia lenses can also be used with a follow focus system, as the company developed its ZEISS Lens Gear Rings, available in different sizes, which are slid onto each respective lens and, through simple mounting, attached to the focus ring of the lens by turning two rings that each go in the opposite direction. Made of high-quality aluminum with a hardened surface coating, these rings allow the use of a follow focus system, for precise focus, a characteristic videographers will appreciate.
Global delivery of the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85 will begin mid of December 2016. The lens shade is included with delivery. The recommended retail sales price is $ 1,399.