This is the leaked Zeiss 35mm FF NEX lens. But there will be another 55mm prime too!
I am back with rumors from my old long time sources! These source told me months ago a Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 Full Frame E-mount lens would be released. And on Saturday the manual of these lens has been leaked (article here). The lens design can be seen on top of this post. Now, the same sources also said a new 55mm f/1.8 FE Zeiss lens will come! No word on pricing yet. I just hope they did it f/1.8 instead of f/1.4 to keep pricing low 🙂
The Sony Germany site that leaked the Zeiss 35mm pancake lens removed the content. Just a reminder, the Zeiss pancake text clearly stated this:
The Sonnar T FE 35mm F2.8 ZA is compatible with the range of a 35mm format image sensor. The other lenses are compatible with the range of an APS-C sized image sensor. A camera equipped with a 35mm format image sensor can be set to shoot at APS-C size. For details on how to set your camera, refer to its instruction manual.
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Note on previous A7000 fake image: The site that sent me the wrong picture didn’t send me the NEX-FF or other rumors. So this is the only fake you saw on SAR. Needless to say that sites that post or send fakes for purpose will no more linked on SAR.
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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!
91 Responses
55mm 1.8 sound like a new design I was hoping Sony would adapt the well-regarded Zeiss 50mm 1.5 sonar
The 50/1.5 would be a long shot to make it into a Sony camera. While the 50/1.5 Sonnar has a classic look, the designs for Sony are more modern, sharp across the frame designs, and the 50/1.5 isn’t particularly sharp across the frame, even stopped down, when compared to most modern 50mm lenses. Just use an adapter and use the current 50/1.5.
Interestingly enough, this is a focal length that is “normal” on APS-C but a bit odd on FF (ymmv). At least it makes sense to get the (hopefully 32MP+ FF resolving) glass first and the camera afterwards (ton of megapixels is wasted on mediocre glass, unsurprisingly).
Any lens will benefit from more megapixels.
well, it’s SR5 CARNIVAL now, right?
Booyah! The aperture tells me that compromises may be very little. Perhaps a bit of distortion in exchange for more homogeneity across the frame in sharpness and great bokeh.
This and the FF NEX could be a great couple to an RX1.
That being said, a NEX 7 and 35mm 1.x are also great partners to the RX1.
Ok, they are obviously going for the size here. Good news.
I know, but don’t you wish…just ever so slightly…if they could design a 35mm f2 lens with the same performance of the RX1 Sonnar even if it was larger?
I sure do!
Then again…you may want a 24mm f2 with the same performance as the 24mm CZ for A mount…
Oh, don’t get me started on what I want 🙂
But right now they are definitely going for differentiating themselves, as they should. Making an awesome fast and big lens will only two things
– make the whole package bigger and negate (to an extent) the perception of size reduction
– cost more, which is a bad idea given the amount of glass you can simply adapt and the amount of people who adapt
Making a slower, acceptably priced Zeiss lens keeps the idea of a high-end product, while not sending the prices into orbit.
It makes perfects sense to me, unless I am missing something and am completely wrong.
I think you got it right.
In time, I will switch to a FF NEX only if there is a fast 35 (f2 or larger) or with a VC 35 1.2. But seeing that the RX1 can evolve to have new sensors with the same lens, I may find the FF NEX challenging to switch to. I just love the short fast f2 AF lens.
I don’t think that even a much bigger size would allow Sony/Zeiss to build a lens that equals the performance of the RX1’s lens. The fixed lens concept will always have its advantages.
I think they just don’t want to completely cannibalize sales for the RX1s.
I imagine that in a year or two after the FF Nex is released, the RX1 line will reach end-of-life, and after that they may offer a lens like the RX1 lens for FF NEX.
I doubt they care about that.
Lens like the RX1 for the FF NEX would mean a larger lens and some optical compromise. As shown by the Leica M/M9 + Summicron/Summilux vs RX1 samples, not even Leica’s best lenses are as homogenous across the frame in sharpness (wide open or stopped down) as the RX1’s Sonnar.
RX1 all the way for the best 35mm in a small package!
Which supports the policy of keeping nex as a more compact platform… Im still not sure how the sel70200 fits into that mindset (unless it’s another one for the video crowd)
Or the telephoto crowd…
Good point. Video maybe?
In my experience 55/58mm on full-frame cameras meant slightly better sharpness wide-open. Zeiss’s own 55mm distagon went this direction too. Here’s hoping this lens outdoes even the vaunted 50mm Planar (or not since I own one of those 😉
Also this lens would make a great focal length (IMHO better than the existing 50mm) on APS-C. Exciting times!
I believe this is the case for DSLR because of the mirror box – it required a longer flange distance that made 55/58mm designs of the time slightly better than 50mm ones. But I believe this isn’t the case for mirror less mounts such as the leica M.
55mm is, anyway, a little odd in terms of focal length. I already find 50mm slightly too long and would rather prefer a 45mm lens as “normal”.
While I personally agree I think there’s an overall strategy going on here. Sony doesn’t want to create two parallel line of lenses. They want to add full-frame capable lenses that ALSO have some value on APS-C NEX cameras.
The 35mm, while not very fast, should be VERY sharp and looks to be very compact. If the new NEX-7 has IBIS this could be in interesting lens for those who don’t need fast but care about size and image quality. It would be the king of the compact line (AKA 16mm, 20mm, 16-50mmPZ) which are all relatively slow.
A 55mm f/1.8 (especially a Zeiss) while a little long on full-frame is still a “normal” lens and has enough of a different field of view from the 50mm f/1.8 (75 vs. ~85mm) on an APS-C sensor. In fact, I could see a number of APS-C NEX users getting the 55mm Zeiss if it is less than $1k and as sharp as the f/2 Planar wide open.
This makes me really think that Sony/Zeiss are also going to release a 90mm lens (135mm APS-C field of view) at either f/2.8 (compact) or f/1.8 (a variation of the heavy, expensive, but very well respected 85mm Sonnar in ZM).
That way the full-frame NEX primes will be a tad on the long-side but they will round out the existing NEX lens line-up very nicely.
Curious to find out what the rumored full-frame Zoom will be…
Spot on Joel! I like the fact that one lens can serve two purposes in ff and also serve a purpose on aps-c. I want to have a 50mm and as 85mm ff lens for example. A 55mm would cover both those focal lengths on a ff camera forme so I’d only have to carry one lens.
True, I’m now hoping that the full-frame NEX uses the 32mpx sensor (assuming it has good corner performance) because that should give around 12mpx in APS-C crop. A little smaller than the current 16mpx standard but still a very good/flexible file size.
+1
+1
I’ve got the impression that Sony camera and lens division is working overhours. There are so many thing coming…
35mm f/2.8 lol! wtf is that?
Im using a 35mm f/1.4 right now 😀 its more than 1 EV faster 😀
And no Image Stabilisation! 35mm f/2.8 without image stabilisation
That reminds me again how shitty the NEX System is, really. How can someone take this serious?
Zeiss and Leica also have a 35/2.8 on their lineup… but what do they now about lenses!
That guy above is mentally impaired. I gave him his medicine a while ago but ah, he pops up again.
And you are going to tell me that you are using 1.4 not for DOF but for low light? Ok. Every system will be shity in this situation. I saw results of corners at 1.4 on almost all new 35 and 50mm fast lenses. Meh.
I do the same but on a M9 with it’s CCD Sensor you can’t use high iso (max 800). if I can use ISO 3200 with the Nex who needs more than F/2.8. And if I need to I can still use the summilux on the nex 😉
I stumbled across a Nikon forum where the users where saying the NEX system was the best DX system. I was used to the bashing here so it came as a shock but they listed the lens and it was all zooms and only 2 primes. So I don’t think you can say it sucks.
35mm and 55mm makes a nice set of lenses. My personal needs for portrait and general photography are covered with these two lenses, great! These two lenses will do for most photographers to take pictures for all their life.
If I could wish one more lens, then I would choose the Zeiss Biogon T* 2.8/25mm, a highly regarded wide angle with incredible resolving power. I mean, if the nex-FF system is that small, a third lens would still find its place in my bag.
If the nex-FF-system is evolving that great, I could change my mind, and overcome my animosity towards EVF-cameras 🙂
It is amazing how small these Zeiss E-mount full-frame lenses are, especially the 35mm F2.8. An entry-level NEX-FF with the 35mm lens should not be much bigger than the RX1.
I wonder how small a 24 or 28mm F4 full-frame E-mount would be…it would be a great lens for a full-frame, wide-angle small camera.
The 35F28 is very roughly the size of the 35F28 ZM (slightly wider, but shorter). So looking at the other ZM lenses, a 24F4 could be quite small too.
http://lenses.zeiss.com/camera-lenses/en_de/camera_lenses/zeiss-ikon/cbiogont2835zm.html
Why is it amazing? The lense is not fast.
Its not hard to make a non-fast lense very small.
Just look at the cheap 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and compare it to the 16-50mm f/2.8 which is about the double size.
Non-fast or “cheap” lenses are always smaller, thats physics, nothing new.
Until now there haven’t been such lenses because Canon, Nikon and Sony/Zeiss always tried to make the best lense out there and not the most compact.
Now they are doing a compromise in lesser the quality for compactness.
Thats nothing amazing, its just new because nobody every thaugt that people would pay so much money for a lens which is worse than a cheaper one just because its compact.
But thats the reason why such lenses only exist for the NEX-System, it just fits perfectly to an NEX-photographer 😉
Did Vamp898 ever take a good pic? Or does Vamp898 line up fast glass and watch it heatedly??
Not just that.
I have in-body image stabilisation.
so i can take my bad pictures with my fast lenses even at night with low-iso settings 😀
The FF NEX is rumored to have in body stabilization.
That might be fascinating technicalwise, but IQ at f1.4 won’t ever come up to IQ at f2.8. IBIS, high ISO, f1.4 looks nice on paper, but as far as I have seen it, good night photography needs the same f-stops as in daylight, but with a tripod, nothing new to that old wisdom. See e.g. on flickr.
Just my opinion, but I am convinced that all these tech gimmick won’t contribute to good photography. It’s the restrictions that make good pictures (and a brain behind the camera). I hope Sony’s new cameras and lenses will be reduced, without too much distraction, but providing best IQ in a small package.
Be careful telling this simple truth, some boys may find it offensive and call mama.
What simple truth? He is equating lens quality with lens speed.
No he is not. He wrote that slower lenses are ceaper to build, and there is nothing revolutionary about them. But you cannot know this stuff, this is for photographers.
By the way, you haven’t said how important corner sharpness wide open is going to be; or have you? That’s usually the first thing computer geeks point out. Obviously, this has nothing to do with photography.
Hello, great photographer! Before you continue to teach people about photography, learn how to read:
“Now they are doing a compromise in lesser the quality for compactness.”
“Now they are doing a compromise in lesser the quality for compactness.”
You don’t need to lessen the quality, if you make it slower, that is the whole point.
What you seem to be missing is that, when comparing any NEX lens to a DSLR lens, you have to add over 20mm+ to the length of the DSLR lens to compare, because the mirror box of a DSLR adds so much distance between the lens and the sensor.
In other words, even if every NEX lens was identical in length to the equivalent EOS lens, the overall system would still be over 20mm shorter, because of the registration distance. There simply isn’t much comparison in size between a mirrorless aps-c system and even the smallest DSLR system. Mirrorless systems are much smaller.
So what? It is small. In cased of it can handle hi resolutions with good corners from wide open it will blockbuster.
Take in account that stabilization will be in body. 😉
Yes! 55mm is my favorite focal lenght on FF. Still have an old Super Takumar 55/1.8 for extremely beautiful bokeh and short depth of field that I sometimes use with an m42-nikonF-adapter on my D600 for close portraits. Yes, I am a Nikon user and have quite alot of glass… Just waiting for the NEX FF so I can make the switch 🙂
I hope they had a good performance / size reason to make a 55, instead of the classic 50, I prefer to have lenses a bit wider.
Its easier to make a compact 55mm lense than a 50mm lense. Thats the reason. Its just pure physics
@vamp898
I’ve always thought, that it’s quite the other way around, the longer the focal lenght, the longer is the lens. My 35mm are shorter than 50mm which are shorter than 85mm. So I’d aspect 50mm to be a tiny bit shorter than a 55mm.
Or did I get something wrong with the physics?
55, 57, & 58mm lenses were created because of the SLR camera, it was a simple method to gain mirror clearance without adding complexity to the lens design, but with mirrorless cameras, there is no requirement to clear the mirror, so they are picking 55mm purely for marketing reasons.
Also, if you take 2 lenses, a 50mm & 55mm lens, and build them to similar optical formulas, the 50 will be more compact, that is physics.
Wow, now we’re talking !!! If this NEX :
1) retains the 7’s global look and feel, even slightly bigger
2) can use previous E mount lenses in crop mode
3) has REALLY improved autofocus
I might consider one unless the price tag is really sky high.
Of course,I’d take a cheaper APS-C 7 successor over this if it also had much improved and was cheaper, but I’m starting to have doubts it’ll ever exist, so the FF body might be the way to go ?
If the FF NEX is a FF sensor in a NEX6 body, it will be a day 1 buy for me along with the CZ35.
NEX for compactness, A-mount for large aperture f1.4 and pro-tele lenses. The two systems complement each other rather than killing each other.
Why is this 35mm lens designated ZA? ZA is A Mount Zeiss, no?
the E-Mount 24 zeiss is also ZA.
http://lenses.zeiss.com/camera-lenses/en_de/camera_lenses/csc/sonnarte1824za.html
I guess ZA is Sony’s Alpha designated, not just A-mount.
Even if I don’t get the FF Nex right away, this lens is useful for my current nex 7 and I can start investing in FF lenses that work well with my Nex 7. My bet is Sony will release these lenses before they release the ff camera so when the camera comes out, there will be a few lenses to choose from as well as a migration oath for aps-c nex users.
And this will pair up so nicely with my 24mm zeiss on my Nex 7 🙂
That 35/2.8 doesn’t seem to work well with NEX-7 🙂
Hopefully, they have managed to overcome oblique rays problem. At least, compactness of 24/1.8 APS-C equivalent leaves a room for hope. They should not care about NEX-7 IMO, because it prevents making both compact and still optically good lenses.
“That 35/2.8 doesn’t seem to work well with NEX-7”
What?
It too resembles RF 35s. So I expect it won’t work well with crappy NEX-7′ sensor.
My NEX7 works great with every Sony lens. Doubt that will change.
Personally, I would like to see better lenses than those ones Sony made before. And I would not dare to insist NEX-7 works well with 10-18, it isn’t truth. It won’t work well with Samyang 8 as well, which is objectively the most flawless lens optically for E.
And crappy sensor forced them to make a huge 24/1.8, which isn’t particularly good, to be honest.
Are you serious? I have the 10-18, hardly any problem with it. And Samyang is “the most flawless lens optically for E”? Yeah, right.
So you don’t know anything about color shift with 10-18? Well, it seems you use crappy OOC jpeg or trying to be blind 😉
You mean the magenta cast? In 6 months of using the lens, I have seen it in less than 10 photos and it was all correctable. I’d say you have no idea what you are talking about, given your claims about the Samyang 8mm and that the 24MP sensor is crappy. 🙂
Color cast means detail smearing. With sensor what better suits for short flange distance this would not be the case. And samyang 8/2.8 is really beautiful: it plays in the league with my leicas. Nor 24/1.8, nor 50/1.8 could do this and others are even worse.
“Color cast means detail smearing.”
What? It means a tint of a particular color, which isn’t desired. The only issue I have with the 10-18 is exactly magenta tint, but in very specific conditions and it is correctable. Hasn’t affected my photography much and it is actually a very sharp lens. The 35mm and 50mm perform great, nothing to complain about there. The sensor is also great, certainly better than the one in the 5N for my usage. So, for adapting lenses, yes, it is problematic, but I do not see any real problems with Sony lenses. Would I prefer it to work better with lenses like the Samyang? Yes. Would I switch to a potenatial NEX-7 with a 16MP sensor for that? No way.
I think Rishio means the 55mm. I can’t imagine that will have any problem on the NEX-7.
Yes – I’m talking about my 24mm f/1.8 and the FE 55mm f/1.8.
35mm f2,8? wow. slow.
Although I am also excited about all these Sony news, I can’t say there’s at least one lense looks great to me. And lenses are a deal breaker.
I personally would prefer if FF nex had it’s first lenses by sony instead of zeiss.
As DXO tests agreed sel50mmf/1.8 is the best lens on the nex. (if not for you, at least one of the bests)
I feel the same for the sel35f/1.8 also. These lenses are very good lenses (similar in image quality with zeiss but offers OSS with half of the price range).
I believe Sony has proven that they can make great lenses for nex and I think they can pull it off without having to put the blue zeiss logo while doubling the prices. Would be very nice if they make a lens that reaches and passes the quality of Zeiss while finds the price range right in between the existing sony and zeiss prices.
Sony can make a real kick ass full frame 50mm f/1.8 nex lens for the price of ~$450
Personally speaking.
No. That only proves that DXO is crap.
DXO is not a crap. While you like it or not there are some hardworking folks there. Hope you acknowledge that.
I spoke from my experience. I own zeiss 24mm and both of the sony lenses I mentioned above.
SEL50mm OSS is a better lens for it’s price in *comparison.
I don’t get it, why would anybody want a wide angle lens faster than 2.8? As long as the Sensor can deal with high ISO (eg like D800)I am more than happy to sacrifice some speed for compactness and sharpness. If the lens performs like the ZM counterpart I am a day one customer!
“I don’t get it, why would anybody want a wide angle lens faster than 2.8?”
Most whiners here won’t be able to answer that question.
well the only reason I could think of is that you need a lens to show off! Freud might have found a relationship between lens speed and the size of parts of the male body… anyway if the quality is fine I am more than happy with the lens…
Tell me about it. And they will even reinvent history to defend that.
‘Until now there haven’t been such lenses because Canon, Nikon and Sony/Zeiss always tried to make the best lense out there and not the most compact.”
Yeah, except half the ZM line.
I don’t get why people still want anymore sharpness than what most could provide these days in trade for anything.
Stop staring into 100% crops, if your image looks dead sharp 100% but plain when resized to fit your screen, blame the Japanese maufacturers who put MTF results as their design goals and sacrifice whatever doesn’t show up in lab tests, to please ignorant people who buy lenses according to lab scores.
It is simple. Different shooters have different users. Some shooters never look at images on anything other than a 20″ monitor, while some make huge prints where resolution makes a difference. Neither is wrong, but, if you’re just looking websized images on your computer and not printing, you may as well stick with digital camera technology from 7 years ago.
looks like an good option for the nex, i guess sony is covering all the classic focal lengths with lenses first to avoid people complaining (ha! like people are ever going to stop complaining)
i doubt sony will get this sale out of me though! i’ve already got a Canon FD 55 f1.2, voigtlander 40mm f1.4 and leica summilux 50 f1.4 (which im still trying to sell!) so unless this is very compact and very good performance for cheap price (which i doubt) i can’t blow money on it yet 😛
Keep your Summilux! It’s not gonna get any better!
need to sell it to get cash to buy a FF NEX D:
I’m guessing this will come in around the same price point as Fuji’s 56mm f1.2 lens.
That lens smells good. I just sold my NEX 7 and my 16, 24 and 50 mm lens because I need to travel light. I’m going for NEX FF on day one – my preorder in an SR5. This 35 mm seems reasonable for me because i have been using my Zeiss 24 mm more than any other lens when traveling (36 mm counting the crop factor). And my average aperture, for my last 300 best photos, was 4.2245 (not that there is such a thing).
Actually, that’s a good exercise. Take your 300 last best shots, export the EXIF and make stats. That should point you in a good direction. And don’t forget to take into account how much stuff you are willing to carry when climbing the 200 stairs of a Greek island alley.
Looks like they’re going the way of Contax 50/1.7, instead of 50/1.4 or 55/1.2, how typical.
Giggity!
55mm f/1.8 on a FF would be the most amazing lens to get for any FF system. If they could make it small, buying a sony FF NEX with this lens would allow serious amateurs to own leica M quality for a fraction of the price (Leica M with 50mm summilux runs around $13000 I think… This would probably in the range of $4000, if the new body is indeed $3000 as has been suggested).
Aside from occasional wide angle shots and portraits, my ultimate favourite lens on a FF system, for the sharpness and bokeh is a 50mm, and 55 is close enough!
This is great news. This lens essentially beats up the Fuji 35mm/1.4, which FOV and DOF wise is equivalent to 52.5mm/f2.1 in FF terms… Seems like a good decision by Sony.
Now we just need the Zeiss 85mm/1.8 FF lens to more than match the upcoming Fuji 57mm/1.2 😉
Let us hope the price will be right…here’s hoping for $900 or less (just like the comparable ZE/ZF lenses)