A few days ago, we reported that Zeiss may be making a comeback to the photography industry. And now, this news certainly seems confined, thanks to two new teasers. Zeiss left the industry six years ago to pursue cinema and other branches of optical imaging. However, it seems that they can no longer stay away, especially after the introduction of Chinese third-party lens manufacturers, who are taking away chunks of sales. Now, Zeiss has further released the date of their launch, and here’s a look at the teasers.
On Valentine’s Day, Zeiss announced that they will launch their new lens (or lenses) a day before the CP+ Show. According to their Instagram, the company will announce the new line of optics on February 25, a day before the Japanese trade show. Look at the post below.
But that’s not all. On its website, the company has further launched a new teaser that allows one to sign and know more updates, possibly pertaining to the launch itself. Here is another look at the teaser:
This is a great marketing tactic, especially since Zeiss has been away for a very long time. It not only intrigues people but also pushes them to sign up and be excited about what the launch could be.
However, as Photo Rumors believes, as we reported earlier, it appears that Zeiss could not be launching a new range of lineups but rather an autofocus version of their expensive Otus lenses. That’s because the company may be looking for easy revenue, especially after the failure of their camera, the ZX1, which nobody really cared about. However, the report believes that Zeiss may wish to get revenue without investing in a whole new research and development project, so they will rehash the lenses. At the same time, people want an autofocus version of Otus for cameras like Leica, Sony, and Canon. But it remains to be seen whether this would be possible anytime soon. But, there is also a possibility that they will introduce a new lineup; after all, the company is making a return after so long, and they need something to propel them for better sales.
However, the question still remains whether Zeiss will be able to make lenses for Sony. Why? As we pointed out earlier, Sony and Zeiss had a fallout several years ago, which also affected the Batis line-up, the last of which was released in 2019. This was after Sony bought into Tamron, and the two companies had a split. Furthermore, the 35mm f2 lens designed for Sony RX1R actually ended up with Zeiss’ ZX1. So, if there is already so much history, it makes us wonder if that is now put to rest. Perhaps it is, especially since Tamron works perfectly in harmony with Nikon.
We are yet to see what February 25 can bring to the table, but at the moment, things seem quite in favor of Zeiss. Perhaps it needed that break to get back on track, just like we take some time off from creating as photographers. However, a new range could act as the right delicacy to the grand feast Zeiss has already created. However, a rehash version will simply work as a side dish, which may not be to the liking of many people.