I'm going to profess ignorance on this one. Why would I consider a Carl Zeiss lens over a Nikon lens?

Ahhh . . . the age-old questions!

Why Nikon over Canon?
Hasselblad over Mamiya?
Zoom over prime?

Ford Pinto over Chevy Vega?
Beatles over Rolling Stones?

Soda or pop? (kinda like freeway or expressway?)
Microbrew or Import?


Truthfully, I'd have to agree with Dave. (Maybe 'cause I'm a bit choosy when it comes to what glass I'll attach camera's my body to.)

Will a 15% pulley, or one's gumption, make the S drive better?

:impatient :impatient

Zeiss (along with Leica) have a reputation for producing the very best lenses, though at very high prices. That and possibly the availability of focal lengths and apertures not available from Nikon. We'll see!

Personally, I'm quite happy with Nikon lenses and paying double the price (I'm guessing here) for that last little bit of quality is questionable, but the more lenses available in the F-mount the better! I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what they'll have to offer.

Mark

You'd consider it if you've got a lot of expendable income, dont care about weight and are a brand name *****. I dont own any of their stuff but they're renowned for their excellent optics. I'm pretty sure that a lot of their designs are a bit old fashioned. Maybe old fashioned isnt the right word but the designs arent modern? Anyway, I guess they're more popular in medium format.

Thanks guys. My only real exposure in actually handling a Zeiss product comes by way of the Zeiss optics on the Sony Cybershots, which I always kind of gathered was Zeiss cashing in on their name.

Looks like the first lenses out of the box are a 50mm F/1.4 and an 85mm F/1.4

85mm/1.4

This will be a smoking lens with my new D200. The only question I have is, will it
work properly with the metering system? It should but who knows....

Peter
Team M7
562-608-8123

If it's a CPU lens, yes, all metering modes will work. If not, it'll act like an AI or AI-S Nikkor lens and you'll have metering in aperture-priority and manual modes with center-weighted, spot, and, if you set the focal length and maximum aperture in the camera menu, matrix metering modes.

Nikon also makes an (auto focus) 85 mm f/1.4 that is, by all accounts, one of their very best lenses. It'll be interesting to see how the Zeiss compares.

Didn't know you have a D200. Congrats!

Mark

That's me!

Hey...

Yea I know it will be a slower more tedious way of taking images, but I have used Zeiss lenses thru my career as a photographer and they are "creamy"

My fav is the 17-35mm 1:2.8, I use it as my "working" lens as my shooting
style is wide to really wide.....

I should receive the D200 next week and it will replace my Old D100
and D1X.

peter
Team M7
562-608-8123

I understand perfectly. I usually manually focus even with AF lenses and often use manual exposure, too. And some lenses do have a very special look.

Mine tends to be, too. I wonder if the next Zeiss lens to be announced will be wide. Would make sense.

Nice! Let us know how you like it.


Mark

What I'd really like to see from Nikon or Zeiss would be some wide DX primes.

Mark

talk about wide......

This is my favourite lens its 15mm and HUGE.
And with the D200 I'l beable to use again,

How about any DX prime (other than the fisheye)?


Although a 12mm f/1.8 DX might be handy.

-Juan

Here is an interesting posting on DPreview on a Nikon Press Release regarding Digital, lenses, and DX form factor.

Nikon UK has made an interesting announcement titled 'Nikon prepares to strengthen digital line-up for 2006' that signals the beginning of the end of nearly 60 years of Nikon fllm cameras. Nikon Corp has made the decision to 'focus management resources' on digital cameras in place of film cameras, and is discontinuing most film camera bodies, manual focus lenses and accessories, and all large format and enlarging lenses. In Europe only the flagship F6 film camera will remain on sale.

Press Release:

Nikon prepares to strengthen digital line-up for 2006


Following the success of our digital line-up over the last seven years, which has resulted in more than 95% of Nikon’s UK business being within the digital area, Nikon Corporation has made the decision to focus management resources on digital cameras in place of film cameras. This decision will allow Nikon to continue to develop products that match the demands of an increasingly competitive market place.

Despite this growing competition Nikon Corporation has continued to outperform the market, and has recently reported positive financial results which saw group net profit climb by 20% in the fiscal first half which ended in September. Group sales also increased by 9.8% to 342.85 billion yen in the same period. Sales of high end digital SLR cameras and the success of products like the D70s and D50 have helped contribute to these positive figures.

As the film camera market shrinks and the popularity of compact digital cameras increases, demand for products that offer advanced features and extra value is continuing to grow. High performance digital SLR cameras are performing well as users shift from film-based SLR cameras or upgrade from compact digital cameras to digital SLR cameras.

As a result of the new strategy Nikon will discontinue production of all lenses for large format cameras and enlarging lenses with sales of these products ceasing as soon as they run out of stock. This also applies to most of our film camera bodies, interchangeable manual focus lenses and related accessories. Although Nikon anticipates that the products will still be in retail distribution up to Summer 2006.

In recognition of Nikon’s commitment to professional photographers we will continue to manufacturer and sell the F6, our flagship film model, as well as a number of manual interchangeable lenses. Sales of the manual FM10 will also continue outside Europe.


Take it as you want!

Jason

Here is the press Release from nikonusa.com:

Reshaping Nikon's Film Camera Assortment

As the film camera market shrinks and the popularity of compact digital cameras increases, demand for products that offer advanced features and extra value is growing rapidly. Additionally, the demand for high performance digital SLR cameras is also steadily increasing as customers shift from film SLRs or upgrade from compact digital cameras.

With film cameras accounting for an ever smaller percentage of Nikon's total sales volume, the company has decided to concentrate its vast resources toward those business categories that continue to demonstrate the strongest growth. Consequently, as Nikon focuses more on the digital camera business, the company must adopt appropriate measures to ensure its continued success. With that, the Nikon film camera lineup will be reshaped, allowing more of Nikon's planning, engineering and manufacturing resources to be focused on the digital products that now drive our thriving industry. The measures that Nikon will adopt include discontinuing production of all large format Nikkor lenses and enlarging lenses, as well as several of our film camera bodies, manual focus Nikkor interchangeable lenses and related accessories. Sales of these products will cease as supplies are depleted.

Importantly, Nikon's film camera business will continue with our flagship model F6(TM) and with the FM10(TM), allowing the Nikon brand to continue serving the two strongest segments of the 35mm film camera market. Both professionals and dedicated amateurs who continue to view film as their preferred format along with students in need of an economical camera to earn the fundamentals of photography will have ideal Nikon products from hich to choose. Additionally, Nikon will continue to produce the manual focus 85mm f/2.8D PC Micro-Nikkor(R).

With the interests of its customers in mind, Nikon will offer continued post-sale service for products whose production has ceased for a period of 10 (ten) years from Nikon Inc.'s last date of sale.

This shift in business strategy and in the utilization of resources will allow Nikon to further its storied history and reputation as a leader in the ever-growing digital market and continue to offer groundbreaking new products and technology for photographers of all skill levels.

yup... and on top of that they will have less competition now that konica Minolta is no longer going to make cameras!