Zeiss Enters New Market Segment with Touit Compact System Camera Lenses

Zeiss Enters New Market Segment with Touit Compact System Camera Lenses

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Thornwood, NY—Zeiss is shipping the first two lenses in its new Touit lens line: the extreme wide-angle Touit 2.8/12 lens and the Touit 1.8/32 standard lens. The lenses mark the entry into a new market for Zeiss—interchangeable lenses for compact system cameras. Touit lenses are currently available for Fujifilm X and Sony NEX cameras.

“With Touit photographers can use Zeiss lenses on two leading mirrorless system cameras,” said Michael Schiehlen, director, Sales, Zeiss Camera Lenses. “We are addressing this market because it offers interesting application possibilities for sophisticated photographers and because the segment promises very interesting growth.”
 
Zeiss decided to focus on cameras with an APS-C sensor in order to guarantee maximum image quality, added Schiehlen, as the APS-C sensor is the largest sensor currently in this segment. The lens series is characterized by an optical and mechanical design developed to fully exploit the potential of the cameras, thanks to low distortion and stray-light absorption

Typical for Touit lenses is the combination of compactness, light weight and precise, durable mechanics: “High imaging quality and light weight are the most important advantages of Touit and are especially interesting for ambitious users of compact system cameras,” said Schiehlen. “The angular view is identical to DSLR lenses for APS-C cameras, but the lens is significantly smaller and lighter.”

Touit lenses feature: a metal body with those parts not relevant to key functions made of high-quality plastic to reduce weight; a clearly accentuated 1/3-step aperture ring on the version for Fujifilm X; nine aperture blades for an almost circular bokeh; and stray-light absorption through the Zeiss T* coating.

The Touit 2.8/12 is said to offer the most extreme wide-angle fixed focal length in the APS-C range. “It is an extremely sophisticated lens which has been equipped with the great effort and care that an extreme focal length of 12 millimeters requires,” explained Dr. Michael Pollmann, who is responsible for the development of the Touit lenses. The lens has eleven lens elements arranged in eight groups and was designed according to the Distagon optical concept. In addition, there are floating elements, two aspheric lenses and three lens elements made of high-quality glass materials with anomalous partial dispersion. $1,250.

The Touit 1.8/32 offers an angular field that resembles natural eyesight, added Pollmann. The goal was to create an easy-to-use standard lens that photographers can leave on the camera continuously and that can be used for a wide range of everyday situations. The Touit 1.8/32 employs a modernized Planar design approach that was adapted to today’s requirements: instead of six lens elements, it is equipped with eight to offer higher imaging performance when used with digital sensors. $900. zeiss.com

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