5 years ago (April 24, 2019), Zeiss announced the Zeiss Otus 100mm F1.4, its last lens with “photo” focus. The last announcement of an E-mount lens was 6 years ago (September 27, 2018) with the Zeiss Batis 40mm F2 CF.
Zeiss obviously doesn’t believe there is money to be made in this market and has stopped making new photo lenses. They still make new cine lenses and they still produce their old Batis–Loxia–Otus lenses. But we have to be honest, their lenses are now obsolete. The autofocus of the Batis lenses is slow and the competition offers excellent lenses at a much lower price.
But yesterday Zeiss did something unexpected: they released a new video promoting their lenses. Exactly 4 years after the last Zeiss Batis video. In the most realistic scenario, this means “nothing”…. maybe it’s just a random “accident”. In the optimistic scenario, maybe Zeiss is rethinking its strategy and is ready to launch new lenses for the Sony E-mount?
I’m just speculating here, but I think there are a few good reasons why they might do this:
- The decade-long downward trend in the camera market has stopped and there are clear signs that the market is now stable. So it’s easier to invest in such an environment.
- The high-end market is still healthy and full-frame cameras are now the norm.
- Zeiss still has an attractive brand name and would certainly have no problem selling new lenses if they are good enough.
What kind of Zeiss lenses would you like to use?
My opinion:
- I think there would be room for a new Otus series designed for mirrorless cameras. The original OTUS was designed for DSLR and was too big.
- A series of f/1.4 Batis lenses for the Sony E-mount system would also be nice.
But I am aware that I am in a dream….. The most likely outcome is that Zeiss will continue to ignore the mirrorless world :(