ARRI-Zeiss Lenses

Lenses are among the most important elements of a camera system because they form and focus the image that is recorded by the emulsion or sensor. An ongoing and hugely successful collaboration between ARRI and Zeiss has resulted in the ARRI Master Primes, Ultra Primes, Ultra 16s and the Lightweight Zoom. These lenses stand at the very forefront of modern optical technology and performance, offering unparalleled speed, resolution and contrast.

Combining ARRI reliability with the legendary quality of Zeiss optics, ARRI’s 35 mm format lenses have become the standard against which others are measured. Precisely designed and engineered, yet highly durable, these lenses offer exceptional performance across a wide range of focal lengths.

Zeiss Company Information

The Carl Zeiss company is a German manufacturer of optical systems, industrial measurements and medical devices originally founded in Jena in 1846 by Carl Zeiss, Ernst Abbe, and Otto Schott. Due to the results of World War II there are currently two parts, the Carl Zeiss AG located in Oberkochen with important subsidiaries in Aalen, Göttingen and Munich and Carl Zeiss GmbH located in the foundation city Jena. The organisation is named after one of its founders, the German optician Carl Zeiss (1816–1888). Carl Zeiss is the premier company of the Zeiss Gruppe, one of the two large divisions of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung. The Zeiss Gruppe is located in Heidenheim and Jena. The other division of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, the glass manufacturer Schott AG and Jenaer Glaswerk, is located in Mainz and Jena. Carl Zeiss is one of the oldest existing optics manufacturers in the world.

The Zeiss company was responsible for many innovations in optical design and engineering. Early on, Carl Zeiss realised that he needed a competent designer so as to bring the firm beyond just being another optical workshop, so in 1866, the service of Dr Ernst Abbe was enlisted. From then on, novel products appeared in rapid succession, which brought the Zeiss company to the forefront of optical technology.

After the partitioning of Germany, a new Carl Zeiss optical company was established in Oberkochen, while the original Zeiss firm in Jena continued to operate. At first both firms produced very similar lines of products, and extensively cooperated in product-sharing, but they drifted apart as time progressed. Jena's new direction was to concentrate on developing lenses for the 35 mm single-lens reflex camera, and many achievements were made, especially in ultra-wide angle designs. In addition to that, Oberkochen also worked on designing lenses for large format cameras, interchangeable front element lenses such as for the 35 mm single-lens reflex Contaflex, and other types of cameras.

Now over 100 years old, Zeiss continues to be associated with expensive and high-quality optical lenses. Zeiss lenses are generally thought to be elegant and well-constructed, yielding high-quality images. Even old lens designs such as the Tessar demonstrate engineering elegance and in the modern age of plastic parts, many Zeiss lenses are still made with predominantly metal components.

Zeiss licenses its technology to be manufactured by third-party companies and indeed, many have done so. Notable names include Hasselblad, a famous name in medium format professional cameras. Rollei, Yashica, Sony, Logitech and Alpa amongst others, have used or manufactured lenses under Zeiss license. The Contax line of 35 mm cameras, first produced by Yashica and subsequently Kyocera until 2005 are perhaps the most well-known to fit Zeiss lenses. Notably absent from this list are the Japanese companies Canon and Nikon, who by and large produce their own lenses.

EXTERNAL LINKS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Zeiss_AG
http://www.arri.de/camera/lenses.html