Thornwood, NY—Zeiss announced the Loxia 2.8/21, a super-wide-angle lens developed for compact, full-frame cameras with a Sony E mount. With a new optical design based on the Zeiss Distagon, it joins the Loxia 2/35 and 2/50 lenses that debuted last year.
“Since the Sony α7 series came out, the market has been waiting for a powerful super-wide-angle lens for compact, full-frame cameras. For many photographers such a lens was the missing tool in their gear. Zeiss is now meeting that demand with the Zeiss Loxia 2.8/21,” said Christophe Casenave, Product manager at Zeiss Camera Lenses.
The lightweight lens is designed to combine traditional photography and modern technology. An electronic interface transmits lens data (EXIF) as well as the focus movements and—if desired by the photographer—activates the camera’s magnifying function. For more advanced photographers who don’t want to leave all the work to the camera, the lens provides the option for precise manual focusing with end stop and the mechanical setting of the aperture (aperture priority mode for the working aperture).
With an angular field exceeding 91º (diagonal) on a full-frame camera, the Loxia 2.8/21 is suited for nature, landscape and architectural photography. In landscape photography, in particular, an exact infinity setting is critical, and the precise manual focusing of the Loxia 2.8/21 supports the user’s vision. Furthermore, the lens is said to enable naturally proportioned images with a low minimum object distance of 9.84 inches.
Videographers will also appreciate the lens’s mechanical deactivation of the aperture click stop for infinite aperture settings (de-click), as well as the smooth focus operation with a rotation angle of 90º to allow for fine variations when focusing E-mount video cameras.
The Loxia 2.8/21 consists of 11 lens elements in nine groups with an underlying Zeiss Distagon optical design. It’s also engineered to provide high resolution along the entire image field, low distortion and color fringing, as well as appealing bokeh—particularly at the maximum aperture of f/2.8. Other features include a metal barrel, a filter diameter of 52mm and special weather protection on the lens mount to eliminate spray getting between the camera and lens.
The Zeiss Loxia 2.8/21 will be available December 2015 with an included lens shade for an SRP of $1,499. zeiss.com
