German lens maker Zeiss on Thursday released a new telephoto lens for mirrorless Sony full-frame cameras.
The Zeiss Loxia 2.4/85 is light and compact and is ideal for travel and portrait photography. It is a new addition to the Loxia family that consists of Loxia 2.8/21, Loxia 2/35 and Loxia 2/50.
Introduced with digital sensors, the Loxia 2.4/85 offers seven lens elements and is based on an optimized Zeiss Sonnar design.
“With the ZEISS Loxia 2.4/85, we have managed to develop a well-rounded and new interpretation of the original ZEISS Sonnar optical design that meets all the requirements of digital photography and videography,” said Christophe Casenave, product manager with Zeiss Camera Lenses.
For more on the technical side, the lens has a minimum object distance of 0.80 meters and a manual focus ring with a rotation angle of 220 degrees. You also have a large aperture of f/2.4 with high-quality optical design. And the electronic interface transfers both lens data (EXIF) and focus movements.
According to Casenave, the manual focusing with hard stop and the mechanism setting of the apperture provides photographers “abundant possibilities for composition”.
In addition to digital photography, the Loxia 2.4/85 is also suitable for videography as it comes with the De-Click function that allows to mechanically deactivate the click stops on the aperture ring. It is an attractive lens for video cameras that have an E mount, such as the Sony PXW-FS7 and PXW-FS5.
As for the Zeiss Lens Gears, they are made of high-quality aluminum with a hardened surface coating. The Loxia lenses can also be used with a follow focus system and come with similar features found in any full-scale cine lens.
The Loxia 2.4/85 will begin shipping in December, 2016. It comes with a price tag of $1,399.