Download - Carl Zeiss internationale nieuwsbrief nr. 38
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December 2010Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division38
Contents
Getting the light right ............. 2
Photo competition:
„Light is my language” ................ 6
Safely on Its Way – Lens from
Carl Zeiss Accompanies NASA
Space Shuttle .............................. 8
The right lens for each situation –
Carl Zeiss camera lens types ..... 11
Size Matters with Bryan Adams
in the Carl Zeiss Calendar.......... 14
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 2
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Christian Kernchen is a profes-
sional and highly experienced
architectural and portrait pho-
tographer based in Munich, Ger-
many. His work reveals a finely
balanced interplay between light,
aperture, sharpness and focus.
He put three Carl Zeiss lenses
through their paces, focusing on
architecture, portrait photogra-
phy and macro shots.
Mr Kernchen, much of your
work centers around architec-
tural photography. How do you
work with light and shadows in
that field?
I generally work with natural light
when I take shots of buildings and
architecture, and I especially enjoy
working at dawn and dusk when the
contrasts are not so harsh. Artificial
light produced by light shapers or
flash units does not tend to produce
enough illumination for buildings.
High dynamic range (HDR) imaging is
great for architectural photography
– by merging a series of shots of the
same subject taken at different expo-
sures you can really bring out some
interesting moods and contrasts.
You put the Carl Zeiss
Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE to the test
with a Canon 5D MK II. What
were your overall impressions?
I used the Carl Zeiss Distagon T*
3,5/18 ZE at twilight without a
tripod. All the shots I took were
razor-sharp even though I was taking
them handheld and in some instances
stopping the lens down to f/8 or f/11.
The superb depth of field and level of
detail allow you to take wonderfully
dramatic and beautifully presented
architectural shots that really draw
Getting the light right
Architectural photography using the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE: Natural light / exposure: f/8 at 1/200 sec. / ISO 200 (www.photography-kernchen.com)
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 3
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
the viewer’s attention to the pivotal
parts of the image. This ultra-wide-
angle lens is an excellent choice for
architectural photography because
you often end up working in very
confined spaces and trying to capture
and hold a huge field of view in full
frame mode. With conventional 18
millimeter lenses that often results in
distortion because full frame cameras
provide weak results at the edges,
but the ZEISS Distagon T* 3,5/18 pro-
duced sharp images without distor-
tion. I hardly lost any of the picture
area when I was editing the images
and I didn’t need to use distortion
correction.
Personally, I was very impressed with
the lens, especially for full format
photography, and it was genuinely
fun to use. It will be part of my stan-
dard kit from now on!
You also do a lot of portrait, life-
style and fashion photography.
How do you deal with light on
those kinds of jobs?
The most important thing about
portrait photography is getting the
illumination just right and making
skilled use of natural light, which
basically means knowing how to use
light shapers, shadows and contrasts
to emphasize or mute certain parts
of the picture. I try to take an artistic
approach to the person in front of
me and focus attention on specific
details. I find I get the best results
with a narrow focus and by using
vignetting, which is when the image
darkens towards the edges.
You tried out the Carl Zeiss Pla-
nar T* 1,4/50 ZE for your portrait
shoot. How did it go?
I did the portrait shoot with the well-
known model Rebecca Baur in an
empty, modern office building. The
huge windows and the bare concrete
walls made it the perfect location,
both for working with natural light
and for taking shots in dark corners
with a flash unit and what we call a
“beauty dish”, a device that makes
the light softer.
Architectural photography using the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE: Natural light / exposure: f/10 at 1/250 sec. / ISO 200 (www.photography-kernchen.com)
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 4
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Portrait shot using the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 1,4/50 ZE: Natural light / exposure: f/4 at 1/200 sec. / ISO 100 (www.christian-kernchen.com)
Portrait shot using the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 1,4/50 ZE: Natural light / exposure: f/5.6 at 1/125 sec. / ISO 200 (www.christian-kernchen.com)
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 5
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Once again, I chose the Canon 5D
MK II to test the Carl Zeiss Planar T*
1,4/50 ZE. Using manual focusing
means you have to take your time
with portraits and approach your
subject calmly, without rushing. The
superb bokeh you get with ZEISS lens-
es gives photographers real creative
scope for playing around with focus
and blur, and even with the aperture
wide open I find I can still achieve
precise focusing. I switched between
natural light and flash during the
shoot in order to bring out the details
I wanted. The lens gives fantastic
sharpness and image quality for
portraits and close-up shots, both in
natural light and in combination with
a professional flash unit. The results
were excellent – virtually none of the
images were out-of-focus or shaky.
Tinkering with focus and blur is
an important stylistic device in
landscape and macro photogra-
phy, too. What approach do you
typically take in those areas?
I see my landscape photography
work as a kind of counterbalance to
my work as an architectural photog-
rapher. As well as beautiful moun-
tains and lakes, there are so many
interesting little details waiting to be
discovered. Nature contains all sorts
of small, hidden wonders which you
only find by getting as close as you
can to your subject, ideally with a
macro lens.
You also put the Carl Zeiss Mak-
ro-Planar T* 2/100 ZE through its
paces. What did you think of it?
Once again I decided to use my
Canon 5D MK II full-format camera
to test the Makro-Planar T* 2/100
so that I could capture flowers and
ferns from a distance without the
limitations of a crop factor. The lens
has a very fine focus, so you need a
good tripod, a remote trigger cable
and mirror lock-up – just like with all
macro photography. The f/2.0 lens
produced some interesting effects:
The background becomes blurred
and your gaze is immediately drawn
to the main subject, such as a bud or
a flower. I got some superb, perfectly
focused results with the Makro-Pla-
nar T* 2/100 even in natural light.
Macro shot using the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZE Natural light / exposure: f/2 at 1/50 sec. / ISO 100 (www.photography-kernchen.com)
Christian Kernchen:
www.photography-kernchen.com
www.christian-kernchen.com
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 6
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Without light there is no vi-
sion and no photography. The
theme of this year’s photography
competition therefore focuses
on light and darkness. Under the
motto „Light is my language”,
photographers and photo en-
thusiasts from anywhere in the
world are invited to submit pic-
tures from their own perspective.
It makes no difference whether
the picture is shot with an SLR
single reflex lens or the camera
of a mobile phone. The only re-
quirement is to use a ZEISS lens.
ZEISS fans will help select the
winners through the internet.
“Light is the most important creative
means in photography. Every pho-
tographer speaks his own language
and ultimately expresses his creative
messages through light and shadow,”
explains Martin Klottig, Marketing
Manager of the Carl Zeiss Camera
Lens Division. There are many ways
of expressing one’s creativity through
light and shadow. With light reflec-
tions, messages in bokeh (the out-
of-focus area of an image), colorful
accents derived from long exposure
times or the soft glimmer of barely
discernable light, photographers
give their images meaning. “We’re
looking for photographers who can
make something visible that would
otherwise remain hidden. The award-
winning pictures will exude both cre-
ativity and con-scious composition,”
adds Klottig.
For the first time, anyone will be
able to follow the contest dur-ing its
entire duration on Flickr, the global
online photo com-munity. Partici-
pants in the contest should upload
their best image that fits the “Light is
my language” theme and tag it with
the keyword “ZEISSContest2010”
on the official Carl Zeiss group
on Flickr (www.flickr.com/groups/
carlzeisslenses). Pictures can be sub-
mitted until January 16, after which a
jury from Carl Zeiss will select the 10
best images. The jury will assess pic-
tures on their creativity and technical
execution of the concept. The highest
number of points will be given to ex-
citing images that have been created
before and during the shutter release,
with as little revising and adapting of
the image as possible. The shortlisted
pictures will then be presented in a
Flickr gallery. From the 10 shortlisted
images, the Flickr community will
select the three best images. The
picture that is added the most as a
“favorite” after the start of the gallery
will win.
The winner will receive a ZEISS SLR
lens of his or her choice. The second
prize is a set of cinemizer Plus video
glasses to-gether with a Nokia N8
smartphone. The third-prize winner
will receive a Sony DSC-TX9 compact
camera with ZEISS optics.
For more information, visit
www.zeiss.com/photo
www.zeiss.com/photo/contest
Photo competition: „Light is my language”
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 7
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Altes Stadthaus, Berlin, taken with Distagon T* 2,8/21
Sun over a lake, taken with Distagon T* 2,8/25
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 8
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Cape Canaveral. Night. The
hustle and bustle of prepara-
tions cannot be overlooked. The
employees of PCO AG, a leading
manufacturer of high-speed cam-
eras for industry and research,
are anxious: the countdown for
the launch of the next space
shuttle mission is underway.
A camera from PCO and a lens
from Carl Zeiss are recording the
launch.
Artists are not the only ones who
need high-speed equipment to
draw attention to their subjects.
The demands of high-tech scenarios
in industry, e.g. recording a night-
time launch of the space shuttle, are
often much higher. More astound-
ing is the fact that photographers
use the same lenses for their art.
The United States has sent more
than 100 space shuttles into space.
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration filmed each launch to
learn from mistakes and make each
subsequent flight safer and more
reliable. The cameras and lenses
used for this purpose are subject to
rigorous requirements. So rigorous
that NASA has consistently stuck to
traditional film cameras because, until
very recently, digital technology was
still not up to the challenge. Time to
rethink this approach? In 2009, NASA
asked four digital high-speed camera
makers to film the launch of a space
shuttle. A pco.dimax from PCO and
Safely on Its WayLens from Carl Zeiss Accompanies NASA Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle before August 2009 launch
a Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF from
Carl Zeiss were there.
Superiority in light and darkness
The material is really put to the test
while recording a shuttle launch. First
off, the differences in light intensity
are enormous – the dead of night
followed by a burst of light from the
booster rockets. It is very difficult to
compensate for the resulting reflec-
tions. As with night photography, the
cameras and lenses must feature very
high speed. The cameras take several
hundreds of photos each second in
order to capture all the details of a
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 9
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
shuttle launch. The exposure times
are accordingly short. The image
sensors therefore have to be very sen-
sitive and the lenses so powerful that
sufficient light reaches the sensor.
Focusing on the details
When photographers set out to
capture the tiniest details, their
primary requirement is good imaging
performance. This is no different
during a shuttle launch. The cameras
are positioned some 300 meters from
the launch pad, yet it is the close-up
details of the launch that are crucial:
Did the shuttle separate correctly
from the launch platform? Did all the
engines ignite? Did the heat shield
remain intact? NASA depends on this
information to perform its subse-
quent launch analysis, a process that
could enable it to determine why
a part became detached from the
shuttle during launch or even prevent
a potential catastrophe in space. Pick-
ing out that level of detail from such
a large distance requires cameras
with a very high resolution – and
lenses that are just as good.
What about the weather
A third key quality feature is the
workmanship of cameras and lenses.
NASA’s requirements far exceed
anything that photographic equip-
ment generally encounters. “The
shuttle launch produces incredible
vibrations,” explains Gerhard Holst,
PCO’s head of research, “plus you
have to deal with high humidity and
significant temperature variations, be-
cause it gets a lot colder in Florida at
night.” Once the cameras have been
set up and focused, they are simply
left outside – protected from the
weather by nothing more than a mini
roof – because access is subsequently
prohibited for safety and security
reasons. The fact that NASA had
to repeatedly postpone the launch
meant that the equipment was ex-
posed to adverse weather conditions
for more than a week – an indication
of just how robust the systems need
to be. “A standard lens wouldn’t even
survive the vibrations triggered by the
launch,” says Holst. So PCO chose
the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF from
Carl Zeiss, a very fast lens that offers
equally impressive resolution.
Test installation with a pco.dimax and ZEISS Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF in Florida (source: PCO)
Following installation, various high-speed cameras and lenses were protected against the elements only by a small enclosure (source: PCO)
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 10
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
The test results were impressive, with
the shots taken by PCO showing
details such as thin cables that are
not visible on images taken by the
other systems. “Even the folks at
NASA were impressed with that,”
laughs Holst. It is still unclear if NASA
will soon actually switch over to
digital photography. The future of the
American shuttle has not been writ-
ten – NASA intends to discontinue
the program. However, the results of
the test could also be of great interest
for the shuttle’s planned successor,
the Orion spacecraft, as well as for
other applications in the aerospace
arena. After all, the high-speed cam-
eras from PCO and the lenses from
Carl Zeiss have demonstrated that
they are more than capable of stand-
ing up to the challenges of a space
shuttle launch regardless of the envi-
ronment – darkest night or incredible
light, rain or wind, near or far.
The ZEISS Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF has an excellent track record
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 11
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
The right lens for each situationCarl Zeiss camera lens types
Distagon, Planar, Tessar… Carl Zeiss lenses have been known by these names for decades. But what actu-
ally lies behind these long-familiar names? What distinguishes the different lens types and what were they
originally designed for?
Planar:
an exceptionally fl at image plane
The Planar was one of the fi rst lenses
developed by Carl Zeiss. Launched in
1896, this symmetrical lens was the
fi rst to achieve almost perfect image
fl atness, correcting both spherical and
chromatic aberrations as well as astig-
matism. As the name suggests, the
Planar was designed to have minimal
fi eld curvature. Nowadays, the Planar
comes in a wide range of different
models with focal lengths of between
50 and 100 millimeters.
Special versions are available for
industrial applications. For example,
Carl Zeiss designed the Planar
1:0,7/50 – the fastest lens in the
world – for NASA, enabling photos
to be taken of the dark side of the
Moon for the very fi rst time.
Distagon:
broadening your horizons
The lenses sold under the Distagon
moniker are retrofocus lenses, in
other words non-symmetrical, wide-
angle lenses in which the distance
between the rear element and the
fi lm plane is signifi cantly greater than
the focal length. Distagon lenses use
fl oating elements, a type of lens con-
struction that automatically adjusts
the distance between the groups
within the lens in order to provide
excellent fi eld fl attening even at close
focusing distances. Thanks to their
minimal distortion, Distagon lenses
are the perfect choice for advertising
and architectural photography. They
are available in a range of models,
for example as wide-angle and super
wide-angle lenses with focal lengths
of between 18 and 35 millimeters.
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 12
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Sonnar: bringing light and con-
trast into 35mm photography
Carl Zeiss developed the Sonnar
range of lenses in 1930 for 35mm
photography. The name comes from
the German word for sun, and it was
the bright aperture and high contrast
echoed in that name which quickly
caught people’s attention when these
lenses were launched. Sonnar lenses
have very few air/glass surfaces de-
spite their wide aperture – something
that was of the utmost importance in
the days before anti-refl ective coatings
were invented – and this made them
into the fi rst viable fast lenses. Now
that this baton has been passed on to
the Planar, the Sonnar has begun to
fl ex its muscles in other areas. Models
from this range nowadays form the
basis for compact high-performance
lenses such as the C Sonnar T* 1,5/50
ZM, the Sonnar T* 2/85 ZM and the
Vario-Sonnar T* DT 3,5-4,5/16-80 ZA
for Sony DSLRs. Photographers ben-
efi t from the Sonnar lenses’ superb
aberration correction and uniform
illumination of the image fi eld.
Tessar:
the eagle eye of your camera
IIn 1902, Carl Zeiss developed what
would arguably become the most
famous lens in the history of photog-
raphy – the Tessar. Since then, more
than 100 million units have been sold
and the Tessar has inspired countless
imitations. Offering unprecedented
levels of brilliance when it was fi rst
launched, its crisp image defi nition
continues to impress today. By design,
Tessar lenses are highly compact
and perfectly suited to applications
where size and weight are critical
– for example in Nokia cell phones
such as the Nokia N8 smart phone,
which uses Tessar lenses to obtain
maximum image quality in a remark-
ably small package. Rangefi nder
cameras can tap into the benefi ts of
the Tele-Tessar T* 4/85 ZM, a slim and
extremely compact tele lens that fi ts
easily into almost any jacket pocket,
making it the perfect companion for
portrait and landscape photography.
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 13
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
Camera Lens News
A newsletter for all who use, buy, sell,
like, report about and are interested in
Carl Zeiss camera lenses.
All information in Camera Lens News is
accurate to the best of our knowledge at
the time of publication.
Publisher:
Carl Zeiss AG
Camera Lens Division
Marketing
73446 Oberkochen
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 7364/20-6175
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.zeiss.de/photo
Biogon: truly out of this world
Biogon is a range of super wide-
angle lenses which were designed
to capture as much of the photogra-
pher’s surroundings as possible in a
single shot. Their almost completely
symmetrical and highly compact lens
construction enables Biogon lenses
to produce a 90 degree fi eld angle.
Thanks to very low distortion, excel-
lent fi eld fl atness and superb resolving
power, Biogon lenses are an unbeat-
able tool for documentary work. Their
abilities have even been put to the
test in space. On July 20, 1969, Neil
Armstrong took the fi rst pictures of
the Moon using a Hasselblad EDC and
a Carl Zeiss Biogon, and this lens type
also proved to be a reliable compan-
ion for astronauts on subsequent
Apollo missions.
Would you like to learn more
about our different types of
lenses?
Next year we will be running a
series of technical articles examin-
ing in much greater depth how
ur lenses are designed, how they
work and what features they offer.
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 14
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
He’s not just a famous rock
singer and songwriter, but also
a talented photographer: Bryan
Adams took fascinating shots of
model Tatjana Patitz and actor
Michael J. Fox in New York for
the 2011 Carl Zeiss Calendar. In
lavish images, all captured in
Manhattan, the calendar titled
“Size and the City” has big and
small as its subject.
The couple shown could not be any
different – especially as far as their
size is concerned: top model Tatjana
Patitz with her 1.80 meters and actor
Michael J. Fox, who measures 1.62
meters. Bryan Adams put the two
world-famous stars in the spotlight
as an imaginary romantic couple.
Whether they are eating a meal,
shopping or just out for a walk, the
goal is always to contrast big and
small, and far and near. Patitz takes
a leisurely walk with a pug, for ex-
ample, while Fox is being dragged off
his feet by a Great Dane.
“Photographing a couple of very
different sizes was Byran Adam’s
idea. He also wanted New York as
the location,” says Jörg Nitschke,
Head of Corporate Communications
at Carl Zeiss. “The title ‘Size and the
City’ should not be understood as a
motto. It combines the subject of size
with scenes from big city life. And, of
course, it is a play on the title of then
famous TV series.”
A guy who focuses on the es-
sentials
Bryan Adams, who has had No.1 hits
in more than 30 countries, has made
a name for himself as a photographer
and has received numerous inter-
national awards for his work. Jörg
Nitschke, who was present during the
Size Matters with Bryan Adams in the
Carl Zeiss Calendar
Carl Zeiss December 2010 Page 15
Camera Lens News Nr. 38
two-day photo shoot in New York,
describes Adams’ approach as very
focused: “He is highly concentrated
and in no way sees this part of his
artistic work as a hobby or as a means
of relaxation between gigs. He is not
the type of guy that wants a lot of
complicated, high-tech equipment,
but starts by getting a feel for the
location and the players and then im-
mediately begins implementing.” The
shots were in the can after just two
days. For Nitschke, the photos exude
a sense of liberal and casual generos-
ity and combine a zest for life with
a tinge of inner reflection. They are
a plea for love – also in the face of
seemingly insurmountable contrasts
and contradictions.
The calendar has been published in
a limited edition for customers and
friends of Carl Zeiss and is not avail-
able for purchase. “We do not wish to
do business with the calendar. It is part
of our understanding of originality and
an indication of how greatly we value
our friends and partners. We want to
offer them something special, and that
is precisely what the photos are.”
On 12 October 2010, ZEISS pre-
sented the photos of the calendar to
a selected, international public during
a private viewing in the House of
Photography in Hamburg, Germany.
The response in the international
press was sensational. “In October we
already surpassed the 90 million mark
in our media contacts,” Nitschke says
with obvious delight and admits that
it will be no easy project to follow
next year. “Our plans for 2012 are
already underway. I am really excited
about what we come up with next
time.”
Win a 2011 Carl Zeiss
Calendar!
We are organizing a drawing for
three of the limited edition cal-
endars. Send us an email marked
“Win a Calendar” to photo@zeiss.
de before 14 January 2010. The
winners will then be selected in a
drawing.