Zeiss is going to make ZF for N***N

Why Zeiss won't make lenses for Canon

HKFEVER wrote:
Why Zeiss won't make lenses for Canon

My bet is that Canon won't provide the licensing for the required software interface. Having Sigma, Tokina, and Tamron as competition for their low-margin consumer lenses isn't at all the same as having Zeiss compete with their L-series lenses, I expect.

If the Zeiss lenses have a manual aperture and focus control, then it won't matter. If I really want one, I'll just use my Noink>Canon adaptor.

Traditionally, Nikon was associated with Contax and Canon with Leica back when rangefinders were their main products. Perhaps we'll see a licensing agreement with Leitz for lenses that will fit Canon bodies. Or not.

Rick "who thinks Canon knows what their intellectual property is worth" Denney

As far as the press mention, Zeiss will make lenses for some other brands after the ZF. Hope that will include Canon's.

Don't forget that Nikon still has the mechanical linkages on many lenses and Canon is only electronic. Not sure that Zeiss will want to go down the Canon path as their lenses are all manual - aperture ring, focus ring............it would require a complete redesign and new production line; for how many sales? Especially as you can get adapters to fit Zeiss or Nikon to EF already - you wouldn't gain anything above that.

To be honest.......I don't need any more lenses to lust over. I have 2-3 more Canon lenses that I want and I hope to be done after that. So Zeiss, if you are listening "DO NOT MAKE ANY SHARP WIDE ANGLE PRIMES FOR CANON!!!"

Thank you!!!

Ro1

They already do, it's the 21mm distagon and you can use it with an M42 adaptor. I hope you've got deep pockets if you want one.

I don't know if it's for real or not, but someone in another place claims to have emailed Zeiss asking whether an EF-mount on these new lenses was possible and the reply was that Zeiss would love to, but Canon won't co-operate :-

http://www.fredmiranda​.com/forum/topic/32814​9

I don't think I want to even consider more lenses. It's hard enough to decide on the ones that I haven't purchased yet. But if Zeiss does do a Canon mount, I'd have to take a peek, through a CANON lens, of course.

SuzyView

hmv wrote:
I don't know if it's for real or not, but someone in another place claims to have emailed Zeiss asking whether an EF-mount on these new lenses was possible and the reply was that Zeiss would love to, but Canon won't co-operate :-

http://www.fredmiranda​.com/forum/topic/32814​9

I'm not surprised. That would be just like saying "Your lenses are better, please help!" (even though it's true and they know it). I can't blame Canon for not helping another manufacturer get into the same market and take away a share of the market, especially a share of the "high end lenses" market with which their lenses would most likely compete with.

... I don't know what Nikon's reasoning is though

HKFEVER wrote:
Why Zeiss won't make lenses for Canon

But that contradicts the concept that Nikon's glass is so superior! I mean, if those Nikkor lenses are so good, why would someone want to use a Zeiss lens on their D2x?

There was a rumour floating around a week or two ago that Canon was buying Leica.
Take it with the appropriate grain of salt, though.

Nikon may not have been consulted. The Ai mount is surely old enough to have fallen into the public domain by this time. Arsenal makes a model of Kiev camera with a Nikon mount, as does Fuji with its digital bodies.

I'm trying to remember when the original Nikon lens mount came out, and I'm thinking it was no later than 1965. And the Ai modifications came out in the early 70's, as I recall. Both patents would have expired by now. Only the D-series electronics would still be protected.

But the Canon EF mount came out in 1986 or so, and would be under patent protection for another few years. Considering the all-electronic mount, the electronic protocol is the difficult part of the mount, and probably the only part that is patent-protected. Sigma reportedly didn't license from Canon until 2001, but they apparently didn't violate Canon's patent before that time. Canon fixed them, of course, by making a change they could not accommodate without licensing. That's how you protect intellectual property.

Rick "suggesting that most common lens mounts except Canon are now in the public domain" Denney

just a little bit out of line i know but wondered if the Leica R apo-macro 100 2.8 lens would be compatible with the 20d. i know it will be manual focus but wondered what camera info would be retained. apparantely this is the sharpest lens available for macro, (anyone)

Im also interested in seeing if Zeiss end up producing canon fit lenses, but I can see a hit in the sales of canon L primes if they do, hence why i think Canon won't play ball

If you can adapt it to fit the Canon (I haven't checked, but it's likely), and if the Leitz lens allows manual aperture control (which I'm sure it does), then you can use it. It will report 00 as the aperture and nothing for the focal length of the lens.

Rick "who thinks a 20D doesn't have small enough pixels to tell the difference from the Canon 100 macro" Denney