Carl Zeiss AG | We make it visible |
| | Aktiengesellschaft |
| Industry | Imaging |
| Founded | Jena, Germany
1846; 171 years ago |
| Headquarters | Oberkochen, Germany |
| Key people | Dr. Michael Kaschke,[1] CEO and President |
| Products | Precision binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, night vision equipment, laser-guided rangefinders, riflescopes, planetarium projectors and other optical equipment. |
| Revenue |  € 4.51 billion[2] (2014/15) |
| | EBIT € 369 million[3] (2014/15) |
| Number of employees | 24,946 (30 September 2015)[4] |
| Website | www.zeiss.de |
Carl Zeiss (German pronunciation: [kal tsas]) is a German manufacturer of optical systems, industrial measurements and medical devices, founded in Jena, Germany in 1846 by optician Carl Zeiss. Together with Ernst Abbe (joined 1866) and Otto Schott (joined 1884) they
built a base for modern optics and manufacturing. There are currently two parts of the company, Carl Zeiss AG located in Oberkochen with important subsidiaries in Aalen, Gttingen and Munich, and Carl Zeiss GmbH located in Jena.
Carl Zeiss AG 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. Also controlled by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung are the glass manufacturers Schott AG and Jenaer Glas, located in Mainz and Jena respectively. Carl Zeiss is one of the oldest existing optics manufacturers in the world.[citation needed]
Corporate history[edit]
First workshop of Carl Zeiss in the city center of Jena, ca. 1847.
2 historical lenses Carl Zeiss, Jena, Nr. 145077 and Nr. 145078, Tessar 1:4,5 F=5,5cm DRP 142294 (produced before 1910).
VEB Zeiss Jena
Flektogon lens engraved merely "Jena", as exported to West Germany (1967)
Carl Zeiss opened an optics workshop in Jena in 1846. By 1847 he was making microscopes full-time. By 1861 Zeiss was considered to be among the best scientific instrument makers in Germany with about 20 people working under him with his business still growing. By 1866 the Zeiss workshop sold their 1,000th microscope. In 1872 physicist Ernst Abbe joined Zeiss and along with Otto Schott designed greatly improved lenses for the optical instruments they were producing. After Carl Zeiss's death in 1888, the business was incorporated as the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung in 1889.
By World War I,[5] Zeiss was the world's largest location of camera production. Zeiss Ikon represented a significant part of the production along with dozens of other brands and factories, and also had major works at Dresden.
In 1928 Hensoldt AG was acquired by Carl Zeiss and has produced the Zeiss binoculars and riflescopes since 1964,[6] occasionally resulting in twin products being offered under both the Hensoldt and Zeiss brand names. The Hensoldt System Technology division (resulting from a merger of the military optics operations of Leica and Hensoldt) was continued by Zeiss under the Hensoldt name until 2006.
As part of Nazi Germany Zwangsarbeiter program, Zeiss used forced labour during the Second World War.[7][8] The destruction of the war caused many companies to divide into smaller subcompanies and others to merge. There was great respect for the engineering innovation that came out of Dresden—before the war the world's first 35 mm single-lens reflex camera, the Kine Exakta, and the first miniature camera with good picture quality were developed there.
At the end of the war Jena was occupied by the US Army. When Jena and Dresden were incorporated into the Soviet occupation zone, later East Germany, some parts of Zeiss Jena were relocated by the US army to the Contessa manufacturing facility in Stuttgart, West Germany, while the remainder of Zeiss Jena was reestablished by the (Eastern) German Democratic Republic as Kombinat VEB Zeiss Jena.[9] As part of the World War II reparations, the Soviet army took most of the existing Zeiss factories and tooling back to the Soviet Union as the Kiev camera works.
The western business was restarted in Oberkochen (in southwestern Germany) as Opton Optische Werke Oberkochen GmbH in 1946, which became Zeiss-Opton Optische Werke Oberkochen GmbH in 1947, but was soon renamed to Carl Zeiss. West German Zeiss products were labelled Opton for sale in the Eastern bloc, while East German Zeiss products were labelled "Zeiss Jena" or simply "Jena" for sale in Western countries.
In 1973, the Western Carl Zeiss AG entered into a licensing agreement with the Japanese camera company Yashica to produce a series of high-quality 35 mm film cameras and lenses bearing the Contax and Zeiss brand names. This collaboration continued under Yashica's successor, Kyocera, until the latter ceased all camera production in 2005. Zeiss later produced lenses for the space industry and, more recently, has again produced high-quality 35 mm camera lenses. The eastern Zeiss Jena was also well known for producing high-quality products
Following German reunification, VEB Zeiss Jena—reckoned as one of the few East German firms that was even potentially able to compete on a global basis—became Zeiss Jena GmbH, which became Jenoptik Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH in 1990. In 1991, Jenoptik Carl Zeiss Jena was split in two, with Carl Zeiss AG (Oberkochen) taking over the company's divisions for microscopy and other precision optics (effectively reuniting the pre-war Carl Zeiss enterprise) and moving its microscopy and planetarium divisions back to Jena. Jenoptik GmbH was split off as a specialty company in the areas of photonics, optoelectronics, and mechatronics.[10][11]
The Hensoldt AG was renamed Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH on 1 October 2006.[12]
The companies of the Zeiss Gruppe in and around Dresden have branched into new technologies: screens and products for the automotive industry, for example.
Today, there are arguably three companies with primarily Zeiss Ikon heritage: Zeiss Germany, the Finnish/Swedish Ikon (which bought the West German Zeiss Ikon AG), and the independent eastern Zeiss Ikon.
On 28 June 2013, Carl Zeiss officially announced its plan to rename the brand from "Carl Zeiss" to simply "Zeiss". All the products will be standardized under the Zeiss brand.[13]
Innovations[edit]
The Zeiss company was responsible for many innovations in optical design and engineering. Early on, Carl Zeiss realised that he needed a competent scientist so as to take the firm beyond just being another optical workshop. 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.
Abbe was instrumental in the development of the famous Jena optical glass. When he was trying to eliminate astigmatism from microscopes, he realised that the range of optical glasses available was insufficient. After some calculations, he realised that performance of optical instruments would dramatically improve, if optical glasses of appropriate properties were available. His challenge to glass manufacturers was finally answered by Dr Otto Schott, who established the famous glassworks at Jena from which new types of optical glass began to appear from 1888 to be employed by Zeiss and other makers.
The new Jena optical glass also opened up the possibility of increased performance of photographic lenses. The first use of Jena glass in a photographic lens was by Voigtlnder, but as the lens was an old design its performance was not greatly improved. Subsequently the new glasses would demonstrate their value in correcting astigmatism, and in the production of apochromatic lenses. Abbe started the design of a photographic lens of symmetrical design with five elements, but went no further.
Zeiss' domination of photographic lens innovation was due to Dr Paul Rudolph. In 1890, Rudolph designed an asymmetrical lens with a cemented group at each side of the diaphragm, appropriately named "Anastigmat". This lens was made in three series: Series III, IV and V, with maximum apertures of f/7.2, f/12.5, and f/18 respectively. In 1891, Series I, II and IIIa appeared with respective maximum apertures of f/4.5, f/6.3, and f/9 and in 1893 came Series IIa of f/8 maximum aperture. These lenses are now better known by the trademark "Protar" which was first used in 1900.
At the time, single combination lenses, which occupy one side of the diaphragm only, were still popular. Rudolph designed one with three cemented elements in 1893, with the option of fitting two of them together in a lens barrel as a compound lens, but it was found to be the same as the Dagor by C.P. Goerz, designed by Emil von Hoegh. Rudolph then came up with a single combination with four cemented elements, which can be considered as having all the elements of the Protar stuck together in one piece. Marketed in 1894, it was called the Protarlinse Series VII, the most highly corrected single combination lens with maximum apertures between f/11 and f/12.5, depending on its focal length.
But the important thing about this Protarlinse is that two of these lens units can be mounted in the same lens barrel to form a compound lens of even greater performance and larger aperture, between f/6.3 and f/7.7. In this configuration it was called the Double Protar Series VIIa. An immense range of focal lengths can thus be obtained by the various combination of Protarlinse units.
Rudolph also investigated the Double-Gauss concept of a symmetrical design with thin positive meniscii enclosing negative elements. The result was the Planar Series Ia of 1896, with maximum apertures up to f/3.5, one of the fastest lenses of its time. Whilst it was very sharp, it suffered from coma which limited its popularity. However, further developments of this configuration made it the design of choice for high-speed lenses of standard coverage.
Probably inspired by the Stigmatic lenses designed by Hugh Aldis for Dallmeyer of London, Rudolph designed a new asymmetrical lens with four thin elements, the Unar Series Ib, with apertures up to f/4.5. Due to its high speed it was used extensively on hand cameras.
The most important Zeiss lens by Rudolph was the Tessar, first sold in 1902 in its Series IIb f/6.3 form. It can be said as a combination of the front half of the Unar with the rear half of the Protar. This proved to be a most valuable and flexible design, with tremendous development potential. Its maximum aperture was increased to f/4.7 in 1917, and reached f/2.7 in 1930. It is probable that every lens manufacturer has produced lenses of the Tessar configurations.
Rudolph left Zeiss after the First World War, but many other competent designers such as Mert, Wandersleb, etc. kept the firm at the leading edge of photographic lens innovations. One of the most significant designer was the ex-Ernemann man Dr Ludwig Bertele, famed for his Ernostar high-speed lens.
With the advent of the Contax by Zeiss-Ikon, the first serious challenge to the Leica in the field of professional 35 mm cameras, both Zeiss-Ikon and Carl Zeiss decided to beat the Leica in every possible way. Bertele's Sonnar series of lenses designed for the Contax were the match in every respect for the Leica for at least two decades. Other lenses for the Contax included the Biotar, Biogon, Orthometar, and various Tessars and Triotars.
The last important Zeiss innovation before the Second World War was the technique of applying anti-reflective coating to lens surfaces invented by Olexander Smakula in 1935.[14] A lens so treated was marked with a red "T", short for "Transparent". The technique of applying multiple layers of coating was developed from this basis after the war, and known as "T" (T-star).[15]
Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515 with Klio shutter and Nettar ƒ/4.5 lens
[16] 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 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras, and many achievements were made, especially in ultra-wide angle designs. In addition to that, Oberkochen also worked on designing lenses for the 35 mm single-lens reflex camera Contarex, for the medium format camera Hasselblad, for large format cameras like the Linhof Technika, interchangeable front element lenses such as for the 35 mm single-lens reflex Contaflex and other types of cameras.
Since the beginning of Zeiss as a photographic lens manufacturer, it has had a licensing programme which allows other manufacturers to produce its lenses. Over the years its licensees included Voigtlnder, Bausch & Lomb, Ross, Koristka, Krauss, Kodak. etc. In the 1970s, the western operation of Zeiss-Ikon got together with Yashica to produce the new Contax cameras, and many of the Zeiss lenses for this camera, among others, were produced by Yashica's optical arm, Tomioka. As Yashica's owner Kyocera ended camera production in 2006, and Yashica lenses were then made by Cosina, who also manufactured most of the new Zeiss designs for the new Zeiss Ikon coupled rangefinder camera. Another licensee active today is Sony who uses the Zeiss name on lenses on its video and digital still cameras.
Business relationships[edit]
Zeiss has licensed its name and/or technology to various other companies, including Hasselblad, Rollei, Yashica, Sony, Logitech, and Alpa. The nature of the collaboration varies, from co-branding optics designed by another firm (e.g., Sony) to complete optical design and manufacturing (e.g., Hasselblad).
On 27 April 2005, the company announced a collaboration with Nokia in the camera phone market. Cameras to emerge from this collaboration included the Nokia N90, Nokia N8 and Nokia 808 PureView.
2004 Zeiss Ikon rangefinder with 35mm ƒ/2 Biogon lens.
Zeiss Ikon cameras[edit]
Zeiss Ikon is camera brand related to Carl Zeiss, but was an independent company formed by the merger of four camera makers (Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann, Goerz and Ica) in 1926. Much of the capital came from Zeiss which also provided most of the lenses and shutters for the cameras. Among the founders was August Nagel of Contessa-Nettel, who would leave the company in 1928 to form the Nagel Works, and in 1932, his company was bought by Kodak. Post WWII Japanese Nippon Kogaku would offer the "Nikon" camera and Zeiss Ikon prevented some European distribution under the theory that "Nikon" was an infringement on their brand name.
The earliest Zeiss Ikon cameras were a range of medium and large format folding cameras, for film and glass plate photography. The most expensive was the Universal Juwel (Jewel) an Ica designed glass plate camera with origins in 1909. This was a favorite of both Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange. Despite German production, the folding Super Ikonta was among the mainstays of British Army photographers during WWII.
In 1932 Zeiss Ikon introduced the Contax line of 35mm rangefinder cameras, in an attempt to compete with the Leica series, from Leitz, another giant in German optics. Though it had more features, the first Contax (I) was overly complicated and had problems with quality. However in 1936, the Contax II upstaged the Leica in many ways and became the favorite of many renowned photographers and journalists, including Robert Capa and Margaret Bourke White. A second 35mm camera, the Contax III was mechanically identical with an light meter grafted to the top of the camera.
Post WWII the Soviets removed the Contax factory to Kiev, as war reparations, and produced the Contax II and III cameras under the Kiev brand. The first Kiev cameras were identical except for logos, thus Zeiss Ikon was forced to redesign their cameras to be competitive. These were named the Contax IIa and IIIa, and were smaller, lighter, and less complex than the original designs. But by the time the IIa and IIIa hit the market, they faced strong competition from many European and Asian brands, notably the visually similar Nikon which was a high quality camera sharing the same lens-mount and most of the features.
By the mid 1950s Zeiss Ikon was focusing on single lens reflex cameras and while offering rangefinders, they were not adding features and became uncompetitive with Japanese brands including Canon, Yashica, Minolta, and Nikon. The Zeiss Ikon Contaflex single-lens reflex cameras, were viable in the mid 1950s, but soon lost market share to the Japanese brands.
More recent 35mm rangefinder cameras are simply named "Zeiss Ikon." The most recent "Zeiss Ikon" rangefinder camera was an M mount camera with automatic exposure, introduced by Zeiss in 2004, manufactured in Japan by Cosina, and now discontinued.
Camera lenses[edit]
Cinema lenses[edit]
Carl Zeiss AG has long been renowned for its motion picture lenses. Zeiss manufactures prime, and zoom lenses for 35mm, 16mm, and 65mm film production. They also make lenses for digital cinema, and high definition video. Zeiss is mainly known in the trade for their association with the German camera manufacturer Arri for whom they currently produce lenses.
Current models of Zeiss cinema lenses are:
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 14 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 16 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 18 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 21 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 25 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 27 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 32 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 35 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Distagon 40 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Planar 50 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Planar 65 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Sonnar 75 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Sonnar 100 mm T1.3
- Master Prime TXP Sonnar 150 mm T1.3
- Master Zoom TXP 16.5–110 mm T2.6
- Master Macro TXP Makro-Planar 100 mm T2.0/T4.3
- Lightweight Zoom LWZ.2 TXP Vario-Sonnar 15.5–45 mm T2.6
- Ultra Prime 8R T Distagon 8 mm T2.8
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 10 mm T2.1
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 12 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 14 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 16 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 20 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 24 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 28 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 32 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Distagon 40 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Planar 50 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Planar 65 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Planar 85 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Sonnar 100 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Sonnar 135 mm T1.9
- Ultra Prime T Sonnar 180 mm T1.9
- Compact Prime CP.2 T Distagon 18 mm T3.6
- Compact Prime CP.2 TXP Distagon 21 mm T2.9
- Compact Prime CP.2 TXP Distagon 25 mm T2.9
- Compact Prime CP.2 TXP Distagon 28 mm T2.1
- Compact Prime CP.2 TXP Distagon 35 mm T2.1
- Compact Prime CP.2 TXP Distagon 50 mm T2.1
- Compact Prime CP.2 T Planar 50 mm T2.1 Macro
- Compact Prime CP.2 T Planar 85 mm T2.1
- Compact Prime CP.2 T Makro-Planar 100 mm T2.1 CF
- Ultra 16 TXP Distagon 6 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Distagon 8 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Distagon 9.5 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Distagon 12 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Distagon 14 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Distagon 18 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Distagon 25 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Planar 35 mm T1.3
- Ultra 16 TXP Planar 50 mm T1.3
- DigiPrime T 3.9 mm T1.9
- DigiPrime T 5 mm T1.9
- DigiPrime T 7 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 10 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 14 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 20 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 28 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 40 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 52 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 70 mm T1.6
- DigiPrime T 135 mm T1.9
- DigiZoom T Vario-Sonnar 6–24 mm T1.9
- DigiZoom T Vario-Sonnar 17–112 mm T1.9
Medium-format lenses[edit]