Has Zeiss Discontinued a Common Loxia Lens?

Carl Zeiss is likely one of the distinguished names within the lens market. The firm has created a few of the greatest optics as a third-party lens producer, with sequence similar to Milvus, Batis, Otus, and Loxia, every providing one thing for various customers. Of the distinguished focal ranges, the 50mm was essential for photographers working with documentary, portrait, and occasion pictures. However, it now seems that the corporate has probably discontinued one such 50mm, which isn’t shocking, as it could appear.

According to Asobinet, the corporate has discontinued the Zeiss 50mm f2 Loxia. The lens is accessible in some shops, however main retailers similar to Camera Kitamura and Map Camera in Japan have the ‘discontinued’ tag. The lens can be out there so long as the inventory is there.

For the uninitiated, the Loxia lens is designed for Sony customers, identical to the Batis lens choices. However, the Zeiss 50mm f2 was launched in 2013, making it over a decade previous. It featured a detailed focusing distance of 45cm, a copy ratio of 1:7.1, and no autofocus capabilities. Some of the issues the lens is thought for embody colours and ergonomics, that are fairly nice. The rendition of pores and skin colour is nice, and the sharpness can also be spectacular. As we praised the 50mm in our assessment, “If you’re a fan of the DSLR lens color rendition, then we’ve got great news for you. The Zeiss 50mm f2 Loxia has more vivid, punchier, and saturated colors than its 35mm f2 counterpart. It’s everything that you’ve come to know with modern Zeiss optics.” However, the dearth of autofocus made it a problem to make use of with earlier Sony cameras. It was additionally fairly dear for its time.

Considering how previous the lens is, it makes me assume that Carl Zeiss is definitely halting manufacturing. The firm, which was mentioned to have left the business again in 2022, is now specializing in reviving the Otus sequence. In truth, as we famous in our different article, Zeiss might additionally revive the Loxia lineup with newer lenses, that are extra compact, and will function autofocus for newer Sony cameras.

Either approach, the discontinuation doesn’t imply you gained’t get the lens. You can at all times depend on second-hand fashions, out there on Amazon and eBay. However, in case you are working with newer Sony mirrorless cameras, then you’ve a plethora of third-party lenses to select from.