Surprises in 2020 have proven less than ideal more often than not, but a new bit of information might make one surprise in the photography world an anomaly from the rest. B&H has sent out an email notifying consumers the long-awaited Zeiss ZX1 camera is now available for pre-order for $6,000 and is ‘Coming Soon.’
The fabled ZX1 was announced all the way back in September 2018. At the time, Zeiss detailed the specifications of the Android-powered full-frame camera that features a 37.4MP sensor behind a fixed 35mm Distagon F2 lens. And while it isn’t the first Android-powered camera to come to fruition, it did set itself apart from the onset due to Zeiss partnering with Adobe to ensure Lightroom CC would run directly on the camera’s 4.3” 1280x720 pixel display. In Zeiss’ own words, the camera was designed to enable you to shoot, edit and share on the fly.
Zeiss said in its announcement the camera would be available in ‘early 2019.’ As we all know by now though, that wasn’t the case. In February 2019 we had our first hands-on with the ZX1 and in March 2019 we had an interview with Elliot Shih, Senior Product Manager of Zeiss, talking about the camera, but since then it’s been radio silence, despite multiple attempts to contact Zeiss for more information.
We have contacted B&H for more information regarding the listing and potential availability dates of the ZX1, but the shop is closed and its employees are on break through October 11, so it's unlikely we'll receive a response any earlier than October 12. We will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
The interesting thing with running LR on camera would be if you could set your own full presets as the sooc look.
With a list of presets you could get very far indeed sooc. Smaller exposure adjustments etc could then be done on top with minimal effort. Obviously you'd have to be able to set the presets up on the workstation and load them onto the camera.
Why make a sleek-looking $6k camera, then load it with clunking Adobe bloatware? It's like launching a new Ferrari then telling everyone it runs on coal.
Introducing my Fuji X-Pro1 with 18mm f2, 35mm f1.4 with Flashair card, a mobile phone and Photoshop Xpress. Shoot - Edit - Share. ALL for 5 grand less. (Modular design with upgradeable components – choice of operating systems available).
Sure it's apsc..but you do it with almost any full frame with wi-fi or a wi-fi card. One of my old cameras (also apsc) is a canon 20d. I put a wi-fi sd card in a sd to cf card adapter and now I can up load to my phone. :)
Truth is, every camera full frame or otherwise has built in wifi nowadays and you can move files onto an IOS or Andoid phone or tablet pretty quickly, edit them and share.
Just poking a bit of fun at the idea of marketing the need to spend 6K to do something I do on my morning walk along the coast with 'any old kit'.
You could pick up a Sony A7II and a Sony 35mm f1.8 for around £1500.00 and be cooking on gas provided your phone is up-to-date.
I remember once, my girlfried at the time, was asked by another bloke, whether she would "Agree to a future engagement". This is logically fatuous - you either ARE engaged for marriage, or you ain't. You can't be "bound" into an agreement to be engaged a year later, for the binding IS, by its very definition, "engagement".
So with and to "pre-orders". By definition, EVERY "order" is "pre" (unless you are a military officer). You pay now, the deliver later (you hope).
Perhaps the subtle difference is, "order" means something that exists is wanted, even if it's temporarily out of stock and you might have to wait. On the other hand, "pre-order" implies that IF this thing MIGHT one day exist, you are in the queue.
Which is fine. But still, and excuse the "shout", "AVAILABLE for pre-order" is nothing but a total cockwomblefeckshit of mealy-mouthed marketing speak.
Why buy a smart phone when you can use a camera and a computer? Why buy a computer when you can develop and print in your own darkroom and then post prints to everyone you know in the mail?
LOL) ugly dated camera for 6k$ And this is not even a concept: Samsung launched Galaxy NX camera years ago. And yes, it has NX bayonet, so changing lens was possible.
I'm sure they'll sell as many of these as they want to. It will be a small number, but it will be enough. Look at Leica—sky high prices, low volume, but they seem to be doing OK. Zeiss is targeting a slightly different market here, but the principle is the same. They're going after the folks who used to shop in the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog: wealthy gadget enthusiasts (not camera enthusiasts per se) who are attracted to products that are marketed with a combination of cutting-edge technology and premium status. The camera does not even necessarily have to be all that great—it just has to carry a premium brand, have a compelling technological gimmick, and look like it's from the future. It'll do fine.
Leica Q2 has often been sold out in most shops since launch. Not 'very low volume' per se. I know many mainstream photojournalists who're using it as well. For wider interior or outdoor shots, 28mm is appropriate and can be easily croped to 35mm or even 50mm without problems with larger prints. So, Zeiss's choice of focal length is also going to make it a 2nd choice for professionals.
I get that this is a premium product, but it's not quite the same market as Leica's. The main feature of this camera is the built-in Lightroom functionality, which is not something that the status-conscious would be showing off. Tech is pretty pedestrian these days. Look at the 10K+ Swiss watches out there, they have zero tech.
By asking $6K Zeiss wants to make sure that nobody is buying the camera. Then they can discontinue it for lack of demand. Otherwise they would have to admit that the tech just isn't good enough.
@Curtis Well, both my answer and (i think) mick's post were light jokes. However Zeiss is a more specialized brand-name. It is not that much well known outside of professional and enthusiast cine-photo and other optical specializations. Sure is a top-tier brand, but on the large public it has much less impact than Leica or Rolex for example.
You're paying for the name, the privilege to own one. As plagiarized copycat units begin to come to market, I bet you will see similar concepts for $1,000 or less.
"ZX1 come in please" the radio crackled. The ZX1 might be Zeiss's NEW Flag Ship. Flash Gordon breaks in, from his 1936 Zarkov designed Rocket Ship, "boy the ZX1 looks far out."
"What's it's PRICE?" Proudly comes " $6,000". "Crackle" silence, "Hello?" the line is dead.
Back down on Planet Earth, business snails along. That's my camera review.
At that size as well I think they'd have been better off putting a faster lens in it, a F/1.4 lens for example would at least have offered some advantage over an RX1 and Q.
Not gonna pay $6K for that yellow-green / black color scheme. And why is every fixed-lens compact trying to have an old compact film camera focal length? "Most people" use their smartphones (~28mm) for snapshots. Trendy/casual photography users would see more value in a short tele/portrait/macro/'real' bokeh lens camera. Make it a 60mm f2 macro with some in-camera focus stacking and multi-shot high-res features and I think you'd have a fixed-lens compact market disruptor.
...don´t need those all automatic-stuff - cars which tell the world where and how I´m driving, phones which let the world know what I do and what I like or not and on top of all I do not need a camera which shows Google my world in high resolution. It´s just enough for me to see what others do on my PC behind a solid firewall :-)
Judging by the comments... Zeiss needs to do this: 1. Make it interchangeable with Zeiss lenses 2. Don't use a smart phone OS 3. Don't charge 6k 4. Scrap the project and make a digital Zeiss Ikon RF
Doesn't look like it's so hot. And, according to another poster, BH already took it off the site (haven't verified myself yet).
It lacks a lot of smartphone functionality. You can't install third-party apps, for example, so the Android-based OS is only there to run Lightroom and any other apps that Zeiss may provide.
I would say that the biggest reason it is not a smart phone is that it is not a phone. It does not even have a slot for a sim card, so you cannot even surf the net without WiFi.
This is a camera that was announced 2 years ago with a pretty ordinary technical spec with software that didn't work. It may now take pictures but you can bet that the testers will find the number of faults as long as your arm. Maybe there have been some beta testers out there who have fed back useful info but it's still old tech with novel software that will change every few months. A year down the line it may well just be a expensive paper weight. I think I'd rather take a chance with the Sigma Fp at a third of the price.
This camera was announced in 2018 and was probably in development for at least a year or more prior. Here we are 3/4 of the way through 2020, it's still not been released, and they want 6K for it?!
At this point the only compact that would truly excite me is Sony coming out with the MF version of the RX1. At this point they could probably do it for a very fair price.
Imagine this : Google, spying the user and his/her style of shooting and displaying an ad saying "Why did you buy this crappy camera ? There is a much better one, that better fits your needs, currently for sale at XYZ...
I only wanted Zeiss to slap a digital sensor on their early 2000s Ikon, that's it. No metering change, no back display, no rangefinder changes, no nothing, just stick the sensor in there at half (or less) Leica's prices and call it a day....... And this is what they come up with? I know they are trying being disruptive/innovative, but 6k? really?
Yeah.. I remember the Epson RD-1, never had it, but it looked interesting.
Even tho I haven't checked each one of them, there is a bunch of compact cameras in the market that come close to Ikon's size (140 X 78 x 31), depth being the toughest to beat but not directly related to the FF sensor size.
I particularly think if they forgo the LCD back panel, SD cards, etc, and just replace the film by a 24M sensor, add a battery compartment, USB-C to transfer raw out, and nothing more. They could be selling it for 2k for the niche it is, and still be having quite a margin.
I tried the RD-1 with my f/1.0 Noctilux back in 2004. Seemed very good. I'm sure above ISO 800 it would have been a problem though, but didn't test its higher ISO capacity. If you don't know high ISO for an APSC camera back then was 1600; full framed bodies barely existed and the ones that did couldn't be shot at ISO 3200.
If there were a full framed sensor in that proposed IKON there will be vignetting problems, APSC would be much better. Now there is the discontinued M mount APSC Ricoh A12 module for the GXR(?) body, but that's not a rangefinder. The A12 module uses an excellent, for its day, 12MP Sony sensor. And right, the body has a rear screen.
I don't think non-removable storage is a good idea, and a camera built that way will drive potential buyers away. Right, I'm thinking of the Zeiss ZX1.
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