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.
I can see the point of a fully-connected camera for people who make money by creating and posting content in real time, but this doesn't seem like a well-thought-out iteration. The 36x24 sensor drives up costs and has no real advantages for online posting, the non-Interchangeable lens limits versatility, and editing on an on-camera display is going to be onerous. Frankly, this camera makes the Pixii look ruthlessly pragmatic by comparison : it's got interchangeable lenses and lets you offload your editing to a tablet, which is bound to be much more productive.
I was so excited for this. Still am in many ways, although the $6K price tag is steep. Guess the deal I found on a used, excellent condition Sony RX1R Mk2 was worth it then... (I asked the sales associate at the store I was at about the mythical Zeiss ZX1, and he just shrugged his shoulders...)
This camera will likely become a pure collector item with a low number of them in production. Wouldn't be surprised if the price in 10-20 years from now is much higher since the camera will be considered a rarity. Maybe this is what Zeiss is playing for with this price tag.
Sure. I’m hoping for a 60% off fire sale that would cause used prices to tank. Digital gear, fortunately, retains its value much worse than film gear does, and there’s usually a window of time during which it’s heavily discounted, until it becomes rare and desirable again (I think we’re just about to see that with the Leica M9, for example).
@Kharan: Leica is a bit a different beast than other brands also when it comes to used digital camera prices. I have seen prices for M240 cameras going down when the latest M10R was still discussed and then going up again after the high price tag of the M10R made many keep their M10 that the M240 became more in demand again used. Similar story with the M9 - prices went down quite a bit for a while when the sensor corrosion issue became known but recovered during Leica's free sensor replacement program. Currently the M9 is IMO overhyped in multiple YouTube platforms and online making it appear that its CCD sensor is "better". I recently purchased a mint M-E 240 for quite a cheaper price than a M9 is currently going for.
I wonder if they will upgrade any specs given how long it's been since announcement. Will it run Android 10 or will it be on something ancient like Android 6 or 7. Price is of course ludicrous but nothing out of the ordinary for the Germans that care zero for competition. It's a status symbol nothing more. However at least Leica make great looking stuff for their high prices, unlike this.
On a serious note - wondering who is the audience for it. Professionals? No. As the image cannot be edited properly on 4" display. Fun? No. It's $6K, too much for fun, there are phones for it.
I would say, very, very narrow niche. Would Zeiss be comfortable with 10 sales per year?
Yeah as an owner of an Android TV, I think it is a terrible idea to have Android run on a camera. Android gets outdated really fast, having security issues and all -> your hardware cannot support newer Android versions -> your apps stop working. For my TV, it means it will be just a display for my Shield. What it means for a camera, no idea yet.
I really believe that the Canon way of establishing good reliable connectivity between phone and camera is the way to go. Lightroom CC runs on the phone anyway.
The whole point of Android instead of a native OS is that it's a framework that allows running other apps. Like Lightroom.
But if it's not updated, then those other apps will gradually become less compatible. How long will Adobe keep porting new features in Lightroom to the camera? How long will they take time to ensure that sharing and other features work seamlessly?
Will they, when they update Lightroom in five years time, make sure not to break compatibility with sharing and transfer features with a niche camera that sold hardly anything?
Basically, I can see no good reason for this to run Android - it's unlikely they will spend the money to keep it updated, and without updates, app compatibility will break and it might as well have been a fixed OS in the first place.
This isn't a phone version of Android, its a stripped down framework which only runs one app, LR.
While we don't know the details it is wrong to just assume that you update the camera like your phone. I'm guessing that Zeiss will push updates to the camera, which means they will test for compatibility first.
The reason why it is Android-based instead of a native OS is so it can run LR.
That's always been the catch 22 for people that wish cameras were more like phones, phones require a lot more upkeep and there's a whole lot more that can go wrong with them... I'm as big an Android fan as they come but I'm not sure I want Android anywhere near my camera, specially in the guide of some side project from a company that doesn't even make regular cameras.
Android on a camera could have a lot of potential if it's a slimmed down OS build with open APIs for the camera functions and doing cool stuff like programming routines or even computational processing etc.; but to realize all that potential would take a huge commitment to create those APIs to access the custom hardware, and to maintain the OS, and to deal with all the things that will inevitably break when people start doing things with a full blown OS that you as the dev didn't foresee.
None of the cameras running Android in the past had any of that, so they flopped hard for good reason...
I doubt Zeiss is worried about features breaking should someone hack access to the underlying OS. At that point the warranty is voided and they are off the hook legally.
I'm just waiting for someone to play Doom on it. :D
You'd hope for $6K they're aiming higher, but we'll see. I thought Samsung of all companies was better positioned to pull off something like this but their Android cameras were some of the most locked down... I'm not sure where Zeiss pulled software devs from.
DarnGoodPhotos, The question of the OP is a valid question. This camera costs $6K so it must offer more than taking nice photos, because many other cameras can take excellent pictures for much less money...
Why must it offer more? How much the ZX1 has to offer over another camera really depends on your level of affluence. Just like with the X100V, RX1, and Q2 you have to have a certain level of disposable income where you judge these cameras based on whether you'll enjoy them instead of their precise value propositions. Just being relatively expensive doesn't make something bad.
If you are ready to pay $6K (instead of $2K for an already very good camera), this is because this camera offers something more. Even if it is only the Zeiss logo...
For some, being that it's Google (Android)-based they may think twice, even if they can afford it. I mean this is a bit interesting because it opens the camera up to possibly host third party apps and possibly the ability to upload photos directly to the cloud directly from the camera but also what comes along with that is possible security concerns.
$6,000 is a STEEP price tag... obviously this is a specialty camera aimed at more or less a niche market but still, $6000 !?!?
Buy one ... keep it in new condition and sell it for 5x price to a rich collector. This going to a great camera but only a few will buy. Like an even more exclusive Nikon 35Ti or Plaubel Makina.
Years ago, when this camera was announced, I thought it was a neat idea and I looked forward to possibly ordering one. I had completely forgotten about the thing until I see the notification email saying it was finally available! Then...$6000. Nope. Nope. Nope.
I have lots of respect for Zeiss but this is a joke. Camera announced two years ago, and then this! Why would anyone get this over the Sony RX1Rii or the Q2 or even the Fuji X100v for 5 times less. The Q2 which I owned has a great 35mm crop with same megapixels, the Sony is half price and similarly specked. Good luck with the camera and in the middle of a pandemic. For people interested, wait 8 months and it will sell for 3k or less.
Well, it runs Android and Lightroom. Perhaps it has a better lens than the RX1RII and the Fuji X100V, neither of which have especially good lenses. Perhaps it doesn't engage in digital stretching of the image to fill out the corners as the Q2 does.
It's not going to be on sale for $3,000 in just 8 months.
Or maybe a collector with both money and brains. I mean, if you have enough money, the price is irrelevant. I once heard that Bill Gates makes so much money every second that he lose money by picking up a dropped $100 bill. What would $6K mean to him? Nothing. It is just a minute of income.
I’m not sure that targeting people who don’t care about money is a sound strategy, especially, that Zeiss isn’t Leica, you’re not even buying status. I don’t know, good luck to them.
Respected yes. But Zeiss until now made only lenses not digital cameras. They don’t have boutiques that look like Cartier jewerlies selling their stuff.
And I don’t get the “you need to be a millionaire to own a Leica” it is a camera, not a yacht ot a big mansion.
Name one camera that can compete with the a7C at that price and size. Guess what, you can't. Therefore, you can't say it is overpriced, since there is nothing else that can compare with it. Now, the Zeiss ZX1 is a complete joke at $6k.
It has a full frame sensor. And a 35 mm F2. That is nice. It has old fashioned ISO/Time/Aperture controls. With A on all three. Minimalistic interface with full auto. So far so good.
It has no focus scale. Ouch! Guess it has focus by wire. And AF.
It has a strange futuristic design that I do not think look comfortable.
It has a bent LCD! Or, I guess, two LCD that they have a bent glass on. Cool, but useless, I assume.
It costs hefty $6K. Then it has to be damn good! Is it?
My hunch is the bent LCD is a live-View/review on the left and a touch-control menu on the right, so it really is no different from other cameras except no “real” buttons. Not sure I like not having real buttons, if my supposition is correct.
Yes, that extra LCD after the bend is probably virtual buttons. I kind of hate virtual buttons, and as you are supposed to hold your thumb there, I can see problems.
Interesting as a "proof of concept" but hard to imagine they are ever going to sell enough to cover the development costs. Of course Google, and any number of other Android/Software Co.'s, can point a fire hose of money at anything they fancy. Any of them could easily fund this to expand their platform.
It's posible that this is one of those products that "fails" in the marketplace but eventually is seen as being prescient for future innovation. The camera industry has to find a way of incorporating smart phone technology or they are simply going to miss out on the entire next generation of creatives.
edit....In my opinion the price is irrelevant to the market they are after. In some ways charging more is a feature. It's not as if they were going to sell more if it was cheaper. People are either going to buy one or they aren't and the target market has cash to burn.
bling devices like this should have a 1000% "environmental pollution and disgusting show-off" luxury tax slapped onto them. For the good of society and our planet. like
I think the design looks interesting but I would never even consider it as it has an Android OS and also has Adobe Lightroom both things that I avoid. What is the advantage of Android—other than to expose the camera to all sorts of malware and open it to hacking? As for Adobe, again no thanks. I stopped using their products years ago and see no reason to return. I am not up-to-date on what camera companies are using but Sony was using BusyBox "The Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux"—according to the developers. I don't see what advantages Android could bring —unless you want your camera to serve you ads?
The advantage of Android is that you can have apps. Those apps can do things. Things you might find a waste of time or not. BTW - it is not so likely with a malware attack on a camera. Not enough users to be fun.
Android is itself based on Linux and as far as I am aware anything using the Linux kernel can run apps. Sony's version of Linux can run apps and for a while Sony made apps available. I'm not sure why they stopped doing that but it is not because of limitations in the base operating system. As to the malware/hacking issues there are now so many people and organisations hacking Android devices that I'm sure it could become a thing to hack cameras even if just for fun. If more camera companies went that way then the risk would increase. Of course if Zeiss is the only company using Android in a camera then, with the level of sales that one could imagine for Zeiss, it is probably NOT an issue :-)
First, talk and spec for the ZX1 came out sometime in 2018. So now we are looking at a "New" camera that was designed likely 3 years ago, and still hasn't arrived. It's an innovative idea (has me thinking it's an upgrade for phone users), but how is it even Zeiss can think a fixed 2.0 with a mid-line sensor should run ~ $6K...! As far as design it's definitely "cool" and makes me think of Leica's attempt at mod, hard edged bodies... none of which did all that well in the market. With Android it seems somehow too "proprietary"... as it links to LR and it's own OS Camera app. Sony and or Fuji will/already have - surpassed this in several technological ways that photographers want... IMO. $6k is almost four X100V's, or a Q2, WAY more camera in either case.
We all had known, what happened with the Samsung Galaxy NX, it was basically DoA....and this 6k Zeiss, no offence, whouldn't get Android Updates the next >= 5 years continously, i am 100% sure....sad, but true.
Therefore, it's open to Design flaws, security Holes like every other System, when not being patched properly.
6K for a non-interchangeable Camera is horrible much, the Eyecup is nothing for Glasses Wearer, and i fear, the rubber Rings would detoriate over time, and just blank, something i never liked back into >2 years ago, for better Grip, and there is more, the yellow Lines, coming from the Zeiss Cinema Design Line...sorry, Zeiss could make it so much better, than this. Mentioned this back into 2018 already....no offense.
Sorry, for that asking price, i'd prefer a Leica Q2, if i could afford it, anytime. And crop to 35mm, because it's my fave focal length, bar none. The Q2 looks Worlds better, is being weathersealed, extraordinary Lens, too.
All of you complaining here, this camera is not for you.
It's not for me either, so I'm going to complain too. Price aside, I don't find the look appealing. I generally prefer the rounded surfaces of a modern SLR body though.
Do you (or would anybody) actually edit photos on any 4.3" display. If not, your comment is irrelevant. If anyone does edit photos on a 4.3" display, I feel sorry for them.
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