Camera Lens News

37 

October 2010 

Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division 

Contents 

Dan Busta: 

“Stories about people 

fascinate me” ........................ 2 

A speedy all-rounder: 

the new Distagon T* 1,4/35 ....... 6 

Guido Karp: 

“The eye is the decisive factor 

when it comes to detail“ ............ 8 

Camera strap and filters ........... 12 

Susi Childers: 

Giving people a voice 

through photographs .............. 15 

Portrait photography: 

the right equipment for the 

right ‘click’ ........................... 18 

Dates in November and 

December 2010 ....................... 21 

Camera Lens News 

A newsletter for anyone who enjoys using, writing about, buying and selling Carl Zeiss camera lenses. 

Carl Zeiss 

at the 2010 photokina ............ 13

Camera Lens News Nr. 37 

Carl Zeiss October 2010 Page 2 

“Stories about people fascinate me“ 

American star photographer 

Dan Busta describes himself as 

someone who is always observing 

people. He is particularly 

fascinated by the relationship 

between human instinct and 

conscious decision-making. Art 

and music also have a significant 

influence on his work. Dan lives 

in Los Angeles, California 

The human being is always at 

the center of your work. Why? 

People never cease to amaze me. 

Everything from their consciousness 

to subconscious fascinates me. I like 

to explore the different life decisions 

people make, the way they 

dress themselves, their similarities 

and differences, and above all the 

relationship between human instinct 

and conscious mental choice. I’m a 

permanent people-watcher and have 

translated this interest into my ongoing 

‘teal series’, which I worked on 

for five years and which portrays the 

most diverse range of people in front 

of a blue-green background. 

How did you get into photography? 

Did you have any formal 

education? 

I studied photography and graphic 

design at the Brooks Institute of Photography 

in Santa Barbara. Graphic 

design in particular opened up a totally 

new perspective on photography for 

me. Design allowed me to think more 

graphically and helped me understand 

art fundamentals and how to apply 

them in my work. Things like line 

shape, proportion, color or line and 

rhythm opened my eyes to the vast 

range of visual possibilities. 

I was raised in a very creative household, 

and I was drawn to art, architecture, 

interior design and music



from an early age. I can remember 

constantly constructing buildings and 

other things from Lego. I also played 

saxophone from the third grade of 

elementary school up to my senior 

year of high school. 

What do you want to convey 

with your photographs? 

I’m intrigued by people’s stories and 

I strive to share their stories in my 

pictures — no matter if it’s a built set 

or a stranger I meet along the way. 

I often have to rely on the camera’s 

frame to share the story and I use 

the surrounding environment to tell 

it. One theme in my photographs is 

people in this time of change. I feel 

this moment of one’s life — whether 

real or created — is part of one’s life 

that needs to be remembered forever. 

Who are your role models? 

My work is inspired by various 

historical photographers and portrait 

photography masters like Irving Penn, 

Richard Avedon, Gregory Crewdson, 

and Jeff Wall. 

How do you approach the shooting 

process? 

It depends on the assignment and 

shoot. I start with some grain of an 

idea, usually something very simple. 

This grain comes from many different 

places - my childhood, from movies, 

books, music or art history. Music 

stimulates my imagination. I listen 

to everything. Then the idea grows 

and builds into a brief drawing and 

develops further into lists of props 

and characters that dovetail the idea. 

Next I move on to think about the 

lighting I would like and that would 

be appropriate for the picture. 

Why is lighting so important in 

your work? 

Lighting helps me draw the mood 

and adds to the color of the image. I 

use color to communicate the mood. 

A picture with an intense blue will 

convey a cold feeling while a warmer 

color will create a more nurturing 

atmosphere. Like a lot of photographers, 

I almost don’t need to make 

the picture once this creative process 

is completed. At this point, there is 

almost no creative expression. Then 

it’s just about execution, which to me 

means building the set, getting all the 

props, creating the lighting, putting it 

all together, and clicking the button.



The real work happens before you 

click the button. 

What are your plans for the 

future? 

I’d like to incorporate more of my 

concepts into editorial-type work. I 

often find that when I get hired to 

shoot, I don’t have much time to 

spend with my subjects - it’s tough to 

create a whole scene without much 

time and budget. I’d also like to shoot 

images with a little more of a positive 

tone. I think it would be wonderful to 

make images in the future that make 

people want to be in a certain place 

or be a certain person. This is a kind 

of advertising, but photography has 

that power — the power to idealize 

the real world. I would love to make 

images of fantastic things or a perfect 

world. 

Find out more about 

Dan Busta: 

http://danbusta.com


Carl Zeiss October 2010 Page 5



A speedy all-rounder: 

the new Distagon T* 1,4/35 

From the moment we first announced 

the Distagon T*1,4/35 

on our Facebook page (www. 

facebook.com/carlzeisslenses), 

enthusiastic comments started 

to flood in. This very fast lens 

with its short focal length and 

harmonious bokeh had clearly 

hit a nerve! So we decided to 

pull together some of the key 

facts about this popular new kid 

on the block: 

The Distagon T*1,4/35 is designed 

to complement our Planar T*1,4/50 

and T*1,4/85 lenses, providing a 

wide-angle lens with the same bright 

aperture. That means you can take 

razor-sharp images at dusk or in 

dimly-lit cafes, even without a tripod. 

At 35 mm, the lens matches the traditional 

and versatile ‘standard’ focal 

lengths when used on cameras with 

APS-C format sensors. And thanks 

to the 72 mm filter diameter, the



Distagon T*1,4/35 can be used with 

the same filters as its sister lens, the 

Planar T*1,4/85. 

Boasting superb foreground and background 

bokeh, the Distagon T*1,4/35 

opens up new creative possibilities, 

giving photographers more options 

to play around with focus. The large 

focus ring enables sharp and accurate 

manual focusing even with the aperture 

wide open, and the optical design 

of the lens ensures excellent image 

quality across the entire range. Furthermore, 

with one step less than the 

full aperture opening, the light fall-off 

toward the edges is just one f-stop. 

Thanks to its ZEISS T* anti-reflective 

coating, sophisticated stray light 

reduction and excellent flare control, 

the new Distagon also takes pictures 

of bright light sources without artifacts. 

Its tremendously durable and 

robust all-metal precision mechanics 

– one of the hallmarks of Carl Zeiss – 

make this lens the perfect choice for 

use on the go and for photo reportage. 

The Distagon T* 1,4/35 will be available 

in the first quarter of 2011. 

Technical specifications 

Focal length 35 mm 

Aperture range f/1,4 – f/16 

Number of 11/9 

elements/groups 

Focusing range 0.3 m 

– infinity 

Angle of view** 63/54/37 ° 

(diag./horiz./vert.) 

Coverage at 18 x 12 cm 

close range (close-up limit) 

Magnification 1:5 

(close-up limit) 

Filter thread M 72 x 0.75 

Weight 

830 – 850 g 

Length with caps 120 – 122 mm 

Mounts 

ZF.2 (F bayonet) 

ZE (EF bayonet) 

** 35 mm format equivalent



Camera strap and filters 

Our Marketing Manager Martin 

Klottig recently provoked intense 

speculation when he announced 

that “for the first time ever, 

Photokina will see us showcasing 

our very own range of 

accessories for SLR lenses”. And 

official confirmation is now in: 

ZEISS photographers will soon 

have the opportunity to work 

with genuine ZEISS accessories, 

including UV and POL filters and 

a very special camera strap for 

SLR cameras! 

But what prompted us to suddenly 

expand our range of products 120 

years after the launch of the first Carl 

Zeiss lenses? Martin Klottig explains: 

“For the first time in the history of 

ZEISS camera lenses, we have decided 

to supply photographers with accessories 

for their SLR lenses. We are 

taking this step in response to massive 

demand from users. Our accessories 

are the perfect complement to ZEISS 

SLR lenses and have been carefully selected 

to meet the exacting demands 

of discerning photographers.” 

Our new UV and POL filters meet the 

highest standards of mechanical quality 

and are quick and easy to use. Specially 

designed for ZEISS SLR lenses, 

they feature the ZEISS T* multi-layer 

coating to protect against stray light. 

The filters’ top quality optical glass 

eliminates lens flare and eradicates 

the blur that can occur under certain 

lighting conditions. In addition to 

their filter function, they also protect 

the front of the lens against dirt and 

scratches – and with thread diameters 

of 58 mm, 67 mm, 72 mm and 

82 mm, the filters will also fit other 

manufacturers’ lenses. 

Our range of accessories also includes 

an air-cushioned camera strap, which 

helps prevent shoulder strain even 

during a long day on the road. The air 

cell padding and elastic neoprene material 

ensure maximum durability and 

comfort, while special quick-action 

locks enable users to quickly, easily 

and securely connect the strap to all 

standard SLR cameras and binoculars. 

The accessory will be available at 

beginning of 2011.



Carl Zeiss at the 2010 photokina 

Although there were fewer exhibitors 

than in 2008, the 2010 

photokina (21-26 September) 

in Cologne registered a record 

number of visitors. More than 

180,000 guests from 160 nations 

made their way to the event. 

Together with its partner Nokia 

and Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, the 

Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division 

displayed its products at a 430 m² 

booth. The highlights were the 

walk-through lens and the application 

island modeled after a 

Japanese garden that was twice the 

size of its 2008 predecessor. Visitors 

once again had the opportunity to 

hold our high-quality lenses and 

try them out on the latest cameras. 

The artificial garden served as a 

fascinating and multi-faceted stage.



Additionally, visitors were also able 

to test the coveted Compact Prime 

CP.2 cine lens on HDSLR cameras. 

The walk-through lens introduced 

in 2008, took visitors on a tour of 

the 120-year history of lenses at 

Carl Zeiss. They experienced the 

pioneering developments of the 

past that are paving the way to 

the future. For example, the latest 

generation of compact Tessar lenses 

lives on in Nokia mobile phones. 

The evolution of a piece of glass 

into a finished ZEISS lens was also 

on display. The high quality of ZEISS 

lenses was depicted in a way that 

everyone can understand. 

Carl Zeiss uploaded videos to its 

YouTube channel daily and linked 

them to Facebook, Twitter and the 

photokina blog for those unable to 

attend the event. 

In the year of its 120th anniversary, 

Carl Zeiss was very satisfied with the 

interest it generated at the photokina. 

The concept of conveying a special 

brand experience at the event was a 

complete success. 

http://www.youtube.com/carlzeisslenses 

http://www.facebook.com/carlzeisslenses 

http://twitter.com/carlzeisslenses 

http://www.zeiss.de/photokina



Giving people a voice through photographs 

Saharawi tribeswoman 

Providing a voice for the poor 

and suffering of the world 

through photographs of them 

– that has been the mission 

that has driven German portrait 

photographer Susi Childers for 

many years. In pursuit of her 

goal, she travels throughout the 

world. Together with husband, 

Paul Childers, she established the 

PhotogenX platform in 2003 to 

draw attention to social inequalities 

around the globe through 

the medium of photographic 

projects. The 43-year-old photographer 

comes from Nagold in 

Germany’s Black Forest region 

and lives with her husband and 

two children in Hawaii. 

Joy and suffering can often be found 

side by side in photographer Susi 

Childers’ photos. “The portraits reflect 

the contradictions of beauty in the 

face of injustice, and of joy against 

a background of oppression and 

poverty,” she explains. “The privilege 

of being able to portray people in 

over 50 different countries has helped 

me discover that each individual, 

irrespective of his or her background 

or appearance, is a unique and valuable 

human being.” “When I was 

finally able to focus through the 

viewfinder on my subject, my heart 

almost stopped; what I saw was just 

indescribable. There in front of me, 

in the middle of the endless expanse 

of the Sahara, stood a woman with 

expressive eyes and a concealed smile, 

which I could only guess at behind 

her veil. Several hours went by before 

I was finally able to take a portrait of 

a Saharawi woman. 

All my 15 years of professional experience 

as a portrait photographer were 

not much use to me in this situation. 

I had only a vague idea of how provocative 

my request for a photo might 

be in this culture. For a long time, the 

woman standing opposite me could 

not bring herself to look directly into 

my eyes. She was not used to looking 

back at people. Patience and communication 

skills were more useful than 

professional knowledge and the best 

of equipment. In the end, though, I 

managed to capture this wonderful 

moment. 

I now use this photo to highlight the 

hopeless situation of the Saharawi. 

For over 30 years, this tribe has been 

engaged in a hopeless struggle for 

its homeland in the Western Sahara, 

which is occupied by Morocco and



Amalé, from the Kamawure Indian tribe in the Amazon region 

Mauritania. The third generation is already 

eking out a meager existence in 

the Sahara without any realistic prospect 

of a return to their homeland. 

I often find myself in situations with 

people who are suffering extreme 

injustice, and each time I find it a new 

challenge to employ my photography 

on behalf of these people in a very 

conscious manner. These are people 

who have been forgotten, or whose 

cries for help go unheeded in today’s 

noisy world.” 

“One of these Indians is Amalé from 

the Kamawure tribe in the Brazilian 

Amazon basin. He was buried alive 

because his mother was unmarried. 

This is seen as a curse. Babies 

born with a physical handicap or 

Kimberly, from a slum in San José, Costa Rica 

as multiple births also face a similar 

fate. Each year, many hundreds of 

children are killed in this horrible way, 

out of fear of evil spirits. But Amalé’s 

desperate cries were heard and he 

was rescued. I can still hear his happy 

laughter today.” 

“Kimberly lives in one of the many 

slums in San José, the capital of Costa



Rica, where there is no electricity 

or running water. The social worker 

for the district told us how the men 

usually spend their evenings – sexually 

abusing young girls. 

When Kimberly’s gaze met mine, I left 

the protection of the group without 

thinking and took a moment to get to 

know her. She was sitting at the entrance 

to her corrugated iron hut just 

as a few white clouds passed over the 

sun, allowing the diffuse light to fall 

directly into her radiant green-yellow 

eyes. I felt such a wave of beauty and 

joy as I seldom encounter in the grand 

houses of our cities – even despite the 

abuse she had suffered.” 

“I was immediately struck by the 

tattoos of Hare Hei Hei, a Maori 

chief. I had photographed on several 

occasions the frequently difficult situation 

of indigenous peoples in many 

different countries. In doing so, I discovered 

the uniqueness of indigenous 

tribes – an immeasurable variety of 

art, skills and culture.” 

“I was overwhelmed by the poverty of 

Haiti while documenting the country’s 

situation for a charity following 

the devastating earthquake. No 

one knows how many people died. 

Thousands remain anonymous and 

have already been forgotten. A nameless 

girl gazed at me from this ocean 

of destitution and misery. For me, 

she was a reflection of the beauty, 

determination and aspirations of this 

Caribbean nation, which for 200 years 

has suffered from grinding poverty 

and oppression.” 

Hare Hei, the tattooed Maori chief from Kerikeri 

Susi Childers: 

www.photogenx.net 

Anonymous girl in St Marc, Haiti



Portrait photography: 

the right equipment for the right ‘click’ 

Portrait photo taken with Planar T* 1,4/85 on digital SLR camera at f/4.0 and 1/125s 

Portrait photography is an art 

unto itself. In addition to creativity 

and skill, it is essential that 

you have the right, high-quality 

equipment — especially the 

right lens. A prime example is 

Carl Zeiss’s portrait ‘star’: the 

Planar T* 1,4/85 and the Makro- 

Planar T* 2/100. 

The Planar T* 1,4/85 is a classic lens 

for portrait photography. Despite its 

great focal length, it has a very high 

light intensity, allowing photographers 

to work creatively with minimal depth 

of field. This can be used, for example, 

to isolate the subject’s face from the 

background in order to lend the image 

a greater sense of drama. 

An important feature for any portrait 

lens is bokeh, i.e., the way out-offocus 

front and background areas are 

shot. Photographers like to ‘play’ with 

these parts of the image. By experimenting 

with sharpness and blur, they 

can create an interesting, distinguishable 

environment for the person being 

photographed. The most important 

factor for achieving this bokeh effect 

is the lens’s optical design. In addition, 

the Planar T* 1.4/85’s iris creates an 

almost circular opening so that highlights 

such as bright, significant points 

in the image appear soft and harmonious 

in the out-of-focus area. Light 

reflexes, which may appear on the 

surface of moving water, for example, 

form spots of color that can ‘flow’ 

into the overall picture composition. 

The Planar T* 1,4/85 is available with F 

bayonet (ZF, ZF.2) and EF bayonet (ZE) 

and is optimized for both digital and 

analog SLR cameras. For digital SLR 

cameras with a crop factor of 1.5, its



Portrait photo taken with Planar T* 2/100 ZF.2 on digital SLR camera at f/2.8 and 1/250s 

picture angle corresponds to that of a 

128 mm lens of a full-format camera. 

The Makro-Planar T* 2/100 is also 

perfect for portrait photography, 

albeit for different reasons. Thanks 

to its longer focal length, the photographer 

can position himself further 

from the model. These longer focal 

lengths are useful for shy models as 

the photographer can be less intrusive. 

While on the one hand the telephoto 

lens allows you stand further away 

from the model, it has the benefit of 

a far shorter close-focus distance as 

compared with a classic 85 mm lens. 

While the latter can focus from up to 

a meter, the 100 lens allows you to 

focus as close as 44 centimeters. This 

gives the photographer additional options 

for creating details. For example, 

parts from the eye or mouth or other 

details of a face can be portrayed individually 

and delicately. On the whole, 

the photographer has a lot more room 

to experiment with this lens. 

Planar T* 1,4/85 ZE 

Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF.2 

The Makro-Planar T* 2/100 is not 

as fast as the Planar T* 1,4/85, but 

with an aperture ratio of 1:2 it’s still 

the superior option and unique on 

the market. It offers almost identical



features for working with a lower 

depth of field as the Planar T* 1,4/85. 

However, the image performance 

when the aperture is open (which is 

typical for upwardly corrected macro 

lenses) is higher than with the 85 mm 

so that the photographer must consider 

very carefully whether he wants 

to use the special “softness” of the 

85 mm or the special detail sharpness 

afforded by the 100. The Makro-Planar 

T* 2/100 can be “too sharp” for 

portrait photographers if they don’t 

want to highlight unevenness in the 

subject’s skin. If, on the other hand, 

the photographer wants to emphasize 

scars, pores and pigments to give the 

subject more character, the Makro- 

Planar T* 2/100 is the better choice. 

Thanks to its higher contrast and image 

performance, the Makro-Planar T* 

2/100 is more flexible in its use than 

the Planar T* 1.4/85. It has also been 

optimized for digital and analog fullformat 

SLR cameras. Used with digital 

SLR cameras with a crop factor of 1.5, 

its viewing angle matches that of a 

150 mm telephoto lens when used on 

an analog or digital KB camera. 

The “smaller” sister models of the 

above-mentioned lenses are also 

great for portrait photography: the 

Planar T* 1,4/50 and the Makro-Planar 

T* 2/50. Originally conceived as a 

standard focal width for KB cameras, 

they can also be ideal for digital 

cameras, depending on the size of 

their sensors as light telephoto lenses, 

thus making them eminently suitable 

for portrait photography. The differences 

described above also apply to 

models with shorter focus lengths. As 

such, the Planar T* 1,4/50 is “softer” 

and the Makro-Planar T* 2/50 sharper 

with an open aperture, and therefore 

more flexible.



Exhibits for Canon Profoto Roadshow 

Dates in November and December 2010 

16 November 2010 

Alte Kelter 

Untertürkheimer Straße 33 

70734 Fellbach 

www.schwabenlandhalle.de 


Botanikum 

Feldmochinger Straße 75-79 

80993 München 

www.botanikum.de 


Technische Sammlungen Dresden 

Junghansstraße 1-3 

01277 Dresden 

www.tsd.de 


Union Halle 

Hanauer Landstrasse 184 

60314 Frankfurt 

www.unionhalle.de 

Register at 

www3.canon.de/themen/cps/ 

anmeldung_cps_roadshow 

Camera Lens News 

A newsletter for all who use, buy, sell, 

like, report about and are interested in 

Carl Zeiss camera lenses. 

All information in Camera Lens News is 

accurate to the best of our knowledge at 

the time of publication. 


Umspannwerk Kreuzberg 

Paul-Lincke-Ufer 20-22 

10999 Berlin 

www.umspannwerk-kreuzberg.de 

2 December 2010 

Odysseum 

Corintostraße 

51103 Köln 

www.odysseum.de 

Publisher: 

Carl Zeiss AG 

Camera Lens Division 

Marketing 

73446 Oberkochen 

Germany 

Phone: +49 (0) 7364/20-6175 

Email: photo@zeiss.de 

Internet: www.zeiss.de/photo

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