Carl Zeiss is adding a 50mm macro and a close-focusing 100mm optic, to its arsenal of compact prime CP.2 lenses sometime during Q4.

The CP.2 range, the firm's second generation of Compact Prime lenses, has been especially designed for videography, and employs a three interchangeable mount system, allowing Canon (EF) and Nikon (F) DSLR users to fit them onto video cameras using the PL mount. All three mounts come with each lens.

All CP.2 lenses transmit an image suitable for full-frame DLSRs, with a sweet spot coinciding with APS-C sensors.

There's a common aperture of T2.1 for the range, including the 100mm, which will become the longest telephoto in the Compact Prime CP.2 family that currently consists of seven focal lengths ranging from 18 to 85 mm.

The CP.2 50mm/T2.1 Makro, based on the Makro-Planar design, allows close-up shots to be taken with the object at a distance of just 9.44" (24 cm). The lens is just under 5-1/4" long and just over 5-1/4" in diameter.

The CP.2 100 mm/T2.1 CF is based on the Planar design, but not a macro: it can close-focus to 27.56" (0.7 m). The 4-1/2" diameter optic is just under 5-1/4" long.

You'll need deep pockets to snap one of two lenses these up. A missive from Oberkochen, Zeiss' world headquarters advises that the retail price starts at EUR 3,700 excluding VAT. That translates to C$4,918 at the going rate.

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