ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance Zoom Lens Trio Unveiled

Lens News

by Heath McKnightNovember 12^th, 2024

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ZEISS has introduced three new, high-end cine zoom lenses, the Supreme Zoom Radiance at T2.9, with focal lengths of 15-30mm, 28-80mm, and 70-200mm. These new lenses complement the ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance lineup and provide a full range of focal lengths, from wide to telephoto. Let’s take a look at the features!

The ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance cine lenses debuted back in November 2019 initially as a fast T1.5 7-lens set (21mm, 29mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm). The primes featured a signature T*blue coating for a slightly warmer color, more character, and consistent and controllable flares. Nearly 18 months later, in 2021, ZEISS released more focal lengths, rounding out a complete set of fast, T1.5 primes (18mm, 40mm, 65mm, and 135mm).

The Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses add a much-needed new functionality with zoom. And while they’re a little slower at T2.9, the new cine zoom lenses fit in perfectly not only with the Supreme Prime Radiance lenses but the entire ZEISS Supreme line.

ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance zoom lenses – features

The ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses feature the same overall look with a slightly warmer color rendition and character as the Prime Radiance versions. There is a more gentle sharpness with a very shallow depth of field and smooth bokeh. While they complement the Supreme Prime Radiance lenses, the Zoom line can be paired up with the standard Supreme lineup. ZEISS says they also work well with vintage glass, such as the Canon K35s.

Another aspect of the overall look of the Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses is the famous T* blue coating, the same as the Primes, giving a warm color rendition and consistent flares, plus offering more creative options. Additionally, controllable flares add another artistic and creative touch to a scene. The T* blue coating allows for flares that can be controlled and reproduced by aiming a focused light down the barrel. The flares’ shape can change while zooming the lens. That doesn’t mean there will always be flares in a shot; the lenses present a normally rendered shot.

Features include:

• T2.9 aperture.
• 15-30mm, 28-80mm, and 70-200mm focal length lens options.
• Consistent and standard focus, iris, and zoom rings.
• Front diameter of 114mm, easy to swap between the cine zoom and primes.
• T* blue coating, giving warm color rendition and consistent flares
• Compact design and a maximum weight of 3.18 kg (7.01 lbs.).
• ZEISS eXtended Data technology: Metadata of vignetting and distortion are exported, frame-by-frame, using the Cooke /i technology protocol.
• Integration with ZEISS CinCraft Scenario for virtual production via the Virtual Lens Package (VLP).

Price and availability 

Pre-orders start now for the three ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance cine zoom lenses, with shipping expected in April 2025. Pricing has not been set yet, but the Primes each range in price from $20,000 to $31,000, making them a popular lens to rent.

The three Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses provide a complete set of focal lengths, wide to telephoto (18mm all the way up to 200mm). This gives far more flexibility and versatility than the Primes Radiance lenses. There is less swapping of glass during setups, saving time. The big advantage, however, is being able to use the lenses together, even in a multi-camera setup, without having to worry whether the image will match or not.

Visit the ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance page to learn more. The company will officially debut the ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance cine zoom lenses during the CAMERIMAGE International Film Festival in Toruń, Poland, on November 19 at 3 pm local time.

What do you think of the new ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance cine zoom lenses? Have you been shooting with the Supreme Prime Radiance glass? Let us know in the comments below!