
The first joint product – the Handycam CCD-TR555.
ZEISS and Sony
A Partnership for Breathtaking Images.
Around the globe, Sony is the brand of choice for people looking for great design and high quality. In 1996, the company came out with its first camcorder with a ZEISS lens: the Handycam® CCD-TR555. Since then, Sony’s cooperation has expanded to include lens-style cameras that can be attached to smartphones, the Cyber-shot™, camcorders, Action and Music Cams as well as interchangeable lenses. Besides Sony/ZEISS interchangeable lenses, ZEISS also has its own camera lenses that are fully compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras and perfectly round off the product portfolio.
Sony and ZEISS have combined their core competencies in electronics and optics. Thanks to this interaction, both partners are able to tap into new markets – this is a model that offers distinct benefits for both parties. After all, Sony/ZEISS interchangeable lenses are developed jointly by Sony and ZEISS. ZEISS supports Sony throughout the optical design and development process and then tests and approves the prototypes. Finally, ZEISS determines the test specifications for serial production.
The most common lens designs in Sony/ZEISS products are the ZEISS Tessar, ZEISS Sonnar and ZEISS Vario-Sonnar – each of them with the T* anti-reflective coating from ZEISS. Sony/ZEISS lenses are manufactured at Sony facilities in Asia, where Sony uses testing equipment designed and produced by ZEISS. One example is the ZEISS K8 MTF tester, a compact and versatile piece of equipment that measures the modulation transfer function of camera lenses and similar systems for objects at infinity. Sony/ZEISS lenses are sold solely through Sony’s distribution channels. ZEISS lenses are sold exclusively through ZEISS’s own distribution channels.