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Zeiss Compact Zooms

Zeiss Compact Zoom

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Zeiss Compact Zoom 15-30mm T2.9
Zeiss Compact Zoom 28-80mm T2.9
Zeiss Compact Zoom 70-200mm T2.9

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Zeiss Supreme Prime

Full Frame LF/VV | Spherical

Zeiss Compact Zoom

Zoom - Spherical - Full Frame

15-30mm
28-80mm
70-200mm

product details

Zeiss Compact Zooms are spherical cine zooms designed for portability and versatility, designed to provide professional cine performance in lightweight, travel-friendly housings. Their small size and robustness make them ideal for documentaries, commercials, and indie features where mobility is crucial but image quality cannot be compromised. Zeiss Compact Zooms were introduced in the mid-2010s. The series includes 15-30mm, 28-80mm, and 70-200mm zooms, all T2.9. Available for rental or sub-rental at Cine Visuals.

Focal Length
T-Stop
Type
Format
Front Diameter
Lens Mount
Metadata
Iris Blades
Image Circle

Era / Generation
Contrast & Tonal Character
Sharpness & Resolution
Focus Fall‑Off / Transition
Iris & Bokeh Quality
Flare & Highlight Behavior
Handling & Ergonomics
Build & Modifications
Cinematic Heritage & Credits

*Refer to Technical Specifications table. Not the same for all focal lengths.

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Zeiss Supreme Prime

Full Frame LF/VV | Spherical

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Technical Specs Table

T-Stop

Type

Format

Front Diameter

Lens Mount

Metadata

Close Focus (ft)

Close Focus (m)

Weight (lbs)

Weight (kg)

Length (in)

Length (mm)

Iris Blades

Image Circle

Front Filter

Rear Filter

Horizontal Angle of View (Full Frame)

Horizontal Angle of View (S35)

Focus Rotation

T2.9

Spherical

Full Frame LF/VV

114 mm

–

1'10"

0.56 m

5.70 lbs

2.59 kg

9.90"

251.46 mm

–

T2.9

Spherical

Full Frame LF/VV

95 mm

–

2'8"

0.81 m

5.50 lbs

2.49 kg

7.70"

195.58 mm

–

T2.9

Spherical

Full Frame LF/VV

95 mm

–

1.52 m

6.20 lbs

2.81 kg

9.80"

248.92 mm

–

Zeiss Compact Zooms

Image Fidelity & Focus

Zeiss Compact Zooms are designed to match Zeiss Compact Primes and ensure consistency across sets, though they are frequently also used to complement Zeiss Supreme Primes. They offer strong sharpness and resolution, medium contrast, and neutral color rendition, with minimal breathing, smooth focus mechanics and no focus shift during zooms. Focus falloff is smooth and chromatic aberrations are well managed.

Handling & Adaptability

As the name suggests, Compact Zooms are lighter and smaller than traditional cine zooms, making them ideal for handheld, gimbal, and documentary use. They feature interchangeable mounts (PL, EF, E, and others), expanding their adaptability. Nearly 300 degrees of focus rotation makes for accurate pulls. Moderate size and weight make them popular for travel productions.

Flare & Bokeh

Flares are subtle but present, producing cinematic veiling when provoked. Bokeh is pleasingly neutral and less pronounced than that of Compact Primes. A circular iris produces natural-looking out-of-focus highlights.

Image Circle

Zeiss Compact Zooms cover Full Frame sensors (36x24mm), making them adaptable to multiple camera platforms.

Cinematic Heritage

Zeiss introduced the Compact Zooms around 2013 as part of a push to provide affordable, flexible optics for independent and commercial filmmakers. The Compact Zoom benefits from Zeiss’s long history with variable focus lenses, going back to the Zeiss Vario-Sonnar.

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Zeiss Compact Zoom

Zeiss Supreme Prime

Zeiss Compact Zoom

Zoom - Spherical - Full Frame

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