Zeiss CP.3 XD 21mm T/2.9 - PL

Please Note: Metre Scale lens shown.

Ranging from 15 mm to 135 mm, the ten focal lengths available in the Zeiss Compact Prime CP.3 or CP.3 XD series cover all applications from wide-angle to telephoto. The Zeiss CP.3 lenses feature advanced lens coatings, painted lens rims and special light traps within the barrel to eliminate unwelcome veiling glare and flares. The result is higher contrast, richer blacks and more saturated colours. The Zeiss CP.3 lenses are a professional toolset that simplifies your work on set. They are easy to handle, allow for fast changeover of equipment and give you great creative freedom to make your ideas come to life. The compact and light-weight design enables you to use different stabilising systems and to have a compact camera setup that is ideal for shooting in narrow spaces and for capturing dynamic shots.

Digital technologies have transformed traditional filmmaking and refashioned the market. New and innovative technologies in both production and post-production have paved the way for a more versatile, cost effective and advanced workflow. The ZEISS CP.3 family is the latest contribution from ZEISS to support creative and progressive filmmaking with an affordable, future-proof and premium quality lens set.

The ZEISS CP.3 lenses offer the perfect combination of high image quality and reliable usability. They exhibit the clean, crisp characteristics ZEISS is known for, together with an interchangeable mount system and full-frame coverage. This makes the technology ideal for working with visual effects: by using the metadata, it just takes a few clicks to modify the image generated on the computer to fit the lens characteristics, and to then splice it together with the footage to create a realistic image. Distortion and shading can be corrected or even amplified in post-production.

ZEISS eXtended Data

Expanding your possibilities.

While on set, the ZEISS eXtended Data feature enables members of the crew to monitor lens settings in real-time, pre-visualize modified images and to use new, automated search functions within data wrangling. In post-production, ZEISS eXtended Data offers numerous benefits such as image fine-tuning, editing and colour grading, visual effects, virtual and augmented reality, multi-cam live productions, projection or 3-D imaging. An additional plug-in provided by ZEISS allows an easy implementation of ZEISS eXtended Data in a number of leading software tools.

ZEISS eXtended Data reduces workflow costs and facilitates the exchange of lens information between the production and post-production departments. ZEISS eXtended Data unifies two data sets:

Key lens data

The ZEISS eXtended Data technology is based on the open /i  Technology and is supported by a wide range of cameras and accessories. Key lens data provides frame-accurate information about:

• Lens name, type and focal length
• Calibrated focusing distance
• Calibrated T-stop value
• Depth-of-field data in real time and hyperfocal distance
• Horizontal field-of-view
• Entrance pupil position

ZEISS specific lens data

The ZEISS CP.3 XD lenses enable trailblazing, one-click correction of images, never before possible in motion picture workflow. ZEISS specific lens data provides frame accurate information about:

• Lens distortion characteristics based on the focal point
• Lens shading* characteristics based on the focal point and effective T-stop

* Shading in this case refers to the darkened corners of the captured image on sensor, due to illumination loss towards the outside of the image field. The ZEISS CP.3 XD lenses contain the data for this characteristic, enabling higher precision of post processing and greater creative freedom in post-production. The shading effect can also be intensified for creative purposes. Shading does not refer to colour shading, which is a phenomenon that sometimes accompanies colour shifting, resulting in darker corners with magenta, green and purple coluor casts. Shading does not refer to vignetting, which is caused when the lens’ image circle is smaller than the image sensor, or by the inaccurately sized matte boxes and/or multiple filter stages in front of the lens, which blocks the optical path of the light into the lens.

eXtended Data today and beyond

Upgradable options on CP.3 XD lenses

CP.3 XD lenses house encoder chips to deliver ZEISS eXtended Data, currently assigned to two data sets:

• Key lens data (focal length, focus distance and iris position) based on the /i Technology, which is supported by a wide range of existing equipment.
• ZEISS specific lens data, which contains precise information about distortion and shading

The ZEISS eXtended Data technology is planned to be expanded in future to offer additional features. Therefore ZEISS will offer lens firmware upgrades.

Lens characteristics can be applied and previewed on set using Pomfort LiveGrade Pro. To apply recorded lens characteristics in post-production ZEISS provides an OFX-plug-in. Initially the plug-in works with the grading software Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve. Support for other grading, editing and compositing software will be available in future.

ZEISS eXtended Data Supports and Enhances /i-Technology

ZEISS eXtended Data is the first metadata technology which stores the lens distortion and shading – for every single frame. All /i-Technology metadata is recorded, including the focus distance, aperture value and depth of field, which is supported by most cameras. 

An end-to-end solution

ZEISS not only offers the lenses with metadata, but has also given thought to storage and processing. It has teamed up with partners in the industry: the company Ambient has developed the MasterLockit Plus system together with ZEISS. It records all metadata along with a time code in case the technology is not supported by the camera.

True cine look

ZEISS Compact Prime CP.3 and CP.3 XD Lenses

Ranging from 15 mm to 135 mm, the ten focal lengths available in the ZEISS Compact Prime CP.3 or CP.3 XD series cover all applications from wide-angle to telephoto. The ZEISS CP.3 lenses feature advanced lens coatings, painted lens rims and special light traps within the barrel to eliminate unwelcome veiling glare and flares. The result is higher contrast, richer blacks and more saturated colours.

• Clean and crisp ZEISS look which matches perfectly with other ZEISS cinema lenses
• Colour matching and covering full frame across the full range of focal lengths from 15 to 135 mm
• Special lens coatings support high-dynamic range projects

New ZEISS eXtended Data technology

ZEISS Compact Prime CP.3 and CP.3 XD Lenses

The ZEISS eXtended Data technology adds new opportunities to simplify and increase the accuracy of the image capture and processing workflow. ZEISS eXtended Data unifies two data sets: key lens data based on the open /i Technology standard and supported by a wide range of cameras and accessories, plus ZEISS specific lens data that contains precise lens characteristics.

• A unique technology that provides information about the lens’ distortion and shading characteristics in real time to speed-up the workflow on set and in post-production
• Lens settings are digitally captured on every frame, avoiding the need to manually record the lens settings for every shot
• Documentation of the lens’ characteristics enhances creativity by allowing more complex shots to be handled in post-production

Ultimate cine ergonomics

ZEISS Compact Prime CP.3 and CP.3 XD Lenses

The ZEISS CP.3 lenses are a professional toolset that simplifies your work on set. They are easy to handle, allow for fast changeover of equipment and give you great creative freedom to make your ideas come to life.

• Standardized positioning of the focus rings and a consistent 95 mm front diameter allows for fast and easy changeover while on set
• Extraordinarily smooth focus rotation even in extreme temperature conditions thanks to a new, sophisticated construction design
• Consistent T-stops simplifies lighting on set and exposure compensations (T2.9 for 15 to 21 mm and T2.1 for 25 to 135 mm)
• ZEISS Compact Prime CP.3 Lenses - Compactness redefined

Compactness redefined

ZEISS Compact Prime CP.3 and CP.3 XD Lenses

The compact and light-weight design enables you to use different stabilizing systems and to have a compact camera setup that is ideal for shooting in narrow spaces and for capturing dynamic shots.

• The compact and light-weight design is ideal for handheld, gimbal, drone and Steadicam applications
• Consistent size and weight across most of the focal lengths enables quick change of lenses when used on drones and gimbals
• The ultra-smooth focus rotation allows use of small focus motors