Zeiss ZX1
Big test
PRICE: £5399
ZEISS.COM
Zeiss’s first digital camera is a large sensor, premium compact. At a time when products can be much of a muchness, the ZX1 definitely stands out from the crowd
SPECS › Price £5399 › In the box Camera, Li-ion battery, strap, lens cap, lens hood › Sensor CMOS 37.4 megapixels (7488x4992 pixels) › Sensor format Full-frame 24x36mm › Lens Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2 › ISO range 80-6400 (H 8000 to 51,200 in 0.3EV steps) › Shutter range Leaf shutter 30secs to 1/2000sec, up to 4mins in T mode, mechanical shutter limited to 1/1000sec. Flash sync up to 1/1000sec › Drive modes Single, continuous, self-timer, interval timer, AEB (three or five frames), panorama › Exposure system PASM, multi-zone, centre, spot › Exposure compensation +/-3EV on 0.3EV steps › Monitor 4.3in TFT touch LCD (1280x720 pixels) › Viewfinder OLED (1920x1080px) › Focusing system Contrast detect. Single (manual override possible), continuous, manual with magnification and peaking assist › Focus points 255 AF points in total. Single point (touch enabled), face detect, touch and release › Image stabiliser No › Video 4K/30p, Full HD 60p › Movie format MP4 › Connectivity Wi-Fi, USB 3.1, Bluetooth, HDMI Alt Mode for USB-C › Other key features Adobe Lightroom CC built-in › Storage media 469GB internal, via USB-C external › Battery 190mAH Li-ion battery › Dimensions (wxhxl) 142x93x94mm › Weight 837g › Contact zeiss.com
WORDS AND IMAGES BY WILL CHEUNG
GO BACK IN time and Zeiss was a respected camera maker, but in recent years its reputation has been markedly focused on skills as a lens maker. It was a surprise – a nice one – when Zeiss announced the ZX1 in 2018, a full-frame camera with workflow at its core. When it comes to camera set-up and use, the ZX1 (v2.0.1 firmware) doesn’t conform to what you might consider normal – this starts from the moment you turn it on. Move the three-position on/off switch to the left and hold it there, until an LED turns white and the ZX1 starts up, taking around 20 seconds. Such a lengthy start-up is not practical if you like to take grab shots, but you don’t have to fully turn the camera on every time you want to shoot. There’s a standby mode from which the camera takes a second to be ready. Sleep mode and shooting video is also done by the on/off toggle. The camera will automatically go to sleep when not in use, and you can adjust this time up to 30 minutes. If the camera is idle (adjustable up to 12 hours), it will power off. There is a battery drain in sleep mode, but it’s minimal. On my test day, I fired up a fully charged camera at 9am, and it wasn’t fully powered down until 7pm. In those hours, where the ambient outdoor temperature was about 4°C, I took 172 stills, put the camera in and out of sleep many times, adjusted settings and previewed shots – the camera showed 44% charge at the end of the day. Impressive stuff, demonstrating that you don’t need to fully switch off the ZX1 after each shot. Add a spare battery as insurance and the slow start-up is not an issue. Battery charge is via USB-C port. As is the trend nowadays, there’s no separate charger supplied, but you do get a USB-C lead. Once the camera is on, you can enjoy the ZX1’s lovely and large
“THE CAMERA SHOWED 44% CHARGE ATTHE ENDOFTHE DAY. IMPRESSIVE”
touch monitor with what Zeiss calls a ‘screen bend’ – the monitor is angled up on the right side. To access set-up, playback and software, you need to use the left side of the screen, swiping up or down, depending what menu you need. The active area is narrow, about one quarter of the screen. Sometimes it worked fine, but occasionally it needed an extra swipe. The screen bend has a range of icons, ten in total. Starting from
REARVIEW The ZX1’s back is dominated by the 4.3in touch LCD. The only physical controls are a dioptre dial next to the EVF eyepiece and a small, almost flush function button, which is an exposure lock by default
IN THE HUT The prime 35mm lens is a great all-rounder, whether you like to shoot people or scenes. This is an out-of-camera JPEG, at 1/115sec at f/11 and ISO 100. AWB did a good job with the sky on this shot but that wasn’t always the case
Photography News | Issue 96
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