ZEISS is ending 2024 with a last minute surprise announcement. Introducing the Supreme Zoom Radiance trio. This new set includes: 15-30mm, 28-80mm, and 70-200mm all at T2.9. The new ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses feature the same T* blue coating as the popular Supreme Prime Radiance, delivering consistent flares and a warm color rendition. They are interesting additions to the cinema family complimenting the already unique Supreme Radiance Primes. Let’s take a look at the new Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses and see if they have enough shine to get your attention.
Image Character
If you are familiar with the Radiance Primes, then you won’t find anything particularly new with regards to “look” here. Zeiss did everything they could to get the same look and performance packed into three reasonably compact zooms. And by our accounts, they were successful in that endeavor. When seen through the projector, we immediately observed excellent resolution and contrast (200 LP/mm) from the center of the frame to the outer reaches of the Vista Vision field.
They get better on camera (obviously). That performance translates to the pleasing 3D pop that Zeiss is known for while also gently massaging enough to feel natural and organic. The ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses offer a versatile and distinctive look, combining a balanced sharpness with an aesthetically pleasing focus fall-off and smooth, elegant bokeh. These features make them an excellent choice for filmmakers seeking creative flexibility.
Classic Look with Modern Technology: While they are designed as modern cinema lenses, the Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses maintain a subtle connection to the beloved look of ZEISS Super Speed lenses. They also pair seamlessly with ZEISS Supreme Primes, ensuring a consistent visual style across different lens types.
Full-Frame Performance: With a decent speed for full-frame shooting, these lenses allow cinematographers to work with natural light and achieve a shallow depth of field, expanding creative possibilities.
According to Christophe Casenave, Head of Cinematography at ZEISS:
“They even match nicely with some vintage lenses like Canon K35s. Overall, this ensures a cohesive look for productions that want to combine both prime and zoom lenses, enhancing the creative potential for filmmakers.”
With a bit of work, that might be true, but theses are better enjoyed alongside more modern glass arrangements.
Flare Characteristics
The ZEISS T blue lens coating* is designed to create distinctive lens flares when strong lighting is applied. This coating reflects only a small portion of the blue light spectrum, resulting in a reduction of blue light reaching the camera sensor.
- Impact on Color Tone: With less blue light reaching the sensor, the overall image tends to have a slightly warmer color tone, adding a unique aesthetic quality to the footage.
- Radiance vs. Supreme Lenses: Compared to standard ZEISS Supreme lenses, the Supreme Radiance lenses produce images with a warmer tone, which can enhance certain visual qualities, such as skin tones, making them appear more natural and vibrant.
Build & Ergonomics
The ZEISS Supreme Lenses (both primes and zooms) feature consistent and standardized positions for the iris, focus, and zoom rings, ensuring seamless interchangeability between different lenses. This means there’s no need to adjust or reposition motors when switching lenses, significantly streamlining workflow on set and saving valuable time during production.
They are also deceptively lightweight. They are built to match the same silhouette as the primes, but I think they could have been trimmed down quite a bit. Would have been interesting to see them be used in more compact settings. While they might not be as compact as some (including myself) might wish, the zooms are surprisingly easy to handle once you have them in your hands. Their weight is well-distributed, and the design strikes a nice balance between being solid and manageable, even during long shooting days.
Connectivity
The ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance (SZR) lenses provide integrated eXtended Data via the PL/LPL mount and external socket, offering key lens metadata such as zoom value, focus distance, T-stop, and more. This data enhances workflow both on set and in post-production, particularly in compositing and visual effects.
Key Benefits:
- eXtended Data includes lens name, zoom value, focus distance, T-stop, and more.
- CinCraft support enables seamless integration with CinCraft Scenario camera tracking, eliminating lens calibration for faster, more accurate results.
By reducing prep time and improving accuracy, the SZR lenses help streamline the creative process, making them a powerful tool for filmmakers.
Prime vs Zoom Coverage
It’s the age old debate. Performance vs practicality/efficiency vs cost. Here’s the list of available Supreme Prime Radiance. You make your own choices.
Prime focal length coverage: 18, 21, 25, 29, 35, 40, 50, 65, 85, 100, and 135mm
3-lens set coverage: 15-200mm
Tech Spec Sheet
As expected, the table below shows the specs for the three zooms as well as some individual primes for comparison.
| Lens | T-Stop Range | Close Focus | Length | Front Diameter | Weight | Focus Throw |
| SPR 18mm | T1.5-T22 | 0.35m/14″ | 163mm/6.4″ | 114mm | 2.27kg/5.00lbs | 300° |
| SPR 35mm | T1.5-T22 | 0.32m/13″ | 119mm/6.7″ | 95mm | 1.40kg/3.09lbs | 300° |
| SPR 65mm | T1.5-T22 | 0.6m/2′ | 121mm/4.8″ | 95mm | 1.63kg/3.59lbs | 300° |
| SZR 15-30mm | T2.9-T22 | 0.55m/21″ | 198mm/7.8″ | 114mm | 2.95kg/6.50lbs | 300° |
| SZR 28-80mm | T2.9-T22 | 0.83m/2’9″ | 198mm/7.8″ | 114mm | 2.76kg/6.09lbs | 300° |
| SZR 70-200mm | T2.9-T22 | 1.5m/5′ | 232mm/9.1″ | 114mm | 3.18kg/7.01lbs | 300° |
Price & Availability
The time comes to address the all important question: How much are they? Well, in one regard they are a relatively good deal. While a full set of Supreme Primes will set you back over $250,000, the Supreme Zoom Radiance trio will come in at half that ($125,000). See? A good deal for 3 lenses that cover everything from 15mm-200mm between them. You can also buy them individually: 15-30mm ($49,500), 28-80mm & 70-200mm ($44,000).
They will be available sometime between March-April 2025, but preorders can be placed starting today.