The Zeiss ZX1, which was initially announced around two years ago, might finally be up for sale after the long wait.
The Zeiss ZX1 was announced in September 2018 and was supposed to be launched in early 2019. However, Zeiss’s first announcement did not age too well, as the camera had to be delayed several times.
The $6,000 price of Zeiss ZX1 showed up as a pre-order product on B&H. But the latter was removed immediately and was changed to “Notify when available.”
Zeiss ZX1: Specifications
The Zeiss ZX1 is a compact mirrorless camera with no support for changing the built-in lens. It has a full-frame 37.4MP CMOS sensor matched with a Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f2 fixed lens.
It also has three physical dials to control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, respectively. These are coupled with a 4.3-inch touchscreen and an electronic viewfinder, making a comfortable experience even for beginners.
Furthermore, the camera is capable of a 4K recording at 30fps and a 3fps burst capture.
The Zeiss ZX1 was marketed as a camera capable of capturing, editing, and sharing images on-the-go, according to a report by The Verge.
Android functionality
The camera integrates Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC within the UI, making it easier to edit photos on-the-go.
It also has features like built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C port, and NFC to share photos instantly. Moreover, users can store images on the 512GB flash storage that comes with the camera.
Unlike the Samsung Galaxy camera launched in the past, the camera has a heavily customized Android version. According to a report by GSM Arena, the Android part of this camera is very lowkey, as evident from the marketing Zeiss has done so far.
Pricing and Competition
As mentioned above, the camera costs $6,000. However, it would not be wise to make such a commitment before the hands-on videos are released, to be safe.
Moreover, Zeiss has priced the Zeiss ZX1 way above what the competitors are offering. The direct competitor for the Zeiss ZX1 would be the compact camera range by Sony’s RX1. However, Sony RX1 does not come with Lightroom CC on board, but is significantly cheaper, starting at $3,300, with almost the same camera specifications.
Leica, a brand known for expensive cameras, has a premium full-frame competitor named Leica Q2 starting at $4,995. Even the Leica Q2 comes with optics powered by Zeiss, so the camera performance should be comparable, to say the least.
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