Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7
 Lens attached to camera as used for Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon | |
| Maker | Zeiss |
|---|---|
| Technical data | |
| Focal length | 50 |
| Image format | full-frame |
| Aperture (max/min) | f/0.7 |
| Construction | 8 elements in 2 groups |
| History | |
| Introduction | 1966 |
The Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7 is one of the largest relative aperture (fastest) lenses in the history of photography.[1] The lens was developed for the NASA Apollo lunar program in 1966.[2][3][4] It was rumored to have been made specifically to capture the far side of the Moon, but Zeiss themselves have said, "There is no evidence to support the myth."[5]
Stanley Kubrick used these lenses when shooting his film Barry Lyndon, which allowed him to shoot scenes lit only by candlelight.[6][7]
In total there were only ten lenses made. One was kept by Carl Zeiss, six were sold to NASA, and three were sold to Kubrick.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "World's fastest lens: Zeiss 50mm f/0.7", Ogiroux, Google, archived from the original on 2009-03-09[self-published source]
- ↑ Maddee, Werner. "Hollywood, NASA, and the chip industry put their trust in Carl Zeiss". www.zeiss.com. Archived from the original on 2010-10-01. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
- ↑ Kämmerer, Dr. J. (1979). "When is it advisable to improve the quality of camera lenses?" (PDF). Optics & Photography Symposium (excerpt from a lecture). Les Baux. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
- ↑ "One Small Click on the Release Button – One Giant Set of Images for Mankind – ZEISS camera lenses at the Moon landing 50 years ago" (Press release). Zeiss. 10 July 2019.
- ↑ "(Probably) the most famous lens in the world comes back home". www.zeiss.com. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
- ↑ DiGiulio, Ed, "Two Special Lenses for Barry Lyndon", American Cinematographer, Visual memory,
How the stringent demands of a purist-perfectionist film-maker led to the development of two valuable new cinematographic tools
. - ↑ This Month's Object: the Zeiss lens f/0.7 Archived February 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
External links
[edit]- History of fast 35mm and small format film lenses
- Photo of the lens
- A schematic view of the optical design of the lens
- f0.7 – Ultrafast Lenses – Legends, budget options, modding, and testing – Epic Episode #9. YouTube. Media Division. Includes a discussion of the lens and how it was fitted to a movie camera for shooting Barry Lyndon
- (in Italian) OMAGGIO ALL'IMMORTALE KUBRICK ED AL MITICO PLANAR 50mm f/0,7
- (in French) # sk Objectifs ultra-lumineux
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