The Tessar lens, also called "The Eagle's Eye," was designed by ZEISS optical designer Paul Rudolph in 1902. It was one of several breakthrough developments by ZEISS around the turn of the 20th century. The exceptional level of image sharpness for a compact lens allowed for cameras that could be carried and used anywhere while producing the same great pictures as their studio-bound equivalents – if not even better.

Tessar’s heritage lives on in smartphone lenses modeled on the Tessar design, due to the small space available for the camera system. For example, the Sony Xperia PRO-I features a ZEISS Tessar optics with an aspherical lens. And the label "Vario-Tessar" – a Tessar-based zoom feature adapted for mobile imaging systems – is engraved on vivo X60 Series smartphones.

Carl Zeiss's partner, Ernst Abbe, who discovered the basics for modern scientific optics, recognized the importance of aperture for all imaging, be it in microscopy or in photography. To get as little distortion as possible, high resolution and professionally managed contrast is required. ZEISS lenses accomplish this through innovative new ideas, elaborate optical designs, premium-quality components, and a precise mechanical design. This tradition is continued in all smartphones that carry the ZEISS symbol.

Natural colors are a prerequisite, not just for a great look out of the box, but also to provide the optimal foundation for post-processing. Each element of the imaging chain affects color reproduction: lens, sensor, and software. The proper adjustment of all those factors needs a lot of experience with, and scrutiny over, every single component of the imaging system. Be it for traditional camera systems or optics for smartphones, photography experts at ZEISS define natural colors as a profile for optics and software based on decades of experience with analog or digital color processing in imaging.

Bokeh effects, caused by different lens aberrations and aperture shapes, give pictures their distinctive esthetic and let the object in focus stand out almost plastically from its surroundings. ZEISS lenses create a one-of-a-kind bokeh, a mesmerizing effect often called the ZEISS 3D pop effect. Inspired by iconic ZEISS lenses, unique bokeh characteristics are replicated in our partners’ flagship smartphones to create portraits with the unique ZEISS look.

For example, ZEISS Biotar Style bokeh in the vivo X60 and X70 series smartphones allows users to take portrait shots in a similar style to the iconic look of the ZEISS Biotar lens (inspired by ZEISS Contax Biotar 1.5/75). It presents a swirling, eye-catching, dreamy out-of-focus bokeh while capturing the central figure clearly.

But our efforts don’t stop here. We also work on enabling cinematic look and feel to smartphone photos and videos, providing the oval shaped bokeh effect to mobile imaging, starting with the vivo X80 series.

Paul Rudolph is credited with designing the first anastigmatic lens, ZEISS Protar, in 1890. Thanks to the complete lack of field curvature and astigmatism, it enables distortion-free imaging and is the foundation for many further developments. One of them, the ZEISS Planar lens, patented in 1897, produces flat images with significantly reduced spheric and chromatic aberrations and is to this day the basis of professional optical tools for photography.

In 1902, the ZEISS Tessar lens, also called “The Eagle’s Eye,” provides a previously unattainable level of image sharpness in a compact form factor, enabling the company to build cameras that are no longer confined to the studio – a milestone achievement that is still the archetypal design for mobile imaging lenses. The premium zoom feature “Vario-Tessar” in modern smartphones still refers to this revolutionary lens technology today, based both in name and in functionality on Tessar characteristics.

In 1962, a Hasselblad 500C with a slightly modified ZEISS Planar lens takes the first photos in orbit around the Earth.

In 1965, a ZEISS Ikon Contarex Special camera accompanies the first American spacewalk. It is attached to a gas-powered propulsion gun, which enables the astronaut to maneuver while floating in zero gravity. The images cement the importance of photography during space missions.

In 1968, a Hasselblad 500C camera onboard the Apollo 8 is once again used, this time to take the first color photograph of the Earth from lunar orbit, forever changing mankind’s perspective on our planet.

And in 1969, a ZEISS Biogon wide-angle lens specifically designed for the moon landing mission in a Hasselblad Data Camera captures the moon’s surface with excellent edge-to-edge contrast and in ultra-high definition.

In the ZEISS ZX1, the best of both analog and digital worlds come together: A fast, high-performance ZEISS Distagon lens is combined with a full-frame 37.4 Megapixel CMOS sensor to provide exceptional image quality for photography on the move – be it for street, travel, or documentary photography.

Thanks to the integrated Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software suite, users can process their photos and videos from anywhere in-camera, from exposure and color correction to selective editing. An intuitive multi-touch navigation with an easy-to-use tool bar helps make this seamless editing process as convenient as it is on a smartphone. With the Wi-Fi connectivity, users can then share their work with their followers on their preferred social media platforms, or back it up to their cloud storage or NAS system.

The ZEISS ZX1 is the culmination and proof of ZEISS’s expertise in photography hardware, software, and system integration. The technological insights gathered in its development also spill over into joint mobile imaging projects with partners such as Sony or vivo. With the ZEISS ZX1 and mobile imaging systems that include ZEISS optics and technologies, ZEISS is ready to shape the future together with them.