ZEISS Standard Speeds arrived between 1964 and 1975. They were designed for use with Arriflex film cameras and offer a smooth pleasing image with cool color rendition and medium contrast making them an industry standard for decades. Their older optical designs, vintage glass and coatings are the perfect recipe to take some of the edge off of digital cameras, and they are incredibly flattering on faces. Standard Speeds were used on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Monster’s Ball, and Roger Deakins used them to shoot Fargo. They have a classic look thanks in part to their older coatings and iris design which delivers beautiful flares and a unique bokeh when stopped down. As a bonus, they are some of the smallest and lightest cinema lenses available (most of them weighing about 1 pound!), which makes them one of the best choices for gimbal or drone use. Many iterations have been released through the years, with the most recent models featuring standard 0.8 gearing on the focus and iris rings.
