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What, no lens case!!

cerett

Member
(A rant) Just received my Zeiss 21 mm. I could not believe that for $1800+ it does not come with a lens case. Even my Sigma 35mm came with a lovely case. What gives?
 

pophoto

New member
Hmmm.... so you bought the lens to put it in a case? :p
Yeah I'm pulling your leg here, but in reality it's ironic no?
 

Shashin

Well-known member
??? Most of my high-end optics don't come with a case. Why do I want to spend extra on a lens for a cheap case?
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Agree with will.

If they include a cheap case it's not free on their end. The case itself won't cost much of course, but they'll have to make the box a bit larger, heavier, and more expensive to ship and store, deal with the extra logistics of purchasing and stocking the case in their mnfr inventory. But more importantly they would then be accused of "putting a cheap case in with a $1802 lens".

If they put in an expensive case then they are almost surely wasting your money. Of the several types of cases and the several brands that make each type of case, what are the odds that they would pick the exact bag that makes most sense to you, or that would match your existing gear/packing-system? So now they've charged you $1830*, possibly sold a handful less units as consumers in this end of the market are fairly price sensitive, and given 95% of the people who bought the lens a bag they wouldn't have purchased if given the chance separately.

These days you have a gluttonous range of bags you can purchase made of a half dozen materials by many manufacturers. Buy one (for each of your lenses) and enjoy!

As a point of comparison we sell Arca Swiss Tripod Cubes. They are, in my opinion, the best tripod head in the world for landscape photography. It's a $1700 tripod and they also offer it for $1924.50 with a very finely made leather case. In five years I think maybe two people have received and used the case. Almost everyone else opted for more functional protective options such as a velcro wrap. Here's the kicker, about six years ago they only sold it with the case.

*Yes, they would have to raise the price. It doesn't matter how expensive the product is, whatever price they calculated they needed/wanted to sell it for would have to be increased by the COG of "freebies" they throw in. Selling an expensive item does not magically make an accessory free.
 

cerett

Member
I agree with all of you. I am not seeking some elaborate hard caae for travel. I expected to have at least a soft case (pouch) for storage in my home like all my Nikon and Canon lenses come with. Leica lenses, I believe, come with a soft real leather case. Yes, I can buy one on the cheap, but it still pisses me off. That being said, the lens itself is extraordinary.
 

cerett

Member
Agree with will.

If they include a cheap case it's not free on their end. The case itself won't cost much of course, but they'll have to make the box a bit larger, heavier, and more expensive to ship and store, deal with the extra logistics of purchasing and stocking the case in their mnfr inventory. But more importantly they would then be accused of "putting a cheap case in with a $1802 lens".

If they put in an expensive case then they are almost surely wasting your money. Of the several types of cases and the several brands that make each type of case, what are the odds that they would pick the exact bag that makes most sense to you, or that would match your existing gear/packing-system? So now they've charged you $1830*, possibly sold a handful less units as consumers in this end of the market are fairly price sensitive, and given 95% of the people who bought the lens a bag they wouldn't have purchased if given the chance separately.

These days you have a gluttonous range of bags you can purchase made of a half dozen materials by many manufacturers. Buy one (for each of your lenses) and enjoy!

As a point of comparison we sell Arca Swiss Tripod Cubes. They are, in my opinion, the best tripod head in the world for landscape photography. It's a $1700 tripod and they also offer it for $1924.50 with a very finely made leather case. In five years I think maybe two people have received and used the case. Almost everyone else opted for more functional protective options such as a velcro wrap. Here's the kicker, about six years ago they only sold it with the case.

*Yes, they would have to raise the price. It doesn't matter how expensive the product is, whatever price they calculated they needed/wanted to sell it for would have to be increased by the COG of "freebies" they throw in. Selling an expensive item does not magically make an accessory free.
Doug - Thanks for your thoughtful response. I might add that the Cube case is a joke. It is way overpriced and extremely unattractive (not that it really matter). They could have offered a padded case made out of ballistic nylon for much, much less for those who store their cubes off the tripod.
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Oh yeah, there's that Cube case. Never occurred to me to get it. A bubble wrap bag I got for something else at some point is the perfect protection for it. Don't even have to take it off the tripod, just slip the bag over it and put it in the back of the car.
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Having owned the Zeiss ZF.2 21mm for the D800, I sold it in favor for the Sigma 35mm 1.4 HSM. I didn't care about a case or pouch, but regardless, Sigma included a really nicely made custom lens case that protects and travels in any camera bag! Forget about who includes what or why... Zeiss needs to figure out a better basic lens cap! Sigma's lens cap is a thing of beauty.
 

cerett

Member
Having owned the Zeiss ZF.2 21mm for the D800, I sold it in favor for the Sigma 35mm 1.4 HSM. I didn't care about a case or pouch, but regardless, Sigma included a really nicely made custom lens case that protects and travels in any camera bag! Forget about who includes what or why... Zeiss needs to figure out a better basic lens cap! Sigma's lens cap is a thing of beauty.
21mm to 35mm is quite a leap. Not sure how you would compare the two lenses. Their application, for me, is totally different. I really did not have any issues with the Zeiss lens cap. Certainly the all metal construction of the Zeiss is something to behold, but no lens case. Still pisses me off because when it sits on my shelf I need something to store it in.
 

ymc226

New member
All my Leica lenses came with cases but I don't use them as leaving them in a leather case might foster an environment prone to mold. I'd rather leave them on a shelf with moisture absorbing material such as Damp Rid in the room. Live in the East Coast but it can get humid if I lose power temporarily cutting off the A/C in the summer.

If I need to travel with the lenses, using a case for each lens would be prohibitive in terms of size. At most, I use a wrap or just use dividers in my camera bag to protect them separately.
 

cerett

Member
All my Leica lenses came with cases but I don't use them as leaving them in a leather case might foster an environment prone to mold. I'd rather leave them on a shelf with moisture absorbing material such as Damp Rid in the room. Live in the East Coast but it can get humid if I lose power temporarily cutting off the A/C in the summer.

If I need to travel with the lenses, using a case for each lens would be prohibitive in terms of size. At most, I use a wrap or just use dividers in my camera bag to protect them separately.
Agree. However, I have no problems with humidity in my area of the world. All of my Hasselblad lenses came with a pouch. It's okay, I'll get over it.
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
21mm to 35mm is quite a leap. Not sure how you would compare the two lenses. Their application, for me, is totally different. I really did not have any issues with the Zeiss lens cap. Certainly the all metal construction of the Zeiss is something to behold, but no lens case. Still pisses me off because when it sits on my shelf I need something to store it in.
Not really a comparison in regards to focal length, but the Sigma was more useful to me - the resolution and rendering was a bonus. Although, it is surprising how useful a nicely designed lens cap can be on a lens when trying to grab it with a shade attached. Think Tank has lens pouches.
 
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