Sounds like Nikon and Canon maybe jumping up in sensor size. Wow now that is big
I'm not sure if Nikon is ready to jump up to a sensor size greater than the current full frame 35mm, but I have a few thoughts about this new Zeiss 55 and other future lens in this new series.
As we have stated in other threads, high mp count 35mm DSLR"s like the D800/e have struggled with many of the current crop of lenses, even some of the great ones like the 14-24 among many others.
It looks fairly obvious that this new series of lenses is trying to address this and possible future full frame 35mm DSLR's that are in the pipeline to possibly have even greater density and higher pixel counts.
I don't necessary think having a 82mm filter size implies it's use on a MFD body too. Think Sigma 50mm f1.4. Although it has a 77mm filter size, when 1st produced, it raised eyebrows, as most previous 50's often had something closer to 52mm. Apparently some of the reasons for these larger filter sizes is not only reduced light fall off at the widest apertures, but it allows a larger exit pupil for better and more even distribution of light hitting the sensor sites. It also allows engineers more freedom to design higher performance with less optical restrictions. Of course as a bi-product, it may very well have a large enough image circle to cover a cropped MFD sensor.
My guess is there will be a steep price to pay for this increased performance and at some point I wouldn't be surprised to see Nikon respond to Zeiss"s move. As facts are released, it's going to be interesting to see how all this plays out..not only with regards to the lenses themselves, but future bodies that can exploit the increased performance of these lenses.
Dave (D&A)