Vintage Prime
Ancient Optics / Zero Optik
Tamashii Primes
The “Greatest Hits” of Japanese Optics
- Focal
- 22–110mm
- T-stop
- T1.5–T2.3
- Mount
- PL
Vintage Prime Set
Zeiss
Zeiss Standard Speed
6 primes 16 – 100mm T2.1 PL
The T2.1 sibling to the legendary Super Speeds: same Zeiss optical heritage, slightly slower aperture, more compact build.
The Standard Speed primes from the 1970s–80s carry the Zeiss cinematic look (high resolution, clean but not clinical) with sharper corner performance and better contrast than the faster Super Speeds wide open. Original ARRI bayonet housings.
Character profile
How this lens renders.
Higher contrast. Better corners. Classic Zeiss.
Five axes plotting how this set behaves wide-open vs a neutral modern reference. Larger area = more pronounced trait.
Focal lengths
6 focal lengths in this set
- 16mm T2.1
- 24mm T2.1
- 32mm T2.1
- 50mm T2.1
- 85mm T2.1
- 100mm T2.1
Talking points
Why DPs pick this set
-
Same Zeiss optical heritage as Super Speeds at T2.1 instead of T1.3
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Sharper corner performance: Standard Speeds rate better across the frame than the SS line
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Lighter, more compact than the Super Speeds, easier on smaller rigs
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Original ARRI bayonet housings, vintage character intact
Technical
Full specifications
- Mount
- PL
- Coverage
- Super 35
- Front Diameter
- 80mm
Heritage
-
Origin
Manufactured by Zeiss in West Germany in the 1970s–80s, the T2.1 production line that ran in parallel with the faster Super Speeds. Standard Speeds shared the Zeiss optical philosophy of clean resolution with controlled character.
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Filmography
A workhorse set across documentary, episodic, and commercial work of the era, chosen when Super Speed bokeh wasn’t required but Zeiss colour and contrast were.
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Build
Original ARRI bayonet housings, unrehoused. The Super Speeds got the TLS modernisation treatment in the late 2010s and the Standard Speeds followed in May 2025, but ours are the original-housing lenses; what you rent is what shot 1980s television and features.
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