ZF black versus silver: differences?

[johan1967]

On Ebay I see some silver ZF-lenses. As far as I can see the only differences are 2 knobs that are present on the silver-lenses but not on the black lenses.

Here is an example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Carl-Zeiss-f-Nikon-2-8-25mm-ZF-I-Silver-special-editio_W0QQitemZ370140431307QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCam era_Lenses?hash=item370140431307&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

These lenses are called "industial lenses".

Does anyone know the exact differences?

[Amin Sabet]

The regular ZF lenses come only in black (edited - I had this confused with Zeiss ZM).

The industrial edition (ZF-I) lenses come only in silver. Besides the difference in finish, they differ in that they have locking screws to keep the aperture and/or focus settings fixed for industrial applications. Also, the ZF-I lenses are "particularly suitable for rough technical applications.... protected against spray water and specially sealed against dust". Optically, the performance is the same as ZF lenses from what I can tell in the press release and info on the official site.

[johan1967]

The regular ZF lenses come only in black (edited - I had this confused with Zeiss ZM).

The industrial edition (ZF-I) lenses come only in silver. Besides the difference in finish, they differ in that they have locking screws to keep the aperture and/or focus settings fixed for industrial applications. Also, the ZF-I lenses are "particularly suitable for rough technical applications.... protected against spray water and specially sealed against dust". Optically, the performance is the same as ZF lenses from what I can tell in the press release and info on the official site.

This makes it clear to me. Thanx Amin!:)

[ashok522]

I wish they made silver ZF lenses :) That would look awesome!