Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California , on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park . It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The observatory is a popular tourist attraction with a close view of the Hollywood Sign and an extensive array of space and science-related displays. It is named after its benefactor, Griffith J. Griffith . Admission has been free since the observatory's opening in 1935, in accordance with the benefactor's will.
85-496: Since its opening, over 9 million people have looked through the 12-inch (30.5 cm) Zeiss refracting scope , making it the most viewed telescope in the world. The space theme prevails in the interior. On December 16, 1896, 3,015 acres (12.20 km) of land surrounding the observatory was donated to the City of Los Angeles by Griffith J. Griffith . In his will he donated funds to build an observatory, exhibit hall, and planetarium on
170-497: A Tesla coil and a "Camera Obscura", which uses mirrors and lenses to focus light onto a flat surface. The Ahmanson Hall of the Sky, located in the west wing, focuses on objects that are normally found in the sky, like the Sun and Moon. The main centerpiece of this section is a large solar telescope projecting images of the Sun, using a series of mirrors called coelostats. Exhibits here include
255-454: A collaboration with HMD Global announced on 6 July 2017. On 17 December 2020, Vivo and Zeiss announced a long-term strategic partnership to jointly promote and develop breakthrough innovations in mobile imaging technology. The first “Vivo Zeiss co-engineered imaging system” will be featured in the Vivo X60 series, followed by Vivo X-Fold 3 Pro, and lowered to their V-series. As part of
340-479: A competent scientist so as to take the firm beyond just being another optical workshop. In 1866, the service of Dr. Ernst Abbe was enlisted. From then on novel products appeared in rapid succession which brought the Zeiss company to the forefront of optical technology. Abbe was instrumental in the development of the famous Jena optical glass. When he was trying to eliminate stigmatism from microscopes, he realized that
425-499: A distance. On display at the Observatory is a large Tesla coil , named for its inventor, Nikola Tesla . Dubbed "GPO-1", it is one of a pair which were built in 1910 by Earle Ovington . Ovington, who would go on to fame as an aviator, ran a company which built high voltage generators for medical X-ray and electrotherapy devices. In public demonstrations of his generators, the spectacular displays drew crowds. Ovington designed
510-420: A distinctive appearance, with a single sphere of projection lenses supported above a large, angled "planet cage". Marks II through VI were similar in appearance, using two spheres of star projectors separated along a central axis that contained projectors for the planets. Beginning with Mark VII, the central axis was eliminated and the two spheres were merged into a single, egg-shaped projection unit. The Mark I
595-491: A high-resolution immersive video projected by an innovative laser system developed by Evans and Sutherland Corporation, along with a short night sky simulation projected by the Zeiss Universarium. A team of animators, directed by observatory art director Don Dixon who also co-wrote the script, worked more than two years to create the 30-minute program. Actors, holding a glowing orb, perform the presentation, under
680-703: A new asymmetrical lens with four thin elements, the Unar Series Ib, with apertures up to f/4.5. Due to its high speed, it was used extensively on hand cameras. The most important Zeiss lens by Rudolph was the Tessar , first sold in 1902 in its Series IIb f/6.3 form. It can be said as a combination of the front half of the Unar with the rear half of the Protar. This proved to be the most valuable and flexible design, with tremendous development potential. Its maximum aperture
765-524: A periodic table of the elements, a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, and several alcoves showing exhibits about topics like day and night, the paths of the Sun and stars, the seasons, the phases of the Moon, tides, and eclipses. The W. M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda features several Hugo Ballin murals on the ceiling and upper walls restored since 1934, a Foucault pendulum that demonstrates the Earth's rotation, and
850-490: A public bond issue, restored the building, as well as replaced the aging planetarium dome. The building was expanded underground, with completely new exhibits, a café, gift shop, and the new Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater. On May 25, 2008, the Observatory offered visitors live coverage of the Phoenix landing on Mars . Ed Krupp has been the director of the Observatory since 1974. He has been responsible for updating
935-455: A reunification of Carl Zeiss companies in East and West Germany with a consolidation phase in the 1990s. ZEISS is active in four business segments with approximately equal revenue (Industrial Quality and Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology) in almost 50 countries, has 30 production sites and around 25 development sites worldwide. Carl Zeiss AG
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#17327797917161020-506: A single combination with four cemented elements, which can be considered as having all the elements of the Protar stuck together in one piece. Marketed in 1894, it was called the Protarlinse Series VII, the most highly corrected single combination lens with maximum apertures between f/11 and f/12.5, depending on its focal length. But the important thing about this Protarlinse is that two of these lens units can be mounted in
1105-577: A single egg-shaped projector, and moving objects such as planets have their own independent projectors or are projected using a full-dome digital projection system. The Starmaster line of projectors are designed for smaller domes than the Universarium, but also use the single starball design. The Skymaster ZKP projectors are designed for the smallest domes and use a "dumbbell" design similar to the Mark II-VI projectors, where two smaller starballs for
1190-506: A small exhibit dedicated to Griffith J. Griffith, after whom the observatory is named. The Cosmic Connection is a 150 ft long hallway connecting the main building and the underground exhibition areas (see below) that depicts the history of the universe, and dramatizes the amount of time that has passed from the Big Bang to the present day, using hundreds of individual pieces of astronomy-related jewelry. The Gunther Depths of Space Hall
1275-509: Is mainly known in the trade for their association with the German camera manufacturer Arri for whom they currently produce lenses. Current models of Zeiss cinema lenses are: Carl Zeiss AG has produced lenses for Hasselblad and Rollei cameras, including: Zeiss has produced lenses for large format and press cameras, including: Zeiss has departed the large-format optics field along with Nikon , leaving Schneider and Rodenstock as
1360-739: Is split up into six sections: The Wilder Hall of the Eye, the Ahmanson Hall of the Sky, the W. M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda, the Cosmic Connection, the Gunther Depths of Space Hall, and the Edge of Space Mezzanine. The Wilder Hall of the Eye, located in the east wing of the main level focuses on astronomical tools like telescopes and how they evolved over time so people can see further into space. Interactive features there include
1445-720: Is the glass manufacturer Schott AG , located in Mainz and Jena. Carl Zeiss is one of the oldest existing optics manufacturers in the world. Carl Zeiss opened an optics workshop in Jena in 1846. By 1847 he was making microscopes full-time. In 1861 the rapidly growing company had a staff of about 20 and won a gold medal at the Thuringian Industrial Exposition. By 1866 Zeiss sold their 1,000th microscope. In 1872 physicist Ernst Abbe joined Zeiss, and along with Otto Schott designed greatly improved lenses for
1530-546: Is the holding of all subsidiaries within Zeiss Group , of which Carl Zeiss Meditec AG is the only one that is traded at the stock market. Carl Zeiss AG is owned by the foundation Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung . The Zeiss Group has its headquarters in southern Germany, in the small town of Oberkochen , with its second largest, and founding site, being Jena in eastern Germany. Also controlled by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
1615-657: Is the lower level of the observatory, dominated by "The Big Picture," and scale models of the Solar System . The planets (including dwarf planet Pluto) are shown relative to the size of the Sun, which is represented by the diameter of the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater. Below each planet are listed facts, as well as scales indicating a person's weight on planets having a solid surface (or weight at an altitude where atmospheric pressure would equal one bar otherwise). In addition, beneath
1700-585: The Million Volt Oscillator , was installed in the band balcony overlooking the arena. At the top of each hour the lights in the main hall were shut off, and sparks would shoot from the copper ball atop the coil to a matching coil 122 inches away, or to a wand held by an assistant. The chief engineer of the General Electric Company estimated that the discharges were at least 1.3 million volts. Ovington, who died in 1936, gave
1785-650: The Solar System , and eclipses. The planetarium theater was renovated in 1964 and a Mark IV Zeiss projector was installed. The Café at the End of the Universe, an homage to Restaurant at the End of the Universe , is one of the many cafés run by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck . One wall inside the building is covered with the largest astronomically accurate image ever constructed (152 feet (46 m) long by 20 feet (6.1 m) high), called "The Big Picture", depicting
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#17327797917161870-626: The Universal Juwel (Jewel), a glass plate camera originally designed by ICA in 1909. This was a favorite of both Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange . Other models produced by Zeiss Ikon prior to World War II included the Baldur , named for Baldur von Schirach ; the Contaflex , a twin-lens reflex ; and the Tengor , a box camera derived from an earlier Goerz design. Despite German production,
1955-473: The Virgo Cluster of galaxies; visitors can explore the highly detailed image from within arm's reach or through telescopes 60 feet (18 m) away. In 2006 the 1964-vintage Zeiss Mark IV star projector was replaced with a Zeiss Mark IX Universarium. The former planetarium projector is part of the underground exhibit on ways in which humanity has visualized the skies. Centered in the Universe features
2040-625: The Voigtländer brand in 1956, putting it in the curious position of offering competing cameras in the same market segments, including professional rangefinders ( Prominent (135) , in competition with the Contax), amateur SLRs ( Bessamatic /Ultramatic, competing with the Contaflex), and numerous compact and folding cameras through at least 1967, when the Icarex, a Voigtländer design released under
2125-669: The Zeiss Gruppe in and around Dresden have branched into new technologies: screens and products for the automotive industry , for example. As of 2023 there are arguably three companies with primarily "Zeiss Ikon" heritage: Zeiss Germany , the Finnish/Swedish Ikon (which bought the West German Zeiss Ikon AG ), and the independent eastern Zeiss Ikon . A division called "Carl Zeiss Vision" produces lenses for eyeglasses. In 2005,
2210-485: The "Hensoldt" and "Zeiss" brand-names. The Hensoldt System Technology division (resulting from a merger of the military-optics operations of Leica and Hensoldt) was continued by Zeiss under the "Hensoldt" name until 2006. As part of Nazi Germany 's Zwangsarbeiter program, Zeiss used forced labour , including Jews and other minorities during World War II . The destruction of the war caused many companies to divide into smaller subcompanies and others to merge. There
2295-426: The 35 mm single-lens reflex Contaflex and other types of cameras. Since the beginning of Zeiss as a photographic lens manufacturer, it has had a licensing programme, allowing other manufacturers to produce its lenses. Over the years its licensees included Voigtländer , Bausch & Lomb , Ross, Koristka, Krauss, Kodak . etc. In the 1970s, the western operation of Zeiss-Ikon collaborated with Yashica to produce
2380-640: The Contax was the match in every respect for the Leica for at least two decades. Other lenses for the Contax included the Biotar, Biogon, Orthometar, and various Tessars and Triotars. The last important Zeiss innovation before World War II was the technique of applying an anti-reflective coating to lens surfaces invented by Olexander Smakula in 1935. A lens so treated was marked with a red "T", short for "Transparent". The technique of applying multiple layers of coatings
2465-538: The Earth's model, there is a small room containing a large model Earth globe, an older Zeiss planetarium projector, and a set of seismograph rolls, including one tracking room motion caused by occupants. The other rolls are attached to seismographs monitoring movement at the bedrock level, and indicate actual seismic activity. On the north wall of the Depths of Space is "The Big Picture", a 150 feet (46 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) photograph (the largest astronomical image in
2550-542: The East German facility in Jena developed the ZKP projector line. The Mark VII was developed in 1993 and was the first joint project of the two Zeiss factories following German reunification . As of 2011 , Zeiss currently manufactures three main models of planetarium projectors. The flagship Universarium models continue the "Mark" model designation and use a single "starball" design, where the fixed stars are projected from
2635-540: The Observatory's coil to surpass a coil made by Elihu Thomson in 1893 which generated a 64-inch spark. ( Tesla had secretly produced much larger sparks in 1899.) The project caught the attention of an Edison Electric Illuminating Company official, who offered $ 1,000 if the coil were displayed at an upcoming electrical show in Madison Square Garden , with the stipulation that the machine would produce sparks not less than ten feet long. The machine, dubbed
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2720-642: The Observatory, with views of the Pacific Ocean , the Hollywood Sign and Downtown Los Angeles . The observatory was featured in two major sequences of the James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which helped to make it an international emblem of Los Angeles. A bust of Dean was subsequently placed at the west side of the grounds. It has also appeared in a number of other movies, including: The Observatory has appeared in episodes of
2805-678: The US Army relocated some parts of Zeiss Jena to the Contessa manufacturing facility in Stuttgart , West Germany, while the remainder of Zeiss Jena was reestablished by the (eastern) German Democratic Republic as Kombinat VEB Zeiss Jena . The Soviet Army relocated most of the existing Zeiss factories and tooling to the Soviet Union, establishing the Kiev camera-works. In
2890-554: The Vermont/Sunset Metro Red Line station to the Observatory, including a stop at the nearby Greek Theater, which can be used as a free parking area when there are no concerts. When parking at the Greek Theater parking lot on nights there are no concerts, visitors can choose to take trails up to the observatory (primarily by using the sidewalk along the road that leads up to the observatory) or by taking
2975-702: The West, business activity restarted in Oberkochen in present-day Baden-Württemberg (southwestern Germany) as Opton Optische Werke Oberkochen GmbH in 1946, which became Zeiss-Opton Optische Werke Oberkochen GmbH in 1947, but was soon renamed to "Carl Zeiss". West-German Zeiss products were labelled "Opton" for sale in the Eastern bloc, while East German Zeiss products were labelled " Zeiss Jena " or simply " Jena " for sale in Western countries. In 1973,
3060-673: The Western Carl Zeiss AG entered into a licensing agreement with the Japanese camera-company Yashica to produce a series of high-quality 35 mm film-cameras and lenses bearing the Contax and Zeiss brand names. This collaboration continued under Yashica's successor, Kyocera , until the latter ceased all camera production in 2005. Zeiss later produced lenses for the space industry and, more recently, has again produced high-quality 35 mm camera-lenses. The eastern Zeiss Jena
3145-599: The Zeiss Ikon brand, was released to consolidate the competing SLR lines. After Zeiss Ikon stopped producing cameras, the Voigtländer brand and Icarex designs were acquired by Rollei , which released variations of the Icarex under both Voigtländer and Rollei as the Rolleiflex SL35 ;M . Since 1972, some 35mm cameras have been marketed under the "Contax" and "Zeiss Ikon" brands. The "Contax" brand
3230-665: The Zeiss Works of Jena, Germany. Zeiss projectors are designed to sit in the middle of a dark, dome -covered room and project an accurate image of the stars and other astronomical objects on the dome. They are generally large, complicated, and imposing machines. The first Zeiss Mark I projector (the first planetarium projector in the world) was installed in the Deutsches Museum in Munich in August, 1923. It possessed
3315-454: The advent of the Contax by Zeiss-Ikon, the first professional 35mm system camera became available. At this stage the Leica was no more than a convenient and portable snapshot camera. However Leitz could see the potential offered by the Contax and rapidly developed a coupled rangefinder and started to introduce additional lenses. As a system camera there was a need for a range of lenses for the Contax. Bertele's Sonnar series of lenses designed for
3400-417: The building and grounds of Griffith Observatory is free of charge. Planetarium shows at the Observatory are offered eight times a day on weekdays and ten times a day on weekends. A nominal fee is charged for admission to the planetarium shows. As long as the weather permits, the Observatory offers free public telescope viewing every night the observatory is open - usually beginning at 7:00 p.m. This includes
3485-408: The bus that runs up the road and drops visitors off right outside the observatory grounds. The bus can be quite congested at peak times of the day but only takes about 5 minutes to reach the top. Walking the distance from the parking lot at the Greek Theater to the top would take approximately 15–20 minutes. The observatory is closed on Mondays. There are photo opportunities and scenery at and around
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3570-484: The capital came from Zeiss which also provided components for the cameras, including lenses and shutters through its subsidiaries such as Deckel . One of the four merged companies, Internationale Camera Actiengesellschaft [ de ] (ICA AG), had been founded in 1909 shortly after Carl Zeiss Palmos, which had been co-founded by Zeiss lens designer Paul Rudolph and Curt Bentzin from Görlitz in 1899, went out of business. Another founding company, Contessa-Nettel,
3655-536: The collaboration agreement, Vivo and Zeiss will establish the Vivo Zeiss Imaging Lab, a joint R&D program to innovate mobile imaging technology for Vivo’s flagship smartphones. Zeiss Ikon was an independent camera company related to Carl Zeiss, formed by the merger of four camera makers (Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann [ de ] , Goerz and ICA) in Dresden on September 15, 1926. Much of
3740-485: The collaboration varies, from co-branding optics designed by another firm (e.g., Sony) to complete optical design and manufacturing (e.g., Hasselblad). On 27 April 2005, the company announced a collaboration with Nokia in the camera phone market, with Zeiss providing camera optics. The first smartphone to be co-engineered with Zeiss optics was the Nokia N90 , Zeiss will again provide optics for Nokia products through
3825-417: The company's divisions for microscopy and other precision optics (effectively reuniting the pre-war Carl Zeiss enterprise) and moving its microscopy and planetarium divisions back to Jena. Jenoptik GmbH was split off as a specialty company in the areas of photonics , optoelectronics , and mechatronics . The Hensoldt AG was renamed "Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH" on 1 October 2006. The companies of
3910-405: The direction of Chris Shelton. Tickets for the show are purchased separately at the box office within the observatory. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Children under 5 are free, but are admitted to only the first planetarium show of the day. Only members of the observatory's support group, Friends of the Observatory, may reserve tickets for the planetarium show. The observatory
3995-452: The donated land. Griffith's objective was to make astronomy accessible to the public, as opposed to the prevailing idea that observatories should be located on remote mountaintops and restricted to scientists. Griffith drafted detailed specifications for the observatory. In drafting the plans, he consulted with Walter Sydney Adams , the future director of Mount Wilson Observatory , and George Ellery Hale , who founded (with Andrew Carnegie )
4080-551: The eyeglass division merged with U.S. company SOLA, which included the former American Optical Company . On 28 June 2013, Carl Zeiss officially announced its plan to rename the brand from " Carl Zeiss " to simply " Zeiss ". All the products will be standardized under the "Zeiss" brand. In April 2019, Zeiss announced the acquisition of Brunswick -based GOM. The Zeiss company was responsible for many innovations in optical design and engineering in each of their major fields of business. Today this becomes exemplarily visible in
4165-506: The first astrophysical telescope in Los Angeles. As a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, construction began on June 20, 1933, using a design developed by architects John C. Austin and Frederic Morse Ashley (1870–1960), based on preliminary sketches by Russell W. Porter . The observatory and accompanying exhibits were opened to the public on May 14, 1935, as the country's third planetarium. In its first five days of operation
4250-399: The first lunar missions. Griffith Observatory Foundation was chartered in 1978 as Friends of the Observatory. It was founded by Debra Griffith and Harold Griffith (the grandson of the observatory's benefactor) with Dr. E.C. Krupp (the current Observatory Director) and a small group of dedicated partners. The foundation supports the observatory in its mission of public astronomy and advocated
4335-459: The folding Super Ikonta was among the mainstays of British Army photographers during World War II. In 1932 Zeiss Ikon introduced the Contax line of 35mm rangefinder cameras , having recognised the potential for a system camera using 35mm film. The Contax I was introduced with a wide range of lenses and accessories for scientific and professional use. In 1936, an improved model, the Contax II,
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#17327797917164420-508: The following TV shows: Carl Zeiss AG Carl Zeiss AG ( / z aɪ s / ZYSE , German: [kaʁl ˈtsaɪs] ), branded as ZEISS , is a German manufacturer of optical systems and optoelectronics , founded in Jena , Germany in 1846 by optician Carl Zeiss . Together with Ernst Abbe (joined 1866) and Otto Schott (joined 1884) he laid the foundation for today's multinational company. The current company emerged from
4505-423: The front lawn of the Observatory that pays homage to six of the greatest astronomers of all time: Hipparchus (about 150 BC); Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543); Galileo Galilei (1564–1642); Johannes Kepler (1571–1630); Isaac Newton (1642–1727); and William Herschel (1738–1822). The 1934 New Deal artwork , which was a collaboration between six local artists, is topped with an armillary sphere . Admission to
4590-404: The historic 12" Zeiss Refracting Telescope on the roof, and up to four portable telescopes placed outside offering views of visible celestial objects for the night. At 9:30 p.m., the doors to the Zeiss dome close, and lines for the portable telescopes outside stop allowing guests into the queues - though the lines may close earlier on the busier nights. In poor weather, the roof may be closed to
4675-579: The latest EUV lithography systems, the equipment needed to produce the latest generations of semiconductor components. It also includes early high-performance optical microscopes up to today's electron and ion microscopes, which reach a sub-nanometers resolution. It includes technology leadership in the first surgical microscopes and ophthalmic devices. It also includes high-performance contact metrology systems. For many years Zeiss showed innovations in fields as astronomical telescopes, photographic and cinematic lenses. Early on, Carl Zeiss realised that he needed
4760-487: The matching Tesla coils to his old electrotherapy colleague Frederick Finch Strong, who in 1937 donated them to Griffith Observatory. The Observatory had room to exhibit only one of the pair. By this time the machine was missing parts, so Observatory staffer Leon Hall restored it with the notable assistance of Hollywood special effects expert Kenneth Strickfaden who designed the special effects for Frankenstein (1931) among many other movies. The Astronomers Monument on
4845-644: The mid-1950s, Zeiss Ikon shifted its focus to market single-lens reflex cameras in three distinct lines: the Contaflex line (1953) for amateurs with leaf shutters , the high-end Contarex line (1959) with film magazine backs and superb optics, and the mid-range Icarex line (1967) with focal plane shutters and either the popular M42 lens mount or a proprietary bayonet mount. While these designs were initially competitive with SLRs produced by Japanese brands including Canon, Yashica, Minolta, and Nikon, Zeiss Ikon failed to keep pace by adding features and Zeiss Ikon camera production ceased in 1971. Zeiss also acquired
4930-621: The new Contax cameras, and many of the Zeiss lenses for this camera, among others, were produced by Yashica's optical arm, Tomioka. As Yashica's owner Kyocera ended camera production in 2006, and Yashica lenses were then made by Cosina , who also manufactured most of the new Zeiss designs for the new Zeiss Ikon coupled rangefinder camera. Another licensee active today is Sony who uses the Zeiss name on lenses on its video and digital still cameras. Zeiss has licensed its name or technology to various other companies including Hasselblad , Rollei , Yashica , Sony , Logitech and Alpa . The nature of
5015-462: The observatory include a display on evolution which was accomplished with the Cosmochron exhibit which included a narration from Caltech Professor Chester Stock and an accompanying slide show. The evolution exhibit existed from 1937 to the mid-1960s. Also included in the original design was a planetarium under the large central dome. The first shows covered topics including the Moon, worlds of
5100-531: The observatory logged more than 13,000 visitors. Dinsmore Alter was the museum's director during its first years. The building combines Greek and Beaux-Arts influences, and the exterior is embellished with the Greek key pattern . During World War II, the planetarium was used to train pilots in celestial navigation. The planetarium was again used for this purpose in the 1960s to train Apollo program astronauts for
5185-633: The optical instruments they were producing. After Carl Zeiss's death in 1888, the business was incorporated as the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung in 1889. By World War I , Zeiss was the world's largest camera-production company. Zeiss Ikon represented a significant part of the production, along with dozens of other brands and factories, including a major works at Dresden . In 1928 the Zeiss company acquired Hensoldt AG, which has produced Zeiss binoculars and rifle-scopes since 1964 - this has occasionally resulted in twin products being offered under both
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#17327797917165270-467: The original designs. But by the time the IIa and IIIa hit the market, they faced strong competition from many European and Asian brands, notably the visually similar Nikon produced by Nippon Kogaku, which was a high quality camera sharing the same lens-mount and most of the features. Zeiss Ikon prevented some European distribution under the theory that "Nikon" was an infringement on their brand name. Starting in
5355-514: The possibility of increased performance of photographic lenses. The first use of Jena glass in a photographic lens was by Voigtländer , but as the lens was an old design its performance was not greatly improved. Subsequently, the new glasses would demonstrate their value in correcting astigmatism , and in the production of apochromatic lenses. Abbe started the design of a photographic lens of symmetrical design with five elements, but went no further. Zeiss' domination of photographic lens innovation
5440-483: The pre-war Contax II and III camera designs were produced under the Kiev brand . The first Kiev cameras were identical except for logos. The United States also relocated Zeiss from Jena to Heidenheim (Oberkochen) in 1945, but Zeiss Ikon were without designs or facilities for making the Contax and set about producing an improved replacement. These were named the Contax IIa and IIIa, and were smaller and lighter than
5525-551: The primary makers of such lenses today. Zeiss projector A Zeiss projector is one of a line of planetarium projectors manufactured by the Carl Zeiss Company . Main models include Copernican (1924), Model I (1925), Model II (1926), Model III (1957), Model IV (1957), Model V (1965), Model VI (1968), Spacemaster (1970), Cosmorana (1984), Skymaster ZKP2 (1977), and Skymaster ZKP3 (1993). The first modern planetarium projectors were designed and built in 1924 by
5610-558: The public, but if still accessible under overcast skies, the Zeiss Telescope can still be visited as an exhibit during viewing hours. There is a small parking lot next to the Observatory, plus more spaces along Western Canyon Rd, which require payment of $ 8–10 an hour, depending on the season. During busier times, the roads can get congested and limit access to the top. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) operates daily low cost DASH Observatory public bus service from
5695-497: The range of optical glasses available was insufficient. After some calculations, he realised that performance of optical instruments would dramatically improve if optical glasses of appropriate properties were available. His challenge to glass manufacturers was finally answered by Dr. Otto Schott , who established the famous glassworks at Jena from which new types of optical glass began to appear from 1888 to be employed by Zeiss and other makers. The new Jena optical glass also opened up
5780-399: The restoration and expansion of the observatory. The foundation continues to promote the observatory as an agent of science literacy, education, and experiential astronomy. The observatory closed on January 6, 2002, for renovation and a major expansion of exhibit space. It reopened to the public on November 2, 2006, retaining its Art Deco exterior. The $ 93 million renovation, paid largely by
5865-577: The same lens barrel to form a compound lens of even greater performance and a larger aperture, between f/6.3 and f/7.7. In this configuration, it was called the Double Protar Series VIIa. An immense range of focal lengths can thus be obtained by the various combination of Protarlinse units. Rudolph also investigated the Double-Gauss concept of a symmetrical design with thin positive menisci enclosing negative elements. The result
5950-497: The technology and the building for over 45 years. The first exhibit visitors encountered in 1935 was the Foucault pendulum , which was designed to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. The exhibits also included a 12-inch (305mm) Zeiss refracting telescope in the east dome, a triple-beam coelostat (solar telescope) in the west dome, and a thirty-eight foot relief model of the moon's north polar region. Griffith requested that
6035-470: The trademark "Protar", which was first used in 1900. At the time, single combination lenses, which occupy one side of the diaphragm only, were still popular. Rudolph designed one with three cemented elements in 1893, with the option of fitting two of them together in a lens barrel as a compound lens, but it was found to be the same as the Dagor by C.P. Goerz, designed by Emil von Hoegh. Rudolph then came up with
6120-480: The visual area of space that is captured in The Big Picture. The Edge of Space Mezzanine, which overlooks the Depths of Space Hall, focuses more on astronomy related topics that involve celestial bodies much closer to Earth, with exhibits including meteorite displays, an asteroid impact simulator, cloud and spark chambers, a large globe of the Moon, and telescopes that allow inspection of The Big Picture from
6205-415: The world) showing a portion of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies at an angular scale of 0.1 degree per foot. This image was taken over the course of 11 nights by the 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Mountain . There is also a bronze statue of Albert Einstein sitting on a bench in the Depths of Space. Einstein is holding his index finger about 1 foot (0.30 m) in front of his eyes, to illustrate
6290-487: Was also well known for producing high-quality products. Following the German reunification of 1989–1991, VEB Zeiss Jena — reckoned as one of the few East-German firms that was even potentially able to compete on a global basis — became Zeiss Jena GmbH , which became Jenoptik Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH in 1990. In 1991, Jenoptik Carl Zeiss Jena was split in two, with Carl Zeiss AG (Oberkochen) taking over
6375-643: Was announced during Photokina 2018 with the slogan 'Shoot – Edit – Share'. The camera incorporates Adobe Lightroom Mobile editing capacities, and an internal 512GB SSD affording 6,800 DNG-format RAW images or 50,000 JPEG-format compressed images. The ZX1, which was one of only a few cameras to use the Android operating system , was discontinued in 2023. Carl Zeiss AG has long been renowned for its motion picture lenses. Zeiss manufactures prime and zoom lenses for 35mm, 16mm, and 65mm film production. They also make lenses for digital cinema and high definition video. Zeiss
6460-572: Was created in 1923–1924 and was the world's first modern planetarium projector. The Mark II was developed during the 1930s by Carl Zeiss AG in Jena. Following WWII division of Germany and the founding of Carl Zeiss (West Germany) in Oberkochen (while the original Jena plant was located in East Germany), each factory developed its own line of projectors. Marks III – VI were developed in Oberkochen (West Germany) from 1957 to 1989. Meanwhile,
6545-407: Was developed from this basis after the war, and known as "T✻" (T-star). After the partitioning of Germany, a new Carl Zeiss optical company was established in Oberkochen, while the original Zeiss firm in Jena continued to operate. At first, both firms produced very similar lines of products, and extensively cooperated in product-sharing, but they drifted apart as time progressed. Jena's new direction
6630-474: Was due to Dr Paul Rudolph . In 1890, Rudolph designed an asymmetrical lens with a cemented group at each side of the diaphragm, appropriately named "Anastigmat". This lens was made in three series: Series III, IV and V, with maximum apertures of f/7.2, f/12.5, and f/18 respectively. In 1891, Series I, II and IIIa appeared with respective maximum apertures of f/4.5, f/6.3, and f/9 and in 1893 came Series IIa of f/8 maximum aperture. These lenses are now better known by
6715-603: Was great respect for the engineering innovation that came out of Dresden—before the war the world's first 35 mm single-lens reflex camera , the Kine Exakta , and the first miniature camera with good picture-quality were developed there. At the end of the war, Jena was initially occupied by the United States Army . When Jena and Dresden were incorporated into the Soviet occupation zone , later East Germany ,
6800-509: Was increased to f/4.7 in 1917 and reached f/2.7 in 1930. It is probable that every lens manufacturer has produced lenses of the Tessar configurations. Rudolph left Zeiss after World War I, but many other competent designers such as Merté, Wandersleb, etc. kept the firm at the leading edge of photographic lens innovations. One of the most significant designers was the ex-Ernemann man Dr Ludwig Bertele , famed for his Ernostar high-speed lens. With
6885-466: Was introduced and became the favorite of many renowned photographers and journalists, including Robert Capa and Margaret Bourke-White . A second 35mm camera, the Contax III, was mechanically identical with a light meter grafted to the top of the camera. After World War II, the Dresden factory was dismantled and the Soviet Union forcibly relocated the Contax factory to Kiev as war reparations, where
6970-507: Was licensed to Yashica in 1974, which later was acquired by Kyocera ; Contax marketed several lines of SLR, rangefinder, compact, and digital cameras with Zeiss lenses and Japanese-built bodies. The most recent "Zeiss Ikon" rangefinder camera was an M mount camera with automatic exposure, introduced by Zeiss in 2004 and manufactured in Japan by Cosina; it was discontinued in 2012. The Zeiss ZX1 full-frame 35mm F/2 large-sensor compact camera
7055-567: Was operated by August Nagel , who left the company in 1928 to form the Nagel Works; in 1932, his company was bought by Kodak, which continued to produce cameras in Germany under the Retina brand. The earliest Zeiss Ikon cameras were a range of medium and large format folding cameras badged as Nettar , Ikonta , and Super Ikonta , for film and glass plate photography. The most expensive was
7140-548: Was the Planar Series Ia of 1896, with maximum apertures up to f/3.5, one of the fastest lenses of its time. Whilst it was very sharp, it suffered from coma which limited its popularity. However, further developments of this configuration made it the design of choice for high-speed lenses of standard coverage. Probably inspired by the Stigmatic lenses designed by Hugh Aldis for Dallmeyer of London, Rudolph designed
7225-487: Was to concentrate on developing lenses for 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras, and many achievements were made, especially in ultra-wide angle designs. In addition to that, Oberkochen also worked on designing lenses for the 35 mm single-lens reflex camera Contarex , for the medium format camera Hasselblad , for large format cameras like the Linhof Technika , interchangeable front element lenses such as for
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