Zeiss

Carl Zeiss AG, commonly known as Zeiss, is a German multinational that designs and manufactures optical systems and optoelectronic devices. The company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Baden-Württemberg, and operates as a group of companies owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.

Zeiss was founded in 1846 by Carl Zeiss in Jena as a precision optics workshop. The partnership with Ernst Abbe, established in 1866, advanced optical theory and helped professionalize microscope production, leading to influential designs that shaped modern science. Over the 19th and 20th centuries Zeiss expanded into medical, industrial, and scientific instruments, becoming a leading supplier of microscopes and optical components. After World War II, the Jena plant fell behind the Iron Curtain, becoming VEB Carl Zeiss Jena in East Germany, while a West German division continued in Oberkochen. Following German reunification in 1990, the two entities were reorganized under a common corporate structure, and Carl Zeiss AG emerged as the global operating company, with the Zeiss Foundation retaining ownership.

Zeiss' business segments include industrial metrology, microscopy and imaging, ophthalmic instruments and lenses, and semiconductor manufacturing technology. The group produces research and clinical microscopes, diagnostic imaging systems such as optical coherence tomography, surgical microscopes, ophthalmic diagnostic equipment, and high-precision optical lenses for photography and videography. It also collaborates with camera manufacturers on premium lenses marketed under the Zeiss name, notably in partnerships with Sony.

Zeiss is recognized for innovations in optical design and precision manufacturing, with a long history of patents and scientific impact. It remains a major supplier to academia, industry, and healthcare, and is frequently cited for the quality and reliability of its imaging systems.