How the Zeiss legacy is helping shape the future of mobile photography with vivo

MUNICH, Germany — In September across Germany, a cold breeze is already felt just as leaves begin to turn yellow and orange. Early in the morning or in the middle of the night, there’s a chance of light rains. Autumn is here.

At daytime, it’s the perfect weather to be at work—and actually enjoy what you do. Just like Bernd Presser, a local guide at the ZEISS Headquarters’ Museum of Optics in the town of Oberkochen.

On September 25, he gave perhaps his quickest tour—nonetheless as enthusiastic as he could—around the museum to still jet-lagged media representatives from Southeast Asia.

Our bunch was brought to the ZEISS HQ by vivo to discover how the two companies are collaborating and pushing the boundaries of mobile photography together.

And we just happened to be Presser’s visitors on his last day of giving tours at the museum. As the jolly man talked about the history of lenses and optics in various applications in the last two centuries, I immediately knew that he was a testament to the kind of company ZEISS was.

All of the people we met at the ZEISS HQ were as passionate as Presser, dedicating their life’s work to the pursuit of science and technology for humanity.

In fact, Sebastian Döntgen, head of Product Management and member of the Management Board, Consumer Products at ZEISS Group, shared in his welcome remarks that the group’s private ownership had been transferred to the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung foundation since 1891—or just five decades after founder Carl Zeiss established the first workshop for microscopes in 1846.

He explained that this enabled ZEISS to operate independently and ensure longevity, as well as fund research and education particularly in natural sciences and engineering.

Hence, in the last 177 years, ZEISS expanded worldwide with a diverse portfolio of businesses in manufacturing optics, research microscopy solutions, ophthalmology and consumer products, among others.

ZEISS’ legacy is also deeply rooted in its camera lenses, which it started producing as early as 1896, followed by countless innovations even to this day. The ZEISS brand ultimately became a trusted companion by photographers, and later on, filmmakers when it advanced to cine