In 1890, beginning with the refractometer and spectrometer invented by Abbe previously, the company's optics measurement department was established. The department developed various instruments with a higher level of prevision, which were widely used in the food and medical industries. Since 1920, the instruments have also been widely used in the metallurgy and metal-processing industries. This department also produced diastimeters and instruments for photogrammetry.
The photo-optics department was also established in 1890. In the first year of its establishment, the department introduced its first photo-optical lens to the market.
In 1894, the department merged with the "Tele" department. From then on, its binoculars business developed quite rapidly.
In the 1890s, the reflecting telescope of the Heidelberg Observatory and the instruments in the Innsbruck Observatory earned ZEISS a great reputation in astronomy. The research and development of these products also followed the company's heritage of their sense of social responsibility and company honor.
In 1897, ZEISS developed the first stereo microscope in human history that could truly provide 3-dimensional stereo images.
In 1902, the Tessar camera lens - "Eagle Eye" was introduced. More subsequent products with this famous camera lens were introduced later.
From 1908-1912, inspired by the Swedish doctor Allvar Gullstrand, ZEISS shifted its interest to glasses and ophthalmic measuring instrument development. Since 1908, its measuring instruments have further expanded the scope of the production of the Jena Company. The production equipment and factory kept expanding.
In 1914, World War I interrupted the research and development of the civil instruments of ZEISS. Only the astronomy department could construct the largest reflecting telescope at that time for the Potsdam-Babelsberg Observatory.
After World War I, due to the defeat of Germany and the restrictions on military production put in place by the Treaty of Versailles, ZEISS shifted its attention to precision measurements, and the precision measurement department was quickly established.
In the 1930s, the development of phase contrast technology and the use of polarized light created new areas of microscope applications. The specially developed cameras made the collection and recording of microscopic images easy.
In 1923, ZEISS constructed the first planetarium for Deutsches Museum of Munich, which attracted a lot of public attention; new orders from all over the world surged. By the late 1930s, ZEISS had constructed 21 planetariums around the world, in places like Chicago, Milan, Philadelphia and Tokyo.
In 1923, as their most powerful instruments, the astronomical telescope in the Heidelberg Observatory and the telescope provided to Innsbruck Observatory later earned a significant reputation for ZEISS in the astronocial field. The research and development of these products also followed the company's heritage of their sense of social responsibility and ZEISS's company honor.