Zeiss has officially released all of the details around their elite new line of lenses which they are calling Otus. Otus? That’s almost as weird as Touit. But with the kind of specs and image quality Zeiss has been touting with this new line of lenses, I don’t care what they call it. The 55mm f/1.4 is the first prime lens to be released this coming November and if Zeiss can stick to the extremely high manufacturing tolerances and quality required for such a lens, I think everyone will want one of these in their kit.
It’s going to be available in the ZF.2 (Nikon F) and ZE (Canon EF) mount just like the former ZF.2/ZE lenses. Again, the ZE version will not have a manual aperture ring but the ZF.2 version will. Duclos Lenses will be offering the full Cine-Mod and possibly the same great Leitax Canon EF mount for the ZF.2 version so that you can have the beautiful de-clicked aperture ring on your Canon EF mount camera. It makes perfect sense that Zeiss started with the 55mm focal length as it’s considered the “normal” field of view for 35mm full frame cameras (and if we’re being honest, the 50mm f/1.4 ZF.2/ZE is the weakest link in the older model line-up and deserves the refresh the most).
If you haven’t heard about why the new Otus line of lenses is so desirable, you should check out the post here. Zeiss is really talking up the superb image quality of these new lenses which are setting my expectations very high with quotes like:
…the new ZEISS Otus 1.4/55 offers ambitious photographers who do not accept any compromises in image quality…
Our goal was to bring the best standard lens for SLR cameras onto the market. The Otus 1.4/55 delivers outstanding sharpness and contrast rendition all the way into the corners of the image.
If you’re already aware of this amazing lens, Duclos Lenses is accepting Pre-Orders which should be available November 2013. As soon as these beauties begin rolling in, I assure you I’ll be taking one out for some stress testing. Exciting.
Otus is the scientific name for a genus of owls. Maybe because it can function in low light?
Makes sense considering the Touit lenses are named after a rare South American bird. A new theme for Zeiss. Can’t wait for the Falcon series.
I’ve been shooting with this lens for the past few weeks (as a Zeiss Ambassador, providing early images and feedback). It is truly an exceptional lens, best 35mm DSLR lens I’ve ever seen. Will share more soon.
I would love to see how it fares against the Canon CN-E 50mm T1.3 L. Hope to hear your experiences soon.
Yes, and also a comparison between this and the Canon 50mm 1.2. I know breathing will be a potential issue but other than that, pretty much the same?
I expect the new 55mm Otus to out perform ALL Canon 50mm primes. We’ll see in a few weeks.
I’ll be sure to do some comparisons when it’s released. I’m sure that all the regular blogs out there will pit the 55mm Otus against the normal candidates like the 50mm L series or the Nikon 50mm, maybe even some Sigma glass. But I’ll be comparing it to Zeiss CP.2, Canon CN-E, Perhaps Zeiss Ultra Primes, Master Primes, etc.
1. Will this baby breathe?
2. Will Leitax be able to produce a EOS-mount twisted 90 degrees so the markings readout would be on the side instead of the top. Any thoughts on that Matthew?
Mathias,
Not sure about breathing yet. We’ll see once the production models begin to ship. We’ll also be testing the Leitax mount as soon as a production model arrives to make sure the EF mount will be possible to install.
Would this mean that the zf mount lenses still focus in the “Nikon direction”, or no?
Unfortunately, yes. The ZF mount lenses will still focus Nikon direction.