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Archive 2013 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon

  
 
Rajan Parrikar
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon



http://diglloyd.com/blog/2013/20131007_2-Zeiss-Otus-55f1_4-overview.html



Oct 06, 2013 at 11:20 PM
deepbluejh
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Rumored price of this lens is $4000. That makes for a challenging proposition for any ~50mm F1.4 lens, regardless of image quality.


Oct 07, 2013 at 09:03 AM
AGeoJO
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Thanks for the link. Probably, it will be better received in the Alternative Board and indeed, it is better received, I noticed. I understand that it would be the best 55mm there is but at that price ? On the other hand, the Leica 50mm APO Summicron is priced actually even higher . Oh, well.


Oct 07, 2013 at 09:10 AM
deepbluejh
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


The press release:


OBERKOCHEN/Germany, October 7, 2013: With an imaging performance that has hitherto only been seen with medium format systems, the new ZEISS Otus 1.4/55 offers ambitious photographers who do not accept any compromises in image quality the possibility for a more compact gear. DSLR cameras with high resolution 35mm sensors put enormous demands on lenses. The Otus1.4/55 can deal with these demands thanks to its outstanding sharpness, high image contrast and no visible chromatic aberrations. It creates the highest-possible image quality, even with an open aperture. The new ZEISS lens is especially suited for advertising, fashion and studio photography, and professional photographers working in these fields will not need to make any compromises in terms of performance and quality. The Otus 1.4/55 is the first lens in a family of uncompromising professional lenses from ZEISS. Additional focal lengths will follow. Otus is the Latin name for a type of owl known for its excellent vision in darkness — just like this new high-speed lens from ZEISS.

“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. The only way we could achieve this was through the complex Distagon optical design, which until now has only been found on wide-angle lenses,” explains Christophe Casenave, product manager for ZEISS Camera Lenses. “Thanks to the low level of longitudinal chromatic aberration, there are no visible aberrations. So an illuminated harbor scene by night with many light sources in front of and behind the actual focal plane appears close to reality, without displaying complementary, color contrast edges. The excellent performance delivered by Otus is constant for all shooting distances. Its high performance with an open aperture also makes this lens a good choice for close-ups or portraits. For architectural and landscape photography, the Otus 1.4/55 takes full advantage of modern high-resolution camera sensors, resulting in impressive resolution in the images, even for the smallest detail.”

Other unique features of the Otus 1.4/55 are its high image contrast all the way to the edges (even for low f-numbers) and the consistent high-resolution performance across the entire image field. The lens has a completely new optical and mechanical design, which was developed taking into account the special and increasing requirements of high-resolution DSLR cameras. The Otus 1.4/55 is equipped with a floating elements design with 12 lens elements in 10 groups, including a double-sided aspheric lens and six lenses made of special glass with anomalous partial dispersion. These sophisticated features create image results without color fringing or distortion. Cameras with a lower number of pixels will also benefit from the lens’s unique features.

The performance delivered by the Otus 1.4/55 is especially obvious with night shots. When taking pictures with many image-dominant, open light sources, it is common for correction defects to show up. Because the Otus 1.4/55 is an apochromatic lens, longitudinal chromatic aberrations are corrected by its lens elements of special glass with anomalous partial dispersion. The color defects are therefore significantly lower than the defined limits. Bright/dark transitions in the image, and especially highlights, are rendered with no colorful artifacts. Although it is not a traditional focal length for architectural and landscape photography, here, too, the lens can deliver very good results. The edges of the image can be used for all apertures, giving full rein to the photographer’s creativity. For portraiture, the Otus 1.4/55 render the finest details precisely, and thanks to the maximum aperture of f/1.4, the photographer can consciously play with the depth of field and create a smooth bokeh. The Otus 1.4/55 stands out not only for its highly detailed pictures with no bothersome artifacts, but also for its mechanical quality. The smooth focus operation with the large angle of rotation allows for the finest variations when focusing — qualities that are only possible in a metal barrel. Its design as a manual focus lens allowed the engineers to work with much smaller tolerances during the construction. The lens’s robust metal barrel with the easy to grip focus ring makes it perfect for the demanding everyday situations of professional photographers, and guarantees a long product life. The yellow labels on the scales, which are borrowed from the professional ZEISS cinema lenses, contribute to better visibility. For its innovative product design, the Otus 1.4/55 already won the iF product design award 2013.

The Otus 1.4/55 will be available with F bayonet (ZF.2) and EF bayonet (ZE) starting at the end of October in all global markets. The recommended retail price will be €2,940 or US$3,999 (excl. VAT)*



Oct 07, 2013 at 09:17 AM
ccho
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Some sample images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlzeisslenses/sets/72157635236491881/
I'd like to see more samples to make my own judgments, but it could be a lens that I'd be really interested in acquiring.



Oct 07, 2013 at 10:30 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


There is no question that it is a very expensive lens...


Oct 07, 2013 at 10:47 AM
AGeoJO
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


At approximately $2K the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 Mark II looks downright like a bargain, huh ?


Oct 07, 2013 at 12:32 PM
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Some people are saying it looks like a MF wide angle lens with a speed booster. Either way, it's a very odd lens... at that price point they could've thrown AF in, rather than make excuses why they didn't. After all, the much less expensive Touits have AF, even though it's not USM.


Oct 07, 2013 at 12:37 PM
Fred Miranda
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


More thoughts on the new Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon Lens:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1245813



Oct 07, 2013 at 01:06 PM
deepbluejh
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Snopchenko wrote:
Some people are saying it looks like a MF wide angle lens with a speed booster. Either way, it's a very odd lens... at that price point they could've thrown AF in, rather than make excuses why they didn't. After all, the much less expensive Touits have AF, even though it's not USM.


To my knowledge, Zeiss doesn't make any autofocusing SLR lenses. I don't think it surprises anyone that their $4000 flagship 50mm is MF only.



Oct 07, 2013 at 01:08 PM
Robin Smith
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Zeiss make a whole lot of good 'uns for the Sony A mount fully AF and full frame. Then, there are all the Touits which are AF. No good reason for them not to do AF in my opinion.


Oct 07, 2013 at 02:21 PM
mitesh
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon




Robin Smith wrote:
No good reason for them not to do AF in my opinion.


True- unless, of course, you consider international licensing and patent issues to be a good reason:

http://towardsperfectfutures.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/why-zeiss-lenses-for-nikon-or-canon-have-no-af/

http://diglloyd.com/articles/ZeissTouit/ZeissTouit-overview-optics.html




Oct 07, 2013 at 02:48 PM
Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Robin Smith wrote:
Zeiss make a whole lot of good 'uns for the Sony A mount fully AF and full frame. Then, there are all the Touits which are AF. No good reason for them not to do AF in my opinion.


Zeiss can achieve much better tolerances with a manual focus lens and have stated categorically they will never do AF for a Canon/Nikon mount lens.



Oct 07, 2013 at 05:05 PM
fsiagian
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Probably that's the contract with Sony? No AF for other manufacturers.


Oct 07, 2013 at 05:11 PM
EyeCandyPhotog
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


I'd rather put $4,000 towards a 200 f/2L IS


JUST SAYING



Oct 07, 2013 at 05:21 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


I'd like to see some other focal lengths in the same series.

EBH



Oct 07, 2013 at 06:25 PM
splathrop
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


Must be about cinema. Hard to see how it is going to make a practical improvement for still photography compared to the Zeiss 50mm MP, at less than a third the price. You gain a stop, on a lens that still photographers are mostly going to use stopped down anyway, because manual focus portrait work, for instance, at f/1.4 is . . . challenging.


Oct 07, 2013 at 08:26 PM
pookipichu
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


The price of the 55mm 1.4 Otus is really not that shocking. You can get 200 2.8 mkI for $600 so why pay $6,000 for the 200 2L IS? The current line up of 50mm offerings are very weak, if the 55mm 1.4 Otus, has far superior IQ than the rest, it should command a price premium, I just wish it had AF.

EyeCandyPhotog wrote:
I'd rather put $4,000 towards a 200 f/2L IS

JUST SAYING




Oct 07, 2013 at 08:28 PM
skibum5
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


http://www.flickr.com/photos/janpolacek/8682080182/in/set-72157633336606129


Oct 07, 2013 at 09:05 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Zeiss 55mm Distagon


splathrop wrote:
Must be about cinema. Hard to see how it is going to make a practical improvement for still photography compared to the Zeiss 50mm MP, at less than a third the price. You gain a stop, on a lens that still photographers are mostly going to use stopped down anyway, because manual focus portrait work, for instance, at f/1.4 is . . . challenging.


Oh, I think it will, but perhaps not so noticebly at the ~2007 pixel density of Canon's lame sensors.

EBH



Oct 07, 2013 at 09:30 PM
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