Fred Miranda wrote:
<table border="0" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tr><td><a href="https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1245813"><img border=0 src="https://www.fredmiranda.com/Buzz/zeiss_otus_55mm_f1.4_apo-distagon.png" alt="Official: Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon" title="Official: Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon"></a></td></tr></table>
Zeiss claims their new Otus 55mm F1.4 APO-Distagon is the perfect standard lens. This new low-light companion might be a bit bulky or heavy for some, but it is nearly perfect wide-open, produces vivid colors, has razor sharpness, and great flare control. If you're looking for top of the line image quality in a normal focal length lens, your search is over.
Now available for preorder for Canon EF mount (ZE) and Nikon E mount (ZF.2) at $3,999 each. Expect first deliveries starting on November 11th.
If auto focus could be added to the Zeiss Otus 55mm 1.4, the sum would be darn close to the Canon RF 50mm 1.2. It seems that the search can have two endings. The Milvus line is very close to the Otus. And I found the Canon RF 50mm every bit as good as the Zeiss Milvus 85mm I sold last autumn. I think the quality and rendering is so close between the lenses, given some room for personal taste, they can be nearly equal. Except one is all manual focus and the other auto + manual.
I'd be glad to own most any Milvus or Otus, although the weight is heavy for manual-only, and I don't like the design as much as the series prior.
mdvaden wrote:
If auto focus could be added to the Zeiss Otus 55mm 1.4, the sum would be darn close to the Canon RF 50mm 1.2. It seems that the search can have two endings. The Milvus line is very close to the Otus. And I found the Canon RF 50mm every bit as good as the Zeiss Milvus 85mm I sold last autumn. I think the quality and rendering is so close between the lenses, given some room for personal taste, they can be nearly equal. Except one is all manual focus and the other auto + manual.
I'd be glad to own most any Milvus or Otus, although the weight is heavy for manual-only, and I don't like the design as much as the series prior.
What I like about the Otus 55/1.4 is the high resolution and contrast across the image field and especially at mid-zone where I usually place my subjects. That's not true for all fast 50-55mm primes.
What I like about the Otus 55/1.4 is the high resolution and contrast across the image field and especially at mid-zone where I usually place my subjects. That's not true for all fast 50-55mm primes.
Given that, you would probably appreciate both the Otus 55mm and Canon RF 50mm. Dustin Abbott, who tried and reviewed both, described the the RF 50mm being somewhat like an auto-focusing Zeiss Otus. Surprising several years have already passed since Otus were released.
We have a bit of talk that several of the great new lenses are 'virtual APOs', something I've been researching of late. The Canon RF 50/1.2 has no shortage of LoCA as seen at 13.00 in the video mdvaden links to at p3 #15 above.
I can't agree this gets even close to the very APO Otuses. The claim that leaving this aberration in the lens is a factor in its creamy bokeh also would require supporting evidence, and in fact, DA seems to be happy with the Otus 55 out of focus content in the video for that lens. But that was 2015, and things are moving along at a brisk pace. The Otus 55 was announced October 2013.
philip_pj wrote:
We have a bit of talk that several of the great new lenses are 'virtual APOs', something I've been researching of late. The Canon RF 50/1.2 has no shortage of LoCA as seen at 13.00 in the video mdvaden links to at p3 #15 above.
I can't agree this gets even close to the very APO Otuses. The claim that leaving this aberration in the lens is a factor in its creamy bokeh also would require supporting evidence, and in fact, DA seems to be happy with the Otus 55 out of focus content in the video for that lens. But that was 2015, and things are moving along at a brisk pace. The Otus 55 was announced October 2013. ...Show more →
There is a a little, but seeing you referred to the Abbott review links, we don't want to ignore the "real life" shooting he mentioned, where "no shortage" becomes an exaggeration to the context and actual performance.
Having used both Zeiss and Canon and seeing various samples from both, the Canon RF 50mm 1.2 easily keeps pace with the Zeiss Otus 55mm. For general shooting. For extremes, each can have a benefit. For extremes of action or even moderate movement, the Canon will probably yield 800% more keepers. For pixel peeping and certain product photography, the Otus should have some small benefits.
So they are both great lenses. And my estimation is their actual value is equal, even though the price tag is not.
I would love to have an Otus with manual focus, but I can only wonder how much it would weigh. So I think the Otus design is probably best left as its own bit of masterpiece for those who can benefit from it.
mdvaden wrote:
There is a a little, but seeing you referred to the Abbott review links, we don't want to ignore the "real life" shooting he mentioned, where "no shortage" becomes an exaggeration to the context and actual performance.
Having used both Zeiss and Canon and seeing various samples from both, the Canon RF 50mm 1.2 easily keeps pace with the Zeiss Otus 55mm. For general shooting. For extremes, each can have a benefit. For extremes of action or even moderate movement, the Canon will probably yield 800% more keepers. For pixel peeping and certain product photography, the Otus should have some small benefits.
So they are both great lenses. And my estimation is their actual value is equal, even though the price tag is not.
I would love to have an Otus with manual focus, but I can only wonder how much it would weigh. So I think the Otus design is probably best left as its own bit of masterpiece for those who can benefit from it.
Wonder no more! It's easily quantifiable. It's 80g heavier than the RF lens plus the weight of an adapter (125g for the MC-11, for example) so, a little less than half a pound heavier. I think you'd be more likely to notice the slight difference in diameter and significant difference in length, particularly once you get the adapter on. The Otus wins on portability in another way, though- it can be used on the two most popular DSLR mounts and any mirrorless camera in production. The RF, for now, only has Canon's first-gen R cameras.
