Zeiss Otus 85mm F/1.4 Review

Yesterday, German manufacturer Zeiss (formally Carl Zeiss) introduced the second member of its elite Otus line of lenses – the Otus 85mm f/1.4. Photographer Matt Granger (aka ThatNikonGuy) had a chance to test the new lens even before it was announced and came back with a glowing review.

The new Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 announced yesterday is very similar in many respects to the older Otus 55mm f/1.4 announced by Zeiss two years ago and hailed as possibly the sharpest modern lens to date. The new lens has an 85mm focal length but externally it is almost identical.

The new Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4

Here are the main features of the Otus 85mm f/1.4:

85mm lens with f/1.4 aperture.
Mounts: Canon EF & Nikon F.
Lens construction 11 elements in 9 groups including one Aspherical Element, 6 Anomalous Partial Dispersion Elements (Apochromatic, Planar Optical Design).
Including Zeiss T* Anti-Reflective Coating.
Manual Focus Design (manual-focusing ring rotates 261 degrees for super high precision focus).
Metal Barrel with yellow scale markings (like the 5mm version and Zeiss Cinema line).
Rounded 9 Blade diaphragm.
Price: $4500 (on B&H).

In the past we published here Granger’s review of the two Nikon 85mm lenses: the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G and the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G.

You can find many more previews and reviews on our Photography review section here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.