A Closer Look at the Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 Lenses and Their Unique Promises

Zeiss unveiled its heavily teased Otus lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras, revealing not only the expected Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 but a longer Otus ML 85mm f/1.4. Let’s look closer at the two new premium manual focus primes for E, RF, and Z-mount cameras.

Although Zeiss’ press release focused heavily on the Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 and offered little by way of specifics for the accompanying Otus ML 85mm f/1.4, now that the veil has been lifted, we know just about everything about each lens, at least on paper. PetaPixel‘s hands-on impressions of the Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 will arrive very soon.

Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 Specifications

Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 Versus the Competition

The Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 features 14 elements in 11 groups and a 10-bladed aperture diaphragm. Of these 14 elements, there are two pieces of aspherical glass and four made of special glass with anomalous partial dispersion.

Zeiss says that the aspherical lenses ensure sharpness throughout the entire focusing range and across the frame. These specialized elements also minimize spherical aberration and reduce other optical aberrations. PetaPixel will shortly find out whether the lens lives up to these ambitious promises.

The Otus ML is a “Distagon” lens, which relies upon a longtime Zeiss optical design for SLR cameras requiring a long back focal distance. While that is no longer an issue with modern mirrorless camera designs, Distagon lenses remain “ideal for mirrorless system cameras thanks to their optimized ray path.”

“Even with longer focal lengths, the high-performance Distagon optical design enables consistently good correction all the way to the corners of the image and very low field curvature,” Zeiss promises.

What’s clear even on paper is that the Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 is a relatively large 50mm portrait prime lens. The lens is about 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) long without its fairly big lens hood attached, which is longer than Sony’s 50mm f/1.4 GM and Canon’s 50mm f/1.4 L VCM by one and four millimeters. The Zeiss lens is 11 millimeters longer than the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4. However, that affordable lens is not quite competing in the same space as Sony, Canon, and now Zeiss — Nikon’s flagship 50mm prime is the super-long (150 millimeters) Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S, which is faster.

The Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 weighs up to 718 grams (1.6 pounds), depending on the lens mount. The E-mount version is 677 grams (1.5 pounds), while Sony’s 50mm f/1.4 GM weighs 516 grams (1.1 pounds). The RF version of the new Otus weighs 697 grams (1.5 pounds), nearly 120 grams heavier than Canon’s RF 50mm f/1.4 L VCM lens.

Of course, all these first-party lenses feature autofocus. In contrast, Zeiss, as is tradition, has maintained the manual focus design of its original Otus lenses for Canon EF and Nikon F DSLR cameras. That is not necessarily a downside, though. For the photographers and videographers Zeiss targets with its Otus ML series lenses, this is addition by subtraction, which we will get into in the next section.

How the Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Compares to Its Peers

As for the Otus ML 85mm f/1.4, which won’t arrive until later this year, the story is much the same: fancy glass in a relatively large lens.

The lens features 15 elements across 11 groups and incorporates two aspherical elements and five with anomalous partial dispersion. Zeiss notes that this lens features “relatively few glass-air surfaces,” and builds upon a nearly 100-year-old legacy of “Sonnar” optical design created in 1930 by Dr. Ludwig Bertele.

“Its high speed and high contrast helped give the lens its name, which is derived from the word “sun,” the symbol of maximum brightness. You continue to find the aforementioned benefits with modern lenses in the normal and telephoto ranges whose optical design is based on this basic type,” Zeiss explains.

The Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 weighs 1,033 grams (2.29 pounds) for the E mount version and 1,061 grams (2.34 pounds) for the Nikon Z one, with the RF slotting in between at 1,055 grams. The RF version is the shortest at 126 millimeters (4.96 inches), while the Z version is the longest at 129 millimeters (5.07 inches).

Canon and Nikon don’t have 85mm f/1.4 lenses for their mirrorless cameras, opting instead for 85mm f/1.2 primes. However, Sony’s 85mm f/1.4 GM II ($1,800) provides a practical comparison point. It is impressively compact, measuring just 107.3 millimeters (4.2 inches) long and weighing 642 grams (1.4 pounds).

If you’re curious, the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM ($2,800) weighs 1,195 grams (2.63 pounds) and is 117.3 millimeters (4.62 inches) long. Nikon’s $2,800 Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S weighs 1,160 grams (2.6 pounds) and is 141.5 millimeters (5.6 inches) long.

In both cases, with the Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 and Otus ML 85mm f/1.4, Zeiss’ new manual focus lenses are relatively larger, heavier, and more expensive than first-party alternatives while omitting autofocus capabilities.

The Unique Selling Points of Otus ML

However, as mentioned, Zeiss believes the appeal of its new Otus ML lenses is heightened, not reduced, by their relatively old-school designs and features. Like their DSLR predecessors, the lenses target extreme optical performance with precise mechanical engineering and high-end build quality.

Photographers who yearn for all-metal lenses with carefully machined focusing rings have found little to be excited about in the mirrorless age. Sure, lenses have never been better regarding sharpness, control over aberrations, and autofocus performance. Still, some photographers not only want a bit more sharpness but also want a lens that operates more like lenses of the distant past.

“Manual focusing is more than a method — it’s an opportunity to connect deeply with your craft, giving you unparalleled control and creative freedom,” Zeiss promises. “With Zeiss Otus ML lenses, manual focusing becomes an experience itself.”

The Otus ML lenses feature a smooth metal focus ring based on a helicoid mechanism, meaning the focus is mechanically linked. Many mirrorless camera lenses are focus-by-wire, meaning the focus is electronically controlled and not directly connected to a specific focus ring position. It often feels sloppy and unsatisfying.

“This new lens from Zeiss is simply stunning! Incredibly sharp and precise, with a wonderfully lightweight feel in hand. The fully metal focusing ring? An absolute tactile delight — it’s a joy to use!” says Zeiss ambassador Wolf-Peter Steinheisser.

Pricing and Availability: Zeiss Quality Does Not Come Cheaply

It’s a big ask to have photographers give up modernities like autofocus. Zeiss asks more than that, though, as its new Otus ML lenses are relatively more costly than first-party options, too. The Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 is $2,500, while the Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 is $3,000. That’s a hefty chunk of change, although less than the asking price of Zeiss’ Otus DSLR lenses, the 55mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 versions of those are nearly $4,000.

Will photographers answer the call? Are they itching for a photography experience that most modern photo companies are, for a wide array of reasons, unwilling to provide? And, perhaps more importantly, do the new Zeiss Otus ML lenses deliver that desired experience and quality? PetaPixel‘s Zeiss Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 Review will arrive very soon, and an Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Review will follow when the lens nears its release later this year.

Image credits: Zeiss