Carl Zeiss Otus 55 mm f/1.4 ZE/ZF.2
11. Summary
- solid, huge and stylish casing,
- sensational image quality in the frame centre,
- excellent image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor,
- good image quality on the edge of full frame,
- good correction of chromatic aberration,
- brilliant correction of spherical aberration,
- imperceptible distortion,
- moderate vignetting on the APS-C/DX sensor,
- off-focus images very pleasant to the eye,
- very good work against bright light.
Cons:
- huge vignetting at the maximum relative aperture on full frame.
As you see the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 had just one single flaw, the huge vignetting. On the one hand I don’t know any 1.4/50 class lens which wouldn’t feature a high vignetting level on full frame; on the other hand the physical dimensions of the Otus suggested that it would dominate in that category. Only that it didn’t.
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The performance in all other categories is indeed a list full of advantages. It starts with a fantastic resolution in the frame centre, progresses through great results on the edge and the lowest level of distortion in this class of equipment; it finishes with a very good work against bright light. It is really more than enough to deserve “The Choice of the LensTip.com Editorial Team” badge.
Still the choice of the editorial team is one thing, and the question whether that team could afford such a lens is quite another issue. I am aware it could be a source of a long and passionate discussion – after all the fact that the price of the Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 Asph is similar to that of the Otus can be a good argument, especially that the Otus fares significantly better than the Leica. Still some won’t be persuaded, no matter what.
