Zeiss Otus T* 1.4 / 55 mm ZE Canon EF Mount

The Otus 1.4/55 incorporates all the expertise and experience of over 120 years in the optical and mechanical field. Only the best materials and the highest quality glass are good enough for a lens whose development was committed to a single idea at every stage: to offer the best possible performance in use by demanding photographers. The scops owl (Latin Otus scops) gives its name to the new lens family from ZEISS, which will be joined by other members in the future.

The Otus 1.4/55 offers precision-loving photographers the opportunity to make their equipment more compact without sacrificing image quality. It is well known that current 35mm DSLR cameras with high-resolution sensors place immense demands on the imaging performance of lenses. The Otus 1.4/55 fulfils these requirements with outstanding sharpness and maximum image contrast. Chromatic aberrations are almost completely absent. These properties ensure perfect image quality, even with an open aperture. The new ZEISS lens sets a new standard worldwide, whether for use in advertising, fashion or studio photography - without compromising on detail.

The standards with which ZEISS drove the development of the Otus were particularly high, as Christophe Casenave, Product Manager at ZEISS Camera Lenses (photo lenses), emphasises: 'Our goal was to bring the best standard lens to the market. Otus achieves sharpness and contrast rendition right into the corners of the image. We were only able to achieve this with the complex Distagon optical design, which until now has only been found in wide-angle lenses. Thanks to the low longitudinal colour aberration, almost no aberrations occur. This means that even an illuminated harbour location at night with many light sources in front of or behind the focus distance can be depicted realistically. The performance of Otus is consistently excellent at all shooting distances, and the high apertures can also be used for close-ups.

The new lens delivers outstanding results, particularly in exceptional situations where there is little light. The high speed pays off here in particular. Even if the sensitive and low-noise digital sensors of a DSLR camera have now pushed the boundaries of low-light photography, the Otus still shows its perfection at night. Correction deficiencies normally occur especially when taking pictures with numerous image-dominating, open light sources. However, as an apochromat, the Otus 1.4/55 corrects the chromatic aberrations (longitudinal colour aberrations) using lenses made of special glass with anomalous partial dispersion. Colour aberrations are practically non-existent. The light-dark transitions in the image and in particular highlights are reproduced free of colour artefacts. At 55 millimetres, the Otus does not offer a classic focal length for landscape photography, but the lens also impresses here with outstanding results. The image corners can be fully utilised at all apertures and without compositional restrictions.

Another unique selling point of the Otus is the consistently high resolution performance across the entire image field and the very high image contrast right up to the edges, even at high apertures. The lens also demonstrates its outstanding performance when working with large apertures in 35 mm format. The technical construction of the Otus 1.4/55 is based on a floating elements design with twelve lenses in ten groups. These include one lens with an aspherical optical surface and six lenses made of special glass with abnormal partial dispersion. The special, variable lens arrangement within the lens ensures excellent imaging performance over the entire focussing range - from 0.5 metres to infinity. Colour fringing and distortion do not occur.

With its neutral bokeh, the Otus 1.4/55 not only delivers highly detailed images without distracting optical artefacts, but also impresses with its mechanical quality. The smooth focusing action with a large angle of rotation allows the finest variations in adjustment, and the sturdy metal housing with the pleasantly smooth-running focussing ring makes life easier for photographers in everyday professional use. In addition, the yellow scale markings - just like on professional film lenses (ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime) - make it easy to read the setting values.

The Otus 1.4/55 has already been honoured for its innovative product design: with the if product design award 2013. The Otus 1.4/55 sets standards, not only in comparison with other lenses, but also as the first representative of a new ZEISS lens family. There can be little doubt that the Otus 1.4/55 and the focal lengths of the Otus series that are still under development will win further awards. Ultimately, however, photographers all over the world will benefit from the new creative possibilities opened up by these outstanding lenses. It all starts with the Otus 1.4/55 as a standard lens.