Zeiss Otus 1.4/85: The New World-Class Lens
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GMCPhotographics
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gsealy said:
I'm not jumping ship...my 85mm f1.2 II L is a thing of photographic joy and beauty.
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When Zeiss released the 55/1.4 Otus, they had an easier task than they have with this one. There were no real competitors for that. Their initial sales volume was way above what they had expected and planned for and it was backordered for a long time. Even when the Sigma 50 Art came out a little later, with optical quality in the same neighbourhood, but rotten AF and (in my view) a very inferior manual focus option, they continued to sell. If the Sigma had been a Canon L, with L quality autofocus, I believe they would have seen slower sales.
With the 85mm I believe they have a tougher job initially, because the 85/1.2L II is so well established and liked as it is. And personally, I don't believe the +$500 price tag helps.
I am normally pretty trigger happy, when it comes to buying new gear (I really don't need), but in this case, considering I already have the Otus 55/1.4, 85 1.2L II and the Zeiss 135/2.0 … :
With the 85mm I believe they have a tougher job initially, because the 85/1.2L II is so well established and liked as it is. And personally, I don't believe the +$500 price tag helps.
I am normally pretty trigger happy, when it comes to buying new gear (I really don't need), but in this case, considering I already have the Otus 55/1.4, 85 1.2L II and the Zeiss 135/2.0 … :
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Maybe we should start a new OT thread about photographers HiFi systems.Eldar said:
I would be very interested, having a quite decent 2.1 system at home (I'm not so much into surround).
unfortunately also no pair of nautilus.
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That might not be a bad idea. I'm on the other side, though. I was a movie theater projectionist in high school and college and my theater was the one that the corporation, Regal Cinemas, which was headquartered nearby, used to try out all of their high end gear. I eventually became addicted (and poor) trying to create some semblance of that at homeMaximilian said:
One thing that I find interesting about the Zeiss releases about this lens are that they are pitching it towards landscape & architecture photographers. For architecture, I find that a rather useful focal length, but I rarely use anything near that focal length for landscape. I seem to shoot up to about 70mm, and then I usually go to 135 or even 150 and beyond.
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Eldar said:Well Edward, you live a hard life. Using a pair of Nautilus as headphones requires a phenomenal physique
For those of you who have not seen these, an image is attached. People (a very few I admit) buy Moore sculptures for millions of dollars. With the Nautilus you get something just as beautiful with the additional feature of producing mind blowing sound quality. I must admit I wonder what other components you have in your sound system ...
I do not have Nautilus. I have been an electrostatic freak since I got my first Quad ESL-63s in the mid 80ties. And using them as a metaphor for lenses, my current Martin Logan speakers produce phenomenal midrange and a beautiful soundstage, at the expense of a slightly less impressive bass. A bit like an 85/1.2L II, with a phenomenal center, beautiful bokeh, but an issue with CA. I'm sure the Otus 85/1.4 will be the equivalent to the Nautilus.
I was fortunate in my timing, I was living in Indonesia at the time, the Indonesian Currency took a 60% dive against the USD & one of the suppliers here in Jakarta had a set sitting with no Buyers, i jumped in and bought the set for 1/2 normal price. Like so much in life, it's opportunity & being in the right place at the right time.
Eldar said:And now we can start drooling ...distant.star said:
Pick mine up early November, unfortunately too late for Japan this Year.
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I just finished reading it - so does that report sway you towards a purchase, Eldar?Eldar said:
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GMCPhotographics
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I wish people would STOP calling this lens a telephoto. It's 100mm long with a focal length of 85mm. It's NOT a telephoto lens...ok. The Canon, Sigma and Nikon are...but this Zeiss is not.
I'm also sick of reading on "review" sites that 85mm is a semi telephoto focal length....no it isn't. A lens is either a telephoto or it isn't.
Go look up the definition on Wikipedia.
I'm also sick of reading on "review" sites that 85mm is a semi telephoto focal length....no it isn't. A lens is either a telephoto or it isn't.
Go look up the definition on Wikipedia.
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I feel like an alcoholic in a liquor store ...mackguyver said:
Trying to be a bit sober, having both the Otus 55, 85/1.2L II and the Zeiss 135/2, it is clearly not something I need and not something I can present a single rational reason for buying. But that is of course totally irrelevant and these Zeiss lenses are addictive.
I have just ordered a third party S-type focusing screen for my 5DIII (from Taiwan). If that works, I have two good bodies for manual focus and that will increase my use of these lenses even further. I don´t know why, but I make better images with primes than with zooms and I make even better images with manual focus than with auto focus. It is something with the entire compose, focus, shutter loop/process that helps.
I am also getting better and better with manual focus. I am not at my 1985 level, but probably not far off
I am now getting late for my AG meeting ... (Anonymous GASoholics)
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Inspired by Eldar, here's my take on the Serenity prayer for AG:
God (Canon, that is), grant me the serenity to accept the dynamic range I cannot change,
The courage to up the amount of glass in my bag,
And the wisdom to shoot in manual mode.
God (Canon, that is), grant me the serenity to accept the dynamic range I cannot change,
The courage to up the amount of glass in my bag,
And the wisdom to shoot in manual mode.
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I need to attend one of those meetings, too ;DEldar said:I feel like an alcoholic in a liquor store ...mackguyver said:
Trying to be a bit sober, having both the Otus 55, 85/1.2L II and the Zeiss 135/2, it is clearly not something I need and not something I can present a single rational reason for buying. But that is of course totally irrelevant and these Zeiss lenses are addictive.
I have just ordered a third party S-type focusing screen for my 5DIII (from Taiwan). If that works, I have two good bodies for manual focus and that will increase my use of these lenses even further. I don´t know why, but I make better images with primes than with zooms and I make even better images with manual focus than with auto focus. It is something with the entire compose, focus, shutter loop/process that helps.
I am also getting better and better with manual focus. I am not at my 1985 level, but probably not far off
I am now getting late for my AG meeting ... (Anonymous GASoholics)
For my use of the 85 & ~50mm focal lengths, the L lenses are plenty good enough for me because I use them almost exclusively for portraits. Above f/2.8, the 24-70 II & 70-200 II are all I need so I'm satisfied.
I also find that I generally take better photos with primes, but the new zooms are so good, it's hard for me to put a prime on my body unless it's special purpose (f/1.2, TS-E, or supertelephoto).
As for your GAS-fueled decision, I'd take a look at your ~85mm photos. If they are mostly portraits, I doubt the Otus would make a huge difference unless you hate the CA. If you use that focal length a lot with the 70-200 for landscapes on the other hand, it might be a worthwhile purchase.
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