Just days after Zeiss’s last announcement touched down, the company has flown in with another wide lens: the Otus 28mnm f/1.4. Billed as the world’s best wide-angle lens, something which is easy to believe given the quality of the already released Otus 55mm and 85mm lenses, this 28mm lens is built to the most precise standards and will offer exceptionally sharp images even when shooting wide open. Zeiss also goes so far as to say that the exceptional resolution and fast f/1.4 maximum aperture of this lens provides photographers with a look that is equal to that of medium format, and perfectly suited to landscape and architectural photography.
At the core of the lens is the advanced retrofocus Distagon optical design with 16 elements in 13 groups that allows for numerous corrected lenses to be present to account for multiple types of aberrations and distortion. The Otus 28mm utilizes eight anomalous partial dispersion elements that practically eliminate all chromatic aberrations for apochromatic performance with high-contrast areas that are free of artifacts. Also, this design has two aspherical elements producing images with little to no distortion that are sharp, corner to corner, even when shooting at f/1.4, especially impressive for a wide-angle optic. The lens also features Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating, which adds sharpness and clarity.
Though optical performance is perhaps the most important area of lens design, the physical handling and construction cannot be overlooked. Zeiss has pulled out all the stops here with all-metal construction and completely manual operation. The focus and aperture rings have a grippy, rubberized surface for comfortable, tactile control and the barrel has bright yellow markings that will clearly show distance and depth of field. Along with this, the lens will come with a matching lens hood to further control flare and ghosting.
The Otus 28mm f/1.4 will be available for both Canon EF and Nikon F mounts.
| Otus 28mm f/1.4 Lens | |
| Lens Mount | Canon EF, Nikon F |
| Focal Length | 28mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/1.4 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/16 |
| Angle of View | 75° |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 11.8" / 30 cm |
| Magnification | 0.16x |
| Lens Construction | 16 elements / 13 groups |
| Diaphragm Blades | Not specified by manufacturer |
| Filter Ring Diameter | 95mm |
| Dimensions | Canon EF: 4.3 x 5.4" / 109 x 137mm Nikon F: 4.3 x 5.3" / 109 x 135mm |
| Weight | Canon EF: 3.1 lb / 1.39 kg Nikon F: 3.0 lb / 1.35 kg |
7 Comments
I am debating between this and the Leica 28mm Summilux. I do not see many articles about the 28 lux.
Hi Kevin,
This is a tough decision, and I'm assuming that you are looking to adapt this to a mirrorless system. I believe the Otus is going to be a higher performing lens (though only by a slight margin), partially due to the lack of size restrictions and a DSLR design. There are limitations to making a rangefinder lens as it usually is kept quite small and has a more limited minimum focus distance. For example, the Leica 28mm has an MFD of 2.3' whereas the Otus is only 11". I think it comes down to whether you need a compact lens like the Leica or are can deal with the larger size for optimal performance.
Will there be any offer or discount for buying the three "Otus" together
No FE? Will be nice shot party wity A7s without lights...
This is great news--thanks. One question: Will Zeiss ever make Otus lenses in Sony E-mount? Thanks, Bill C
Unfortunately, I do not know if Zeiss has plans to make Otus lenses for the E-mount.
I have all 3 Otus lenses and I am sure Zeiss won't do it, as it also makes no sense for a manual lens like this. Just buy the Nikon F version with fstop-ring and a cheap adapter (in germany we go great ones from K&F Concept for app. 15 USD), and you are ready to go. An E-mount version wouldn't be lighter or cheaper or have any advantages - just disadvantages, because when you resell it, the market would be much smaller. I mainly use the Otuses on Canon and Sony E and it works just fine, and like many others I intentionally bought the Nikon mount versions. If you ask Zeiss, they even will declick it for you for some amount so it's even better for video use. That also does only work with the Nikon mount versions.