Rumor of Zeiss Otus coming to Mirrorless Mounts

[JohnC]

It will be interesting to see real world testing results when available. While I love these lenses what I would really like to see are offerings in wider focal lengths (15,21,28,35). One can hope.

 

[Del Paso]

I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
(Naively hoping it helps)

 

[Old Man FL/FD]

Well, these Zeiss Otus ML (as well as EF) lenses are fine examples of highly optically corrected glass.

Let’s see if those opposed to lens aberration software correction are willing to pay up for this.

 

[LSXPhotog]

The early tests have demonstrated that the 50mm is relying on digital correction for distortion, some minor lens flare issues, but is virtually free of any vignette. I do wonder how well these will end up selling and I really look forward to seeing how the 85mm looks compared to the RF 85mm f/1.2L. The images from the 50mm look incredibly clean and sharp, but there was room for improvement over the RF 50mm f/1.2L and f/1.4L. The Canon 85….man, that thing is bordering on perfection. We’ll see..

 

[Del Paso]

Well, these Zeiss Otus ML (as well as EF) lenses are fine examples of highly optically corrected glass.

Let’s see if those opposed to lens aberration software correction are willing to pay up for this.

I am!
Even though I am not anti software corrections. But still prefer optical corrections (please don't ask me why ).
What matters is, of course, the final result.

 

[scottburgess]

Without a doubt, these new Zeiss offerings are the most innovative lenses to come out for the Canon mount in decades. Autofocus in the camera not working? No problem! Aperture controls busted? No sweat! Can't feel the heft of a lens as you pull it out of the bag? Fixed!

I hear Zeiss is working on versions which require you to load the R-series cameras with 25 ISO B&W slide film in order to revive the true art of photography, maximize the time working controls, and reduce the presence of on-line photos which destroyed the stock photography market--for $1800 more they'll even pair it with a Zeiss handheld multimeter, a film scanner, film labeling software, a light table, a loupe, and a creaky steel and aluminum tripod to make photography as fiddly and heavy as we can remember it ever being! Now photography newbies will have to carry pounds of extra gear, spend boatloads of money, and suffer the way photographers were meant to suffer. People will watch us lug our miserably heavy gear up mountains and say, "There goes a real artist!"

Photography is BACK, I tell you!

 

[Bob Howland]

Manual focus?! I gave up on manual focus when I sold my FD-mount cameras and lenses in 1997. I'm not going back!

 

[neuroanatomist]

Manual focus?! I gave up on manual focus when I sold my FD-mount cameras and lenses in 1997. I'm not going back!

What’s your hurry? Clearly, you don’t care about creative perfection.

From the advert: “The new ML lenses will appeal to mirrorless shooters for whom time is no object in the pursuit of creative perfection.”

 

[David - Sydney]

What’s your hurry? Clearly, you don’t care about creative perfection.

From the advert: “The new ML lenses will appeal to mirrorless shooters for whom time is no object in the pursuit of creative perfection.”

I don't quite get it.... what would be the use cases for these lenses wide open? I assume for portraiture so nailing focus is a priority yet at f1.4 the DoF would be pretty thin.
Is zeiss relying on bursts where the shooter moves in and out to hope to get one shot in focus?
Or are the shooters so much better than me to achieve critical focus without Canon's excellent eye AF?
Or they don't have the AF motor technology or don't want the weight of the lenses to be even heavier?

 

[Bonich]

I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
I will not buy the 50mm Otus
(Naively hoping it helps)

You will buy
You will be happy again

 

[docsmith]

Well timed Zeiss. I just found out my bonus for 2024. Hmmmm.

I will consider at those price points.

 

[Old Man FL/FD]

Manual focus?! I gave up on manual focus when I sold my FD-mount cameras and lenses in 1997. I'm not going back!

Hey! Take a close look at my User Name…

BONUS: Anybody see what’s in common to all three focus settings?

 

[john1970]

It will be interesting to see real world testing results when available. While I love these lenses what I would really like to see are offerings in wider focal lengths (15,21,28,35). One can hope.

Agreed. A manual focus 21 mm f1.4 lens would be great for astro work.

 

[john1970]

Manual focus?! I gave up on manual focus when I sold my FD-mount cameras and lenses in 1997. I'm not going back!

I could see a manual focus UWA (21 mm or less) f1.4 for astro work, but that is the only scenario that I would buy a MF lens for the RF mount.

 

[Sporgon]

I don't quite get it.... what would be the use cases for these lenses wide open? I assume for portraiture so nailing focus is a priority yet at f1.4 the DoF would be pretty thin.
Is zeiss relying on bursts where the shooter moves in and out to hope to get one shot in focus?
Or are the shooters so much better than me to achieve critical focus without Canon's excellent eye AF?
Or they don't have the AF motor technology or don't want the weight of the lenses to be even heavier?

Given the fact that Zeiss thought it was viable to produce these manual focus lenses for dslrs I can only assume that the target audience for serious photography would not use them for portraiture wide open, or anything like if they are shooting close. In all the weddings I shot I never once came across anyone who thought that a picture with just one eyelash in sharp focus and the rest blurred was anything but bad.
Even with mirrorless the only way to nail razor thin dof with manual focus is with magnification and although you can get used to doing it reasonably quickly, it’s still clunky. You could work this way in liveview with a dslr of course; maybe that’s what people did.
It’s also worth noting that the focus aid in mirrorless, where you join the two arrows together and it goes green, (Canon) is not accurate enough for f/1.4 or even 1.8, just as the ‘in focus’ dot on a dslr wasn’t either.
However I think that for the pleasure of using a good manual focus lens (if that’s your thing) it does make a lot more sense on mirrorless than it did on dslrs. But if you habitually shoot wide open with very fast lenses I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle.

 

[Old Man FL/FD]

I hear Zeiss is working on versions which require you to load the R-series cameras with 25 ISO B&W slide film in order to revive the true art of photography...

...Photography is BACK, I tell you!

Us old timers are dinosaurs, but we do deserve some respect.

 

[Berowne]

Hey! Take a close look at my User Name…

BONUS: Anybody see what’s in common to all three focus settings?

Hyperfocal setting with apperture at f8

 

[JohnC]

I could see a manual focus UWA (21 mm or less) f1.4 for astro work, but that is the only scenario that I would buy a MF lens for the RF mount.

I really don't need the large aperture of these two lenses as I shoot landscape. Likely to be used at f8 plus. I used live view for focusing with the 5D series, and the same with the r5. Worked great for me, not fast, but great.

 

[scottburgess]

Us old timers are dinosaurs, but we do deserve some respect.

I was an Ilford fan myself (100 or 400). My impression of the Agfapan 25 was that the detail was lovely but it had a bit too much contrast for my tastes. Still, a wonderful memory, Old Man!

 

[Old Man FL/FD]

Hyperfocal setting with apperture at f8

You got it!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocal_distance