New Zeiss Otus 1.4/85 promises to be a ‘fast all-rounder’

The Zeiss Otus 1.4/85 follows on from the Otus 1.4/55, with a short telephoto focal length suited for portraits.

However, Zeiss is keen to point out that its qualities also make the lens useful for a host of other genres and types of photography.

Its edge-to-edge sharpness, for instance, is handy for landscapes, and its large maximum aperture makes it capable in low light (the ‘Otus’ in the series’ name is taken from a genus of owls).

The lens is made with an all-metal body and consists of eleven elements in nine groups.

In a statement, Zeiss promised, ‘No chromatic aberrations, even in the most challenging light situations… no distortion, ghosting or flare. And all of this at any aperture.’

The new Zeiss Otus 1.4/85 will be presented at Photokina 2014, in Cologne, which runs from September 16 to 21, and will be available in EF-mount and F-mount from mid-September. Expected retail prices is €3,360.50 or $4,490 (excluding VAT).

Our sister magazine What Digital Camera recently pitted this lens’s predecessor, the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4, against the Sigma 50mm f/1.4. See how it measured up.