Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO for Close Up Work

[Michael Erlewine]

The deeper I get into the quality of the Zeiss 55mm Otus, the more I continue to be impressed. Here is a single shot of a cultivated grape leaf taken with the Nikon D810 and the Zeiss Otus 55mm at ISO 64, f/16, and 1/13 sec. Also included is a 100% crop of part of the leaf edge, so you can see the remarkable clarity of this Zeiss lens.

[Intrepid]

Delightful, Michael. 

It is one of the Zeiss Triumvirate I coveted (ignoring the price tags) before I realized the size of them.  I will buy a Leica AA 50/2 sometime in the future.  Compact goodness.

[Erik Lund]

Yes, from what I have seen they perform very similar! Only the Leica is 1/8 the size and weight

[Michael Erlewine]

I am not bothered by the size, and have all three of them. The quality of these lenses is what is paramount in my view. I don't do a lot of backpacking anymore, so size is not an issue.

[Intrepid]

Michael, Apologies if there was negativity in my earlier post.  That was not the intent at all.

These 3 lenses (55/1.4, 85/1.4 and 135/2) from Zeiss are nothing but a pinnacle in lens design with performance to prove.

My camera gear is ever shrinking in its size and that is due to what I use them for.  Otherwise, I would have sprung for them one by one.  Absolutely no question about it.

[Michael Erlewine]

Here is another photo taken this morning with the Nikon D810 and the Zeiss 55mm APO f/1.4 lens. It also shows the degree of resolution, etc.

The original and a 100% crop.