Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 ZF.2 Lens Review

Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Handling and Features

Amongst the most striking things about this lens is just how large it is, even for a 85mm lens with an f/1.4 maximum aperture. With the supplied hood attached, it is truly huge, which probably won't make this lens suitable for inconspicuous shooting. It's heavy too, with the Nikon ZF 2 mount lens tipping the scales at just under 1.2 kilos. Even so, due to its huge size, the lens balances well on the Nikon D600 used for testing as a result.

There is no autofocus, and unfortunately this lens does not combine well with the electronic range-finder system employed in Nikon cameras, (three different bodies were tried) reporting in focus images when it can be clearly seen that focus is miles off, so live view focusing is recommended with this lens, which can be quite cumbersome to use in practise. Thankfully, the manual focus ring is smooth in operation, giving a satisfying metal-on-metal clunk when the stop is reached at each end of the focus range. Close focus to infinity takes a 180 degree turn of the focus ring, which is a good compromise between speed, and allowing for fine adjustments.

Closest focus distance is 80cm, and the large 86mm filter thread does not rotate, which should make this lens ideal for use with graduated filters and polarisers.

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