# Review: Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon T*



## Canon Rumors Guy (Jun 15, 2015)

Discuss our review of the Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon T* here.


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## mskrystalmeth (Jun 15, 2015)

OP..of the Review....You would get a better result of The Otus 55mm on a Camera that has High MP...ie Nikon's D810. This is where major flaws come in...when Reviewers test a high end lens on Old Dusty S 8)ensors, Canon's 6d and so on. What would of been the results if Canon Produced a Quality Sensor?


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## gdanmitchell (Jun 15, 2015)

It is difficult to make a rational judgement about a 50mm lens that costs $4000. Who knows? It might actually be the very best optical tool ever made. Or not — perhaps it is just another very fine lens that costs a lot.

When it comes to such a thing there are several factors to keep in mind:

[list type=decimal]
There is a sizable group of photo gear fans who are perhaps more enthusiastic about owning the Very Best Shiny Thing than about producing the very best photographs. This sort of urge is not unique to photography, though camera gear acquisition is one of the more obvious playgrounds for such inclinations. For these people, while the test scores (and the brand name, and the cost) matter, the real world photographic effects — beyond the theoretical — may not so much.
Beyond the stupendous cost, the venerable name of Zeiss conjures up wonderful specialness, too — like Bentley, Bulgari, and others.
Put these together and there is a serious danger of confirmation bias. Unless you are willing to begin by actually asking what, if anything, the emperor is actually wearing, it is all to easy to begin with assumption that having the nMe Zeiss and the price of $4k, in just _must_ be The Very Best Thing and Worth Every Penny.
Finally, the correlation between the greatest photographs we see and the use of stratospherically expensive optics like the Zeiss — no matter how good the test results — is pretty close to random.
[/list]


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 15, 2015)

gdanmitchell said:


> It is difficult to make a rational judgement about a 50mm lens that costs $4000. Who knows? It might actually be the very best optical tool ever made. Or not — perhaps it is just another very fine lens that costs a lot.
> 
> When it comes to such a thing there are several factors to keep in mind:
> 
> ...



This may all be true, but as someone who has used and reviewed about 17 50mm lenses, I can tell you that the Otus 55 optics are unrivaled in both resolution and drawing in a 50mm lens. Whether or not it is worth its stupendous price is another argument altogether, but the lens is unquestionably special.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 15, 2015)

mskrystalmeth said:


> OP..of the Review....You would get a better result of The Otus 55mm on a Camera that has High MP...ie Nikon's D810. This is where major flaws come in...when Reviewers test a high end lens on Old Dusty S 8)ensors, Canon's 6d and so on. What would of been the results if Canon Produced a Quality Sensor?



http://www.dpreview.com/articles/3211770916/lens-reviews-update-test-data-for-the-zeiss-otus-1-4-55

There's some feedback on a Nikon sensor. BTW, while the 6D is far from being a high-megapixel sensor, it is also perhaps Canon's best other than the one in the 1Dx. 

You can definitely see a difference with the Otus compared to other lenses (I directly compared it with the 50L, for example) on a 6D or a 5DIII. You don't buy an Otus just for the sensor/body you have right now, though, you buy it to pretty much use it the rest of your life on whatever bodies are yet to come. The Otus 85 is at the top of my personal wish list.


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## meywd (Jun 15, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> mskrystalmeth said:
> 
> 
> > OP..of the Review....You would get a better result of The Otus 55mm on a Camera that has High MP...ie Nikon's D810. This is where major flaws come in...when Reviewers test a high end lens on Old Dusty S 8)ensors, Canon's 6d and so on. What would of been the results if Canon Produced a Quality Sensor?
> ...



Is there a way to get a comparison between the two (85 and 55), I know the focal length difference, but I would like to know the bokeh difference between the two, just incase someday I lose my mind and decide to buy one ;D, thanks for another great review Dustin


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 15, 2015)

meywd said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > mskrystalmeth said:
> ...



I need to compare them side by side someday, because I don't know if it was the focal length or the attributes of the lens that made me lean that direction. I was just more "wowed" overall by the Otus 85. It impressed me (optically) more than anything I've ever used before. The APO Sonnar 2/135mm is another amazing lens. If these lenses had AF...


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## Eldar (Jun 15, 2015)

Thanks for another good review Dustin. Not easy to find much negative to say about this one, but I agree with the ones you listed. Many judge lenses based on DxO measurements and pure sharpness comparisons. But if you include the other aspects, like contrast, colour, CA, flare etc., nothing gets close.

I am one of the lucky/spoiled/idiot/... (you pick what suits you) owners of this lens and it´s 85mm brother (and a few other Zeiss lenses). I am totally hooked on the quality these lenses produce. When the next one is announced, rumoured to be a 24mm f1.4, i´ll be first in line. I think your point about these being life long investments is very true. I expect to get my 5DSR this week and I really look forward to see what it will produce with these lenses.

To those who believe we have them for their status value, I can tell you that not once have anyone looked at any of these lenses and said "Gosh, It´s an Otus". If you want status confirmation with your camera, this is not the way to go. Instead, you must be willing to carry the largest and heaviest 50mm on the market, with no AF.


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## deleteme (Jun 15, 2015)

No doubt it is wonderful. My problem is I always get distracted by the content of the image when lenses are used in the real world.


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## zlatko (Jun 15, 2015)

mskrystalmeth said:


> OP..of the Review....You would get a better result of The Otus 55mm on a Camera that has High MP...ie Nikon's D810. This is where major flaws come in...when Reviewers test a high end lens on Old Dusty S 8)ensors, Canon's 6d and so on. What would of been the results if Canon Produced a Quality Sensor?



There is a major flaw in your comment. Canon produces high quality sensors and has for a long time.


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## bchernicoff (Jun 15, 2015)

The review makes comparisons to the 50L and the Sigma Art, but offers no comparison images. 

"The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART series lens is somewhat better competition in terms of sharpness, and (to a lesser extent) contrast, but in overall image quality it falls short of Otus. The Sigma ART is a very nice lens, but, ironically, it isn’t nearly as “artful” as the Otus 55."

Show us. People like to judge for themselves whether the massive cost and lack of AF are worth it.


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## meywd (Jun 15, 2015)

zlatko said:


> mskrystalmeth said:
> 
> 
> > OP..of the Review....You would get a better result of The Otus 55mm on a Camera that has High MP...ie Nikon's D810. This is where major flaws come in...when Reviewers test a high end lens on Old Dusty S 8)ensors, Canon's 6d and so on. What would of been the results if Canon Produced a Quality Sensor?
> ...



If you are going for more detail then the 7D II has it more than d810. And why should everyone test the lens on the same body, there are already people who did that!


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## Eldar (Jun 15, 2015)

bchernicoff said:


> The review makes comparisons to the 50L and the Sigma Art, but offers no comparison images.
> 
> "The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART series lens is somewhat better competition in terms of sharpness, and (to a lesser extent) contrast, but in overall image quality it falls short of Otus. The Sigma ART is a very nice lens, but, ironically, it isn’t nearly as “artful” as the Otus 55."
> 
> Show us. People like to judge for themselves whether the massive cost and lack of AF are worth it.


I actually made such a comparison. I made a number of images as equal as possible between the two, ref:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=20716.0
Be aware that all images are 4MB limited in sRGB.

Update! The images are posted in AdobeRGB, so they look like sh.. But if you open them up, they look OK. The differences between the two are rather subtle on these posted images, but are more visible on the full resolution versions. if it had not been for the notoriously unreliable AF on the Sigma, it would be a phenomenal bargain.


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## bchernicoff (Jun 15, 2015)

Eldar said:


> I actually made such a comparison. I made a number of images as equal as possible between the two, ref:
> http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=20716.0
> Be aware that all images are 4MB limited in sRGB.
> 
> Update! The images are posted in AdobeRGB, so they look like sh.. But if you open them up, they look OK. The differences between the two are rather subtle on these posted images, but are more visible on the full resolution versions. if it had not been for the notoriously unreliable AF on the Sigma, it would be a phenomenal bargain.



Thanks, Eldar. I knew that comparison images were out there though I had not seen yours. I appreciate the time and effort you spent on this. Now I can see Dustin's point about the Zeiss's drawing style.


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## mike b (Jun 15, 2015)

Hi All 
Just joined this interesting site and the 1st thing i came across was this article.I happen to be one of the lucky(some say more money than sense) people who own this lens. Having used this lens extensively ,and be warned it requires careful technique, i can say it really is something special.The sharpness to the edge,lack of any noticeable aberration/ distortion and quality of manufacture/design have been talked about a lot and are superb but the noticeable bonus for me was the colour rendition which is almost unmatched.My hand was shaking as i handed over the cash and although i had tested raw files shot with this lens and a nikon810 i was ready for some big time value for money disapointment! It is always difficult judging anything before living with it for a while but this lens has surpassed ALL my expectations......it really is that good!!
So why should we take any from any advice from this forum newbee, surely a Zeiss troll fanboy or just too intimidated to admit dropping 4000 bucks on the overpriced Zeiss logo.Just the opposite my history is working in the optical/lens industry( non photographic and not zeiss!) most of my life having studied pure optics at uni.I may not take the best images but i do know the best tools and in the dslr world this lens is ,at the moment ,unmatched at 50mmish .Always a few small niggles like watching my lunch disappear into the "open" focus scale but all pales into insignificance when you view the images .


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## zlatko (Jun 15, 2015)

meywd said:


> zlatko said:
> 
> 
> > mskrystalmeth said:
> ...



I agree. And it's also about the beauty of the rendering, not just the detail. It seems to me that testing this lens on a Canon camera seems appropriate for a review posted on a Canon rumors site, but sensor critics are determined to push some Nikon or Sony, even on a Canon rumors forum.


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## m (Jun 15, 2015)

@Justin the Noctilux is next, yes? ;D


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 15, 2015)

bchernicoff said:


> The review makes comparisons to the 50L and the Sigma Art, but offers no comparison images.
> 
> "The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART series lens is somewhat better competition in terms of sharpness, and (to a lesser extent) contrast, but in overall image quality it falls short of Otus. The Sigma ART is a very nice lens, but, ironically, it isn’t nearly as “artful” as the Otus 55."
> 
> Show us. People like to judge for themselves whether the massive cost and lack of AF are worth it.



Thanks to Eldar for stepping in. 

Here are some higher resolution shots in a controlled environment (mirror lock-up, steady tripod, timer used, etc...) of my own. Ask and ye shall receive...

Otus wide open, Canon 50L @ f/1.2 and then f/1.4.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 15, 2015)

Eldar said:


> bchernicoff said:
> 
> 
> > The review makes comparisons to the 50L and the Sigma Art, but offers no comparison images.
> ...



Thanks for sharing, Eldar


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## Andyx01 (Jun 15, 2015)

gdanmitchell said:


> It is difficult to make a rational judgement about a 50mm lens that costs $4000. Who knows? It might actually be the very best optical tool ever made. Or not — perhaps it is just another very fine lens that costs a lot.
> 
> When it comes to such a thing there are several factors to keep in mind:
> 
> ...



Well put.

I find it somewhat humors to read: "It is a superlative instrument in every detail, and manages the rare feat of combining extraordinary resolution with beautifully artful drawing and rendering"

In 'every detail' ... Except atrocious vignetting? I mean... It's desired, I like the vignetting yeah it's perfect, just the amount I would expect for $4000 not too little, not too much.

How does one quantify that this lens produces "beautifully artful drawing and rendering" - does the plastic fantastic 50 do this too, or does it have to have to be stamped with 'ziess' to produce 'artful drawing'. I'm confused.

It didn't front of back focus - because - well it doesn't auto focus. And uhm.. yeah.. That's good too, becuase... You should manual focus yeah.... A+ for not having a feature.


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## Andyx01 (Jun 15, 2015)

Dustin,

I don't suppose you could post some 100% crops of a brightly lit ruler. positioned like you would for a focus check? (i.e. 45 degrees to the camera - center frame front to back. - compared to canon or sigma.)

Primary to compare OOF areas and the amount of color fringing.

Of all the things the otus does, this is the one thing I think it probably excels at, but I've not seen a good comparison.


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## Eldar (Jun 15, 2015)

Andyx01 said:


> Dustin,
> 
> I don't suppose you could post some 100% crops of a brightly lit ruler. positioned like you would for a focus check? (i.e. 45 degrees to the camera - center frame front to back. - compared to canon or sigma.)
> 
> ...


It´s not the ruler you asked for, but an example never the less. This is straight raw to jpeg with default LR settings.


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## thepancakeman (Jun 15, 2015)

Confirmation bias is an interesting consideration. I wonder how the lens would fare in a double blind test against a few other top choices.


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## Eldar (Jun 15, 2015)

thepancakeman said:


> Confirmation bias is an interesting consideration. I wonder how the lens would fare in a double blind test against a few other top choices.


Blind testing is an interesting topic, with lots of believers and doubters. It is being used in a number of areas, such as wine tasting and hifi. It appears to be the true objective test, but in general it is accepted that it is a lot less objective than one would expect. With all the variables that come into play with a photograph ... I´d guess it falls in the same group as wine and hifi.


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## mike b (Jun 15, 2015)

Andyx01 said:


> gdanmitchell said:
> 
> 
> > It is difficult to make a rational judgement about a 50mm lens that costs $4000. Who knows? It might actually be the very best optical tool ever made. Or not — perhaps it is just another very fine lens that costs a lot.
> ...



Badly put

It actually is a superlative instrument in every detail, and does manages the rare feat of combining extraordinary resolution with beautiful rendering.......ok so artfull drawing is getting a bit carried away!

"atrocious vignetting".....not in my personal opinion from long term use.

value for money does not seem to be a useful judgement on any photographic equipment as coming from an optical industry background it all appears overpriced........fancy packaging et al

I wrote ferrari on the the back of my plastic fantastic ford focus last night and what a shame it didnt turn red or hit 150mph today 

what on earth is " front of back focus" ......like any" normal "photographic lens it" hopefully" only focuses at one point .What i presume you are talking about is the allowable depth of field due to the human eyes limited resolution

Sorry but you have to shift focus manually and not have a camera motor tell where to focus . Incidentley the 5dmk3 green focus indicator light is not accurate enough to nail focus- even when on you sometimes get soft focus!Only way i have found to nail it is to use live view magnifier with tethered or oncamera display
A+++ to Zeiss 


As an aside to the other contributer ,the reason for NOT testing this lens on a 7d mk2 is because this is a so called" full frame "design lens with edge to edge sharpness and is somewhat wasted on aps crop sensor.Bring on the blind testing and maybe we can also blind test the nikon 810 with a 85mm otus v 7dmk2 with a55 mm otus and see whose sensors are better with similar fov.....just kidding! Shouldnt we as a forum(and personally as someone who is heavily invested in canon lenses) be pushing /helping canon to give the customer what we want and not worshipping at the church of canon when the vast majority of semi pro photographers will admit canon sensors are ,at the moment,technologically behind the sony/nikon sensors..........lots of chatter about switching
from canon to nikon and none the other way round.


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## Dholai (Jun 15, 2015)

As a owner of both 55 and 85 Otus and using them on 1Dx and 7D MKII, I can say with confidence that these are unparallel in every aspect of producing an image that is strikingly pleasant and an "wow" producer. The lenses have their unique signature in every shot.

To me, the difference between the Otus and the L series is more like the difference between the L series and the kit lenses ( barring the 85 1.2L MK II- which is very close).

I hated manual focus due to my bad eyesight but still love this duo - always give the focus confirmation beep with lighted AF point. I am used to them now!

Cant wait to try them on the 5DsR coming tomorrow !

Caution: very unforgiving . My wife refused to sit in front of them after seeing some shots on the first day !

Dholai


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## epsiloneri (Jun 15, 2015)

I'd be really interested to know the Otus performance in terms of coma wide open.

Here's a simple test: during night, focus on a far-away point source (like a distant light, or a bright star) centered in the field, then, without re-focusing, re-compose and put the point source near a corner of the field. How round does the source look like?

(this test can be challenging at northern latitudes this time of the year)

Ideally, the point source should look the same as when centered in the field of view, but all lenses faster than 1.8 that I've seen perform rather miserably in this respect (including the 50 Art). Given all the praise and the high price tag, I'd be really curious to see how the Otus performs.


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## mike b (Jun 15, 2015)

epsiloneri said:


> I'd be really interested to know the Otus performance in terms of coma wide open.
> 
> Here's a simple test: during night, focus on a far-away point source (like a distant light, or a bright star) centered in the field, then, without re-focusing, re-compose and put the point source near a corner of the field. How round does the source look like?
> 
> ...



tested in Portugal (clear unpolluted sky) and very little coma ----fairly circular from memory.No kept files and was messing about with a new lens.I can possibly have another go when i am out of the city pollution and post images on the forum


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## mike b (Jun 15, 2015)

Dholai said:


> As a owner of both 55 and 85 Otus and using them on 1Dx and 7D MKII, I can say with confidence that these are unparallel in every aspect of producing an image that is strikingly pleasant and an "wow" producer. The lenses have their unique signature in every shot.
> 
> To me, the difference between the Otus and the L series is more like the difference between the L series and the kit lenses ( barring the 85 1.2L MK II- which is very close).
> 
> ...



Please refer to my previous reply and beware........the autofocus (green light on)range in my canon 5d mk 3 is too wide to nail the focus with this lens and if you are viewing this on a large ish screen or making large prints ,this becomes very obvious esp at shorter distances.Only way i have found to nail it is to use live view magnifier with tethered laptop ,camranger wifi setup or oncamera display/shutter release cable.Glad to hear your are enjoying this superb lens .I also thought about the 85mm but decided the optical benefits didnt quite justify the cost so i kept the1.2 85mm canon.(by the way great easy focus pull for video with the stepper motor focus although not repeatable).


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## Dholai (Jun 15, 2015)

Mark,

I always use single point AF and I have made at least four 40 X 60 inches canvas prints and they are magnificent. In fact, to me it seems like bigger is better ;D

Watching those on a 34 inches 4K monitor is soul soothing!!

Anyway, while shooting portraits in studio setting, I always refine focus with magnified live view.

yes, I am enjoying them

Thanks

Dholai


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## epsiloneri (Jun 15, 2015)

mike b said:


> I can possibly have another go when i am out of the city pollution and post images on the forum


That'd be great! No need for actual stars - distant point-like lights (street lights some km away) should be good enough.


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## mike b (Jun 15, 2015)

Dholai said:


> Mark,
> 
> I always use single point AF and I have made at least four 40 X 60 inches canvas prints and they are magnificent. In fact, to me it seems like bigger is better ;D
> 
> ...


Hi Dholai
I did read about somebody else who came up with an ingenious solution to the accurate focusing problem.....he said he adjusted the camera micro adjustment so when he racked the focus from near to infinity slowly the point when the green light first came on coincided with perfect focus.
mike


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## eml58 (Jun 15, 2015)

Eldar said:


> i´ll be first in line.



Spot taken, sorry Eldar.

And for the 35f/1.4 as well.


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## mike b (Jun 15, 2015)

epsiloneri said:


> mike b said:
> 
> 
> > I can possibly have another go when i am out of the city pollution and post images on the forum
> ...



Hi
It shall be done!
I do understand the optics but finding a suitable point source in a light polluted city with rising temperature bands is not so easy so it might be a couple of weeks!!As you obviously understand coma is always going to effect "faster lenses" as the further off axis you are the more difficult it is to control but from memory i certainly considered it v acceptable with this lens.........always some limiter in photography!
mike


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## mike b (Jun 15, 2015)

gdanmitchell said:


> It is difficult to make a rational judgement about a 50mm lens that costs $4000. Who knows? It might actually be the very best optical tool ever made. Or not — perhaps it is just another very fine lens that costs a lot.
> 
> When it comes to such a thing there are several factors to keep in mind:
> 
> ...


Hi Dan
Had a little look at your website and was most impressed but thou doth protest too much.Your unbiased site mentions that you personally have preordered a 5dsr and this seems to be before even any raw files were available..............if you havent even seen this emperor yet, how can you possibly know what he is or not supposed to be wearing.I am certainly interested in this camera but would never dream of just getting the latest stratospherically expensive gadet before i had evaluated it.Beyond the stupendous cost,i know the venerable name of canon does conjure up some sort of wonderful specialness, so that might be a perfectly sensible reason for your choice !! 
Go on sell your grandmother you know you want this lens really!
mike
ps good lenses tend to hold their value better than quickly out of date/fashion camera bodies.....just saying.


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## Eldar (Jun 16, 2015)

eml58 said:


> Eldar said:
> 
> 
> > i´ll be first in line.
> ...


May the best man win  8)


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 16, 2015)

One thing that jumped out at me about Roger's new article RE: the 5Ds/5dsR was that fact that the Otus 85 outresolved the 300L by almost 24% in the center (on the 5D3). The Otus 85 was stopped down to f/2.8, so that is an advantage, but still... The 300L is one of the sharpest lenses in the world, period.

Those who wanted to see some resolution numbers for an Otus on a high megapixel body should take a look at the numbers here.

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2015/06/canon-5ds-and-5ds-r-initial-resolution-tests


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## Andyx01 (Jun 16, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> One thing that jumped out at me about Roger's new article RE: the 5Ds/5dsR was that fact that the Otus 85 outresolved the 300L by almost 24% in the center (on the 5D3). The Otus 85 was stopped down to f/2.8, so that is an advantage, but still... The 300L is one of the sharpest lenses in the world, period.
> 
> Those who wanted to see some resolution numbers for an Otus on a high megapixel body should take a look at the numbers here.
> 
> http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2015/06/canon-5ds-and-5ds-r-initial-resolution-tests



So there you have it, the 300 f/2.8 IS II is 19% sharper in the corner, 5% sharper on average, and within 7% of the Otus in the center. It must be a truely artfull-er ... lens ... with even more beautiful drawing, and umm, It's probably got that magic stuff too.

I suppose if you stitch (16) 300mm 2.8 pictures together you end up with (1) 75mm f/0.75 composite.

Factor in a bit of overlap and you may end up at 85mm.

16 times the resolution of the Otus. not to mention at f/0.75 v.s. 2.8

Stop the otus down to 1.4 and now the differnece is presumably well over 16x in favor of the composite.

And I don't think anyone cares because who is going to seriously stitch 16 images together?

Back on topic - isn't the 55 sharper than the 85 though? For some reason I thought it was.... 

Thanks for the fence post Eldar - is that the 55mm OTUS? - It was interesting to see the amount of green in the background bokeh, v.s. purple in the foreground bokeh. I would have guessed this to have been from a different lens. That said; do the competing lenses look substantially worse under those conditions?

The amount of vignetting looks like what I would expect.

P.s. Anyone else notice the fly that happend to be right near the focus plane on the left side of the frame?


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jun 16, 2015)

Andyx01 said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > One thing that jumped out at me about Roger's new article RE: the 5Ds/5dsR was that fact that the Otus 85 outresolved the 300L by almost 24% in the center (on the 5D3). The Otus 85 was stopped down to f/2.8, so that is an advantage, but still... The 300L is one of the sharpest lenses in the world, period.
> ...



I presume you are looking at the 5DSr results? On a 5DIII the opposite is true.


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## Andyx01 (Jun 16, 2015)

Yeah I was - that is interesting!

If the 300 can score 1545 on a 5DS R

Odd that it would score 1050 on a 5D III considering a different lens can score 1300 on that same 5D III.

Is it possible the focus was missed? (the corner still scores better on the 300.) The average score sufferes from the poor center score.


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## Andyx01 (Jun 16, 2015)

Quote "I was a bit surprised at the result and repeated it several times to confirm the numbers and it was so"

Count me in as being surpised because that defies logic.


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## Andyx01 (Jun 16, 2015)

Any chance the reviewer had "In body correction" enabled that was softening the result(s) with supported lenses (e.g. the 300 2.8 IS II) - Would be interesting to see the 5D3 re-tested with the lens profile removed from the camera using tape over the contacts.


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## Jeffrey (Jun 16, 2015)

I always enjoy reading the comments on this website.

I own a Zeiss 55mm lens and a 1D-X. Yes, I am a very lucky guy and am the first to say so. I love the lens and have shot it a lot. Superb results.

Will spending say $5K make you a better photographer? Actually it works inversely in that mistakes will be magnified and the lens will become the object of blame. Wrong, just plain wrong.

This is not a point-and-shoot lens. It is a hypercritical manual focus lens that does take some practice to become accustomed to shooting. Sort of like riding a bike. Once you "get it" you will be amazed at the quality of the images captured. 

Based on my experience in using this lens, I don't think there is a comparable lens on the planet. Rent one and give it a try!


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## Eldar (Jun 16, 2015)

Andyx01 said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > One thing that jumped out at me about Roger's new article RE: the 5Ds/5dsR was that fact that the Otus 85 outresolved the 300L by almost 24% in the center (on the 5D3). The Otus 85 was stopped down to f/2.8, so that is an advantage, but still... The 300L is one of the sharpest lenses in the world, period.
> ...


He he, if you want to look like the prime jerk on the web, be my guest  I´m sorry, but i do not carry half the intellect to understand a quarter of your weird logic ...


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## eml58 (Jun 17, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> Those who wanted to see some resolution numbers for an Otus on a high megapixel body should take a look at the numbers here.
> 
> http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2015/06/canon-5ds-and-5ds-r-initial-resolution-tests



Pick my 5DsR up later today, intend to test the 300f/2.8 II & Otus 55 & 85 asap.

And remember Eldar, all comments in this thread regards the Otus 55/85 made by "Andyx01" are based on supposition, guesswork & quite possibly, envy, I come to this conclusion based on the following extracts from the comments made by "Andyx01", "I suppose", "may end up with", "presumably", "I thought it was", "I would have Guessed".

Safe to ignore.


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## meywd (Jun 17, 2015)

eml58 said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > Those who wanted to see some resolution numbers for an Otus on a high megapixel body should take a look at the numbers here.
> ...



If you can do a comparison between the two Otus for the same subject then that would be great.


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## eml58 (Jun 17, 2015)

meywd said:


> eml58 said:
> 
> 
> > TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> ...



Hi "Meywd", I'll certainly post up some Images, it won't be one of Dustin's very enlightening articles, something simple, more in line with my abilities.


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## Andyx01 (Jun 17, 2015)

eml58 said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > Those who wanted to see some resolution numbers for an Otus on a high megapixel body should take a look at the numbers here.
> ...



Well aren't you creative. And what a wonderful reminder of word counts! Very helpful! I realize you're not very good at finding facts without people flat out telling you them, so here, just for you 

"Quote possibly" - Oh no! You're doing it too - tsk tsk, so hypocritical.

I suppose if you stitch (16) 300mm 2.8 pictures together *you end up with * (1) 75mm f/0.70 composite.

Is that better? Is it more factual now? baha. If you have more questions on how that works let me know because I'm sure without further explanation you're still lost.

"May end up with" - I don't actually see that - You mis-read it. Don't be embarrassed, it happens.

"Stop the otus down to 1.4 and now the difference is presumably well over 16x in favor of the composite."

It's over 16, (presumably well over) but I understand that confused you again.


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## eml58 (Jun 17, 2015)

As I said "Andyx01"

Safe to ignore


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## mike b (Jun 18, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> One thing that jumped out at me about Roger's new article RE: the 5Ds/5dsR was that fact that the Otus 85 outresolved the 300L by almost 24% in the center (on the 5D3). The Otus 85 was stopped down to f/2.8, so that is an advantage, but still... The 300L is one of the sharpest lenses in the world, period.
> 
> Those who wanted to see some resolution numbers for an Otus on a high megapixel body should take a look at the numbers here.
> 
> http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2015/06/canon-5ds-and-5ds-r-initial-resolution-tests


Hi Dustin
Personally I believe the clues are here 
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/06/sensor-stack-thickness-when-does-it-matter
please also read my reply in the comments section to that article as i have tried to give a simplish reply to help understand whats happening in laymans terms.
The article shows that you can have" sharp lenses" and "high res" camera but if the ray paths are not exactly matched to each other the images will not be good.I hate to say it but saying" it is a sharp lens ...period" is just wrong .I also do understand canon engineers throwing their hands up when people were suggesting "...well for the r why dont you just take the anti alaising bit out".Focus filter stack size and ray paths ARE important.
So little bit of a extra surprise as the canon lens should be specifically designed for mk3 and sr and longer focal lengths normally have an exit pupil further from the sensor therefore suffering less from focus stack thickness problems !!or is it an old design?
Love to quiz zeiss (i do live in germany at the moment) as to wether the otus is a generic design with a nominal stack thickness or the individual mounts are specifically designed with regard to individual manufacturer stack thickness.I would regretfully suspect the former.This potential problem helped me to choose canon rather than nikon mount plus adapter.....my nikon mates are dissapointed but i am not sure i would not have let it out of my sight anyway.
Also strange that there was a "problem" testing the 810( they obviously planed a canon nikon shootout) in the lens rental report.........something about focus stack thickness and figures obviously wrong???!!! ha ha probably tested a nikon otus with a Dr Caldwell metabones adapter.
As a last comment , purely subjective and as i said in a previous reply ,the real surprise for me about this lens was the superb colour rendition perhaps even more difficult and expensive to achieve than ultimate "sharpness".Glass in itself costs nothing its the lens surfacing and coatings that make the lens. Oh ok ok and the design and body/mechanics but certainly NOT just the little blue logo.
mike b
ps no need to bash andyx 01you all know what he is trying to convey and in many static with little movement images a stitching can produce fabulous high pixel results on a budget.....done it many times myself. Printing vv large at 300dpi natively is perfectly possible with no extra hardware costs .........After all isnt printing large the only possible reason for lusting after the S or SR!!

Absolutely last pps One of my beliefs in the future of high resolution photography is as we reach the practical limits of single lens with single sensor photography ,stitching images taken similtanously from ,multi lens systems , multi or single moving sensor systems ,or both combined will start to take over as demand for zooming in on portable devices ever increases so andy may actually have a point.




modify apologies to the good Dr C as it appears that metabones dont make a nikon f to eos adapter but others do...........reminds me must ask him about my haemorrhoids next time i see him !!


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## gary samples (Jul 13, 2015)

can some one please give me some schooling on focus screen replacements for my 5ds 
do they make one that will work for the Otus & my canon lens 
I see canon says 
(fixed) on the screen Thanks'


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## Eldar (Jul 14, 2015)

gary samples said:


> can some one please give me some schooling on focus screen replacements for my 5ds
> do they make one that will work for the Otus & my canon lens
> I see canon says
> (fixed) on the screen Thanks'


Gary,
You'll find some info on this thread. The focusing screen on the 5DS/5DSR is not the same as the 5DIII, as is explained in the thread. I have contacted www.focusingscreen.com and asked if they will make an S-type screen (I have theirs S-screen for the 5DIII). No reply yet.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=26819.0

So unless you have the guts to do as Zeidora (I don't) there is not much to do but wait ...


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## asmundma (Jul 14, 2015)

Eldar said:


> gary samples said:
> 
> 
> > can some one please give me some schooling on focus screen replacements for my 5ds
> ...



Maybe you get your A7RII first and the manual focusing issue will be solved......(via an adapter). And you will be able to gain a few stops via the 5 axis stabilisation + the dynamic range.


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