VAUDERIVE ÉDITIONS

Optic & Frame

The Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon T*, the 2013 DSLR-era lens that reset expectations for prime-lens correction.
The Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon T*, the 2013 DSLR-era lens that reset expectations for prime-lens correction.

Zeiss (via Nikon Rumors)

ZEISS

Otus 55mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon T*

discontinued

$3,999

US launch price (October 2013). Discontinued 2026; available on the used market.

View at the maker

Editorial link to the manufacturer's official page. Optic & Frame may earn a commission on qualifying purchases; see our affiliate disclosure. Not a paid placement.

Made by ZEISS.

Part of the Canon EF / Nikon F system.

Specifications

MountCanon EF / Nikon F
Focal length55 mm
Aperturef/1.4 - f/16
Construction12 elements in 10 groups; APO-Distagon; aspherical; anomalous partial dispersion glass
FocusManual; 0.5 m minimum; ~240-degree focus throw
Filter77 mm
Weight970 g (ZF.2)
CoatingZeiss T*
Built byCosina (Japan) to Zeiss specifications
LaunchedOctober 2013

RRelated stories

A Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH, an example of the aspherical and floating-element engineering described here.

Lenses

The Engineering Behind Premium Camera Lenses

Apochromatic correction, aspherical surfaces, floating elements. What those terms actually mean, and why the finest lenses are exercises in controlled obsession.
Glass in production at Schott, one of the handful of companies worldwide that manufacture optical glass.

Lenses

The Role of Optical Glass in Modern Lenses

Before a lens is designed, the glass must exist. How a handful of glassmakers, and one 1884 partnership in Jena, still shape what lenses can do.
Leitz-Park in Wetzlar, Leica Camera's headquarters and principal manufacturing site since 2014.

Craftsmanship

Inside Precision Lens Manufacturing

No factory visit, no speculation. What published accounts of Leica's Wetzlar works actually reveal about how premium lenses are made.

The Frame, Weekly

One considered email a week: significant cameras, optics worth knowing, and the culture of the image. No noise.

Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime with one click.