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ZEISS Otus ML 50mm F/1.4 Lens Review

Back when I shot with a Nikon DSLR, one of my all-time favourite lenses was the ZEISS Distagon T 21mm f/2.8 ZF.2. So, when I had the opportunity to make this ZEISS Otus ML 50mm F/1.4 Lens review some 10+ years later, it was with a mixture of nostalgia and genuine excitement to see the brand back in the camera lens business.

Although there are many differences between the 21mm Distagon from 2009 and the Otus ML 50mm from 2025, a few key similarities definitely stand out. Both of these full-frame ZEISS lenses share similar solid metal build quality, a manual aperture ring, and perhaps most notably, both are completely manual focus only.

Find out in this hands-on review whether the Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 delivers the classic ZEISS experience, and see if this manual focus standard prime will earn a place in your kit.

Release date and price

ZEISS announced two Otus lenses in March 2025, the ZEISS Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 and the ZEISS Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 which follows later. The Otus 50mm f/1.4 is priced at £2,100, while the Otus 85mm f/1.4 will cost £2,350, which places them firmly in the premium category.

Both models are available in Sony E, Canon RF, and Nikon Z mounts, which are listed below.

Let’s continue by taking a quick look at ZEISS’ history and find out more about this German brand.

Sample 01 landscape. Camera settings: 0.6 sec. f/8. ISO 100 (right click to open larger)

A very brief history of ZEISS lenses

ZEISS is a renowned brand that began under its founder, Carl ZEISS. The company has been producing camera lenses for over 130 years and has since expanded into optical lenses, medical technology, and semiconductor design, among other fields.

Of course, it’s their camera lenses we’re interested in. The Otus name dates back to the DSLR era, and with no new camera lens released since around 2018, the two Otus lenses in 2025 are a very welcome return.

ZEISS collaborated with Otto Schott on new glass types, and he later went on to found Schott Glass AG, which still manufactures optical glass for filters today.

Over the years, ZEISS has earned numerous accolades, with its lenses used in Hollywood blockbusters, the first moon landing in 1969, and collaborations with industry giants like Sony.

With this in mind, expectations are high for the latest 2025 Otus lenses, so let’s move on and take a closer look at what they offer.

Sample 02 blossom. Camera settings: 1/800 sec. f/1.4. ISO 100 (right click to open larger)

ZEISS Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 Lens key features

50mm lenses are one of the most popular choices for photographers and video makers, often becoming a staple in their repertoire. With so many options now available, newly released 50mm lenses face strong competition, so let’s find out what sets the ZEISS Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 apart.

• Moderately compact and lightweight at 77 x 100mm and 677g (which is the lightest of the three mounts)
• Solid feeling all-metal design
• 10 aperture blades
• Smooth metal focus ring with a precision helicoid drive
• Apochromatic lens design renders high sharpness, with accurate colours and minimal fringing
• Aspherical design for virtually distortion-free results
• ZEISS T* anti-reflective coating
• Manual aperture control with a de-click function
• Blue rubber mount seal
• Clear, and precise measurement scales
• Made in Japan

100 percent crop from the previous image (right click to open actual size)

Sample images

Nick Dautlich captured the sample images for this review over a couple of days, while using a Sony A7R V camera. I managed to snag two sunrises, a sunset, and spent a couple of hours exploring Sussex villages, testing how the lens performs as a general-purpose walk-around option, which should be one of the key strengths of a 50mm lens.

Editing has been kept to a minimum, with no added saturation, no cropping (aside from horizon straightening), and only general contrast adjustments, ensuring all of the sample images closely reflect the original shots.

Next let’s take a closer look at image quality.

Sample 03 spring gardens. Camera settings: 1/500 sec. f/4.5. ISO 1250 (right click to open larger)

Image quality

As noted earlier in this review, one of my all-time favourite lenses was the ZEISS 21mm Distagon, so my expectations for the ZEISS Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 were high. However, my love for the 21mm wasn’t based on clinical sharpness or technical perfection, it was quite the opposite in fact. That lens has a distinct character, with warm tones, natural vignetting, and a touch of distortion that all combined together to create beautiful, atmospheric results.

The Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 takes a different approach. Its optical design is engineered to surpass other lenses by eliminating artefacts, to control distortion, and render sharp details with minimal colour fringing. The lens achieves this through a new optical formula of 14 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherical glass elements and four anomalous partial dispersion elements.

To give you a sense of its performance, I’ve included 100% crops. Sharpness across the frame is outstanding, with the lens rendering incredibly fine details and strong micro contrast from the Sony 60MP sensor, particularly when stopped down to f/5.6, although even at f/2, sharpness is impressive.

Distortion and vignetting are equally well controlled, and while some longitudinal chromatic aberration can be seen in extreme conditions, overall, colour fringing and aspherical aberration are respectable, even in backlit scenes.

The bokeh rendered by the Otus 50mm lens is smooth and rounded, although in a handful of cases some outlines are noticeable in the bokeh balls. Transition in focus falloff sometimes feels slightly more structured than fluid, however results are generally beautiful, with a distinct 3D pop effect when you place the subject away from background distractions.

Overall, the Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 delivers high optical precision. While it doesn’t have the same organic character as the 21mm Distagon, its technical excellence makes it a good choice for photographers who want high levels of sharpness and optical correction, rather than characterful quirks.

Sample 04 daffodil bokeh. Camera settings: 1/1000 sec. f/1.4. ISO 100 (right click to open larger)

Usability and manual focus experience

The benefits of a manual focus lens are well documented, particularly when it comes to placing your focus point exactly where you want it. A manual lens also creates a more immersive shooting experience, where the challenge of achieving sharp focus is outweighed by the sheer satisfaction of nailing it without autofocus assistance. When you do get it right, the results can be brilliant.

Manual focus also forces you to slow down and be more deliberate, perhaps by double-checking exposure settings, refining your composition, and considering depth of field. This is because the downside of missed shots can be frustrating, especially when there’s no chance to retake them.

Canon, Nikon, and Sony cameras all offer manual focus assist tools, and on Sony cameras, my favourite is punching in to magnify the focus point. It quickly becomes second nature, but for moving subjects, you may need to pre-focus, burst shoot, and hope for the best!

Sample 05 bookshop. Camera settings: 1/3200 sec. f/1.6. ISO 100 (right click to open larger)

Back to the ZEISS Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 lens, which has a beautifully smooth metal focus ring with a longer throw of around 260º, which is great for making precise adjustments. While static subjects like landscapes are easy to manual focus, I sometimes found the long focus throw a little long for moving subjects, requiring a grip shift to adjust from near to far.

Aside from focus, the lens is very easy to operate, with bright, clear markings, and the manual aperture ring feels solid, with satisfying clicks providing tactile and audio feedback when adjusting aperture values. For video or silent shooting, a special tool allows you to remove the clicks from the lens mount, but personally I prefer clicks when shooting stills.

There’s the depth of field scale, aperture and focus rings, but the lens is very minimalist, with no buttons or switches to distract you from the shooting experience. Perhaps this contributes to the 50mm prime feeling very well balanced with signature ZEISS build quality, which is to say everything is tight, accurate, and very solid feeling, with no play anywhere. I really like the blue rubber ring aesthetic and it of course adds some weather sealing to the camera mount.

Sample 07 defocus. Camera settings: 1/500 sec. f/3.2. ISO 2500 (right click to open larger)

ZEISS has spent the last few years focusing on optics such as thermal imaging cameras, trail cameras, and binoculars, but its return to the lens market is a welcome one. While the manual focus design and premium price of the Otus ML 50mm f/1.4 may deter some photographers, others will appreciate the technical precision and craftsmanship that this first new Otus series model offers.

Images have a distinct ZEISS look, with 3D pop, exceptional micro-contrast, and high sharpness, with only minor imperfections visible when pixel peeping. Colours are naturally rendered, and for those who enjoy the manual focusing experience of shooting, the all-metal construction and tactile controls will be a joy to use.

Discover more ZEISS lenses today and visit our camera stores to try out the Otus series first-hand.

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By Nick Dautlich on 19/03/2025

Nick Dautlich

Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer

Nick Dautlich is the Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer at Park Cameras, with over 15 years of photography experience. A Sony Imaging Professional and expert reviewer, Nick has worked with major brands such as Canon, Sony and Nikon. His work is also featured on Vanguard World UK’s website, Capture Landscapes, and Shutter Evolve. Nick’s photography includes National Trust projects and magazine covers and he is passionate about landscapes and storytelling. Nick also enjoys hiking and teaching his children about nature. Learn more on his profile page.