Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Sony E Mount

Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Sony E Mount Summary

ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML series with this Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Sony E Mount, which is a premium manual focus prime lens for portrait photographers and filmmakers who crave the very best image quality from a premium manual focus lens. It is designed around ZEISS’ Sonnar optical design, which includes 15 lens elements, enabling the lens to render exceptional sharpness, natural colour reproduction, and signature ZEISS 3D pop, creating an immersive sense of depth for the viewer.

The long focus throw and helicoid-driven manual focus system allow for precise, finely controlled adjustments, ensuring flawless subject separation from distractions along with pinpoint sharpness, even wide open at f/1.4. The all-metal construction, which is made in Japan, ensures long-term durability together with a premium feel, while the frosted anodised surface improves grip for smooth and enjoyable operation.

With its apochromatic optical design, the Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Sony E Lens minimises chromatic aberrations and colour fringing, while rendering natural skin tones and high levels of contrast. Aspherical elements render edge-to-edge sharpness, while the ZEISS T anti-reflective coating* enhances contrast and reduces glare, with fine details even when shooting in challenging lighting conditions with backlit subjects.

Despite its robust metal build quality and advanced optical design, the lens is well-balanced and relatively portable, measuring around 113 x 128mm and weighing 1,040g. This classic focal width is ideal for portraits, fine art photography, and cinematic video productions, and the arrival of the ZEISS Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 sets a new standard for manual focus lenses for Sony Alpha cameras.

Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Key Features

• Sonnar optical design with 15 elements maintain resolution and quality
• Apochromatic construction minimises chromatic aberrations and colour fringing
• 10-blade aperture and aspherical elements render smooth, natural bokeh
• ZEISS T anti-reflective coating* reduces ghosting and flare
• Helicoid-driven manual focus system with an extended focus throw
• Manual aperture control with a e-click function for silent adjustment
• All-metal construction with a frosted anodised surface
• Internal focusing mechanism maintains a constant physical size
• Engraved ZEISS yellow focus and aperture scales for clear, precise adjustments
• Compatible with ZEISS Lens Gears for cine-style manual focus control
• Optimised for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras
• Weather-sealed with a blue mount ring for dust and moisture resistance
• Tested to DIN ISO 9022 standards with resistance to mechanical stress and impact

Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Sony E Mount in More Detail

Unrivalled Optical Performance for Professional Portraiture

The ZEISS Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 offers optical precision, with outstanding image quality that meets the demands of professional portrait photographers and high-end visual storytellers. The lens is designed around ZEISS’ Sonnar optical design which incorporates 15 elements, which renders unparalleled sharpness, natural skin tones, and beautiful subject separation, creating a distinctive 3D effect that ZEISS lenses are known for.

The apochromatic optical construction incorporates special glass elements with anomalous partial dispersion, which effectively minimise chromatic aberrations and colour fringing. The result is true-to-life colour reproduction, with rich contrast and exceptional clarity. Whether you shoot wide open at f/1.4 or stopped down, the lens maintains exceptional resolution across the entire frame.

Aspherical elements eliminate distortion, while the ZEISS T anti-reflective coating* enhances contrast by reducing ghosting and flare, even in challenging backlit situations. A 10-blade aperture design produces silky smooth bokeh, cementing this as an excellent choice for portraits and fine art photography, where subject separation is key.

Even at its widest aperture, the Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 is incredibly sharp, allowing for pinpoint accuracy while manual focusing and maintaining a natural transition between in and out-of-focus areas in the image.

Precision Manual Focus for Complete Creative Control

The Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 is delivers precise manual focus, with a long focus throw and a helicoid-driven system that offers smooth, highly responsive adjustments. The all-metal focus ring is perfectly weighted, ensuring that photographers can achieve excellent control over depth of field and subject sharpness. Unlike autofocus lenses, this design eliminates focus shift, meaning that your compositions remain stable, even when making fine focus adjustments. This is ideal for focus stacking and moviemaking where breathing is detrimental to the viewing experience.

Engraved ZEISS yellow focus and aperture scales on the lens provide clear, easy-to-read markings, allowing for quick and accurate adjustments, even in low-light situations, while the internal focusing system maintains the physical length of the lens, improving handling and balance.

For low-light and portrait photographers, the ability to manually select the exact focus point is beneficial when aiming for critical sharpness on eyes and facial details, particularly when working with an extremely shallow depth of field at f/1.4.

Manual focusing for Videographers

The Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 is an exceptional tool for cinematographers and hybrid creators thanks to a long focus throw and ultra-smooth focusing, which allow for smooth focus pulls. With ZEISS Lens Gears, the lens can even be adapted for cine-style focus control, ensuring seamless, professional-level focus movements.

The de-clickable aperture ring offers silent, fine-tuned exposure adjustments, which is particularly useful when transitioning between different lighting conditions while filming.

Premium Build Quality

The ZEISS Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 is made in Japan to exceptionally high standards, with unmatched durability and a premium handling experience. The all-metal construction delivers a solid, professional-feel, while the frosted anodised surface improves grip with better handling in any shooting conditions.

Despite its high-end optics and robust build quality, the lens is relatively compact and well-balanced, measuring 113 x 128mm and weighing 1,040g. It is designed to complement Sony’s full-frame mirrorless system, with excellent weight distribution that is easier to handle for long shooting sessions.

A blue sealing ring at the lens mount helps protect against dust and moisture, preventing environmental elements from affecting performance. Additional sealing throughout the lens enhances reliability in harsh shooting environments, while a temperature tolerance from -20°C to +55°C ensures that the lens remains functional even in the most extreme conditions.

To guarantee its mechanical integrity it has been environmentally tested to DIN ISO 9022 standards, proving its resistance to mechanical stress, vibration, and shock, including drop tests.

What’s in the box

• Zeiss Otus ML 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Sony E Mount
• Lens Shade
• Lens Caps (front and rear)
• Lens Pouch
• De-Click Key
• User Manual
• Warranty and Test Certificate