Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 coming October 12 – 16 [CW4]

Zeiss Otus 55mm F/1.4

Zeiss will announce a new Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 lens between October 12 and October 16. For the time being we do not have any specs, just an announcement date that’s very likely to be real. This will not be a budget lens. The Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 sells for around $4,400 and the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 for almost $4,000. The new Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 will likely have a similar price. Canon and Nikon mount versions are expected.

However, the new Sigma “Art” primes are so good that they can easily compete with Zeiss glass. Have a look how well the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens holds up against the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4, with a price that’s a fourth of the Zeiss.

[via Mirrorless Rumors]

Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 lens coming [CW4]

Zeiss Otus 55mm F/1.4

Sony Alpha Rumors reports that a new Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 lens is coming in mid October 2015. Please note that f/1.4 is our speculation, though a very likely one. All we know so far is that it will be a massive lens. Canon and Nikon mounts are expected to be announced. There have been some suggestions around the web the lens may be a 24mm. We are pretty sure it will be a 28mm.

We had a suggestion for a new Zeiss Otus lens in September, the Zeiss Milvus line-up was announced instead. However, the rumor wasn’t entirely wrong.

Stay tuned…

Canon Patent: More Pancake By Canon (45mm, 40mm, 35mm, 28mm, all f/2.8)

Canon Patent
45mm f/2.8
Canon Patent
35mm f/2.8
Canon Patent
40mm f/2.8
Canon Patent
28mm f/2.8

Japanese site Egami (translated) spotted new patents filed by Canon. All are for f/2.8 pancake lenses: 45mm, 40mm, 35mm, 28mm. Canon has two pancake lenses in their line-up: the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM and the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM

  • Patent Publication No. 2013-137411
    • Publication date 2013.7.11
    • Filing date 2011.12.28
  • Example
    embodiment
    Focal length Fno. Half angle Configuration length Total length BF
    One 45.00 2.80 25.68 20.00 57.99 37.99
    Two 39.00 2.80 29.02 23.50 62.50 39.00
    Three 35.00 2.80 31.72 25.00 63.01 38.01
    Four 28.00 2.80 37.69 27.00 65.00 38.00

    Image height = 21.64mm

  • Canon patent
    • The longer the focus back a Gaussian type, field curvature occurs
    • 2-group configuration positive positive, Gauss type

Perfomance:

Canon Patent
45mm
Canon Patent
35mm
40mm
28mm

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS and EF 35mm f/2 IS Reviews (The Phoblographer)

EF 28mm

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

The Phoblographer reviewed both the Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS lens (review) and the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS lens (review). Both reviews come with plenty of sample images.

About the EF 28mm f/2.8 IS:

Canon 28mm f2.8 IS is a stunning lens. It has an excellent build quality, can deliver wonderful images, focuses fast, and is nice and small

About the EF 35mm f/2 IS:

[…] delivers some wonderful image quality, has a solid construction to it, focuses quickly, and is extremely portable.

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

35mm Comparison

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS Review (The Phoblographer)

EF 28mm

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

The Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM lens wasn’t highly regarded when it was announced. The price tag and questioning about the need of IS for a wide angle lens were the main critics. However, things changed. First of all, the lenses price dropped in the months after its announcement, and for the time being the EF 28mm f/2.8 IS is on sale with a $150 discount (in the US) and has a price tag of $649. That’s rather ok for a lens with such good characteristics. Let’s see the specs (taken from Adorama’s product page):

  • Optical Image Stabilizer provides up to 4 shutter speed stops ofcorrection.
  • Ring USM, high-speed CPU, and optimized AF algorithms for fast autofocusing.
  • Full-time manual focus for manual adjustment while in AF mode.
  • Aspherical lens elements improve peripheral image quality.
  • Circular diaphragm (7 blades) delivers beautiful, soft backgrounds.
  • Silent and smooth operation makes it suitable for video shooting.
  • Minimum focusing distance: 0.23m.
  • Compact design

The Phoblographer had his hands on the EF 28mm, and they were fairly impressed by the super fast AF, the brilliant colors, the build quality and the small size. The lens was tested using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. In the conclusion they write:

We really have to admit: we’re extremely pleased with what Canon is doing with this lens so far. The colors are awesome, the blur free possibilities is an excellent bonus, the sharpness is brilliant, and focusing is like I gave my 5D Mk II steroids. When you consider the fairly affordable price too, you’ll realize that you’re getting quite a sweet deal.

The review comes with plenty of sample images. IQ is really good, though there is some vignetting. I own the previous iteration (without IS) and it always was a lens that I loved to use. On an APS-C sensor the Ef 28mm becomes a (more or less) normal lens.

[via The Phoblographer]