You can now preorder the world’s best Full frame wide-angle lens at BHphoto (Click here). It costs $4,990 and will ship in February 2016. Although there is no A or E-mount version of the lens this is a highly recommended lens for A7x camera owners. It’s a manual focusing lens anyway and Sony cameras offer more focusing aid tools than Canon/Nikon DSLR. An investment that will pay off in time as lenses like this one will last your whole life time!
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found via Canonwatch.
23 Responses
An investment that will pay off in time? At $5k I guess that definitely depends on your remaining life expectation!
Some of those who buys this lens will have their money back in just a few assignments. And some will not earn one single cent. But I am pretty sure they all will enjoy using it, and will get great shots.
And the second part:
“But I am pretty sure they all will enjoy using it, and will get great shots.”
Is the most important.
This doesn’t make anything new possible other than more bragging rights.
A cheaper lens would make it easier to break even. If that’s not convincing from a business point i don’t know what is.
This lens is not for pros, is basically what I’m saying.
If you are billing in the high 5 figures for an assignment where an manual focus lens an be used, using this lens over one that is a couple grand less to buy or a hundred bucks less to rent is insignificant.
Which would be extremely rare
When I was an assistant, I worked on such high figure shoots.
I’ve also personally rented Otus lenses for gigs. It’s a great rental option, it’s only $70 a day – well within the budget for a $3k shoot – which are common.
Yes, renting would make sense.
A lifetime with adapters – isn’t it the dream?
are you saying it’s better not to have the possibility of putting any lens on with an adapter?
I’m saying it’s better to have this option alongside native lenses, not as the only one with most lenses so far.
Got it.
In 2/3 years, maybe things will be different.
Finally! oh 4k? fuck it. I’ll wait my Sigma 20mm/1.4 at least it won’t suck optically as hard as Zeiss does.
Your trolling sucks, you’ll have to do better.
Excuse me but every lens I currently own will last my entire lifetime. Can I drag this one behind my camel, through the sand? Is it bulletproof?
What magical attributes can a lens have that could possibly justify this astronomical price?
No CA wide open. Unrivaled sharpness across the frame wide open. Fancy bokeh. Yes, it is a trophy piece but there are some pro’s who will put it to good use. They’ll get paid for it too. I wouldn’t buy it but hey- if you got the money.
No doubt the pedigree of the lens becomes part of the marketing of the photos.
IMHO, there is a point where photography leaves off and performance art begins. I imagine there are people who would be happy to pay even more if they could.
Pros rarely shoot wide open btw
This is true.
Man, you really don’t get out much do you. Good job there’s plenty of meta-data from our glorious sport-shooters for you to peruse……
Sports shooters are just that. They’re not photographers. My point stands.
The top notch Leica and Zeiss lenses from 30+ years ago still perform well enough to warrant use by many people. There remains a good resale market for them (just check eBay). The build quality of this lens will certainly keep it going for many decades with normal care. The optical quality will future proof it for at least a decade.
I’m not sure what’s so hard to understand here. When Dodge made the Viper, they didn’t think that every family needs one, nor did they think that every ‘pro’ driver or even race car driver would buy one. It’s just something they made to say, this is what we can do, this is what we think we’re about. That’s all the Otus lenses are. It’s just Zeiss flexing a little bit and saying they can produce the industry standard. This is exists to sell Loxia, Batis, and Milvus lenses. However, they will move a bunch of these I’m sure and those who DO happen to use them will be very happy with their performance I’d imagine.