ZEISS appears to have ended production of its Otus lenses for DSLRs. No official announcement has been made, but online retailers are listing the Canon EF and Nikon F-mount versions as discontinued.
ZEISS Otus lenses
The Otus series consisted of four prime lenses: 28 mm, 55 mm, 85 mm and 100 mm. All four shared a maximum aperture of f/1.4 and were built for full-frame cameras. The ZE models used Canon EF mount; the ZF.2 versions were for Nikon F.
What has ZEISS said?
Nothing officially. Japanese photography site asobinet.com first flagged the discontinuation after spotting the lenses marked as no longer available at major Japanese retailers including Camera Kitamura, Map Camera, Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera. In the U.S., B&H is also showing the lenses as discontinued and out of stock.
What next?
The Otus name isn’t going away. The Otus ML line carries the series forward for mirrorless cameras, with Canon RF, Sony E and Nikon Z Mount options currently available. Three focal lengths are offered — 35 mm, 50 mm and 85 mm — all at f/1.4. Like the DSLR models, these are manual focus lenses. The aperture rings can also be de-clicked, which makes smooth exposure adjustments during video shooting much easier.
What we think
The discontinuation of the EF and F-mount versions is arguably overdue. Mirrorless has dominated the market for years, and no manufacturer is producing new DSLRs. If anything, ZEISS deserves credit for supporting the DSLR ecosystem as long as it did.
If you want an Otus for a Canon EF or Nikon F body, the used market is your only option now. Given how well these lenses are built, that’s not a bad place to look.
