Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/1.4, side 3/4 view

Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/1.4 Announced for Canon and Nikon

If you like expensive, manual-focus lenses, Zeiss has a new one for you. The new Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/1.4 is the tenth member of the yearling1 Technically, the Milvus line was announced a year and a half ago in September, with its first 6 lenses.] “Milvus” line, which was intended to provide optics for modern ultra-high resolution sensors. It is a monster, its weather-sealed body weighing in at 1174g (2.6lbs) and 125mm (5 inches) long [for comparison, the excellent Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART series lens weighs 665g (1.5lbs) and is (3.7 inches) long . The massive 14-element Distagon lens design produces virtually no color fringing, according to Zeiss, and produces a color profile that matches the rest of the Milvus line to aid in consistency with shooting video/film.

Sample images provided by Zeiss show what we’d expect: very contrasty, sharp images with the expected “Zeiss” look. The 49 megapixel version of the third sample below can be downloaded here.

Click and then right-click to download full-sized image. Mathew Irving
In this sample image, individual eyelashes are still visible when the 49 megapixel file is enlarged. The full resolution sample file can be downloaded from the link in the article text. Mathew Irving

The Milvus line already included a 35mm f/2 lens, a much more compact model that costs $1117.

Price and Availability

The 1.4/35 Milvus will begin shipping in July, according to Zeiss, at a cost of $1999 USD, or $1999 Euros. As usual, it is available for pre-order from your favorite online retailers:

As always, shopping from the links above will support Light & Matter with a commission, and will not cost you a thing!

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Alfred Lopez

The Milvus and Batis lines are simply beautiful to look at. I’m tempted to sell my meager Leica gear for a 5D Mk IV and a few Milvus lenses. Particularly the 35 f1.4, 50 f2 macro and the 85 f1.4.