When Zeiss announces a new lens it’s something to pay attention to, and their latest is probably of particular interest and appeal given its mount options, focal length, and aperture. The new ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 is the latest in the Milvus line-up and also the tenth, and available in Canon EF mount and Nikon F mount.

This Milvus is akin to its brethren in both outward appearance and engineering design. Like the Milvi (sp?) before it this Zeiss Distagon lens has an all metal housing that Zeiss claim makes every adjustment a ‘haptic’ experience, has de-cilck functionality (Nikon variant), and is weather sealed to a degree that it protects from dust and splashes. Together with the weather sealing and the 35mm focal length with wide aperture, the new Milvus seems fit for a great all ’round lens even in tricky weather conditions, and Zeiss seems to be pushing it for portraits in their own literature.

[REWIND: SHOULD YOU GO INTO DEBT TO BUY GEAR? | STRATEGIC DEBT]

The immediate claim to fame for the new 35mm 1.4, however, is that is supposedly is immune to chromatic aberration given its design,

“With aspherical lens elements, special glass materials and advanced correction, ZEISS has given the lens a completely new optical design. “This means the photos are practically free from chromatic aberrations,” says Casenave (Product Manager at ZEISS). Thanks to their excellent edge-to-edge imagery the ZEISS Milvus lenses are designed for high-performance digital cameras. “The resolutions of camera sensors are constantly becoming higher, and this also increases the demands made on the lenses. For ZEISS Milvus lenses this is no problem. They are a solid investment in the future.”

The field spread of quality 35mm 1.4s has certainly grown in the last 5 years, and no doubt this ZEISS will be continually compared to that of Sigma with their 35mm ART, and perhaps even the other 35mm Milvus F/2. Price particularly is something to consider given that this Milvus will have a retail price of $2,228 USD, but then again ZEISS lenses are never cheap in price nor build. The Milvus line are generally very highly regarded given their performance, often being compared to the much more expensive Otus line at a fraction of the cost. This 35mm seems along at that path and we’re interested to see how well it actually does.

 

You can find the press release below:

ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 Camera Lens for DSLR Cameras
The tenth lens in the ZEISS Milvus series for DSLR cameras already shows its many benefits at full aperture

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 2017-06-21.

ZEISS has launched a new lens for full-frame DSLR cameras from Canon1 and Nikon2 on the market: the ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35. Now the tenth lens in the Milvus family, the ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 is particularly suitable for portrait photography thanks to its speed. “The high maximum aperture enables the subject to stand out clearly against the background, and the photographer can achieve creative combinations of focus and blur,” says Christophe Casenave, Product Manager at ZEISS. “The manual focus enables very exact focusing, and the creamy bokeh provides an excellent image look. And even at full aperture the image quality leaves nothing to be desired.” The ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 is also perfectly at home in landscape photography: “The 35-millimeter focal length is a genuine all-rounder.” Like all lenses in the ZEISS Milvus family, it is protected against dust and splashes and, according to Casenave, even bad weather is no problem. The metal barrel gives the lens its robust and durable character.

Practically no chromatic aberrations thanks to a new optical design

With aspherical lens elements, special glass materials and advanced correction, ZEISS has given the lens a completely new optical design. “This means the photos are practically free from chromatic aberrations,” says Casenave. Thanks to their excellent edge-to-edge imagery the ZEISS Milvus lenses are designed for high-performance digital cameras. “The resolutions of camera sensors are constantly becoming higher, and this also increases the demands made on the lenses. For ZEISS Milvus lenses this is no problem. They are a solid investment in the future.”

Also suitable for filming

The ten lenses in the ZEISS Milvus family, ranging between 15 and 135 millimeters, are also suitable for film productions: the manual focus with a large rotation angle can be operated with the aid of a ZEISS Lens Gear with a follow-focus system. The de-click function allows the aperture to be set continuously in the version for Nikon3 cameras. A further benefit for filming: ZEISS has matched the color characteristics of the ten lenses. Filmmakers can therefore switch between the focal lengths and still have a uniform color look. “This facilitates editing enormously,” says Casenave.

Price and availability

The ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 will be available from specialist dealers and in the ZEISS Online Shop from July 2017. The recommended retail price is 1,999 euros.