The Zeiss Milvus 1.4/85 ($1,799) is an updated take on the Planar T* 1,4/85 ($1,093.00 at Amazon) . It's a much beefier lens that captures detailed photos at every aperture. It's also manual focus only, which can be a turnoff for some photographers. But if you're a fan, and don't want to break the bank on an Otus lens, the Milvus will reward you with stunningly sharp images, even when shot wide open. That makes it worthy of Editors' Choice honors. DesignThe Milvus ($1,799.00 at Amazon) lens family takes its design cues from the larger Otus series. The lens barrel is matte black metal, with an engraved and painted distance scale, and a large manual focus ring that's partially covered in soft, black rubber. The Canon version of the lens omits an aperture control ring—all Canon EOS bodies support electronic aperture control—but the Nikon edition does offer mechanical aperture control and electronic communication with the body so it can be used on modern D-SLRs and classic 35mm bodie...
The Zeiss Milvus 1.4/85 delivers exceptional sharpness and is sure to make photographers who prefer the feel of a purely mechanical manual focus lens quite happy.
Very sharp, even at f/1.4; Negligible distortion; Superb build quality; Dust- and splash-resistant design; Available for Canon and Nikon SLRs
Dim corners at wide apertures; Expensive; Manual focus isn't for everyone