An earlier draft of this article ran to almost 1800 words. It's always like that with gear that's actually good but that doesn't suit me. I go through draft after draft, trying to write away the ambivalence that has little to do with the gear and - almost - everything with me.

But it's not about me, it's about the gear. And Zeiss didn't make this Otus for me, or for people like me.

If you're reading this, you're probably interested in this lens. So, here's the gist: