The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 and the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 is the longer of the two lenses at 141mm. The Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM with a length of 70mm, is 71mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 also has a larger diameter of 92mm compared to the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM's 73mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM weighs 335g, 65% (635g) lighter than the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55's weight of 970g.
Filter Threads
The Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM has a 52mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55:
And these are the 52mm filters that we recommend for the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM:
Lens Mounts
The Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 has the Canon EF lens mount whereas the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM has the Canon EF-S lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV for the Canon EF Mount and Canon T8i, Canon 90D and Canon SL3 for the Canon EF-S Mount.
Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 55mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
88mm.
On the other hand, the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 60mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 96mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.