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 Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF 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 Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF with a length of 111mm, is 30mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 also has a larger diameter of 92mm compared to the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF's 86mm 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. Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF weighs 755g, 22% (215g) lighter than the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55's weight of 970g.
Filter Threads
Both the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 and the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF have the same Filter thread size of 77mm.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
The Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 is also available in the Canon EF 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 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
82.5mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF has a focal range of 17-55mm and 3.2X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 25.5-82.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
