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 Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro 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 Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro with a length of 80mm, is 61mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 also has a larger diameter of 92mm compared to the Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro'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. Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro weighs 400g, 58% (570g) 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 Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro has a 55mm 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 55mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro:
Lens Mounts
The Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro 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 Canon EF mount.
Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro is also available in Canon EF and Sony Alpha mounts.
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 Tamron 60mm f2 II LD IF Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 60mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 90mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.