Zeiss today announced its new Loxia 21mm f/2.8 wide-angle lens for Sony E-mount cameras. The compact and powerful lens was designed specifically for Sony’s increasingly-higher-resolution full-frame sensors, and joins the Loxia 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 lenses. The MTF graph is very impressive for such light and compact lens.
Pre-order yours today: ($1,499)
Available December 2015
The lens includes a 91-degree angle of view, a minimum focusing distance of 0.25m, a weight of just 394g, 11 elements in 9 groups with a Distagon design, a durable metal barrel, a 52mm filter diameter, and a weather-resistant lens mount gasket.
Main features:
E Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
Distagon Optical Design
4 Anomalous Partial Dispersion Elements
1 Aspherical Element
Zeiss T* Anti-Reflective Coating
Manual Focus Design
Manual Aperture Ring Can Be De-Clicked
All-Metal Barrel, Engraved Scales
Weather-Resistant Lens Mount Gasket
Filter Thread Front: 52 mm
Dimensions (DxL) Approx. 2.44 x 2.83" (62.1 x 72 mm)
Jochenb wrote:
Exactly the lens I've been waiting for!
I am having a hard time deciding between this and the Batis 25, but focal length and compact size of the 2,8/21 is perfect, it is even lighter than I would have expected.
twoeye wrote: Jochenb wroteExactly the lens I've been waiting for!I am having a hard time deciding between this and the Batis 25, but focal length and compact size of the 2,8/21 is perfect, it is even lighter than I would have expected.
The 25 Batis is more versatile because of the focal length and AF, but the 21 Loxia is a lot wider and has real manual focus instead of focus by wire. An ideal landscape lens for me.
This lens seems to like reason enough to buy into the Sony 7 series. Examples look good and the price is reasonable ($1499 RSP) I must admit the Sony lens selection for the system has recently changed from being meh to awesome. The Batises, Loxiases, the comming Voigtlanderses ... :P All beautiful, compact lenses that were badly needed. If I wasn't too invested into Fuji already I'd probably planning a switch....
twoeye wrote:
I am having a hard time deciding between this and the Batis 25, but focal length and compact size of the 2,8/21 is perfect, it is even lighter than I would have expected.
....and one hour after the Loxia announcement I got the shipment notice of my April ordered Batis 25....
A great lens MTF, and at 395 grams and manual focus construction, that is one heck of a deal for Sony FE users. All the top 21mm CZ Distagons are very close to each other in IQ. And as pointed out, the SEM 21/3.4 - this one is only 115 grams heavier than the Leica, add an adapter to the Leica and it's much closer. Negligible distortion here, the SEM has 1.5% moustache, the L21 has better vignette control but not by much, but a half stop more speed, so more usable. 52mm filters too, down from 82mm of the other Distagons.
It's so close in performance to the CY/ZE/Milvis 21/2.8 but they weigh up to double the ~400 grams, and it's tiny by comparison. It's optimised for Sony cameras, and fits right on. So an a7rII plus this one weighs just on one kilogram, the same as a D810 body alone. $1500 looks very appropriate price-wise. It even looks very fuss-free to use, a straight barrel the same diameter as the other Loxias.
With the CV announcements, Sony just went to the top of the wide angle class - more choice than anyone, with 10-12-15-21-25, all native to the mount and matched to the sensors. None of those five are made by Sony.
This is a pretty exciting announcement. Much more exciting than the rehoused Milvus or the redesigned-to-be-ridiculous-size Milvus, in my opinion.
Looking at the size of this vs the old 21 Distagon, I have some questions for Sony about why the mirrorless has not allowed them to make lenses smaller as promised if it has done so for Zeiss....
edwardkaraa wrote:
It actually makes the other two loxia look bad. Maybe it's time to update them with better design.
Yeah, Zeiss is doing too much rehousing, and we're seeing odd anomalies like this. The different leagues the 35/2 Milvus and 50/1.4 Milvus are in is another example.
Wonder if it is better than CV 21/1.8 or not. 21/2.8 distagon is supposed to be really good but wonder if Loxia is basically 21/2.8 with E mount or if there is any other difference?