p.1 #2 · ZEISS 25mm BATIS vs LOXIA -Which one worth to buy?
I no longer own the Batis and so cannot offer comparative images but I found the Batis was not quite as sharp as my copies of an adapted Canon 24 TS-Ev2 and even the 24-70 GM, so I sold it. Perhaps I just had a poor copy. In contrast, my copy of the Loxia offers brilliance in much the same way its 21mm sibling does but with much less distortion. Provided you can live with manual focus and a bit of extra care in handling (owing to the closeness of the Loxia’s aperture ring to its flange), I would recommend the Loxia.
p.1 #3 · ZEISS 25mm BATIS vs LOXIA -Which one worth to buy?
I have a Batis 25/2, so I voted for that one. I like what I can do with f/2 aperture, so I'm happy with my Batis. I have not owned or used a Loxia, so I can't compare them. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, though.
p.1 #4 · ZEISS 25mm BATIS vs LOXIA -Which one worth to buy?
I voted for the Batis 25mm, here is why:
I had the Batis 25mm for two years and then recently sold it to fund the Loxia 25. The Loxia is optically superior in almost all dimensions (bokeh, sharpness), but of course lacks AF and I found the handling a bit bad in terms of the closeness of aperture and focus ring: I focus wide open and then stop down for depth of field and sometimes while fumbling for the aperture ring I also move the focus ring...
During a recent vacation I also noticed that I really miss the autofocus in some situations: with the batis I can set the aperture to f2.8 and use AF-C to get tack sharp photos of moving subjects and can also give my camera to other people so that they can make a photo of me Also keep in mind that the Batis is a tad wider, which can (!) help in some situations. Also with the field curvature of the Loxia at longer distances, I found that the Batis delivers fractionally sharper images at f2.8 for flat subjects across the whole image.
Last but not least, I really dislike the aberrations of the Batis at f2.0. Free Miranda made a great comparison and especially in the out-of-focus areas, the Loxia renders a lot nicer without the strong aberrations. But I am fine with f2.8 on the Batis and partially cleaning it up in post.
For this reason, I bought the Batis 25 again and use both lenses for different purposes: the Batis for traveling, the Loxia for ultimate image quality (sharpness, sun stars, less likely to flare,..) for landscape and architecture when I have the time to really set everything up. The Batis is also very (!) good for those types of shots, in particular because of the lack of field curvature you can just manually focus in the center, but the Loxia is better in terms of micro contrast and resolution
Bear in mind that I compared both lenses on a A7R III which of course makes differences in resolution and micro contrast more visible. On an A7 III I guess you would have to really zoom in to see those differences.
So, if you want to have an allrounder, I would suggest the Batis, because sometimes having AF is invaluable. If you know you will never use AF and you are ready to invest a bit more time in setting up the shots, go for the Loxia.
p.1 #5 · ZEISS 25mm BATIS vs LOXIA -Which one worth to buy?
Julian, I’d love to see some comparison shots between the Loxia and Batis, should you happen to have any (I know that Fred posted a bunch — I’d just love to see more!).
Or, for that matter, any Loxia 25 shots, since there don’t yet seem to be all that many shots from that lens that have been posted to date.
p.1 #7 · ZEISS 25mm BATIS vs LOXIA -Which one worth to buy?
I have the Batis as this focal length for me is great for travel and I appreciate the AF for travel. The f2 speed also comes in very handy. Images from the lens have never let me down...but I don't pixel peep into the dark corners.
p.1 #9 · ZEISS 25mm BATIS vs LOXIA -Which one worth to buy?
MrTMan wrote:
Julian, I’d love to see some comparison shots between the Loxia and Batis, should you happen to have any (I know that Fred posted a bunch — I’d just love to see more!).
Or, for that matter, any Loxia 25 shots, since there don’t yet seem to be all that many shots from that lens that have been posted to date.
Sorry, unfortunately I deleted all my comparison shots. But they were very similar to Fred Miranda's pictures. Although my copy of the Batis was a tad better at f2.8 than the Loxia in the extreme corners (I focused on the center for the comparisons).
I attached two pictures: Picture 1 was taken with the Loxia 25 on an A7 III. If you have some time, it really works well for a walk-around lens. Picture 2 was taken with the Batis and it shows both the advantages (vibrant colors with lots of "pop" and contrast) and disadvantages (unfortunately also very contrasty and sometimes distracting out-of-focus areas, look at the cow on the left and the trees in the background).
I forgot to mention that I like the wider focal length of the Batis on the A7R III, because it gives me almost a 35mm focal length in crop mode, so the Batis is a 23/24mm and 35/36mm lens in one. On the other hand, to me the Loxia seems more like a 25/26, which gives 38/39 in crop mode.
Also keep in mind that the Batis is a tad wider, which can (!) help in some situations. Also with the field curvature of the Loxia at longer distances, I found that the Batis delivers fractionally sharper images at f2.8 for flat subjects across the whole image.
