ZEISS continues its commitment to Full Frame (FF) 24x36mm Format with the introduction of their new Batis 2/25 and Batis 1.8/85 autofocus lenses for Sony’s alpha full-frame E-mount system, which includes the α7 family of cameras.
ZEISS also continues to name new lenses after birds. A quick visit to Audubon and Wikipedia:
The Batis lenses will fit Sony’s A7, A7R, A7S cameras and any other camera with an E-Mount (18mm flange focal depth). They are developed and distributed by ZEISS.
ZEISS Loxia 2/35 and 2/50 lenses are also E-mount but have manual focus.
ZEISS Touit 2.8/12, 1.8/32, and 2.8/50M come in E-Mount and Fujifilm X-mount, with manual focus, but cover APS-C format.
ZEISS Otus 1.4/55 and 1.4/85 are manual focus and come in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts.
Additional FF E-mount lenses available from Sony: tiny.cc/e-mount
Here’s an interesting new feature: ZEISS Batis lenses have an OLED display instead of a traditional barrel with witness marks. I’ve never seen this before. The electronic display shows distance and depth of field. Presumably additional information can be added with firmware updates in the future. This could be a defining waypoint for smart data displays in future lens designs.
ZEISS Batis lenses have dust and weather seal protection for hostile environments. The quick and quiet Autofocus drive uses linear motors. There’s a rubber covered focus ring for manual focus.
Michael Schiehlen, Director of Sales and Service at ZEISS, says that the Batis lenses match the SONY-ZEISS lens family already in the market. “The Batis image quality is extremely high, the AF is fast and precise and very quiet, so the lens can also be used in motion picture applications.” (RED Weapon 8K…)
OLED data display
ZEISS Batis lenses have a floating element design which compensates for aberrations at different distances. They have a standard 67 mm diameter front filter thread. All operating modes and functions of the current range of Sony E-mount cameras are supported: aperture, autofocus, etc. The two new lenses should ship in July 2015.
ZEISS Batis 2/25
The ZEISS Batis 2/25 (25mm f/2.0) has ten lens elements in eight groups and is based on the ZEISS Distagon optical design. Four of the lens elements are aspheric on both sides. The aspheric lens design ensures consistently high image quality over the whole image field and a sharpness that extends to the edges of the frame. It has an 82 degree image angle and a minimum focusing distance of 0.2 meters.
ZEISS Batis 1.8/85
The ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 has 11 lens elements in eight groups and is based on the ZEISS Sonnar optical design. It’s an excellent choice for portraits.
Suggested retail prices are around US$1,299 for the ZEISS Batis 2/25 and US$1,199 for the ZEISS Batis 1.8/85.
Technical data ZEISS Batis 2/25
Focal length | 25 mm |
Aperture range | f/2 – f/22 |
Lens elements / groups | 10/8 |
Focusing range | 0,2 m (0,65 ft) – infinity |
Working distance | 0.13 m (0.42 ft) – infinity |
Image field (diag. / horiz. / vert.) | 82°/ 72°/ 51° |
Image circle diameter | 43.3 mm (1.7 ″) |
Object field at minimum object distance** | 12.4 x 18.7 cm (4.9 x 7.4 ″) |
Magnification ratio at minimum object distance | 1/5.2 |
Filter thread | M67 x 0.75 |
Diameter (max.) | 81 mm (3.2 ″) |
Diameter of the focusing ring | 78 mm (3.1 ″) |
Length (without lens caps) | 78 mm (3.1 ″) |
Length (with lens caps) | 92 mm (3.6 ″) |
Weight (without lens caps) | 335 g (0.74 lbs) |
Camera mount | E-mount |
Technical data ZEISS Batis 1.8/85
Focal length | 85 mm |
Aperture range | f/1.8 – f/22 |
Lens elements / groups | 11/8 |
Focusing range | 0,80 m (2.6 ft)– infinity |
Working distance | 0,71 m (2.3 ft)– infinity |
Image field (diag. / horiz. / vert.) | 29°/ 24°/ 16° |
Diameter circle diameter | 43.3 mm (1.7 ″) |
Object field at minimum object distance** | 18.9 x 28.3 cm (7.4 x 11.1 ″) |
Magnification ratio at minimum object distance | 1/7.9 |
Filter thread | M67 x 0.75 |
Diameter (max.) | 81 mm (3.2 ″) |
Diameter of the focusing ring | 78 mm (3.1 ″) |
Length (without lens cap) | 92 mm (3.6 ″) |
Length (with lens caps) | 105 mm (4.1 ″) |
Weight (without lens caps) | 475 g (1.0 lbs) |
Camera mount | E-mount |