Thanks for the review Jonathon. Well done! I've really struggled with the 35mm decision for my Sony a7ii and a7rii cameras and currently using the Loxia 35 for the fine art work that I do. It's the only manual focus lens in my core of everyday working lenses (Lensbaby Velvet 56 and Rokinon 12mm fisheye specialty lenses aside) but I refuse to compromise the wonderful compact format of the a7 cameras with a DSLR size lens just to get the auto-focus features in a 35mm focal length. Yes, I've made the compromise for the 70-200 f4 and 16-35 f4 which I would expect to do for these incredible zooms, but find it hard to believe that Sony and Zeiss can combine to development the amazing auto focus 55 f1.8 in a complimentary size but can not develop a more suitable 35mm than the behemoth they recently released. As for the Loxia 35 f2, I've been impressed with the build, handling and color rendering of this wonderful lens over the six months I've had it. In most cases it's been a pleasure to use and truly compliments the a7 camera format. Admittedly, manual focussing can have it drawbacks, but with focus peaking and magnification, the discomfort is minimal. I've found that focus peaking alone is not the most reliable means to achieving crisp images when necessary, and rely more on focus magnification for total assurance. When I'm not willing to make this effort or require the features of AF (i.e. tracking, eye AF) I'll defer to my Batis 25 of Sony/Zeiss 55 in this focal range. I rented the Sony FE 35 f2.8 for a week several months ago and found it to be a very compact and capable lens, but obviously slower and without the color pop or across the frame sharpness of the Loxia when the focus is nailed. In the end, the Loxia fills my niche for a complimentary 35mm lens on the Sony cameras I use, and while I'd like to have this focal length in an AF, I feel the size, build, and results make it worth the extra effort that manual focus requires in most situations. In fact, I consider it this lens one of the most creative tool in my collection of optics...
Loxia is the first lenses I ever wanted for my Sony a7r2, Ive bought many lenses since then and finally i have gotten my hands on my first Loxia, 50mm f2. I havent looked back. Getting the 35mm f2 tomorrow and will sell my sony zeiss to get the 25mm loxia.
Today in late 2023, there are many 35mm Lenses for Sony. The Sony 35mm 1.4 and the Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical are the two best performing Lenses today in image quality. But I will also mention the small and light Sony Zeiss Sonnar 35mm 2.8 ZA which is so compact that you always have space for it !
I use loxia. (21mm, 35mm). Thanks for the sample comparison. The loxia seems to have better sky tones. Even at a quick glance, the highlights don't look dazzling (more highlight gradations remain).
Thanks for the comparison. I have the 35 f1.4 and, although it is excellent, it's heavy so I don't take it to every trip. It also feels more involved and conspicuous to get the camera and the huge lens out of the bag and point it at someone. The end result is I get better street and travel pictures from by Batis 25, showing that the gear you actually carry and use takes the best pictures.
I agree 100%. That's why I've really been enjoying using the Loxia 35mm. I just got back from Africa and some of my best people shots were with that lens. I'll have videos of that trip up pretty soon.
This was a terrific review, made me feel reassured about my purchase of the Loxia. One recommendation if I may, you may want to purchase a Smart Rode lav+ mic to record your audio on field. It's easy to use and gets rid of fluctuation of sound from using the camera's mic.
The Sony Zeiss lenses are not made by Zeiss but by Sony usually in Thailand. The Sony Zeiss lenses have the design and approval of Zeiss but Zeiss doesn't directly interfere with the production. Also nearly all Zeiss lenses are made in Japan and not in Germany. This keeps the cost low. Usually only some of the very expensive Zeiss Cinema professional lenses are made in Germany. Only Leica lenses are true made in Germany lenses. That is one of the reasons of their high price and high quality. However there are some Leica lenses made in Japan but these are Panasonic lenses with the Leica brand.
Very good review, one of the best so far for me, thank you for that. Although the Sony is remarkably sharp, the bokeh of the Loxia is just so nice that I would certainly chose it over the Sony. Just a glorious out of focus render. Cheers
great job! I use the loxia 50mm with my a7S and I'm very fond of it. I think it's ironic that it's Zeiss (not Sony)who comes up with the perfect form factor for the alphas. The lens is small and light enough to also use with my a6300, whereas the Sony/Zeiss throws it way off balance and mitigates the point of a smaller, mirrorless camera. I use "Peaking" which helps me quite a bit in nailing focus with a manual lens. It's a challenge shooting video on the fly with it, but it does make me better at what I do. As for image quality, the loxia is not only sharp, but, yes, it has character, and that is quite evident in the video imagery I'm able to capture with it.
Ooh.. that breathing by both lenses. You really can't miss it but I hope at further distances nearer to infinity this would be less noticeable. Unless you shoot at maybe f/8 or narrower apertures, any focus pulling shot between subjects on cinema style video shoots is an absolute no-no with either lens.
Thanks for the comparison! It's really too bad Sony went with focus by wire for all E-mount lenses. I really like my sony/zeiss 55mm, but it's really annoying to manually focus unless I'm shooting at minimum or infinity. P.S. I would suggest using manual focus for stationary video shots.
Great comparison video, subscribed! I have been considering the loxia as a smaller lens for street photography and travel instead of my 35/1.4. The 35/1.4 will be kept for special occasions though, I don't think I could part with it that easily! It's fantastic for family gatherings and events, the rendering is beautiful.
FE is not a mount, refers to a FF lens. E-mount is Sony’s Mirrorless mount vs their A- Mount. The e mount includes FE and E mount lenses. FE = FF and E = APS-C Those Loxia lenses are incredible, I own the 35 Zeiss and need AF, otherwise I’d buy a Loxia
+Christopher Freedom I thought I had . . . guess not. I've put an annotation with that information as well as a note in the description. Thank you for the feedback, and your subscription!
Thank you for the comparison video. Any thoughts on which one for low light shooting? I'd want this lens to focus on shooting low light night: scenes, street, landscape, and some portrait. Currently using A7ii and have 24-70mm f/2.8, 55mm f/1.8, 16-35mm f/4, and 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3. Thanks again in advance!
The f/1.4 lets in twice as much light, so should seem the obvious choice, right? Not so fast. In really low light shooting, AF doesn't work that well, so you'd probably be doing some manual focussing. In that regard, the Loxia is much smoother. So is it worth shooting at ISO 800 instead of 1600? That's the difference between an f/1.4 and an f/2 lens.
I do currently use (intensively) the 35mm and 85mm f/1.4 Samyang manual focus lenses. Soon I'll upgrade one of the 2 by buying either this Zeiss 35mm 1.4 or the G Master 85mm. Which one is worth upgrading first? I do also use the 35mm for night videos, is the focus by wire so bad? In that case better get the G master first?
I'm having a hard time .between 35mm 1.4 .loxia f2 and the Milvus f2. Im shooting mostly music Video a7sm2 .I had the sony16-35 f4.It wasn't sharp enough for me. which lens would be better for videos ? . If i get the milvus' and put a speed booster on it, it should make the lens faster? .
+obayed haque Yeah, I think so too, but not by much. For me, the size consideration for this particular focal length outweigh the small gain in sharpness and brightness and autofocus. I wouldn't make that same sacrifice for all my lenses, but for just this one, size is more important to me.
It's not fe mount it's e mount the f stands for full frame hens fe aps c is e for e mount yor making out that sony has two mounts fe and e when it's just one the e mount the other mount sony use is for dlsr camera and that's the a mount
My Nissan Leaf, for one. Several modern cars, particularly those capable of some degree of autonomous driving, such as parking assist, which is available on many cars, have eliminated the direct mechanical linkage in favor of electronic steering. It has a different feel, particularly during fast cornering, but then this isn't a review of cars, but rather these lenses.
I'm not alone in finding the EVF lacking for MF. The resolution is just not there yet for really tight-in, perfect focus, and peaking only does so much.
+BoxxyFan Well they are technically E mount, but calling them FE mount is easier to differentiate and I'm glad people do say FE. On the marketing standpoint, I'm glad they do too. If they didn't label FE, then I'd be confused looking for proper full frame lens.
+Fitz Michael To tell you the truth, using the viewfinder even with peaking is not a surefire bet to nail focus. It's a more difficult lens to use than the Sony, no doubt.
Thanks for the review Jonathon. Well done!
I've really struggled with the 35mm decision for my Sony a7ii and a7rii cameras and currently using the Loxia 35 for the fine art work that I do. It's the only manual focus lens in my core of everyday working lenses (Lensbaby Velvet 56 and Rokinon 12mm fisheye specialty lenses aside) but I refuse to compromise the wonderful compact format of the a7 cameras with a DSLR size lens just to get the auto-focus features in a 35mm focal length. Yes, I've made the compromise for the 70-200 f4 and 16-35 f4 which I would expect to do for these incredible zooms, but find it hard to believe that Sony and Zeiss can combine to development the amazing auto focus 55 f1.8 in a complimentary size but can not develop a more suitable 35mm than the behemoth they recently released.
As for the Loxia 35 f2, I've been impressed with the build, handling and color rendering of this wonderful lens over the six months I've had it. In most cases it's been a pleasure to use and truly compliments the a7 camera format. Admittedly, manual focussing can have it drawbacks, but with focus peaking and magnification, the discomfort is minimal. I've found that focus peaking alone is not the most reliable means to achieving crisp images when necessary, and rely more on focus magnification for total assurance. When I'm not willing to make this effort or require the features of AF (i.e. tracking, eye AF) I'll defer to my Batis 25 of Sony/Zeiss 55 in this focal range. I rented the Sony FE 35 f2.8 for a week several months ago and found it to be a very compact and capable lens, but obviously slower and without the color pop or across the frame sharpness of the Loxia when the focus is nailed.
In the end, the Loxia fills my niche for a complimentary 35mm lens on the Sony cameras I use, and while I'd like to have this focal length in an AF, I feel the size, build, and results make it worth the extra effort that manual focus requires in most situations. In fact, I consider it this lens one of the most creative tool in my collection of optics...
How good is 35 mm to landscapes??
Loxia is the first lenses I ever wanted for my Sony a7r2, Ive bought many lenses since then and finally i have gotten my hands on my first Loxia, 50mm f2. I havent looked back. Getting the 35mm f2 tomorrow and will sell my sony zeiss to get the 25mm loxia.
Today in late 2023, there are many 35mm Lenses for Sony. The Sony 35mm 1.4 and the Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical are the two best performing Lenses today in image quality. But I will also mention the small and light Sony Zeiss Sonnar 35mm 2.8 ZA which is so compact that you always have space for it !
I like the older, film look of the loxia. It looks real. The Sony Zeiss has flat rendering for sharpness.
Color Crush Media Really 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
I use loxia. (21mm, 35mm).
Thanks for the sample comparison.
The loxia seems to have better sky tones. Even at a quick glance, the highlights don't look dazzling (more highlight gradations remain).
Yeah, my video is outdated now. I think the G Master 35 is the best of all, and great AF as well.
One thing you should look at is the closest focusing distance. This is a very important aspect to every lens in my opinion.
Thanks for the comparison. I have the 35 f1.4 and, although it is excellent, it's heavy so I don't take it to every trip. It also feels more involved and conspicuous to get the camera and the huge lens out of the bag and point it at someone. The end result is I get better street and travel pictures from by Batis 25, showing that the gear you actually carry and use takes the best pictures.
I agree 100%. That's why I've really been enjoying using the Loxia 35mm. I just got back from Africa and some of my best people shots were with that lens. I'll have videos of that trip up pretty soon.
This was a terrific review, made me feel reassured about my purchase of the Loxia. One recommendation if I may, you may want to purchase a Smart Rode lav+ mic to record your audio on field. It's easy to use and gets rid of fluctuation of sound from using the camera's mic.
Thanks Nicolas. I'm still happy with my Loxia. It's become one of my favorites.
The Sony Zeiss lenses are not made by Zeiss but by Sony usually in Thailand. The Sony Zeiss lenses have the design and approval of Zeiss but Zeiss doesn't directly interfere with the production.
Also nearly all Zeiss lenses are made in Japan and not in Germany. This keeps the cost low. Usually only some of the very expensive Zeiss Cinema professional lenses are made in Germany.
Only Leica lenses are true made in Germany lenses. That is one of the reasons of their high price and high quality. However there are some Leica lenses made in Japan but these are Panasonic lenses with the Leica brand.
actually i own the apo summicron and the loxia and the second one is far better in my opinion
Thank you. I love the Loxia lenses. 🙏
Very good review, one of the best so far for me, thank you for that. Although the Sony is remarkably sharp, the bokeh of the Loxia is just so nice that I would certainly chose it over the Sony. Just a glorious out of focus render. Cheers
Thanks for showing us the focus breathing on the loxia!!! This is one of my main concerns! THANKS!
What camera/lens are you using to film this?
I am noticing massive focus hunting/breathing.
great job! I use the loxia 50mm with my a7S and I'm very fond of it. I think it's ironic that it's Zeiss (not Sony)who comes up with the perfect form factor for the alphas. The lens is small and light enough to also use with my a6300, whereas the Sony/Zeiss throws it way off balance and mitigates the point of a smaller, mirrorless camera. I use "Peaking" which helps me quite a bit in nailing focus with a manual lens. It's a challenge shooting video on the fly with it, but it does make me better at what I do. As for image quality, the loxia is not only sharp, but, yes, it has character, and that is quite evident in the video imagery I'm able to capture with it.
Ooh.. that breathing by both lenses. You really can't miss it but I hope at further distances nearer to infinity this would be less noticeable. Unless you shoot at maybe f/8 or narrower apertures, any focus pulling shot between subjects on cinema style video shoots is an absolute no-no with either lens.
Thanks for the comparison! It's really too bad Sony went with focus by wire for all E-mount lenses. I really like my sony/zeiss 55mm, but it's really annoying to manually focus unless I'm shooting at minimum or infinity.
P.S. I would suggest using manual focus for stationary video shots.
+GoProSkateLaX Thanks for the tip on manual focus. You're absolutely right. I just forgot this time.
This is what I call a useful video. If you're going to open your wallet....this video helps no end.
Great comparison video, subscribed! I have been considering the loxia as a smaller lens for street photography and travel instead of my 35/1.4. The 35/1.4 will be kept for special occasions though, I don't think I could part with it that easily! It's fantastic for family gatherings and events, the rendering is beautiful.
+Ryan Diver I needed da money!
Very good comparison, thank you for that.
Jonathan A little late but I'm missing auto focus magnification in movie mode.In other modes it's okay.I use this with a 7S.Thanks
7r3 has it!
6:48 he's high AF! Lol. Great video, very comprehensive.
+Iron Valkyrie Yeah, he might have had his morning buzz on. Really nice guys.
Thanks for the comparison, what tool did you use for screen capturing? Sound quality is very different from scene to scene.
+Point of View Quicktime.
FE is not a mount, refers to a FF lens. E-mount is Sony’s Mirrorless mount vs their A- Mount. The e mount includes FE and E mount lenses. FE = FF and E = APS-C Those Loxia lenses are incredible, I own the 35 Zeiss and need AF, otherwise I’d buy a Loxia
Rendition of the Loxia is different than Zeiss. Loxia is more film like and renders the sky differently.
Does the Sony 35 1.4 still have the decentering issues?
you put in work, thanks
Great video! Subscribed.. the only thing I would request is mention of prices.. would save me having to go and look it up myself.. Thank you
+Christopher Freedom I thought I had . . . guess not. I've put an annotation with that information as well as a note in the description. Thank you for the feedback, and your subscription!
+Jonathan Stewart Thanks Jonathan.. greatly appreciated :)
Thank you for the comparison video. Any thoughts on which one for low light shooting? I'd want this lens to focus on shooting low light night: scenes, street, landscape, and some portrait.
Currently using A7ii and have 24-70mm f/2.8, 55mm f/1.8, 16-35mm f/4, and 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3.
Thanks again in advance!
The f/1.4 lets in twice as much light, so should seem the obvious choice, right? Not so fast. In really low light shooting, AF doesn't work that well, so you'd probably be doing some manual focussing. In that regard, the Loxia is much smoother. So is it worth shooting at ISO 800 instead of 1600? That's the difference between an f/1.4 and an f/2 lens.
This habeen very helpfull, many thanks
great review
I do currently use (intensively) the 35mm and 85mm f/1.4 Samyang manual focus lenses. Soon I'll upgrade one of the 2 by buying either this Zeiss 35mm 1.4 or the G Master 85mm. Which one is worth upgrading first?
I do also use the 35mm for night videos, is the focus by wire so bad? In that case better get the G master first?
The G-Master 85mm is without peer. I'd get that first.
dallatorretdu 85gm for sure
Thanks, very informative!!
Great. Glad it was helpful.
GREAT VIDEO, but please when you don't move set your camera to manual focus !!! That focus breathing is great pain.
I'm having a hard time .between 35mm 1.4 .loxia f2 and the Milvus f2. Im shooting mostly music Video a7sm2 .I had the sony16-35 f4.It wasn't sharp enough for me. which lens would be better for videos ? . If i get the milvus' and put a speed booster on it, it should make the lens faster? .
I would avoid adapting if possible. I haven't used the Milvus, but the Loxia 35mm has plenty of quality for my need.
On a7r series, 35za is very soft in the center, loxia is amazingly sharper compare to 35za
Sony Zeiss is sharper than the Zeiss Loxia IMHO.
+obayed haque Yeah, I think so too, but not by much. For me, the size consideration for this particular focal length outweigh the small gain in sharpness and brightness and autofocus. I wouldn't make that same sacrifice for all my lenses, but for just this one, size is more important to me.
Good job :)
It's not fe mount it's e mount the f stands for full frame hens fe aps c is e for e mount yor making out that sony has two mounts fe and e when it's just one the e mount the other mount sony use is for dlsr camera and that's the a mount
What car du know that uses "steering by wire"?!
My Nissan Leaf, for one. Several modern cars, particularly those capable of some degree of autonomous driving, such as parking assist, which is available on many cars, have eliminated the direct mechanical linkage in favor of electronic steering. It has a different feel, particularly during fast cornering, but then this isn't a review of cars, but rather these lenses.
WTF bro?! U really think that? I hope not, LOL! Ok, focus on lenses.
Crap sound spoils this otherwise good review...
how to pronounce GERMAN zeiss? Not zAis for sure. ceiss will be more correct way please.
what?!!!!!! You got problems using the EVF to MF??? get your eyes checked or adjust it mate
I'm not alone in finding the EVF lacking for MF. The resolution is just not there yet for really tight-in, perfect focus, and peaking only does so much.
yes you are mostly alone or just others with eye sight issues mate
shaolin95 Really shallow DOF, blown up, requires either a lucky guess or some better resolution on the EVF. Try using the 90mm macro at 1:1.
A rude Chinese kid, I guess
What? You do use focus zoom, right?
It's E-mount, there is no such thing as FE-Mount.
+BoxxyFan We'll stick with NEX if it's less confusing.
+BoxxyFan
Well they are technically E mount, but calling them FE mount is easier to differentiate and I'm glad people do say FE. On the marketing standpoint, I'm glad they do too. If they didn't label FE, then I'd be confused looking for proper full frame lens.
FE for full frame E for APC
+Fitz Michael Yeah better to say FE so people get its FF so ignore the whiners ;)
There's always a few pedants out there.
Loxia lens was out of focus
+Fitz Michael To tell you the truth, using the viewfinder even with peaking is not a surefire bet to nail focus. It's a more difficult lens to use than the Sony, no doubt.
Why even bother with peaking? It's so unreliable. Punch in to check focus, every time.
PrettyInWhiteDotCom - old channel I do both. I'm still not 100% satisfied with the EVF though.