Zeiss Batis 25 F2 vs Zeiss ZE Distagon 25 F2

The Batis looks like a lovely lens, but the ZE is going to have much more appropriate manual focus mechanics for video work. I'd go with that.
 
I think the Batis will handily beat the ZE in terms of optics, and it will also be smaller once you consider the adapter. The fact that it is electronic is a plus if you're going to do some photo work with AF, a con if you're only doing video (it probably will be fly-by-wire, which can suck big time for video work depending on the implementation).
 
Samuel H said:
I think the Batis will handily beat the ZE in terms of optics, and it will also be smaller once you consider the adapter. The fact that it is electronic is a plus if you're going to do some photo work with AF, a con if you're only doing video (it probably will be fly-by-wire, which can suck big time for video work depending on the implementation).
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For documentary I'm guessing it will be fine where the focus pull doesn't have to be exact and timed.
 
But why put yourself in the position of not being able to accurately control focus in the first place? It's setting yourself up for failure. Both lenses yield excellent imagery - so you don't need to worry about that element. Lens operation, and focus control is something you do need to worry about though, and the Batis is not designed for that.
 
It depends on how you shoot. Sometimes the Batis is exactly what you'll want: something with AF, so you can pre-focus accurately in just a second, then hit record. And this is not just for documentary: for my most ambitious piece to date (still not out, working on the VFX), I used my cheap-as-chips Sigma 19mm f/2.8 and 30mm f/2.8 instead of my lovely vintage Leica set, because I had too much stuff to shoot in only one day and being able to pre-focus in a pinch was a great help for getting everything in the can.

Also, with AF getting better and better, I can see *even myself* leaving manual focus for good in a few years. I'd have to win the lottery or something, though: it's not cheap to get AF glass that's as good as my vintage Leica set.
 
Batis:

-better optics
-AF

ZF:

-Mechanical focus ring

The decision Solely depends on how you feel about fly-by-wire non-linear focusing.
 
ectobuilder said:
For documentary I'm guessing it will be fine where the focus pull doesn't have to be exact and timed.
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You can use the back button AF for a quick focus check and fine tune with the ring as needed, or you can use the back button to refocus while rolling. I do it all the time, purists say MF only, but in hectic situations having AF available is a huge help. The Batis distortion is well controlled and its sharp, it looks like a real winner. Fly-by-wire is the big bugaboo, ZE lenses are smooth - though some have a shorter focus throws than legacy lenses like the Contax C/Y's. Batis will be considerably lighter and you'll be able to use the awesome new tracking AF on the A7RII (and hopefully the A7sII soon).
 
photochris said:
You can use the back button AF for a quick focus check and fine tune with the ring as needed, or you can use the back button to refocus while rolling. I do it all the time, purists say MF only, but in hectic situations having AF available is a huge help. The Batis distortion is well controlled and its sharp, it looks like a real winner. Fly-by-wire is the big bugaboo, ZE lenses are smooth - though some have a shorter focus throws than legacy lenses like the Contax C/Y's. Batis will be considerably lighter and you'll be able to use the awesome new tracking AF on the A7RII (and hopefully the A7sII soon).
Click to expand...

Fly-by-wire on the Sony mirrorless system seems like a toss up.

The Cinema5D review seems to point out that the speed of the manual focus is directly correlated with the speed of the focus puller. But when I used the FE 55 F1.8 it had a random focus speed regardless of how fast or slow I pulled focus.

Let's hope more lenses are like the Batis (according to the Cinema5D review).
 
That's the thing with fly-by-wire: it depends on the implementation. I tried the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 (m43) and I found it absolutely unusable for video, but my Sigma 19mm f/2.8 and 30mm f/2.8 are also fly-by-wire and they are OK (not as good as my vintage primes, but good enough that I just had to check that they are actually fly-by-wire; as good as the few Canon lenses I used back in the T2i days).
 
I test drove the Zeiss Batis 25 F2 at my local camera store and my initial impressions are very good.

I now nickname it the Bada$$ Batis Lens!

I was really impressed with the manual focus operation. They implemented the fly-by-wire really well. It reacts one-to-one with the way you pull focus. You pull fast it will rack focus fast, pull slowly and it will do so at the same speed. No random speed like some other fly-by-wire lenses.

I was also shocked at the size and weight. It is super light weight and small for an F2 prime with AF. I tested it on my A7S.

I was glad that it had a super close focusing distance, which should be standard on all elite primes. I've only encountered four e-mount lenses (primes and zooms) that have a desirable close focusing distance (Sony-Zeiss SEL 24 F1.8, Sony-Zeiss FE 35 F1.4, Sony-Zeiss FE 16-35 F4 and now the Batis 25 F2).

However it is important to note that I couldn't activate face detection for some reason. Still looking into why that is. My firmware on the A7S is the previous v1.2. Not sure if that had anything to do with it.

If future lenses are like the Batis, then it is time for me to say good bye to electronic adapters like metabones/commlite and I can confidently go with native E-Mount lenses (Batis' anyways).



EDIT: I should recognize a few more E-Mount lenses with respectable close focusing distances:

[TABLE="width: 541"]
[TR]
[TD]LENS:

Sony SEL 24 F1.8[/TD]
[TD]CLOSEST FOCUSING DISTANCE FROM FRONT ELEMENT (cm):
9.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Zeiss Batis 25 F2[/TD]
[TD]11.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sony FE 90 F2.8[/TD]
[TD]14.95[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sony SEL 16 F2.8[/TD]
[TD]17.68[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sony SEL 20 F2.8[/TD]
[TD]17.96[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sony FE 16-35 F4 OSS[/TD]
[TD]18.15[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sony 10-18 F4 OSS[/TD]
[TD]18.64[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sony FE 35 F1.4[/TD]
[TD]18.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
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I just couldn't resist. After trying out the Batis 25mm lens at a local store (their in-stock ETA was indefinite), I managed to find one in-stock at KEH and ordered their last one! Will arrive by Wednesday! Can't wait!
 
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