Carl Zeiss Batis 40mm F/2.0 Lens for Sony E Mount

Comment

i really like the Zeiss batis but this one seemed to be used or manufacture defect. weird wiggly stain on the lens that appeared when shooting video mode also lens cap on the camera seemed pretty worn lens also burry in video mode. wish i can get a new batis w/o any problems

Show more

Comment

This is my new normal lens. Its a bit wider than a 50mm which suites my photography fine. Its a great walk-around lens, much lighter than either a zoom or a macro lens. Close focus is very good, with nice smooth bokeh. Colors are well rendered and the Zeiss "pop" is noticeable. At maximum close focus you do loose a stop, making this a F4 lens, but this is normal for the design. Its not a bug, its a feature. Walking around with the lens is a pleasure. Its a good combination with the A7iii. Its reasonably light and the lens falls into hand well. Focus is quick and snappy, and it works very well even in manual mode. Theres very little drama with the lens as it just works. Its a bit chunkier than your average 50mm, but still light considering the size. It feels solid and the focusing grip has a grippy surface that feels both pleasant and secure. The manual focus is very smooth and mates well with cameras manual focus setting. The lens is very well balance when hand held. On a tripod its a tad nose heavy but nothing like the 90mm or the 24-70 GM. There is a switch for close focusing, which is nice, but I have had little cause to use it. Unlike the 90mm OSS this lens does not hunt around for focus. There were a few times I did have to manual focus with the lens as I wanted a different point of focus then the camera and lens decided it wanted. Ill admit that I did not use the OLED display on the lens, but it did pop up as advertised. This is a very well-built lens, and it is a joy to hold. Its a tad more plasticky than I personally would like, but that does keep the weight down. For what its worth its a very well done plastic that has a pleasant matte look. The fit and finish of the lens it top-notch. There are a few down-sides to the lens. The major down-side is the cost. No way around it, this is a very pricey lens. And at this price there are some quibbles. The lens and bottom caps are, how to put it?, cheap. Ive already replaced the bottom cap with a Sony branded one. The front cap is difficult to pry loose and put on when the lens hood is present. And about that lens hood, keep you eye on it because its over $70.00 to replace. The hood also scuffs up easily. Ive provided a few unedited photos, the only manipulation Ive done is to convert RAW to JPEG and to reduce the file size. All pictures are straight from my A7iii, as shot. I will admit to have having a serious bit of gear lust for this lens, I snapped it up from another on-line vender as Amazon was a little late to the party. Still, the lens has not disappointed me. I am trying to justify my purchase? Maybe. It is one of my go-to lenses, sharing that designation with the 24-70GM and mostly replacing the 90mm OSS for close-up work. If I can get away with using the 40mm close in, Ill use it first. I chose this lens over the Sigma mainly because it was a bit less expensive, was available sooner, and had a close focus ability the Sigma lacks. The Sigma is also considerably heavier than the Batis, part of the sacrifice you make to get that 1.4 f-stop. Only you can decide if that wider aperture is worth the weight and the lack of close focusing. The two lenses seem to be very comparable. The Batis appealed to me more because of the close focus, your milage may vary. I will continue to use and experiment with the lens, so far its been a good experience. The lens is a good all-round photography tool. I tend to go wide, shooting mostly landscapes, thus the lens is a good fit. I plan to use it for street photography and hope to post up some examples later. This is my normal lens, the new normal.

Show more