Photographer Matt Granger (aka ThatNikonGuy) had a chance to test the new Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 and compare it to what is possibly the best (or at least sharpest) lens on the market, the Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 (which we tested only a few months ago) – so how did the new Sony FE mount lens faired against its larger and more expensive (manual focus) sister? check out the video.
We will cut straight to the chase – the Batis from Granger’s review looks and feels amazing – it might not be as sharp or as good optically in general as the Otus – but the difference isn’t that big and the price difference is huge. More important to some even is the fact that this is an AF lens (on this comparison Granger didn’t talk about AF speed at all – maybe because the Otus is a MF only lens).
This is the second video by Granger on the Batis (the first was a sort of a standalone test/review) we covered here. We also had a quick official preview of the two Batis lenses when they were announced by Zeiss. Unlike the Loxia line of lenses for FE mount cameras which was introduced last year and includes manual focus lenses, the Batis are all AF lenses but also an interesting OLED display that will replace the depth of field indicator and the focusing distance and can actually show all sorts of information (Granger shows this early in the video).
Here is a quick reminder of the Zeiss Batis 85mm f1.8 specs:
- Focal length – 85mm.
- Aperture – f/1.8.
- Construction – 11 elements in 8 groups.
- Min focusing distance – 71cm.
- Maximum magnification – 1:7.9.
- Mount – E-mount (FE coverage).
- Filter – 67mm.
- Length – 105mm.
- Weight – 475 grams.
- Price – just under $1200.
You can find many more previews and reviews on our Photography review section here on LensVid.
Iddo Genuth 
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