Sony Zeiss Loxia 35/2 Biogon T* lens for Sony E Mount

biglouis

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I recently acquired this lens - possibly one of the first in the UK and I have put down my thoughts in a review at may website.

LouisBerk.com - Zeiss Loxia 35/2 Review

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I hope this of use to others interested in the lens.

LouisB
 
Ray

Definitely heavier (of course), equal high quality in terms of lens build and ergonomics, in terms of image quality I'd say on a par - which is what I expected.

I'm still mulling over giving house room to a s/h Rx1r when people start to dump them in favour of what comes next from Sony - I regret ever selling my Rx1.

LouisB
 
I was going to ask you about this one too, if it can't better the 35mm on the RX1 then I think I'll pass although I have a WEX credit burning a hole in my pocket!

It is horses for courses. If you want to shoot with an Alpha body you really are without much choice until the new 35/1.4 comes along. Mind you, that looks like one helluva beast of a lens - certain not pocket sized at all.

Thanks for the comment

LouisB
 
Yes, the 35/1.4 looks huge. Thanks for posting large samples. I downloaded your graffiti wall picture and ran it through my own Nik recipe. I like it, all credit to you for capturing it in the first place. I'll delete it from my LR catalog :)
 
Ray

Definitely heavier (of course), equal high quality in terms of lens build and ergonomics, in terms of image quality I'd say on a par - which is what I expected.

I'm still mulling over giving house room to a s/h Rx1r when people start to dump them in favour of what comes next from Sony - I regret ever selling my Rx1.

LouisB
I've owned two RX1s and there's a side of me that still wishes I had one, but in reality I just wasn't using it once I had 25mm and 21mm Zeiss lenses for my Nikon setup. I sold the second RX1 and bought a Zeiss 35 f2.0 ZF.2 and that combination has a slightly different brand of the magic of the RX1, although obviously in a much different package. And I just don't use the 35 very much - I have to force myself to just take it out sometimes because I'm so much more naturally inclined to stick the 25 on there for everyday shooting and 21 when I want to go really wide. And all three of those lenses have that awesome Zeiss rendering. I learned to love the focal length of the RX1 I think because it was the only camera I had of that quality, so I adapted to be able to take advantage of it. Now that I have similar quality in the Df, I really just like wider better. So it would be complete folly of me to buy another RX1, even when they get cheap someday. But there is a side of me that will always miss it I think...

-Ray
 
Thanks for the review Louis. The Loxia looks nice, but my preference is to use AF lenses and AF able cameras. Wish Sony had made the 35/2.8 a 35/2. The 35/1.4 just looks way to big to be used on a mirrorless. I guess I wouldn't be surprised to find myself with one in th future!

Ray, I'm still bewildered each time you talk about the Df. That camera is so ... not Ray Sachs! ;)
 
Ray, I'm still bewildered each time you talk about the Df. That camera is so ... not Ray Sachs! ;)
Well, after shooting with one a year ago and buying one about 7-8 months ago, I love it, I've gotten rid of all other ILC system gear, and it's totally killed my gas for everything except amazingly cheap old e-bay lenses. So perhaps it IS Ray Sachs. Maybe I just had a lot of latent Df tendencies hiding under a mirrorless facade for a few years...

Seriously, the only reason I didn't start shooting a DSLR sooner was because of pre-conceptions about how big and heavy they were. Then when I shot a Df with some smallish primes, I realized it was really pretty similar to shooting with an X-Pro or XT1 and Fuji's better primes - ie, well within my tolerance. And size/weight aside, I love everything about it - there's a logic to the way a Nikon is laid out and handles and can be set up that is MORE Ray Sachs than anything else I've ever shot - I started realizing that with the Coolpix A and the DSLRs are even more so. Everything else I've shot, from Olympus to Fuji to Sony to Ricoh has (or lacks!) one or two things that really bug me - the Df has every feature I've ever wanted or come to appreciate after using it, and all are implemented in a way that makes perfect sense to me. The only downside is lack of great live view, but when I've had great live view cameras the downside was lack of a great OVF, and I'm pretty agnostic about which I like/dislike more. Until they figure out a perfect hybrid viewfinder system, I'm pretty happy either way on this question. And even if they ever do, unless they get all of the other details right also, I probably wouldn't be tempted to move.

Sorry Armando, you may have to start thinking of me differently! :cool:

-Ray
 
...
Everything else I've shot, from Olympus to Fuji to Sony to Ricoh has (or lacks!) one or two things that really bug me - the Df has every feature I've ever wanted or come to appreciate after using it, and all are implemented in a way that makes perfect sense to me.
...
-Ray
That bugging sounds all too familiar but at the same time it makes me feel good when someone found his/her thing and enjoys it to an extent that leaves no space for GAS. If my XP1 would be the last camera on earth I'd continue to shoot it until it falls apart and be OK but the major gripe I have with those modern image capturing devices is that I can't truly relax. They just demand too much of my attention and keep the mind busy even when I've set them up properly. I've shot a number of portraits in mixed lighting yesterday, constantly checked and corrected the settings, moved the AF spot all over the screen (big YUK) and so on. All the time I missed the utter simplicity of my old film cameras - the simple optical viewfinders without that (necessary) information overload, the naturalness of manual focusing on a matte screen or microprisms, these babies just didn't get in the way.
 
Thank you Louis for your review. It was both entertaining and an opinion I value.

I suppose if you look at retail prices the RX1 and an A7 or A7 II with a Loxia 35 is about the same cost or close to it.
With the A7 Loxia combo you do get a EVF and a tilt-able screen over the RX1. That aside the portable nature of the RX1 also has me eyeing one once a new model hits the market.

I am curious as to if you found the amount of throw on the focus ring to be too long, too short or just right?

For me I am now looking toward the Loxia 50mm initially. I may switch to the 35mm at a later time.
 
Thanks, all for the comments.

To specifically answer El Guapo, the focus throw is long. It definitely requires you to turn twice to get from infinity to closest. This is not such a big deal for me as I mainly shoot landscape and on infinity but if you are street shooting and moving from near to far subjects it will be noticeable.
 
Before I forget ... thanks for the review and the images Louis. I'm remotely interested in a A7r and some fine glass to go with it so I downloaded some of the original size jpgs.
Edit: can't help it but I'd really like to see a comparative shootout between your combo and the A7r with the FE 35/2.8, the RX1 and why not - the NEX-7 or A6000 with the SEL24f18Z.
 
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SnapDawg, I am not a great fan of the FE 35/2.8. In fact I was very disappointed with mine and sold it because I just didn't want to shoot with it. It had little character but incredible sharpness. I suspect the forthcoming FE 28/2 will be as good but at a much more realistic price point and therefore a justifiable purchase.

LouisB.
 
SnapDawg, I am not a great fan of the FE 35/2.8. In fact I was very disappointed with mine and sold it because I just didn't want to shoot with it. It had little character but incredible sharpness. I suspect the forthcoming FE 28/2 will be as good but at a much more realistic price point and therefore a justifiable purchase.

LouisB.
Thanks, Louis, you mentioned the FE35 in your review. Luckily, we can use legacy glass on our Sonys and are not too dependant on their native lens lineup.
 
Thanks, Louis, you mentioned the FE35 in your review. Luckily, we can use legacy glass on our Sonys and are not too dependant on their native lens lineup.
Yes and there are many fine exemplars of a whole range of legacy lenses from wonderful manufacturers past and present. It really is a very good platform. I could have carried on using my M-Summicron 35/2 but I do like a dedicated lens and the exif features are very handy indeed.

LouisB
 
Yes and there are many fine exemplars of a whole range of legacy lenses from wonderful manufacturers past and present. It really is a very good platform. I could have carried on using my M-Summicron 35/2 but I do like a dedicated lens and the exif features are very handy indeed.

LouisB
I truly enjoy my legacy Zeiss glass but usually only use it indoors for the projects. The 45mm G Planar is my favorite lens from that brand but that X-ray like bokeh is a bit on the weird side; can't use it for everything.
 
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