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You are here: Home / Photokina 2014 / Photokina 2014: First impressions of the Zeiss Loxia lenses for Sony E-mount
zeiss photokina 2014

Photokina 2014: First impressions of the Zeiss Loxia lenses for Sony E-mount

20/09/2014 By Mathieu 1 Comment

One of the most enjoyable moments spent at Photokina was at the Zeiss booth. After our interview with Mr. Christophe Casenave, product manager for all manual focus lenses, we had the opportunity to shoot with both Loxia lenses (35mm and 50mm) using a sample Sony A7r and our Sony A7s. We extend our thanks to Mr. Casenave for giving us this opportunity!

A True “Zeiss” Feel

Zeiss lenses are known not only for their performance in terms of image quality but also for the build quality of their lenses. It is immediately apparent that the two Loxias, designed exclusively for Sony’s E-mount system, suit the Sony full-frame system perfectly. Mr. Casenave explained that he did not want the lenses to exceed the diameter of the A7/A7r/A7s mount. Indeed, they are small and compact, and at the same time they are light and the build quality is extremely nice. The focus ring turns smoothly and it is very precise to use. The lens also includes a hyper focal scale, which was specifically requested by many users.

ILCE-7S, 1/400, f/ 5/1, ISO 3200

ILCE-7S, 1/400, f/ 5/1, ISO 2500

The aperture ring is also very smooth and has a singular feature. On the rear of the lens, there is a special screw that you can turn to activate or deactivate the de-click mechanism. This is a very clever solution that suits both photographers and filmmakers. The latter prefers to use the lens without the click-stop to be able to change the aperture by very small increments. Zeiss provides a dedicated tool with the lens, which is also available separately for $28 (you get five copies in the kit), but the screw can also be turned with a regular screwdriver.

E-M1, 1/60, f/ 45/10, ISO 400
The special screw to change the de-click mechanism

Both lenses have a metal hood that is neither too big nor too invasive, keeping the lens relatively compact. The lenses also include electronic contacts to send exif data to the camera, and peaking and focus magnification can be used with the lens.

E-M1, 1/60, f/ 45/10, ISO 400

Sample images and image quality

Mr. Casenave explained to us that the two Loxia lenses are very different from Sony/Zeiss autofocus lenses for the FE system. Also the 50mm f/2 for example is less sharp than the 55mm f/1.8 FE but its performance is better in terms of chromatic aberration and distortion.

So as not to alarm anyone, “less sharp” still means this kind of result:

ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 4, ISO 400 - Loxia 50mm f/2 - 100% Crop
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 4, ISO 400 – Loxia 50mm f/2 – 100% Crop

I didn’t make a direct comparison with the 55mm, but we should be receiving a sample of the Loxia lens to review very soon. At that point, I’ll take the time to compare the two lenses.

Below you can find four different galleries shot with the Loxia 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 with both the A7r and A7s. They are all JPGs exported from the RAW files without diminishing the resolution, so that the most curious can pixel-peep them.

A7r – 35mm f/2

ILCE-7R, 1/15, f/ 4/1, ISO 100
ILCE-7R, 1/15, f/ 4, ISO 100 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 2, ISO 500 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/100, f/ 5.6, ISO 400 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/100, f/ 5.6, ISO 400 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/100, f/ 2, ISO 100 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/50, f/ 4, ISO 100 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 5.6, ISO 800 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 5.6, ISO 1000 – Loxia 35mm f/2

A7r – 50mm f/2

ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 4/1, ISO 400
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 4, ISO 400 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 2, ISO 400 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 2, ISO 400 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 2, ISO 400 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 2, ISO 400 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7R, 1/200, f/ 2, ISO 400 – Loxia 50mm f/2

A7s – 35mm f/2

ILCE-7S, 1/250, f/ 63/10, ISO 2000
ILCE-7S, 1/250, f/ 6.3, ISO 2000 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/400, f/ 2, ISO 640 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/400, f/ 2, ISO 1250 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/60, f/ 8, ISO 1000 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/250, f/ 22, ISO 12800 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/400, f/ 8, ISO 5000 – Loxia 35mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/60, f/ 4.5, ISO 200 – Loxia 35mm f/2

A7s – 50mm f/2

ILCE-7S, 1/100, f/ 2/1, ISO 100
ILCE-7S, 1/100, f/ 2, ISO 100 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/100, f/ 9, ISO 1250 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/125, f/ 5, ISO 640 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/125, f/ 5, ISO 800 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/125, f/ 5, ISO 1000 – Loxia 50mm f/2
zeiss photokina 2014
ILCE-7S, 1/100, f/ 3.2, ISO 125 – Loxia 50mm f/2

Conclusion

When Zeiss made the announcement, I couldn’t help but wonder why they decided to release two focal lengths that already exist in Sony’s AF series (Mr. Casenave explains the reason in our interview). But after trying them today, I have to admit that my first impressions are really positive about the two lenses. The image quality they produce seems really exceptional on both the A7r and A7s. But most importantly, they perfectly suit Sony’s full frame mirrorless system because they are small and therefore enhance the portability of the system.

E-M1, 1/80, f/ 45/10, ISO 400

Filed Under: Photokina 2014, Photokina 2014 - Zeiss, Third-Party Lens Reviews, Zeiss Lenses (E-mount)

About Mathieu

Mathieu Gasquet is a professional photographer with French and Italian origins. Besides running his own video and photography studio 3Dit Lab, he is also the official photographer for the National Cinema Museum in Turin. You can follow him on Google+, Twitter or Facebook!

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