New ZEISS Loxia 21 f2.8 lens

[Paulo Bizarro]

Finally it is here:

http://www.zeiss.co.uk/camera-lenses/en_gb/camera_lenses/loxia/loxia2821.html

With a 52mm filter thread, this is quite the reduction in size from the 21 Milvus. If it is a top quality performer, I will start saving:)

It wll have to be a lot better than the nikon 21 f1.8 G lens though, as it is roughly double the price...

[MatthewCromer]

Looks a lot better for me than the Batis 25, since I'm a landscape photographer (I prefer the focal length and small size of the Loxia).

[Paulo Bizarro]

Yup, but for some the Batis will be preferable due to f2 vs. f2.8 (thinking about astro here).

But the Loxia 21 seems to be a really sweet lens, and a must have for wide landscapes.

[David Anderson]

I like the idea it's 2.8, manual focus and very small.
If I had a Sony I would have one.

[Paulo Bizarro]

I like the idea it's 2.8, manual focus and very small.
If I had a Sony I would have one.

Me too, and I have a Sony... I was looking into more data from ZEISS, and I found this:

http://www.zeiss.pt/content/dam/Photography/new/pdf/en/downloadcenter/datasheets_loxia/loxia_2821.pdf

Distortion is "natively" present but corrected in camera; I hope this is not at too much expense of corner performance, as pixels are stretched.

If you look at the same data for the Zeiss Batis 25 here:

http://www.zeiss.pt/content/dam/Photography/new/pdf/en/downloadcenter/datasheets_batis/batis_225.pdf

It is interesting to note that there is no plot for uncorrected distortion, just the corrected one, so one wonders how much correction is being done in camera.

[FabienP]

Me too, and I have a Sony... I was looking into more data from ZEISS, and I found this:

http://www.zeiss.pt/content/dam/Photography/new/pdf/en/downloadcenter/datasheets_loxia/loxia_2821.pdf

Distortion is "natively" present but corrected in camera; I hope this is not at too much expense of corner performance, as pixels are stretched.

If you look at the same data for the Zeiss Batis 25 here:

http://www.zeiss.pt/content/dam/Photography/new/pdf/en/downloadcenter/datasheets_batis/batis_225.pdf

It is interesting to note that there is no plot for uncorrected distortion, just the corrected one, so one wonders how much correction is being done in camera.

IIRC the information for lens distortion correction is contained in the camera firmware. That was one of the reasons why the firmware of the initial A7 series had to be updated when new lenses were introduced in Summer 2014. I wonder what happens for third party lenses or for older cameras that do not get updated anymore.

Nevertheless, this lens is impressive. I did not think it would be possible to create such a compact design for this FL, especially the front element with a filter thread of 52mm. Initial reviews do not mention excessive vignetting. Compared to a ZE2.8/21 + Metabones adapter, this should be much more enjoyable for extended handheld shooting sessions.

Cheers,

Fabien

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

I think that very good correction is possible in software. One of the early adopters of this technology was Hasselblad. The effort saved on suppressing distortion can be used to improve other aberrations that are harder to fix in software.

Best regards
Erik

Me too, and I have a Sony... I was looking into more data from ZEISS, and I found this:

http://www.zeiss.pt/content/dam/Photography/new/pdf/en/downloadcenter/datasheets_loxia/loxia_2821.pdf

Distortion is "natively" present but corrected in camera; I hope this is not at too much expense of corner performance, as pixels are stretched.

If you look at the same data for the Zeiss Batis 25 here:

http://www.zeiss.pt/content/dam/Photography/new/pdf/en/downloadcenter/datasheets_batis/batis_225.pdf

It is interesting to note that there is no plot for uncorrected distortion, just the corrected one, so one wonders how much correction is being done in camera.