Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 Lens Review at DxOMark: Wide-angle Prime King

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DxOMark published their review and test results of the Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 Lens (Amazon, B&H), which is specifically designed for the Sony A7 series full-frame mirrorless cameras such as the Sony A7RII and Sony A7SII. The innovative design of this lens features an OLED display that highlights the focus distance and depth of field range for quickly recognizing your focusing parameters, and its autofocus performance is benefitted by linear motors for fast, smooth performance.

With a DxOMark score of 39 points tested on the Sony A7R, the Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 is new wide-angle prime king in the DxOMark datebase.

With a sharpness score of 22 P-Mpix, this lens offers homogenous resolution at all aperture settings except f/2, and outstanding sharpness over 70% at apertures between f/2 – f/11, with resolution dropping to just under 60% at f/22. Distortion of 0.5% is consistent with the top ten wide-angle primes we’ve tested, with only minor barrel distortion evident. Light transmission of 2.0 stops is also the best for tested wide-angle primes, ensuring a bright display and plenty of light for the autofocus system.

Top 10 wide-angle prime lenses:

Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 vs. Zeiss Distagon T 25mm f/2 vs. Zeiss Loxia 2.8/21

Conclusion from DxOMark:

Sony A7 mirrorless cameras, and particularly the super-high-resolution A7R series, demand top-quality, fast-aperture prime lenses to get the best from their sensors. Meeting this need in their new Batis lineup, Zeiss has taken its renowned excellence for build and optical quality and improved functionality with the addition of both autofocus and the new innovative OLED barrel display. Available at a more affordable $1299 price point than many Zeiss lenses, the new Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 will be a desirable lens for many Sony FE landscape, architecture, and street photographers looking for an optically-strong wide-angle solution.

If you need a wider field of view, the Zeiss Loxia 2.8/21 offers improved sharpness of 27 P-Mpix compared to 22 P-Mpix for the Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2. The Batis is still outstandingly sharp, however, and offers a faster maximum aperture with better light transmission, as well as marginally better results for vignetting and chromatic aberration than the Loxia 2.8/21. All in all, the Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 is a champion wide lens and that’s why it currently sits at the top in our database.

Pre-order links:

Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 Lens for Sony E Mount: $1,299 at Amazon, B&H.