Excellent review, Dustin! I really love this lens. It always gives me delightful results in all situations. There's something very special about this lens color rendition and micro contrast, which is shared by the 25mm and the 85mm. I only own Loxia lenses now and couldn't be happier. They're gorgeous little lenses that make shooting a lot of fun.
They are a joy to use, and such great travel companions because of the compact nature. I only wish the a7R3 wasn't such a dust magnet when swapping lenses!
Dustin Abbott I think Sony will address this issue soon. Canon came up with a a smart solution that I think Sony will have to implement in their future cameras. Sony has no option but to perfect their cameras soon, otherwise they will lose the "war"
Zeiss Loxia has some really solid competitors though. 16-35 f2.8 gm is the king of its kind and more compact, lighter, cheaper competitor CV 21 f3.5 is coming. But from what I've seen in your video says who seeks extreme IQ would prefer Loxia 21 over them. What a impressive lens it i!
I’m having some problems when trying to focus at a somewhat flat landscape with a Voigtländer 21mm f/1.4 Nokton on a Sony a7R IV. The corners are often soft due to not being properly in focus. I have heard that this lens suffers from a bit of field curvature as the Loxia 21mm, but I’m not sure how to get the best out of it. The Sony 20mm f/1.8 G might be more consistent due to field curvature of a lesser kind, but if I can work around it, I will probably keep the Voigtländer for landscapes for its rendition and I don’t mind manual focus for this. But as I do just as much if not more ‘street’, architecture and ‘walk-around’ photography, I would want something wider and with AF. For that, it would probably make more sense for me to just keep the Voigtländer and pair it up with something like the Sigma 14-24mm DN. Would I have to focus at mid-frame instead of the center and change how I compose? You can of course take multiple images where you focus at different parts of the image, but it’s not always possible due to movement or simply not wanting to work around with tripod a lot of the time.
The 14-24 might be a nice compliment to your kit. I didn’t find it hard to get everything in focus with a wider focal range like that. Just focus about a third of the way into the scene with F5.6 or so and you’re golden.
Hello, I have the Loxia 21 f2.8 with a Sony A7iii and lately I’m thinking of buying a Batis 18 f2.8 and, perhaps, selling off the Sony 16-35 f4. I’m not so sure about this trade. Ever since I got the a Loxia 21 I tend to use the 16-35 less but that doesn’t mean I am not saitsofried of it. Should I get the Batis, I’d have a 18, a 21 and then the 24-105. The 18mm would be more than enough for me as wide angle lens. In the future I’d like to buy a A7r4 but not now. In the past, when I had my Nikon system, I used my primes more than the zoom ones but the 16-45 f4 is so handy to carry around with me. Thanks for sharing your opinion, Fabrizio
@@DustinAbbottTWI you’re right, the 16-35 f4 is very good too. I think I’m going to put off buying the Batis and saving the money for the Loxia 50mm or the 35mm. I love my Loxia 21mm and the sunstars it makes.
Excellent review, as always. I've been watching a lot of your lens reviews. That's my main reference when deciding to get one. I don't know if you have time to review the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5. I think it can be a competitor with this beautiful Loxia 21mm f/2.8
Great video. One comment, for critical evaluations of resolution, which is something I and most photogs find valuable when considering a lens for purchase, you should be using test images focused at infinity because that’s where the performance of a wide angle lens intended for landscapes like the Loxia 21 will be optimized. Having said that, I doubt you’ll find much difference between infinity and your test distance you used here. Other lens, particularly wide zooms, focus distance this will very likely matter. Also vignetting and distortion are not all that important because it is so easily correctable in post processing as you showed. I actually like to add vignetting in some shots, like portraits, so it can even provide an a subjective aesthetic quality to some photos. On a technical note, vignetting is a trick employed by lens designers to increase resolution toward the extreme ends of the field of view by removing some fraction of the high order aberrations in the field. This clips the ray bundle into an almond or car eye shape. The cat eye bokeh that many reviewers notice in some lenses is caused by this vignetting. The Loxia 21 is on my a7rIi 90% of the time. In my experience, it’s the finest wide angle lens available for landscapes where resolution and color are critical. It’s also durable and a great size. It’s not all that light however, but lighter than zoom counterparts.
I typically shot tests at multiple distances, but the reality is that I find little difference between controlled tests at shorter distances and infinity tests. People say that lenses are optimized for certain focus distances as if that were true...but it's actually not.
It has a little more wide open contrast than the 25mm and less distortion than the 18mm. The 18mm center is possibly sharper, but it's close. It's strong optically.
Excellent review and impressive little lens. Im using the 21mm ZE adapted on the A7R2. Any idea how the Loxia 21mm would compare to the venerable 21mm ZE ?
I love this little lens Amazing sharp easy to use etc There r lenses that are amazing but not easy This feels good Works well amd matches up with my other zeiss lenses well which means to me less post processing and i nnow the feel i am getting easier than non zeiss manuals Love your work my friend
How would you compare this to the Sony 20mm f/1.8 in terms of just resolution and contrast? I’m considering one of them for a bit of street, landscapes and architecture. Might get the Sigma 14-24mm as well when I need something wider. I already got some Voigtländer manual focus lenses, so I don’t mind manually focusing, and I love the build of them.
Dustin Abbott Yeah, that’s what I imagined as well, and it’s great to get that confirmed. I do however think that I might go for the Voigtländer 21mm f/1.4 instead. I have heard from comparisons that the Loxia isn’t as good in the corners as the Voigtländer on the Sony a7R IV. It’s very good but not excellent to exceptional. The Voigtländer also got a faster maximum aperture, is about the same price and easier to grip when wanting to change lenses. I generally prefer the weight, size and physical look of the Zeiss, though. But Voigtländer ruined me, hehe. I’m not so sure. I love both. The Voigtländer is also hard to find on the markets I shop, whereas the Loxia can be found used as well
Voigtlander has a new version coming up, 1 st impression I had at the Photokina that it is great performer, even wide open... and corners are good as well
I really like your reviews but would be nice if you explain how did you align the camera+lens to take the picture's wall and if you re-focus in the corners. I'm saying this because at that short distance if your setup is misaligned (or the lens has field curvature) then the result will be sub-optimal... thanks for sharing !
I understand your concerns, but I've done literally dozens of these type reviews and am pretty proficient at making sure that I cover the bases. I then take a lot of real world photos and verify my findings.
Amazing lens optically, but comes with serious usability problems. Changing lens (esp. with that tight rubber sealing) is challenge - i did workaround with two zip-ties around lens barrel + small drop of glue. Now it's much easier. Also, hood is not fitting tight and even small rotation results in heavy vignetting. Workaround - add 2x ~6x20mm single-sided rubber strips, now it fits tight, but still easy to remove/change. It's really strange how zeiss managed to do such optically nice lens but left over simple usability things.
You are definitely right about the lens hood not fitting as tightly as it should. I actually didn't even notice it initially, but over extended use (I still have all the lenses even though I've moved on to others in the series for review purposes), I've noticed that the locking of the lens hood isn't as definite as what I would like.
Ah, Zeiss being typically Zeiss, just lovely natural colours with beautiful contrast, a winner on any camera system!
Pretty much!
Excellent review, Dustin! I really love this lens. It always gives me delightful results in all situations. There's something very special about this lens color rendition and micro contrast, which is shared by the 25mm and the 85mm. I only own Loxia lenses now and couldn't be happier. They're gorgeous little lenses that make shooting a lot of fun.
They are a joy to use, and such great travel companions because of the compact nature. I only wish the a7R3 wasn't such a dust magnet when swapping lenses!
Dustin Abbott I think Sony will address this issue soon. Canon came up with a a smart solution that I think Sony will have to implement in their future cameras. Sony has no option but to perfect their cameras soon, otherwise they will lose the "war"
I certainly hope so.
I'm your fan. Your coments are so accurate and instructive. Congrats
Thank you so much 😀
Zeiss Loxia has some really solid competitors though. 16-35 f2.8 gm is the king of its kind and more compact, lighter, cheaper competitor CV 21 f3.5 is coming. But from what I've seen in your video says who seeks extreme IQ would prefer Loxia 21 over them. What a impressive lens it i!
It's a great option for those that really value something compact. I think the 21mm is the one I'm most tempted by in the series.
I’m having some problems when trying to focus at a somewhat flat landscape with a Voigtländer 21mm f/1.4 Nokton on a Sony a7R IV. The corners are often soft due to not being properly in focus. I have heard that this lens suffers from a bit of field curvature as the Loxia 21mm, but I’m not sure how to get the best out of it. The Sony 20mm f/1.8 G might be more consistent due to field curvature of a lesser kind, but if I can work around it, I will probably keep the Voigtländer for landscapes for its rendition and I don’t mind manual focus for this. But as I do just as much if not more ‘street’, architecture and ‘walk-around’ photography, I would want something wider and with AF. For that, it would probably make more sense for me to just keep the Voigtländer and pair it up with something like the Sigma 14-24mm DN. Would I have to focus at mid-frame instead of the center and change how I compose? You can of course take multiple images where you focus at different parts of the image, but it’s not always possible due to movement or simply not wanting to work around with tripod a lot of the time.
The 14-24 might be a nice compliment to your kit. I didn’t find it hard to get everything in focus with a wider focal range like that. Just focus about a third of the way into the scene with F5.6 or so and you’re golden.
@@DustinAbbottTWI have you used the voightlander 21 f1.4 and if yes, how it compares in terms of field curvature and sharpness ( 1.4 - 2.8 )?
One question. If you could choose between buying loxia 21mm or 25mm which one would you choose?
I would personally go 21mm just for the versatility of the focal length.
Hello, I have the Loxia 21 f2.8 with a Sony A7iii and lately I’m thinking of buying a Batis 18 f2.8 and, perhaps, selling off the Sony 16-35 f4.
I’m not so sure about this trade. Ever since I got the a Loxia 21 I tend to use the 16-35 less but that doesn’t mean I am not saitsofried of it.
Should I get the Batis, I’d have a 18, a 21 and then the 24-105.
The 18mm would be more than enough for me as wide angle lens.
In the future I’d like to buy a A7r4 but not now.
In the past, when I had my Nikon system, I used my primes more than the zoom ones but the 16-45 f4 is so handy to carry around with me.
Thanks for sharing your opinion,
Fabrizio
It's a bit hard for me to advise you, as you know your shooting habits. All of the lenses you mention are very good.
@@DustinAbbottTWI you’re right, the 16-35 f4 is very good too. I think I’m going to put off buying the Batis and saving the money for the Loxia 50mm or the 35mm.
I love my Loxia 21mm and the sunstars it makes.
Excellent review, as always. I've been watching a lot of your lens reviews. That's my main reference when deciding to get one. I don't know if you have time to review the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5. I think it can be a competitor with this beautiful Loxia 21mm f/2.8
I've reviewed the 21mm F3.5 already. You can find my review by searching on my channel.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I couldn't find it. I found the 20mm f/3.5 SLII for nikon but I was looking for the sony E-mount version
Thank you Mr Abbott
Great video. One comment, for critical evaluations of resolution, which is something I and most photogs find valuable when considering a lens for purchase, you should be using test images focused at infinity because that’s where the performance of a wide angle lens intended for landscapes like the Loxia 21 will be optimized. Having said that, I doubt you’ll find much difference between infinity and your test distance you used here. Other lens, particularly wide zooms, focus distance this will very likely matter. Also vignetting and distortion are not all that important because it is so easily correctable in post processing as you showed. I actually like to add vignetting in some shots, like portraits, so it can even provide an a subjective aesthetic quality to some photos. On a technical note, vignetting is a trick employed by lens designers to increase resolution toward the extreme ends of the field of view by removing some fraction of the high order aberrations in the field. This clips the ray bundle into an almond or car eye shape. The cat eye bokeh that many reviewers notice in some lenses is caused by this vignetting. The Loxia 21 is on my a7rIi 90% of the time. In my experience, it’s the finest wide angle lens available for landscapes where resolution and color are critical. It’s also durable and a great size. It’s not all that light however, but lighter than zoom counterparts.
I typically shot tests at multiple distances, but the reality is that I find little difference between controlled tests at shorter distances and infinity tests. People say that lenses are optimized for certain focus distances as if that were true...but it's actually not.
Dustin, excellent review. In your upcoming episode some comments on the 21 Loxia in comparison to your 18 Batis test would be appreciated.
I'll make some comments in the final review, though a direct comparison isn't possible since I don't have the Batis on hand.
Thanks Dustin.
Hola Dustin how does it compare with against the 18 and 25 -2 Zeiss ? This two are very good ones
It has a little more wide open contrast than the 25mm and less distortion than the 18mm. The 18mm center is possibly sharper, but it's close. It's strong optically.
Excellent review and impressive little lens. Im using the 21mm ZE adapted on the A7R2. Any idea how the Loxia 21mm would compare to the venerable 21mm ZE ?
I think optically they are pretty similar, though the Loxia may have slightly better corner performance.
I love this little lens
Amazing sharp easy to use etc
There r lenses that are amazing but not easy
This feels good
Works well amd matches up with my other zeiss lenses well which means to me less post processing and i nnow the feel i am getting easier than non zeiss manuals
Love your work my friend
My final review is very positive. Expect it at the beginning of next week.
How would you compare this to the Sony 20mm f/1.8 in terms of just resolution and contrast? I’m considering one of them for a bit of street, landscapes and architecture. Might get the Sigma 14-24mm as well when I need something wider. I already got some Voigtländer manual focus lenses, so I don’t mind manually focusing, and I love the build of them.
The Sony is better up to F3.5 or so, but the Loxia is the stronger lens at small apertures in terms of absolute color and detail.
Dustin Abbott
Yeah, that’s what I imagined as well, and it’s great to get that confirmed. I do however think that I might go for the Voigtländer 21mm f/1.4 instead. I have heard from comparisons that the Loxia isn’t as good in the corners as the Voigtländer on the Sony a7R IV. It’s very good but not excellent to exceptional. The Voigtländer also got a faster maximum aperture, is about the same price and easier to grip when wanting to change lenses. I generally prefer the weight, size and physical look of the Zeiss, though. But Voigtländer ruined me, hehe. I’m not so sure. I love both. The Voigtländer is also hard to find on the markets I shop, whereas the Loxia can be found used as well
It looks like a much better performance than the voigtlander 20mm 3.5...how would you say they compare?
Voigtlander has a new version coming up, 1 st impression I had at the Photokina that it is great performer, even wide open... and corners are good as well
This lens blows the Voigt 20mm away optically (I own that lens), though the new version will probably be a different story.
Thank you Dustin!
You're welcome.!
I really like your reviews but would be nice if you explain how did you align the camera+lens to take the picture's wall and if you re-focus in the corners. I'm saying this because at that short distance if your setup is misaligned (or the lens has field curvature) then the result will be sub-optimal... thanks for sharing !
I understand your concerns, but I've done literally dozens of these type reviews and am pretty proficient at making sure that I cover the bases. I then take a lot of real world photos and verify my findings.
If you take real world photos after tests and it confirms results that's great. I like your reviews a lot.
hope to see a revwiew of the new 40 und 28 mm Art lenses and maybe a comparision of the 28mm Nikon with 28mm Sigma
I'll be reviewing the Sigma lenses, but I don't actually review Nikon. I don't own any Nikon bodies.
@@DustinAbbottTWI thank you
Any testing for astrophography? Compared for instance with the Batis of similar focal length, or perhaps the 24 1.4 GM?
I won't be doing the comparisons, but I did mention my plans regarding astro towards the end of the video.
Amazing lens optically, but comes with serious usability problems.
Changing lens (esp. with that tight rubber sealing) is challenge - i did workaround with two zip-ties around lens barrel + small drop of glue. Now it's much easier.
Also, hood is not fitting tight and even small rotation results in heavy vignetting. Workaround - add 2x ~6x20mm single-sided rubber strips, now it fits tight, but still easy to remove/change.
It's really strange how zeiss managed to do such optically nice lens but left over simple usability things.
You are definitely right about the lens hood not fitting as tightly as it should. I actually didn't even notice it initially, but over extended use (I still have all the lenses even though I've moved on to others in the series for review purposes), I've noticed that the locking of the lens hood isn't as definite as what I would like.