Batis 18mm F2.8 as a wide angle lens for Sony video shooters?
If you have been like me, a run-and-gun shooter, you probably settled for a lightweight, affordable Sony FE 16 mm F2.8 pancake lens (or similar).
This lens has been my go-to lens because of weight, size and price. It allows mounting on gimbal and easily stored into your pocket when not in use.
However the image quality always irk me. Video quality is reasonable at F2.8 but the edges are your nick pick. I often wish the images are a little 'sharper'.
Why wouldn't I go for Sony 16-35 or 12-24?
Its because of size and weight. The size and weight discourages me from trying out. I think balancing on my small gimbal (Zhiyun Crane V2) would be a nightmare. And unless I get the G-Master F2.8, I would have to settle for F4. I know many YouTube Masters highly recommend this lenses (Sony 16-35 or 12-24).
What about Zeiss Batis?
I have avoided the Zeiss Series previously because of the price and the hype. Mainly because of the Hype. What could be better?
This was until I mounted the Batis 18mm F2.8 on my Sony a6300. The colors and sharpness were impressive that i had to spend time going through my settings to make sure I was seeing the correct things! The edge to edge sharpness is impressive (Coming from a SGD 300 lens to a SGD 2,000, we would certainly expect some major improvements).
While the difference between both lens is less obvious from a still grab, viewing the actual footage certainly make a lot of difference. I see a jump in sharpness and hence quality.
Am I excited? I certainly am.
I am going to shoot some footages the next few weeks to test this lens.
What about you? What is your wide angle lens w AF for Sony?
