At BVE 2018 I stopped by the Zeiss booth to catch up with my friend Luke from Zeiss about their latest Loxia 25mm f2.4 for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras and the Milvus 25mm f1.4 for Canon/Nikon DSLRs and RED cameras.
Announced earlier in February, the wide-angle Zeiss Loxia 25mm f2.4 is the fifth member of the prestigious Loxia family of compact manual primes. The ZEISS Loxia lenses has been specially developed for the hugely popular Sony mirrorless full-frame cameras such as the Sony A7 III and A7R III.
Of course, it being a Sony E mount, video users can use the new Loxia 25mm f2.4 on the Sony FS5 and FS7 alike, as such pro camcorders can also benefit from the compact footprint and outstanding image quality paired with a solid all-metal design. The Loxia lenses have been also been popular with gimbal operators due to their small size and lightweight design.
Zeiss Milvus 25mm vs Loxia 25mm f2.4 Comparison
The mechanical focus and smooth aperture operation make them really suitable for video as well. Zeiss does include a small key, with which you can make the aperture stepless and then with a quick turn, you can return back to a “clicky” photography style iris operation. Much like the rest of the Loxia range (and the Milvus for that matter) the 25mm f2.4 Loxia features a blue gasket seal at the back to prevent moisture, dust and other debris from getting in during operation in adverse environments.
Many thanks to my Luke from Zeiss for the interview from BVE 2018 below.
Zeiss Loxia 25mm f2.4 Features
- Designed for Full-Frame sensors
- Sony E mount – great for Sony A7 III/A7RIII etc.
- Aperture Range: f/2.4 to f/22
- Distagon Optical Design
- 2 x Anomalous Partial Dispersion Elements
- 1 x Aspherical Element
- Zeiss T* Anti-Reflective Coating
- Manual Focus Design
- Manual Aperture can be de-clicked
- with a Zeiss provided tool
- All-Metal Barrel, Engraved Scales
- Weather-Resistant Lens Mount Gasket
- Price: $1,299 at B&H
- Available: March 2018
The Zeiss Milvus 25mm f1.4 on the other hand is a larger lens that has been designed primarily for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, and is available in those mounts, however it has frequently seeing use with RED cameras. It is a full-frame lens, which covers a slightly larger circle than FF, and is currently shipping at a price of $2399 USD.
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