I hate to sound like a Debbie Downer (and this has nothing to do with the OP's photos), but this lens leaves me feeling disappointed. There doesn't appear to be that 3D "pop" that you get with something like a Canon 85L II f1.2. Obviously there's a bit of a difference in apertures between the two lenses and I know that Zeiss is trying to keep their lenses lightweight and compact, but image quality suffers as a result.
What do you mean with "suffers"? The 85/1.2 is just soft wide open in my experience. Put it behind a 50MP sensor and it shows. The Batis is incredibly sharp, so I could use Gaussian blur to achieve the same Canon softness if I like. I like the Batis IQ a lot. For a full body portraits we use a 70-200/2.8 or 135/2, for example, but for half-body to head shots the Batis is excellent and all we want. It focuses quickly and reliably (eye-AF is great), with the 85/1.2 it is a hit and miss, further it is very slow to focus, imo, when I tried it.
Between the two Batis lenses, I'm actually more impressed with what they were able to achieve with the 25mm. Hopefully a 135mm will eventually be released (hopefully announced in early January 2016), which will give me that 3D "pop" I'm looking for. Does anyone else feel the same about the 85mm Batis?
No.
I haven't shot with a Batis 85... Just seen other people's photos on Flickr, etc. I have, however, shot with an 85L II and analyzed photos taken with Nikon's 85mm f1.4 lens by well-respected wedding photographers. Those images have a "pop," and by that I mean that the subject appears to be on a completely different plane than the background. Much of that may have to do with micro contrast. When I see photos taken with the Batis, the background is blurred but the subject does not seem to have much separation with the background. I'm sure I could achieve the look I'm looking for in post, but the lens does not seem to have what I'm looking for "baked in."
My comments are in no way meant to disparage people who love and own a Batis 85. Different strokes for different folks, as they say. After all, Rangefinder magazine just listed the Batis 85 as their lens of the year (or most recommended, or something to that effect). So clearly there are a lot of people who enjoy what this lens brings to the table. I just don't share that same sentiment.
And I know the Canon/Nikon 85mm lenses are much larger and heavier than the Batis, but I didn't come here to make comparisons in terms of size and weight. I merely wanted to focus on the rendering of the various lenses. I'd obviously love it if I could get a lens that renders the way I want but wirh a size and weight that is comparable to a Batis 85.
