My Updated 2020 review of the Zeiss Batis 18mm and Why I think it is the best wide angle lens for landscape photography

Step forward, the beast of all prime lenses. The Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 for Sony mirrorless cameras - a match made in heaven for us landscape photographers. But why do I claim it to be the best wide angle lens for landscape photography?

After using the ultra wide-angle Zeiss Batis 18mm F/2.8 for the full-frame Sony E-mount cameras for over four years now, it has hardly been off my camera. Loads of people have been asking about this lens, so I thought I'd post an honesty review talking about my experiences with this wide angle lens for landscape photography.

This was my first serious lens purchase back in 2017 and it's safe to say, adding the Batis 18mm to my collection was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It's survived the harsh elements down on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, performed incredibly well in the famous "Beast from the East" that saw temperatures plummet to -10 degrees, and is always my go-to lens for landscape photography.

The Specs

The Batis 18mm F/2.8 was the third lens in the Batis line to be released (after the hugely popular Batis 25mm F/2 and Batis 85mm F/1.8) and carries with it the premium autofocus system, weather sealed body and Distagon optics - giving it 11 lens elements in 10 groups. 

• Diameter: 100mm (Lens Hood Attached)

• Weight: 330g

• Length: 80mm

• Filter Diameter: 77mm

• Field of View: 99 degrees

• Aperture Blades: 9 (Rounded)

• Elements/Groups: 11/10

• Close Focusing Distance: 0.25mm

• Mount: Sony-E

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Real World Performance

Build Quality

There's not much more to say other than the Zeiss Batis 18mm is built like a tank. The housing is made from metal (although the lens hood is made from plastic but I've never used it for landscape photography) and add to that the dust and weatherproofing properties, it's a pretty robust lens when paired with the Sony A7iii - even more so if you were to pair it with a Sony A7riii or its predecessor. It is a big lens, I mean it kind of dwarfs the small, mirrorless body but let me tell you, it's seriously light (330g) which considering how well it's made, is pretty remarkable - big thumbs up to Zeiss! 

Focusing

Auto-focusing is a pleasure with the Batis, it's fast, accurate and due to the extremely wide field of view, it's easy to get the whole landscape into focus. Even stepping all the way down to F/2.8 the focus is spot on and performs well in high-contrast situations. Although, I very rarely use this in auto and 99% of the time have it set to manual focus for when I'm doing landscape photography. The digital distance scale is great for when you are in a rush (I'm pretty sure we have all made that mad last minute dash for sunset) and is especially useful when doing astrophotography. I have reliably found that focusing to the first point of infinity can pretty much guarantee everything in frame will be in focus - although I'm a bit of a pixel peeper so will always zoom in to ensure I've nailed that focus. 

Sharpness

Like most other landscape photographers, one thing we want in a wide angle lens is sharpness. Well, let me tell you, the Batis 18mm is seriously sharp. Images simply POP off the screen, and landscape prints look phenomenal. There is superb sharpness across the entire frame, even from the maximum aperture of F/2.8 although, pushing it past F/16 and you can start to see the diffraction taking a toll - therefore, I'd always recommend shooting between F/8 and F/11 for maximum sharpness across frame (if you are of course shooting landscapes that is).

In some situations, where you are low down and focusing on a subject very close in the foreground, it's near impossible to get everything in focus and pin-sharp. In those situations, I'll always focus stack. Just focus on your foreground, and snap, focus in the middle of the frame, and snap, then focus to infinity, and snap. Then open all the files as layers in photoshop and mask out the areas I want sharp - this is the only way to ensure everything in frame is completely in focus.

Sample Images

All the images below have been taken with my Sony A7ii and Zeiss Batis 18mm - all purchased with my own money, no bias opinion here just an honest review for what I believe, is one of the best wide angle lenses for landscape photography.

Conclusion

You may have already guessed that I'm a big fan of the Zeiss Batis 18mm. I can honestly say that in my eyes, this is the best ultra wide-angle lens for landscape photography, especially when paired natively with the Sony E-Mount system. Using it on my old Sony A7ii body was great but in all honestly, it came into a world of its own when paired with the monster sensor on my new Sony A7riii and captures SO much detail.

Although some landscape photographers prefer to have the holy trinity of zoom lenses, with their wide angle being the 16-35mm, going for a prime lens is so much more rewarding. You have to think ahead, move your feet, work your composition and although this takes time, you are rewarded with an incredibly sharp image that pops with life and colour.

Now, to finish things off, here's a quick overview of my personal pro's and con's to the Zeiss Batis 18mm F/2.8:

Zeiss Batis 18mm F/2.8 - The Good:

• Incredible sharpness and contrast across the frame

• Easy to manual focus

• Extremely durable

Zeiss Batis 18mm F/2.8 - The Not So Good:

• Fairly expensive (£1169 at time of review)

• Strong vignetting at wide aperture - easily fixed with Lightroom

That's it, seriously, the only downside I can think of for this lens is the price, and that's just because I'm not used to spending so much on camera gear. For anyone serious about there photography and especially for those looking to shoot landscapes, architecture or astrophotography, it's a serious investment that is well worth the price tag - massive thumbs up to the team at Zeiss for creating such a great lens. 

Final Verdict - 5/5 (Solid Performance and Highly Recommended)

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