When Zeiss announced their Batis line of Sony FE mount lenses with AF and interesting Oled readouts, I was impressed. As you would expect from Zeiss, the build quality on lens is exceptional. The lens feels great in the hands and looks spectacular mounted to the front of my Sony a7RII.  the last weekend had a chance going a company business treats to Chiang Mai Thailand. Its was my lucky day to come to Northern Thailand were various. Yes, I was somehow looking to rediscover Chiang Mai which I had visited 3 times already 10 years back. I wanted to see if the city was still as relaxed and beautiful as I remembered it and I sure wanted to find some cool like-minded people with big heart and big smile. At Wachirathan Waterfall i bumped into a Thai monk in the sangha world of Thailand. Monk always carry a piece of cloth to avoid contact with the opposite sex as a male of conduct and the moment i met was even more interesting , he carries a brady reddot. I feel honored that he welcomed my interest when i approached him and  we talk and talked about our common interest ie; photography.

No matter what your desire, I think you should pay this city a visit. The food is scrumptious, the markets big and colourful and the city surrounding boasts its nature. I also think people are more friendly and genuine here. In 4 days in the city i met new great photographer friends from different country. its talking like 'chiken and ducks', the language barrier do not stop us from sharing the same freaking crazy activity of taking photos - Local Photog from Chiang Rai you guys ROCK!. The crazy Russian videographer talked about timelapse magic latern also canon fanboy :p , who had traveled from Bolivia & Republic Chech etc.

Iphone 6Plus photograph by aifa

a7RII FE16-35/4

a6000 Batis 25/2  1/750 F8 ISO400 Handheld 5 image stitch panorama

Doi Inthanon National Park, nicknamed "The Roof of Thailand", is in the Thanon Thong Chai Range, Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. It includes Doi Inthanon, the country's highest mountain. Sits here. Braving 100km winding road, extremely cold weather, steep cliffs, not forgetting the mosquitoes attack while waiting for the sunset simply pays off with this shot.

Sunset at King and Queen Pagodas, Doi Inthanon National Park

a7RII FE16-35/4 Lee Filters CPL 105mm

The streets and byways of Chiang Mai teem with abundant wonders. Vibrant temples, markets, and cuisine beckon your attention. Some sights will make you laugh and smile. Others bring a tear to the eye. All will deeply impress your mind. The famous Night Bazaar opens seven days a week and draws thousands of visitors every night. If you’re looking for handicraft items, it is recommendable to visit the saturday or sunday night walking street for better quality ones. Many local and international restaurants are clustered around the market area, some with live music and traditional Thai dancers.

Night Bazaar with a7RII Batis 25/2

 1/125 F2 ISO160 

Oh God! After all the hectic day I just like to take deep sleep 

 a7RII Batis 25/2  1/125 F6.7 ISO100

 Thailand Traditional Dance Performance

a7RII Batis 85/1.8 1/200 F2.8 ISO320

 The Night Seller

a7RII Batis 85/1.8

a7RII Batis 25/2

a7RII Batis 85/1.8

Bokeh

a7RII Batis 85/1.8 1/250 F1.8 ISO100

The Kayan Tribe Long Neck Women 

a7RII Batis 85/1.8 1/200 F2.8 ISO2000

Final Thoughts about Batis 85/1.8 & 25/2

Just about gear head the last 6 years back am using canon system before jump ship 99% into sony system. reminder all of you need to make the choices about what delivers final print size, the weight of the camera, the feel of the camera when working with it and possibly even the glass and system you presently own. 100% recommend the Batis lenses, but I would say that as a photographer using the sony  lines you have choices and those choices should be factored in when determining which lens you need.

I didn't had issues slow AF with both lenses especially the batis 85/1.8 a bit slow but u have to change the inside menu a7RII (Fast Focus AF) to me its fine and gets a few times to get used the understand the behavior of lenses. The 85mm Batis lens is a hard one for me to justify, as the canon 85/1.2 II lens I own before fully jumpship into sony is so incredible ‘bokeh’. The differences will be mainly seen in the Bokeh of the lens but that may not be as noticeable as you’d expected but term of sharpness the batis lens its superb combo. I don’t shoot a lot of portrait anymore but if you do, then the Batis would be a no brainer 2^nd choice after the brady heavy expensive Sony 85/1.4 GM.  I’d go as far and say it is the perfect portrait lens.

The focal length like 21 to 25mm this lens is my favorite all the times and it will be the first lenses I purchase. It is light and looks and feels great on the camera. The Batis 2/25 surprised me with extraordinary sharpness across the whole frame right from open aperture in a compact, lightweight housing. At f/2.0 you may have to correct some vignetting and some chromatic aberration (CA) but these almost disappear already when you stop down 2 step to f/4. Thanks to its wide aperture and close focus, it provides additional options to play with shallow depth of field and shows a pleasing 'bokeh' not available when using wide angle zoom lenses.

talk less, think more, work harder