Well, it’s official, I’m now a Zeiss guy. Er, well, at least I’ve gotten a brief chance to use one of their highly-touted optics. Up for near-future review is the brand-new Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8, a fast “normal” lens for Sony E-mount and Fuji X-mount mirrorless cameras. I wouldn’t even consider this post a “first-impressions”, as I typically write, because I have only shot with it for about 20 minutes so far. The weather today hasn’t exactly been kind for photography either; one minute the winds are blowing too hard to keep flowers still, the next it’s a torrential downpour, and the next the bright sun washes out any color. Not too happy about that.
Despite this, I can list with confidence three aspects of the lens that have already stood out: 1. The image quality is, so far, at least as good as my Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS, 2. Build quality is absolutely top-notch, and 3. Focusing is extremely noisy, a bit slow, and external (i.e. the center unit moves in and out to focus). No formal tests yet, just some quick photographs around the house. Take a look at the unboxing video below, and there’ll be more in an “actual” first impressions post soon!
Wicker
32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/30
Bee and Clover
32mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/2000
Sunny Drops
32mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/2500
And now for the video. Unfortunately, due to slow internet, this video will be viewable by about 6 a.m. EST:
That’s all for this quick look at the new Touit, guys and gals. Thanks for dropping by! Hopefully I can get my internet sped up soon so the accompanying videos to posts won’t bottleneck my workflow. 😉
Matthew Durr Photography 
I just got my Touit 12/2.8 and 32/1.8 yesterday afternoon and so far I am excited. Focus is a lot noisier than with my Sony lenses, but I don’t shoot video so its a non-issue.
I will take the 12/2.8 out tomorrow and see what it can do on the NEX7.
Yeah! Hope to feature you soon!
One disappointment I have immediately is the quality of the lens hoods and front caps, especially on the 12mm. The caps on the 32 isn’t bad, but on the 12 it falls out of the filter threads with the slightest provocation. The hood on the 12 is as big as it can be without causing vignetting, but it doesn’t lock very securely and is of flimsy construction. The hood on the 32 again looks and feels a bit better, locks securely, but is still cheap plastic. Compared to the Sony Zeiss 24/1.8 Sonnar the Touit lenses look and feel a bit cheaper and the hoods are nowhere near the beautiful plastic and metal petal-type that comes with the 24 Sonnar.
I did take a few pictures with the 12 this morning and am optimistic, though I didn’t have a scene or lighting worthy of of such a lens. I’ll see what it looks like when I get home from work and can put it on a large monitor.
I haven’t heard much in the way of the 12mm (nor have I looked at/handled one), but I’m surprised to hear the difference between the two. Zeiss learned from the 24mm f/1.8 in the design of (at least) the 32mm by shaving weight off in any way they can. If that means a plastic hood and some polymer construction in the lens, so be it. Though I would love to see more metal (like their recent Z lenses for SLR cameras) in everything, even the lightest metals would throw balance off completely. Everything’s a compromise with mirrorless. 🙂
And take your time making some shots with that 12mm, I’d love to see what you can do with that ultra-wide.
I had a chance to play with both Touit lenses a month or so ago.
I am sure that if I decide to stick with APS-C / Nex then I will be buying both, budget permitting. The big question is, will there be a FF Nex and how good is it.
A good question. The rear element on the Zeiss is a lot bigger than the Sony, it could be FF compatible. Then again, I’m just speculating. 😛
I rather doubt that it is FF compatible, based on what I’ve heard.
Oh I know. I’m really just dreaming. But hey, that’d be pretty cool if it was. Hehe.
Matthew, I’m also shooting with a NEX 7 and the 35mm Sony lens. Here’s a request for some side by side comparison between the Zeiss and the Sony.
Hey there Dan, I’ve already got side-by-side product shots ready to go. 🙂 I can already tell I like the Zeiss more than the Sony. Just not sure if I like it $450 more.
Yeah, it looks like a really nice lens. What I meant was side-by-side image comparison. You also mentioned the center moving when focusing. Did you mean the focus ring? Great start. I can’t wait to see the rest of your thoughts.
Oh, I’ll try to do that as well with a real-world scene if possible (if nothing else, my trusty test chart). And no, I mean their is a center optical unit that moves in and out when focusing. The (amazingly comfortable) focus ring stays put.
Makes sense. I just haven’t seen that on a native e-mount lens.
When can we expect a full review? 🙂
In a perfect world (good photographic weather, lots of free time, etc.) I could get a first impressions out by tonight/tomorrow, and a full review by Friday. Tentatively, I’m shooting for having the full review ready by next weekend. 🙂
I took both Touits (and the Sonnar 24/1.8E) to a local park yesterday. Boring scenes, but these lenses are VERY sharp and the 12 is extremely well-corrected for distortion.
I’ve never owned anything this wide before and my skills are sorely lacking in the handling of such a beast, but the optical quality is definitely there and as I master this thing I am expecting it to become a favorite.
The hood and lens cap still suck though. Just ordered a Sony-brand front cap which should hold with more tension. The hood, while flimsy, does offer about the best protection from flare that you could hope for on a 99 degree angle lens.
Good to hear about the 12mm. Unfortunately the 32mm has noticeable barrel distortion. Interesting considering it is neither a particularly fast lens, nor a “unique” focal length.
As always, look forward to hearing more, and let those good scenes happen in front of your lens. 🙂 Nice thinking with getting another cap, I would have done the same.
Really? I shot a few pictures at the park with the 32 alongside the 12 (and the old Sony Zeiss 24/1.8) and didn’t really notice any barrel distortion in the 32. There is some in the 12, but that is to be expected and it is quite minor by wideangle standards.
Yeah, I haven’t done a brick wall test yet, but one shot I made with a straight line required about a +7 correction, much more than a “normal” prime should require. P.S. First impressions are up.
Thanks for a great review! I read that a protective filter is advisable for this lens as the front group moves in and out as it focuses. I also read a complaint by someone who said his 52mm B+W filter did not screw in all the way. Have you had any experiences using filters with this Touit 32mm 1.8?
Thanks! I’m glad you found the review informative. I am not a big fan of filters, especially UV filters. Though I can see their merit for protection of the front element, I always use lens hoods anyway, which protect the front element AND increase contrast. I have only used a ND filter from B+W on the Zeiss a few times, and it screws in just fine and works very well. Must be a misthreaded sample you read about.