Shootout: Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS vs Zeiss Loxia 85mm f/2.4, on Sony A7R III with Pixel Shift
Related: digital sensor, pixel shift, Sony, Sony A7R, Sony A7R II, Sony A7R III, Sony FE, Sony FE 24-105mm f/4, Sony Lenses, Sony mirrorless, Sony Pixel Shift, true-color sensor or image, Zeiss, Zeiss Lenses, Zeiss Loxia, Zeiss Loxia 85mm f/2.4 Sonnar, Zeiss mirrorless lenses
See my Sony wish list and get Sony A7R III and Zeiss Loxia at B&H Photo.
This shootout at 85mm looks at the Sony 24-105mm f/4 G OSS vs the Zeiss Loxia 85mm f/2.4.
All frames were shot on the 42-megapixel Sony A7R III in pixel shift mode for maximum quality—with pixel shift, even subtle differences in imaging quality pop out, and diffraction is even more of a factor at f/11 than without pixel shift.
The subject matter is a planar target that gives many lenses (well, most) at best a passing grade, but rarely an 'A'. It is a very difficult challenge for a lens because it not only mercilessly reveals any symmetry issues, but the target is also planar (flat), so field curvature can wreak havoc with mid/edge/corner sharpness.
Shootout: Sony 24-105/4G OSS vs Zeiss Loxia 85mm f/2.4 (Mosaic)
Includes images from f/2.4 (f/4) through f/11 at up to full camera resolution, with commentary and large crops.
The results here should leave no doubt why I prefer shooting primes on Sony, particularly the Zeiss Loxia series.
The image is off-level but the A7R III claimed it was level. Measuring in Photoshop shows that it is off only 0.8°. Cameras of all brands generally have very poor leveling indicators with ±1% accuracy at best—not good at all.
Sony A7R III + Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 @ 82mm
[low-res image for bot]
