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Compared: vs Zeiss ZM 35/2 and Sony 35/2.8 (Sony A7R, Red Barn)
The Sony A7R is a 36-megapixel mirrorless camera with a full-frame sensor incorporating micro lenses, which might be hoped to allay the ray angle issues that lead to color shading and excessive vignetting and loss of off-center sharpness.
35mm is a crossover focal length for performance on non-rangefinder cameras, the wider focal lengths tending to have impaired performance without a lot of stopping down.
This deeply 3D scene was chosen to give each lens a chance to show some strengths and weakness anticipated from past use. The 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH has some notable field curvature, while the Zeiss ZM 35mm f/2 Biogon offer a close to flat-field performance with near zero distortion.
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Diglloyd Guide to Leica is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 25 cents a day ($90/year).
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Diglloyd Guide to LEICA contains in-depth coverage of Leica M system cameras and lenses, with additional coverage of Leica M Monochrom, Leica Q.
Special emphasis is placed on Leica M lenses and certain Zeiss ZM lenses.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly the Summilux/Summicron/Elmarit choice and/or Zeiss ZM.
- Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning. Processing parameters are discussed and shown.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops [past 2 years or so].
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt as well as extensive blog coverage, for example on Leica.
Zeiss ZM 35/2 Biogon
Sony FE 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar ZA
(not to scale)
