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Shootout vs Zeiss Loxia 50/2: Spuller Lake View to Mt Conness (Sony A7R II, Bad Sample of Sony 50/1.4)
This far distance comparison is extremely demanding of any lens, with infinity focus tending to reveal any latent lens asymmetries as well as field curvature effects and across-the-frame performance. As it turns out, this comparison hits the nail on the head in all these areas.
Deja vu headache: the Sony 50mm f1.4 ZA has a skew problem of exactly the same character as seen with two samples of its 35mm f/1.4 ZA sibling. Discussion follows, and the crops and large image sizes show the problem painfully clearly. How does a lens make it into a shipping box like this? It’s so clear what the solution is: have a test that checks even for MTF in four symmetric outer zones. But maybe that is done and this lens “meets spec”—the reader can judge with his/her own eyes as to the severity of the issue.
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Diglloyd Guide to Mirrorless is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 25 cents a day ($90/year).
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Diglloyd Guide to Mirrorless offers comprehensive integrated coverage of most APS-C and full frame mirrorless cameras and lenses.
Special emphasis is placed on Sony full-frame, including Sony lenses and the high performance Zeiss Batis and Zeiss Loxia lenses plus Rokinon/Samyang and others. Fujifilm X, Olympus and Panasonic M4/3, Sigma dp Merrill and dp/sd Quattro are also covered in depth. Years in the making, it offers a wealth of material for choosing and using a mirrorless camera.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away. For example, the best way to set up your Sony camera.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly with the numerous lenses available for Sony.
- Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning—best practices and how-to and 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.
- 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.
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