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Sony Zeiss f/4 E-Mount zoom shoot out

Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f4 FE on the Sony A7 and the Sony Zeiss 16-70mm f4 on the Sony A6000. As my third camera is infrared converted you can see deeper into the lenses than normal.


It's apples to oranges, but an interesting taste test as both cameras are 24mp and the zooms cover very similar focal ranges. When applicable also compared the Sony 10-18mm f4 and 16-50mm pz kit lens. All shot on a tripod, AF-S on the barn and electronic front shutter curtan on. OSS off and no lens corrections on, although Sony applies some CA removal to the raw files. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw with matching white balance. Shot in aperture priority mode to see how the cameras deal with each lens in real world conditions.

The general internet feel for the 24-70mm f4 FE is that it's stunning in the center but lacking in the corners at 24mm and doesn't improve by stopping down. My real world use confirms this, it's a stunning lens from 30-60mm, a rather narrow range. From all I've read the Sony 16-70mm f4 is more loved but suffers from quality control issues, often having a soft corner.


The whole scene at 16mm f/4. Interesting how the A7 sensor looks considerably different than the A6000 with all of them set to Daylight WB in ACR.
  • 10-18 f4
  • 16-50 f4
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  • 24-70 f4
10-18 f41 16-50 f42 16-70 f43 24-70 f44
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Center crops from each at f/4.
  • 01 10-18 f4
  • 02 16-70 f4
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  • 24-70 f4
01 10-18 f41 02 16-70 f42 03 16-50 f43 24-70 f44
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I find the Sony 10-18mm and Sony Zeiss 16-70mm remarkably similar, the PZ 16-50 notably softer and the acuity on the 24-70 FE highest. It appears Sony took the PZ strategy with the 24-70 FE, making it wider than the marked focal length and then cropping to alleviate the heavy vignetting.



 
 
 
 






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