DannyBurkPhoto Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Thanks again for everyone's comments. I've finished testing, and I agree with all that's been said. This is an amazingly good lens, and I've decided to keep it. Sadly, the Voigtlander 12 and 15 must go, since I don't really see a good reason to keep all of them.
No problem at all with FBW on this lens, and therefore a huge plus for me. Manual focus is very smooth and precise, just as Fred commented. I suppose that I'll have to check its auto focus to be sure that it works, then the switch goes back to manual again.
Compared to the 12 and 15 Voigt, center sharpness is virtually identical. In favor of the 12-24, the ends are sharper, and CA is almost non-existent. Corners are basically matched, unlike reports on so many other Sony lenses; there is a touch of softness and blur, as one would expect, but better in every case than the 2 Voigts and the Canon 16-35/4. Vignetting is much less than the Voigts.
On infrared, the Sony wins on nearly every point. Vignetting on the Voigts is severe (more so than with visible light); in the Voigts, the 12 has a gentle but noticeable hotspot, whereas the 15 has a much more noticeable, small, and sharp-edged spot by the time f/11 is reached. The Sony does have more noticeable hotspotting than the Canon 16-35/4, but it's gentle and gradual, and easily fixed with a layer mask. The ends and corners are noticeably sharper with the Sony compared to the Canon. The latter has considerably more contrast in IR images direct from the camera; I haven't yet compared processing for this, but I don't expect it to be a problem. In some cases, it could be a benefit since the Canon's files will readily blow out whites if overexposed.
I haven't compared other lenses in the range; my Loxia 21 isn't going anywhere, and I expect to give it priority as long as it's in the bag. But overall, I'm delighted with the Sony and glad that I decided to give it a try.
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