p.1 #1 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
Hello guys,
today, I shot a little comparison between these two lenses. Although these are no obvious competitors, I was wondering which one I take in a landscape kit with the Loxia 21mm f/2.8 (still waiting for it).
The comparison was shot with the A7R on a tripod with self timer, the crops show 100%-views directly exported out of Lightroom without any further sharpening.
The exposures were equal, but you can see the influence of the dawn here, it's getting dark so fast here in Germany The Contax-zoom seems to be slightly longer at 55mm than the Sony.
First the complete image:
The center looks pretty equal at all apertures to me:
The outer partway is surprisingly good on the Contax, again a close one, maybe a draw:
The 55mm f/1.8 shows an impressive quality in the extreme corners but the Contax nearly catches up at f/8:
Actually, the Contax surprised me here. It delivers even on the demanding 36 MPx-Sensor of the A7R and shows nearly flawless f/8-performance. Now i just need to decide, if I prefer nearly perfect IQ at f/4 or the flexibility of the Zoom.
p.1 #2 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
Thanks for the comparison. I'd love to have the Contax 35-70 as I've heard it's this good. Your post seems to support that. I have the Contax 35, 50, and 85 and love them all.
p.1 #5 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
Another very good (some say even better) Contax zoom is the 28-85 Vario Sonnar. I tried both and kept the 28-85 over the 35-70 due to wider range and equal performance.
p.1 #6 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
DougVaughn wrote:
I have the Contax 35, 50, and 85 and love them all.
Jannik Peters wrote:
Just give it a try It has an interesting push-pull mechanism with 2 extensions. You have to get used to it, but then it's not a problem.
I heard that the zoom is better than the 35mm and the 50mm primes in terms of sharpness.
In my experience, the 35-70/3.4 is better at common apertures than the CZ 35/2.8, 50/1.4, and 50/1.7. The CZ Distagon 28/2.8 is also very nice, but I replaced mine with the SMC Pentax 28/2, which is sharper in the corners at common apertures and goes to f/2.
p.1 #7 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
Next part: Sharpness Comparison Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM vs. Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA
Whole image with the test spots:
Center:
Outer partway:
Corner:
My thoughts about it:
The center looks equal on both lenses. The Contax beats the Sony on the outer partway, so I guess there is a little midzone dip on the FE 35mm f/1.4. The Corners look clearly better on the FE 35mm f/1.4. The Contax catches up at f/11. Before that, it is softer, has chromatic aberrations and also spherical? aberrations.
To me, the Contax 35-70mm seems to have more macro- and microcontrast, too.
The FE 35mm is slightly wider than the Contax 35-70mm @35mm, it looks also much warmer in the color renderition.
p.1 #8 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
Thank you for the comparison. The C/Y 35-70mm is an excellent 50mm! better than my C/Y 1.7 50mm and Pentax M 1.7 50mm. Only my C/Y 2.8 60mm Macro is on the same level.
p.1 #9 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
Jannik Peters wrote:
The center looks equal on both lenses. The Contax beats the Sony on the outer partway, so I guess there is a little midzone dip on the FE 35mm f/1.4. The Corners look clearly better on the FE 35mm f/1.4. The Contax catches up at f/11. Before that, it is softer, has chromatic aberrations and also spherical? aberrations.
35mm is supposedly the weakest FL on the 35-70, and on my copy that is certainly true. It needs f8 to be good, and the extreme corners still benefit from f11. It's still a great lens even at 35mm though and 50-70mm I find it exceptional.
p.1 #10 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
I really enjoy the 35-70. I often leave it behind and take primes, but then whenever I think about selling it and put it in the bag, it reminds me of why I keep it. It has a really lovely drawing style with good contrast and lovely color rendition. I find it works really well for landscapes tho it is fiddly when using circular polarizing filters. I focus wide open and then stop down to shooting aperture--F8 except at 35mm when I usually use F11. Here are some random pics with this lens:
p.1 #12 · Sharpness comparison between Contax 35-70mm f/3.4 T* MM and Sony FE lenses
Strong contender for best 3D mid zoom ever made. Extraordinary colour/contrast integration, low acutance-high micro-contrast, ultra flat field. This one was an old school (Contarex era) design, even upon release. Often hard/slow to use, definitely not much of a walkaround option. Almost always worth the effort.
The Contax-zoom seems to be slightly longer at 55mm than the Sony. 
