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Archive 2015 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

tsdevine
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

So I had done a shootout on the a7R with various lenses a little while back.

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1339476

Since then I've picked up an a7R II, a different Pentax, and added an Olympus 28mm f/3.5 to the mix as well. I dropped the FE 16-35 since it's not legacy...but no arguing that it's very good.

So right to it, here's the first comparison at f/5.6. Focus was on the right side of the porch roof where it attaches to the mansion.

A few comments. I have another (quite a few others actually) Pentax that gives more depth of field in the foreground, but it then suffers somewhat on the edges. I chose the copy I have that tends to show a little flatter depth of field (less field curvature.) My copy of the Zeiss 28mm f/2.8 in C/Y mount is soft in the lower right corners. I'd love to get it fixed if I new a good place to send it.

Also note that the SooC JPEGs I post are in Adobe RGB, contrast -2, neutral style.

Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-s @ f/5.6

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Olympus 28mm f/3.5 @ f/5.6

Full Size
SooC Full Size

SMC Pentax 28mm f/3.5 @ f/5.6 (original K mount, not the Takumar or Pentax-M)

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Zeiss C/Y Distagon 28mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Sharpening, contrast, and exposure in post was consistent across all processed images (at least sharpening and contrast...it's possible I tweaked exposure slightly.) The only think I monkeyed with was color balance. Color balance between the Pentax and Zeiss is exactly the same. I had to make changes for the Nikon and Olympus though.

All these were shot tripod mounted, 2 second timer, etc. Relatively controlled.

I didn't crop little sections to compare, frankly I've found that lenses can vary across the frame and it really isn't fair to single out certain sections. It can often make one lens look better than another, even if in other parts of the frame things may be opposite.

I'll post the f/8 and f/11 apertures over the next day or so. I also have wide open for the f/3.5 lenses and f/2.8 and f/4 for the f/2.8 lenses (if someone really wants me to post them.)

-Tim

Nov 22, 2015 at 04:56 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Here we go @ f/8...

Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-s @ f/8

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Olympus 28mm f/3.5 @ f/8

Full Size
SooC Full Size

SMC Pentax 28mm f/3.5 @ f/8 (original K mount, not the Takumar or Pentax-M)

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Zeiss C/Y Distagon 28mm f/2.8 @ f/8

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Edited on Nov 22, 2015 at 07:34 PM · View previous versions

Nov 22, 2015 at 06:10 PM

uhoh7
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Please, no offense....

The house is one plane, an angle. The edges and all corners are at totally different distances, and everything is short of well short of infinity. Focus is where?

I would love to see these lenses in a situation where they could really be judged. I'll be very tedious here and show my standard test view:

canon_35_2_f2 by unoh7, on Flickr

Not perfect, by any means, I have only one corner and it's a bit closer, but still pretty far off. Also , I can't judge centering. But for edges it's pretty good.

Don't you have any hill tops, or roof tops with a view? Something to get the foreground away?

I'm sure I'll get a hard time for this complaint, after all it's a very pleasant shot, and you are taking the trouble to make equal frames etc. Even a tripod, which I don't use. Thank You, seriously.

But someday........

Nov 22, 2015 at 06:32 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

I don't often shoot scenic views here where I live on the east coast. While there are mountains (hills by most people's standards), there isn't much interesting to look at (compared to your example.) Most of my shooting involves some subject, usually not at infinity. So for me, this is a better test of how these lenses perform in situations that I find myself shooting most of the time. They are usually shot at an angle, and some things are closer and further away across the frame, etc. I value a lens that can keep much of the frame inside the depth of field while maintaining reasonable sharpness across the frame. So think of it as an intimate landscape shot.

I can understand your point though, and ultimately the value gained from looking at these may small.....in which case this thread will die a merciful death.

I did say where the focus point was, it was the right side of the porch roof where it attached to the house. It was slightly short of infinity on all the lenses by the way.

I knew going in when I posted these, that ultimately someone wouldn't be happy. But I figured they would just move along. I can try to find something more to your liking, but it will probably take too much effort. Finding a nice spot, with something interesting, and taking the time to setup all the shots is probably more than I'm willing to do (unfortunately.) Unless you want to fly me out to a nice location? I'm all game for that.

If anyone is interested, I'll post the f/11 shots, just let me know and I will.

-Tim

Edited on Nov 22, 2015 at 10:44 PM · View previous versions

Nov 22, 2015 at 06:57 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

What aperture was that shot at? It looks pretty soft except the central portion, and that's at a pretty small web viewing size.

-Tim

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:01 PM

jharter
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

They all look pretty good to me. Did any of them stand out to you?

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:05 PM

Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Tim, do you have the FE 28/2? For some reason, I thought you had that lens. It would be interesting to see it in the mix.

I think we all likely test subject matter that suits our typical shooting style/ subject matter. I find this particular shot very useful myself, particularly compared to, for example, a shot that has only sky in the top corners and with a lot of the frame in backlit shadow showing little real detail...but that's just me.

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:05 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Well, I was quite surprised with the Olympus at f/5.6 as it seems to have more depth of field at that aperture than the others. It doesn't have quite the pop though, probably due to the single coating. I generally shoot at f/8 or smaller apertures, but in prior posts people were interested in f/5.6 so I posted them.

The Olympus is really good at f/8 too, but the same comments above apply. I wish I had a better sample of the Zeiss, as I wonder how well it wold perform if it were properly centered.

At the end of the day, I'll probably be shooting the Pentax. I have to say though the Olympus is pretty compelling though. I'd most likely shoot it at f/8 where as with the Pentax I'd pick f/11.

-Tim

jharter wrote:
They all look pretty good to me. Did any of them stand out to you?

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:14 PM

DavidBM
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

I can give some rough comments about how the Olympus 38 3.5 compares with the FE...

The Oly is better in the extreme corners at all apertures that are shared except f3.5. But then its one of the best performing in the corners wides ever made.

The Sony has better central resolution at all apertures shared, and much better contrast. It's no slouch in the corners stopped down.

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:19 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Thanks Tariq, I almost pulled the trigger when there was that bizarre Amazon Italy sale a little while back. But I have the Batis 25, so already have a good fast WA lens. I wonder myself, maybe I'll rent one at some point to see how it compares. Since I don't need speed, it's hard to beat the Pentax. I paid $76 shipped for the Pentax (and a K1000 that was included.) The Oly was really cheap too, I think under $100.

-Tim

Tariq Gibran wrote:
Tim, do you have the FE 28/2? For some reason, I thought you had that lens. It would be interesting to see it in the mix.

I think we all likely test subject matter that suits our typical shooting style/ subject matter. I find this particular shot very useful myself, particularly compared to, for example, a shot that has only sky in the top corners and with a lot of the frame in backlit shadow showing little real detail...but that's just me.

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:21 PM

Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

DavidBM wrote:
I can give some rough comments about how the Olympus 38 3.5 compares with the FE...

The Oly is better in the extreme corners at all apertures that are shared except f3.5. But then its one of the best performing in the corners wides ever made.

The Sony has better central resolution at all apertures shared, and much better contrast. It's no slouch in the corners stopped down.

Yeah, I figured the corners of the FE 28/2 suffer due to the amount of digital correction that lens requires. I just wasn't sure how much compared to the others Tim has tested (all of which I have owned or own so I'm familiar with their performance).

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:24 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

That aligns with what I see in the Oly shots, which is probably why I favor the Pentax a little more as it has a little more pop and is sharp most everywhere (except the extreme corners.)

I imagine I'll pickup the FE 28 at some point though.

-Tim

DavidBM wrote:
I can give some rough comments about how the Olympus 38 3.5 compares with the FE...

The Oly is better in the extreme corners at all apertures that are shared except f3.5. But then its one of the best performing in the corners wides ever made.

The Sony has better central resolution at all apertures shared, and much better contrast. It's no slouch in the corners stopped down.

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:26 PM

RustyBug
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Tim,

Nice comps. Nice to be able to see the Pentax thrown in the mix ... having the other three already.

+1 @ Zone A vs. Zone B vs. Zone C and the distribution a given mfr will give to the diff zones. If I want centrally sharp image / subject, I grab for the Nikon. Otherwise, I tend to lean toward my C/Y or Oly for across the frame corners. Depends a bit on if I'm shooting infinity vs. near field components too. The PK looks like it holds up across the frame.

Edited on Nov 22, 2015 at 07:38 PM · View previous versions

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:28 PM

Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

tsdevine wrote:
Thanks Tariq, I almost pulled the trigger when there was that bizarre Amazon Italy sale a little while back. But I have the Batis 25, so already have a good fast WA lens. I wonder myself, maybe I'll rent one at some point to see how it compares. Since I don't need speed, it's hard to beat the Pentax. I paid $76 shipped for the Pentax (and a K1000 that was included.) The Oly was really cheap too, I think under $100.

-Tim

Yeah, I still have my Pentax 28/3.5 as well. It is certainly a lot of performance for the $$.

Nov 22, 2015 at 07:28 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Well, there was some interest in this thread...might as well post the f/11 shots.

Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-s @ f/11

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Olympus 28mm f/3.5 @ f/11

Full Size
SooC Full Size

SMC Pentax 28mm f/3.5 @ f/11 (original K mount, not the Takumar or Pentax-M)

Full Size
SooC Full Size

Zeiss C/Y Distagon 28mm f/2.8 @ f/11

Full Size
SooC Full Size

-Tim

Nov 22, 2015 at 08:06 PM

phuang3
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

The grass on the lower right corner showed the astigmatism and image curvature of each lens. To my eyes, Olympus is the best, followed by Pentax which has less curvature but more on astigmatism. On the other hand, C/Y and Nikon showed more degree of aberrations than the others. I wonder if OM28/2 will be as good as the f/3.5.

Nov 22, 2015 at 09:37 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Check this one out. I have multiple copies of the Pentax, this one suffers slightly in the corners at distance but is better then up close (more curvature I believe.) I keep going back and forth between this one and the copy I posted samples from earlier in the thread.

SMC Pentax 28mm f/3.5 K @ f/11 (a different copy)

Full Size
SooC Full Size

-Tim

phuang3 wrote:
The grass on the lower right corner showed the astigmatism and image curvature of each lens. To my eyes, Olympus is the best, followed by Pentax which has less curvature but more on astigmatism. On the other hand, C/Y and Nikon showed more degree of aberrations than the others. I wonder if OM28/2 will be as good as the f/3.5.

Edited on Nov 22, 2015 at 09:53 PM · View previous versions

Nov 22, 2015 at 09:51 PM

rdeloe
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

Tim, I for one am really grateful you did these tests and posted the results. You just saved me a lot of money!

I own the SMC Pentax 28/3.5 and have been very impressed with it as a landscape lens. My copy is a very poor performer on test charts; it just doesn't like flat things that are close up. Corners and edges are terrible in that scenario, and don't become usable until f11. However, at landscape distances my SMC Pentax 28/3.5 has been splendid, especially at f8 and f11. It shows the same behaviour I see in your test shots, in other words, great corners, a bit soft in the short edges compared to the Distagon, and way more in-focus in the foreground than lenses at the same focal length and aperture. I now feel a lot less guilty for giving it a leverectomy to make it work on my Mirex EOS-NEX adapter!

You saved me money because I'm expecting a Distagon 21mm ZF in the mail tomorrow and started to think that my SMC Pentax 28/3.5 might look weak in comparison, and maybe I should get the Distagon 28mm ZF.... GAS strikes again... Now I'm not going to bother. Your C/Y Distagon is softer in the corners than the SMC Pentax in these images, and more out of focus in the foreground. It's better at the edges, and at 5.6 I'd say upon intense pixel peeping that it's better in the centre too. At f11 the strengths and weaknesses of the SMC Pentax versus the C/Y Distagon seem to balance out (at least for me). Maybe the Zeiss ZF Distagon 28mm is better still... but the SMC Pentax is no slouch.

Thanks for doing this -- much appreciated!
Rob

Nov 22, 2015 at 09:53 PM

tsdevine
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

No problem, glad it was useful. I like the color and contrast of the Pentax as well. It seems to fit in well with my Zeiss lenses (ZE 15, ZE 21, Batis 25.) It may not be quite as sharp, but it has spunk (for lack of a better term.) It has very little CA, distortion is controlled enough that I don't usually feel a need to correct, and it's almost a "focus at infinity and forget it" at f/11. For pure landscape, what else can you ask for.

The Oly is nice too...I should try to get it into the shooting rotation a little more.

-Tim

rdeloe wrote:
Tim, I for one am really grateful you did these tests and posted the results. You just saved me a lot of money!

I own the SMC Pentax 28/3.5 and have been very impressed with it as a landscape lens. My copy is a very poor performer on test charts; it just doesn't like flat things that are close up. Corners and edges are terrible in that scenario, and don't become usable until f11. However, at landscape distances my SMC Pentax 28/3.5 has been splendid, especially at f8 and f11. It shows the same behaviour I see in your test...Show more →

Nov 22, 2015 at 09:59 PM

phuang3
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Legacy 28mm Shootout Redux (A7R II)

tsdevine wrote:
Check this one out. I have multiple copies of the Pentax, this one suffers slightly in the corners at distance but is better then up close (more curvature I believe.) I keep going back and forth between this one and the copy I posted samples from earlier in the thread.

Thanks for posting these. Both copies are good at f/11. Do you think the second copy will have better performance at f/5.6? BTW, the Olympus is quite impressive. I can have it for 70 bucks. I am thinking about it.

Nov 22, 2015 at 10:14 PM

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