justruss
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
|
 p.1 #8 · Sony 50mm f/1.8 FE vs. Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 ZA/FE | |
jcomer82 wrote:
@justruss@: Ha! Sure.
Overall, the Sony is a nice lens. I like the files it produces and am not disappointed in terms of IQ. Of course, it could be better. For example, the corners are a little mushy at f/1.8 and it vignettes. But this is an entry-level 50mm f/1.8. It hits the mark. The clarity is just fine. Other lenses are of course clearer/sharper, such as the Zeiss, but they're not in the same league. Apples and oranges. It's absolutely not worse off than Canon or Nikon's modern 50mm f/1.8. I'm sure there is a dxomark/imatest test out there floating around which can "scientifically" rate this, but in the real world it's just fine.
It has nice bokeh, too. The Zeiss will produce ever-so-slightly smoother and larger bokeh, thanks to being a Sonnar and a 55mm. Bokeh is subjective, though. Different strokes for different folks. I prefer the Zeiss bokeh, however. I
My biggest criticism is the autofocus performance. Again, it's not "horrible." It's just not stellar. Going from close to near-infinity (and vice-versa) is a bit of a chore for the lens. By that I mean if you were to focus on something close to you, then need to quickly focus on something further away, there's a good chance you'll miss the shot. The speed of this lens just isn't there. It's great for slow subjects, static subjects, or subjects whose movement is easy to approximate. It's not great for shooting scenarios where your focus point changes across the entire focal plane suddenly.
I'm OK with the noise the AF motor makes. I've seen several comments which say it's "noisy." I wouldn't call it noisy. It's just not silent, like the Zeiss. Canon and Nikon both have noisy 50mm f/1.8 lenses in their lineup.
I'm guessing Sony will release a firmware in the future to "clean up" the 50mm f/1.8 FE. If that firmware addresses AF issues, I think the lens will become more attractive.
It'll be interesting to see how the Rokinon/Samyang 50mm f/1.4 will compare with the Sony. I'm excited to see that one come out!...Show more →
Many thanks-- that totally helps!
I'm planning on picking one up, but if 50/55 was one of my most desired FLs, I think reviews like yours and others would lead me towards the Zeiss, or maybe the Samyang (let's see how their AF is, I'm skeptical; I've been very impressed with a few of their lenses). But 50 is something I don't currently shoot all that much. I may end up with a Batis 85mm, or something in the 100mm f/2 range if we get a native option that delivers on IQ without going gargantuan.
EDIT: looking at your review, I think it's worth noting that while the Fuji (to my eyes; and I had one) has the lowest optical performance in many ways, it also has a lot of character in that it resembles in its less-perfect IQ areas lenses of the past. I really always loved that lens, and it was a great example, in my eyes, or a modern lens, with some older cues, that found a nice balance of IQ and look ahead of pure sharpness and abberation control.
Cheers!
|
