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Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Let me start this thread with some comparisons between the new Sony 12-24/4 ultra wide and some of my personal lenses. There are: CV 12/5.6 III, FE 16-35/4 ZA, and Loxia 21/2.8. Feel free to post your own comparisons on this thread!

These side-by-side comparisons were taken at infinity distance and they are the best of 4 for each lens. (Manual focused at 12.5x magnification). Since I know these lenses well, I am able to focused them precisely taken in consideration field curvature. The 12-24/4 appears to be flat-field starting and the low field curvature is pretty much masked by f/5.6.
Aside from sharpening (same for all lenses), the RAW files were processed in Lightroom with default settings.

*I added +35 manual vignetting correction all CV 12 files, otherwise the extreme corners would be very dark. There were no corrections done for any other lens.

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The Sony 12-24/4G is now in stock.

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Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G:
B&H Photo | Adorama

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First comparison:

Sony 12-24/4G vs CV 12/5.6 III E-mount.

Center at f/5.6. The 12-24/4 is noticeably better

Mid-field at f/5.6. The 12-24/4 is much better

Extreme edges at f/5.6. The 12-24/4 is much better

Jul 06, 2017 at 08:02 PM

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tylerdurden801
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Manual, magnify. I never focused on the rail, that was just in the frame.

Nov 30, 2017 at 12:28 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

MikeEvangelist wrote:
Sure, happy to have a look. I'm on my second one. The first one was used, from B&H, and I suspect someone may have returned it for it's weak performance at the long end. So I ordered a new one, and it's stellar.

That's where the variation is with this lens. (18-24mm). If you can get a copy performing great there, this lens is amazing.

Dec 04, 2017 at 11:34 AM

mjm6
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

MikeEvangelist wrote:
I like the way the Fotodiox attaches better. The Nisi seems to clamp onto the hood area of the lens, but the Fotodiox has a separate locking ring which slides on from the mount side of the lens and threads onto the filter holder (which is pushed on from the front.) The downside of this scheme is that you have to take the lens off the camera to attach or remove the holder.

I have the Nisi and it works very well.

I would personally not buy a filter holder that requires you to remove the lens to install it, unless it is a holder that is small enough that there is no penalty to keeping it on the lens all the time. This is clearly not the case for these large square filter holders, and I consider that one fatal flaw in this system.The second is the seemingly proprietary filter size it employs. That eliminates a lot of options, and these days, there are a handful of excellent filter manufacturers out there to consider; some at pretty reasonable cost.

I have some complaints about the Nisi holder as well, but nothing nearly as significant as these two issues, so overall, I believe that I'll be well served with it for the time being.

Dec 04, 2017 at 12:27 PM

Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Sorry if this is posted, but came across this Japanese filter kit for the 12-24

https://www.loca.design/product-page/sony-12-24mm-%E5%B0%82%E7%94%A8%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9B%E3%83%AB%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC

Can't read Japanese so not sure what detail they give other than price.

Dec 10, 2017 at 08:50 PM

lostinjapan
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

It doesn't say much. Basically it is an adapter specially made to fit the front of the Sony 12-24 lens. Also with the appropriate adapter, sold separately of course, it can be used on a variety of lenses as long as the front doesn't exceed 95mm. Beyond that it doesn't list any other specifications.

Ryan

Dec 10, 2017 at 09:33 PM

mjm6
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

This seems to function like the Nisi holder, but it has a few advantages over the Nisi. If I were to buy one again, I'd probably be looking at that one pretty seriously.

There are now a few of these holders out there, so there are options, and I'd suggest anyone looking at these to look carefully at the details, as there are sometimes subtle differences that may be worth choosing one over the other.

Dec 10, 2017 at 11:10 PM

Alex Phan
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Pixel Perfect wrote:
Can't read Japanese so not sure what detail they give other than price.

【KANI】 SONY 12-24 mm exclusive filter holder

12-24G Dedicated filter holder

It is designed to fix in a shape that sandwiches the lens.
Using an optional adapter ring makes it possible to use it for a lens aperture of 95 mm or less. It is a specification that listens to the opinion of the person who uses it to the utmost.

Dec 11, 2017 at 02:06 AM

dgpfotografia
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

It looks like it has the foam to impide light entering in the corners in long exposures contrary to the Nisi. This could be and advantage if your filters do not have foam cover in the borders.

Dec 11, 2017 at 05:12 AM

tylerdurden801
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Picked up a second copy of the 12-24, didn't really love it either, returned them both. Better at some FL's than the first copy, worse at others. Tested out my new Loxia 21, and holy cow. It just works. Best WA I've ever used, I can't find a flaw with it so far. Might try out some of the 15mm prime options and ditch zooms for the UWA/WA range completely if I can find a 15 that's nearly as good as the L21. For now I'm back to the 16-35/4 and will use the L21 whenever I can make it work. Might be stitching panos more.

Dec 12, 2017 at 09:53 AM

tsdevine
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

The Loawa 15mm f/2 FE might be worth looking at, or the CV 15mm f/4.5. I have both and I'm probably going to see the CV 15mm.

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1511916

-Tim

Dec 12, 2017 at 10:48 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

I just got my second copy of the Laowa 10-18 for review today and it made me realize how amazing the Sony 12-24/4 G really is.

Oct 26, 2018 at 04:48 PM

akclimber
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Fred Miranda wrote:
I just got my second copy of the Laowa 10-18 for review today and it made me realize how amazing the Sony 12-24/4 G really is.

Having just sold my Nikon 14-24, I think the Sony 12-24 is on my "to buy" list after I absorb the cost of the new 24 f/1.4 :-)

Oct 26, 2018 at 05:04 PM

Melindra
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

akclimber wrote:
Having just sold my Nikon 14-24, I think the Sony 12-24 is on my "to buy" list after I absorb the cost of the new 24 f/1.4 :-)

I used the 14-24 for years and the 12-24 is very modern in comparison. You'll really appreciate its edge performance, low distortion from 14-20 and sharpness as well as low abberations.

Enjoy.

Oct 27, 2018 at 02:22 AM

Blueshound
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Fred Miranda wrote:
I just got my second copy of the Laowa 10-18 for review today and it made me realize how amazing the Sony 12-24/4 G really is.

Love the 12-24. For landscapes, urban scenes and interiors it's just so versatile, combined with excellent optical quality for a zoom in this class.

High Mountain Lake Spray Valley V3b 1200px by Brian Gammon, on Flickr

Oct 27, 2018 at 07:14 AM

rvh23
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Despite some hesitation, I finally decided to try a copy of this generally well regarded zoom, and after sending back a decentered one first try, found a nicely centered one second time around.

Short conclusion for me is that, color issues aside which can be corrected, it can not compete with Loxia 21 and 25 at the long end of its range, where its performance is too soft for my liking. However, over the range 12-18, it does very well. Having sold my Batis 18 a while ago, it's nice to have the 18mm FOV back again, and this seems to be the zooms sweet spot with sharpness comparable to the Batis.

At the wide end of its range (12-15) it is also very good - in agreement with posts in this thread better than CV12 and CV/Lowa 15 primes in the far corners.

However, the Sigma 14/1.8 seems to remain in a class of its own in this range. Here are my corner sharpness tests comparing the Sony 12-24 (at 14mm) and the Sigma, both at F6.3. Extreme corner crops shown at 100%, focused for corners, negligible (default CR) sharpening, A7Rii (42mp).

May 17, 2019 at 10:39 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

rvh23 wrote:
Despite some hesitation, I finally decided to try a copy of this generally well regarded zoom, and after sending back a decentered one first try, found a nicely centered one second time around.

Short conclusion for me is that, color issues aside which can be corrected, it can not compete with Loxia 21 and 25 at the long end of its range, where its performance is too soft for my liking. However, over the range 12-18, it does very well. Having sold my Batis 18 a while ago, it's nice to have the 18mm FOV back again, and this seems...Show more →

Hi Richard,
Have you compared the Sigma 14/1.8 to the Sigma 14-24/2.8 @14mm? Just curious to see how they compare at f/2.8 and smaller apertures.

Aug 02, 2020 at 12:19 AM

rvh23
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Fred Miranda wrote:
Hi Richard,
Have you compared the Sigma 14/1.8 to the Sigma 14-24/2.8 @14mm@? Just curious to see how they compare at f/2.8 and smaller apertures.

Hi Fred. I didn't own both lenses at the same time, so no direct comparison, but I do have an f2.8 corner sharpness comparison shown below of the same scene on different days. This is on A7r2 (before I owned the r4). So my working hypothesis has been that the DN zoom is actually sharper in the corners when both are at 2.8. However, I also remember the Sigma 14/1.8 being really impressive at wide apertures in the more central part of the frame, possibly more so than the zoom but I don't have comparative images to support that conjecture.

For landscapes stopped down to say f6.3, both are spectacularly good across the frame imo, and in relation to this thread noticeably better than the Sony 12-24/4 is at f6.3. It will be very interesting to see where the new Sony 12-24/2.8 fits in when you get a chance to compare it against the Sigma zoom.

Aug 02, 2020 at 12:56 AM

sismailian
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Sony 12-24mm f/4 G versus other lenses thread

Interesting comparison! The sigma 14-24 zoom looks pretty good.

Aug 02, 2020 at 01:55 AM


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