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Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

John Power
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

So I have a 50mm 1.8 metal mount and a new to me 24-70mm Ver 2.

I have taken several test shots with each lens. Same lighting, same focal length; same image settings (2.8 and 5.6 in this case). Av mode. Same everything. These shots were taken in a period of about 5 minutes.

So I pull them up in DPP expecting to see a clear difference between the 2 lenses and.....nope. Maybe a tiny bit in favor of the 24-70 but even that is arguable. Both lenses look good.

Am I just paying for the convenience and versatility of the zoom?

Is this unusual?

Thanks.

Feb 14, 2024 at 04:02 PM

jcolwell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

They're both excellent lenses. Any decent, fast 50mm lens should be pretty darm good stopped down a bit (as is the 50/1.8 Mk I). The 24-20/2.8L is also excellent, but the 24-70/4L IS is better, and has IS (but not f/2.8).

Regardless, any differences in IQ may be masked by camera resolution; what camera are you using?

Feb 14, 2024 at 04:07 PM

John Power
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

5D4

Feb 14, 2024 at 04:09 PM

jcolwell
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

Also, do you have the box?

Feb 14, 2024 at 04:12 PM

garyvot
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

I think there's a level of mismatched expectations maybe.

50mm primes, even less expensive, slower ones, are often among the best corrected designs optically when stopped down to the same apertures as zooms.

Prime lenses historically have been *better* than zooms. In an L-series zoom, you are actually paying for prime-like optical quality in addition to the ruggedized build, weather sealing, and faster apertures.

So this is not really surprising. It just means that your zoom is probably performing well.

Feb 14, 2024 at 04:12 PM

John Power
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

jcolwell wrote:
Also, do you have the box?

I have the box for everything I own. Even the 50 1.8. I have tried lenses that came without boxes and quickly sold them since they were clearly inferior to the lens I have purchased on BS that came with boxes....

Feb 14, 2024 at 04:46 PM

John Power
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

garyvot wrote:
I think there's a level of mismatched expectations maybe.

50mm primes, even less expensive, slower ones, are often among the best corrected designs optically when stopped down to the same apertures as zooms.

Prime lenses historically have been *better* than zooms. In an L-series zoom, you are actually paying for prime-like optical quality in addition to the ruggedized build, weather sealing, and faster apertures.

So this is not really surprising. It just means that your zoom is probably performing well.

Thank you for that observation. Makes perfect sense.

Feb 14, 2024 at 04:47 PM

TomSchriefer
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

I have two very nice zoom lenses. Sigma 24-70mm Art and Sigma 70-200mm Sports. I've never even looked for an IQ difference between say my 18-135mm USM or the 24-105mm STM and the 'nice' zooms. The expensive zooms were purchased for aperture, not IQ. I gave up on primes after acquiring the better zooms. F/2.8 is more than fast enough for me.

Feb 14, 2024 at 05:49 PM

kakomu
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

John Power wrote:
Am I just paying for the convenience and versatility of the zoom?

Pretty much. The 50mm can go to f/1.8, which the 24-70 cannot do, but otherwise, the zoom’s main draw is that it has a wide focal length range and the f/2.8 zooms have best-in-class image quality. Zooming is way easier for shot composition than “zooming with your feet” and a prime lens. Plus, changing lenses in the field sucks.

Personally, I’m a bigger fan of the 24-105 f/4 variants. They’re lighter, have more range and IS. When I owned f/2.8 zooms, I only used them for paid work because they’re big and heavy. F/4 zooms were so much easier to carry around.

A prime lens’s main draw is a really wide aperture or a very small size (e.g. f/2.8 primes).

John Power wrote:
Is this unusual?

It’s a more recent phenomenon that the pro zooms match older prime IQ, though (what a time to be alive!). Generally, though, red ring zooms have excellent IQ.

Feb 15, 2024 at 12:33 AM

Imagemaster
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

John Power wrote:
Am I just paying for the convenience and versatility of the zoom?

From the point of focal-lengths, look at the zoom as multiple lenses. Just shoot at 24mm and 70mm it is two lenses. Shoot at 24mm, 50mm, and 70mm it is three lenses, etc., etc. Plus not having the trouble of changing lenses to get those focal-lengths or exposing the sensor.

Feb 15, 2024 at 12:59 AM

steamtrain
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

John Power wrote:
So I have a 50mm 1.8 metal mount and a new to me 24-70mm Ver 2.

I have taken several test shots with each lens. Same lighting, same focal length; same image settings (2.8 and 5.6 in this case).

At f/2.8 the zoom should be a bit better at the borders, but in the middle the zoom won't show an advantage. At f/5.6 I would expect the 50mm prime to be better for detail. The zoom has better coatings, so in bright sunny conditions the images might look more nice.

John Power wrote:
Av mode. Same everything. These shots were taken in a period of about 5 minutes.

So I pull them up in DPP expecting to see a clear difference between the 2 lenses and.....nope. Maybe a tiny bit in favor of the 24-70 but even that is arguable. Both lenses look good.

Am I just paying for the convenience and versatility of the zoom?

The zoom has weather sealing, better coatings, and faster AF. For me weather sealing is not that important, but good coatings and fast AF are important to me.

John Power wrote:
Is this unusual?

Thanks.
No, not unusual at all.

Feb 15, 2024 at 04:17 AM

John Power
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

Thanks again to all those who commented.

Feb 15, 2024 at 07:45 AM

rek101
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

To me, the difference between cheap and expensive lenses tend to be the coatings and quality of the optics in one key area, reducing stray light from creating a kind of faint haze that cuts down on contrast. Sharpness is important and I've seen plenty of inexpensive primes that are razor sharp, but when I use those lenses at golden hour, particularly when the images are backlit (which are some of may favorite images typically), I see a difference.

I used to have the 24 70 V2 and the 35mm f/2 IS and at 35, most of the time they were pretty much identical and both were very sharp. But when lighting was golden hour or I was outdoors in certain lighting, it was pretty obvious which lens was the pro lens. Wrinkles on a face looked deeper and darker than they actually were with the 35mm. The 35 had a bit more haze in the image and I always found myself adding more black to the image in Lightroom (I use a really old version).

I think primes that produce the same image quality as that 24 70 v2 can be had for pretty good value (I love for example the Tamron 35 1.8 which is maybe 300), but those lenses are never light. They have the same heavy glass with fancy coatings that the pro zooms have. Perhaps I'm imagining it, but to my eye, there seems to be a difference.

Feb 15, 2024 at 09:41 PM

AmbientMike
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

All the slower 1.7-2 50mm I've shot have been good, regardless of age or brand except maybe old Leica Summar but that's a bit different

I'm surprised that you got good results at 2.8, I usually try to get to at least f/4 using them, but then again, my 50/1.8 II looked good at f/2.5 last time I had it out. Even the under $20 mid to late 1960's 50/2 I got used off ebay is really great, nice color and resolution, though I haven't put it on ff yet to check the corners

Modern Photography lens tests used to be pretty popular on here since they tested a lot of alts. They tested the eos 50/1.8, presumably metal mount, and it topped out 63 lp/mm in the center 5.6-8 or so. Adaptall-2.com lists the numbers on some of the older lenses, some like 28-70 44A, 28-80 sp and 35-135 (58mm) did slightly better in the center than the 50/1.8, older lenses can be excellent

Feb 25, 2024 at 10:53 AM

brooksdigi
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

I think the debate has changed in recent years. The 24-70 v2 is SO good that I think the difference in IQ between it and a prime is pretty negligable. The versatility is worth more these days than the perhaps small amount of IQ loss

Feb 25, 2024 at 02:06 PM

NonDecaf
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

Feb 26, 2024 at 06:13 PM

Ferrophot
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

I have a 50 1.8 and 85 1.8 as well as a 24-105f4L I don't use the 50 1.8 as the AF is unreliable in anything less than good light. The 85 1.8 seems sharper than the 24-105L but I don't use it much because the zoom's versatility means more to me than the slight difference in sharpness. If the 85 quit on me I would not replace it, but loss of the zoom would cause me to rush to the camera shop.

Feb 26, 2024 at 07:54 PM

comotionfilms
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

Comparing the cheapest prime canon makes, with one of their best zooms, doesn’t seem like the fairest of fights. How did the zoom look at 1.8? Kidding, but that zoom was a revelation when it was released and I imagine it is still pretty amazing. You picked a good one!

Feb 26, 2024 at 11:39 PM

boldcolors
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

John Power wrote:
So I have a 50mm 1.8 metal mount and a new to me 24-70mm Ver 2.

I have taken several test shots with each lens. Same lighting, same focal length; same image settings (2.8 and 5.6 in this case). Av mode. Same everything. These shots were taken in a period of about 5 minutes.

So I pull them up in DPP expecting to see a clear difference between the 2 lenses and.....nope. Maybe a tiny bit in favor of the 24-70 but even that is arguable. Both lenses look good.

Am I just paying for the convenience and versatility of the zoom?

Is...Show more →

The reasonable goal for most modern zoom lenses in the pro-segment these days is to be equally good as most primes. Not the other way around. So if your 24-70 MK2 is on par with the 50 prime at 2.8 it is a good thing for the zoom since you are stopping your 50/1.8 down whereas the zoom is fully open.

Another way to look at it is to compare sharpness at each lens maximum aperture.

So to answer your question "Am I just paying for the convenience and versatility of the zoom?"
It is not "just". Basically with that lens you are getting a lot of high quality 2.8 primes all the way through. That lens is still phenomenal.

Feb 27, 2024 at 04:20 AM

John Power
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Cheap prime v. expensive zoom - IQ difference?

NonDecaf wrote:
Would you mind posting the test shots?

I suppose I could but I am satisfied with the answers I am getting.

Feb 27, 2024 at 08:05 AM

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