Been reading through the archives of the alt gear forums and have found a lot of people seem to use the Zuiko 28mm f2.8 vs the 24mm. I can't find any concrete comparison online between the two lenses, and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the matter or point me to some other resources. KEH has the 28mm costing 50% less, and I'm trying to figure out why.
As others have indicated the OM 24 is the better lens, but it depends upon whether you want to standardise on a single alternate mount system or not, the Contax C/Y mount Zeiss 28mm is a better lens and just about as cheap (in the UK) than the Oly OM 28mm, but is much bigger, heavier and needs an additional mount. You have differing filter threads to contend with as well so need mutiple ring mounts - another thing to throw into your equation on just how far you want to standardise (ie how much kit you are prepared to lug about) vs achieving ultimate quality
When I shot with a Canon system my general rule of thumb building my collection was OM lenses for wider than 28mm and Contax C/Y for 28mm to 70mm and then Canon EF from 70mm and above but that was with a Ds series camera where I had no mounting issues of the 5D mirror box
My copy of the 28/3.5 must not be one of the better ones, since I've never been highly impressed with it; the corners are fairly soft until stopped down to f8, and only decent at f8+, and there is a fair amount of purple fringing before f5.6. Apparently many copies of this lens are much better, and certainly worth the cheap prices they sell for.
My 28/2.8 is quite sharp in the center from wide open, but the corner quality falls off quite a bit. Stopped down to f8, the corners are quite acceptable, and CA is very minimal.
My 24/2.8 is extremely sharp in the center from wide open; the corners have sharp detail at reduced contrast wide open (from wide, streaky coma), with full contrast by f5.6. At f8, the lens can uniformly outresolve my 5D's sensor across the full frame. The lens is also rather flare resistant, with only slight veiling/contrast reduction shooting straight into the sun.
I have the 24mm f/2.8 and the 28mm f/3.5. I like both a lot and my two copies perform about the same and pretty consistent with Gary Reese's reviews of these lenses. You can find his reviews at this link:
I have 24/2.8, 28/3.5, 28/2.8. All very good lenses. The 24mm has better IQ than the 28's. The 28/2.8 and /3.5 are about tied, which is a positive thing to the cheaper Zuiko, and for this reason I'm about to sell my 28/2.8.
The 28/3.5 love thread convinced me to pull the trigger on one. Found a nice looking one for $32; the seller didn't realize the case has the hood stored in it (could see that in the pictures) so didn't list that part -- the metal hood usually seems to go for $15-20 alone.
I've got two of the 21 3.5s & two of the 24 2.8s and recently picked up a 28 3.5.
While wider is always a tougher trick to pull off, you defintely get what you pay for IMO. I found the 28 3.5 to be a pleasant enough lens (not very technical, I know), but not excitingly impressive. It might be a nice place to inexpensively start playing with alts ... I think everybody should try an Oly at least once, I really noticed the colors when I tried my first one.
I really like the performance of both the 24 & 21, but will likely keep the 21 only (21 & 24 too close to compete for bag space) and am likely to go with the C/Y 28 (similar thinking to Brambling) to go along with my other zeiss (35-70 3.4 & 80-200 4.0)
Although, I must also admit, now that I have 21, 24, 28, 50 & 135 Oly's ... it is nice to leave the one adapter on the body (1D MK II) and just change lenses without worrying all the different adapters (i.e. system approach).
I'll probably wind up keeping a 21, 50 & 135 ... not because the others are necesarily inferior ... just bag management with other lenses, but you really can't go wrong with the Oly 24 2.8 ... tried & true, tested & reviewed ... okay & a 24.
FYI ... The shot on display in my living room came from the Oly 24 2.8
Steve Spencer wrote:
I have the 24mm f/2.8 and the 28mm f/3.5. I like both a lot and my two copies perform about the same and pretty consistent with Gary Reese's reviews of these lenses. You can find his reviews at this link:
Ok, I just found a 28 3.5 for $60! So, of course I had to buy it. I have a lot of other big, fast lenses. I figured it would be fun to try out something small and compact with a different look.
You won't regret it Dancam. My 28/3.5 was a great sample though it sees no use since I got the 24... Tested against each other they perform remarkably similar. Something can be said for the colours of the 28 though, which is why I'll keep it
