I bought the ZA 24/2 yesterday, as I got it at a good price, and it's been on my to buy list for a long time. Naturally, I wanted to compare it to my most used lens, the Contax 28/2, as they are close in focal length and both are Zeiss Distagons. I took the two lenses down to the lake for a quick test, and my conclusion is that the two lenses are almost identical when it comes to rendering, character and color. Surprising? Was to me at least, but in a positive way.
I use the 24 with LA-EA2, and it's now my new fav lens . It's about the same size and weight as the 28 with adapter, but it also has super fast AF for those times I need it.
None of the shots below have any significant PP, just auto settings in LR, and downsized/sharpened.
Another great thing about the ZA24 is the MFD. I'm not sure what the number is, but the hood can almost touch the object, and it will still AF to perfect focus.
I had read that flare was a problem with the ZA24, but I didn't see more flare with it than with any other lens I've handled. In fact, pointing it right at the sun produced no flare.
Congrats on the 24/2 Brian! I generally liked that lens but ended up not using it much, so I sold it. Is the 28/2 really that large? The 24/2 + LA-EA2 was too big for me. It was nearly as bulky as the 100/2 MP.
The AF speed, close MFD, and overall sharpness of the lens are excellent.
Taylor Sherman wrote:
Congrats on the 24/2 Brian! I generally liked that lens but ended up not using it much, so I sold it. Is the 28/2 really that large? The 24/2 + LA-EA2 was too big for me. It was nearly as bulky as the 100/2 MP.
The AF speed, close MFD, and overall sharpness of the lens are excellent.
Thank you Taylor. Yes, the 28/2 with adapter and original hood is a big package, similar to the 24/2 on LA-EA2.
I think the 24 could be nice on the a7r, despite its size. RF lenses seems out of the question at this focal length, and the 24/1.8 is, of course, APS-C only. Options at 24mm -ish seem very limited, unless I'm missing something.
