Sony Carl Zeiss 24mm F2 ZA SSM Distagon T* A-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#44154 date: Oct-26-2018 | |
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| sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Rokinon 16 F2 Sony E 16 F2.8 Tamron SP 17-35 F2.8-4 Tokina AF 17 F3.5 Samyang AF 18 F2.8 Sigma 19 F2.8 DN Art Sigma 20 F1.8 EX DG Tamron 20 F2.8 OSD M1:2 Sony E 20 F2.8 Minolta AF 20 F2.8 & RS Sigma 24 F1.8 EX DG HSM Tamron 24 F2.8 OSD M1:2 Samyang AF 24 F2.8 Minolta AF 24 F2.8 Sigma AF 24 F2.8 II Discover/Neewer 25 F1.8 Canon EF 28 F1.8 USM Sigma 28 F1.8 HS & EX DG Minolta MD & AF 28 F2 Sony FE 28 F2 Canon EF 28 F2.8 IS USM Minolta/Sony AF 28 F2.8 Neewer 28 F2.8 |
| price paid: | 497 USD (used) |
| positive: | Close focusing Good contrast Reversible petal hood with flocking Lens Compensation Lens Button |
| negative: | Weight & size Curvy focus plane Narrower than other 24mm lenses Noisy focus mechanism Not a II lens 72mm filter size |
| comment: | A like-new copy with the original retail packaging and accessories. This is the next cheapest SSM lens after the 70-300G and DT 16-50 F2.8 zooms and the cheapest full-frame Sony Carl Zeiss. It is about 5 times more expensive used than the much smaller Minolta 24 F2.8. "JAPAN" The center sharpness is similar to the Minolta F2 and Sigma F1.8 film primes--a magnitude less sharp than my sharpest lenses. The image quality over the APS-C frame is similar to the older Minolta 24 mm primes and zooms at the same apertures. The Sony DT 16-50 F2.8 SSM has a much flatter focus plane and is much sharper. This lens doesn't focus as close as the Sigma Super Wide II but has greater maximum magnification. The front element is actually fairly small--the bulky metal body seems unnecessarily large. The focusing noises seem amplified. The lined plastic ALC-SH110 petal hood is slightly smaller and deeper than the ALC-SH117 hood from the DT 16-50. They have very similar bayonets, though the 16-50 rides a slightly thinner ridge. I regret not ordering the smaller E-mount 24 F1.8 instead. The Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM kit lens performs better for APS-C users. |
rating summary
- total reviews: 36
- sharpness: 4.82
- color: 4.94
- build: 4.67
- distortion: 4.67
- flare control: 4.42
- overall: 4.70