The professional "normal range" zoom from 1985 has a remarkable performance even wide open. Its image stabilizer ("steady shot") was turned off, and 2s mirror lock-up was used to minimize vibrations. The A900 was set on a professional Manfrotto 055CB tripod equipped with a 3-way-head Manfrotto 410. The color aberrations (CA) were NOT removed by the software (be aware that all Nikon FF bodies do automatically correct the CAs!). Sharpening radius was 0.5 px, Sharpening was set to 50, and Detail was set to 50. The RAW files were converted with Photoshop CS5. Therefore prior to the test its "infinity" setting had to be adjusted as well. Originally, the 28-135mm lens could not focus to infinity on the a700/a900 DSLRs. Previous to the test, all lenses were individually and carefully calibrated using the "Micro AF" feature of the Sony A900. The Alpha 900 settings were set to standard values. Due to it's softer image characteristics it may be more useful for portraits than the Zeiss.Īll images shown here are 100% from the 24 MP full frame sensor of the Sony Alpha 900. Its design and size fit perfectly to the Alpha 900, it's smaller and lighter than the Zeiss ZA 2.8/24-70mm, it offers slightly more tele range, and it is sold second hand at roughly 1/3 of the Zeiss' price. If you are looking for a well balanced f2.8 "normal zoom", the Minolta 2.8/28-70mm G may be right. And: the Zeiss T* coating is outstanding. If you need a lens with perfect center resolution, high detail contrast and virtually no koma at f2.8 (!), or if you need the 24mm wide angle, the Zeiss Vario Sonnar 2.8/24-70mm will be appropriate - at least as long as you don't mind its weight and size ). Be aware that some of the Minolta 28-135mm lenses were used heavily by professionals their zoom mechanisms may be worn out. The contrast wide open is a bit low, but stopping down just 1/2 - 1 stop solves the problem. In this section you will find test images of the following zooms at f=70mm: Minolta AF 4-4.5/28-135mm (1985), Minolta AF 2.8/28-70mm G (1993), Minolta (Sony) AF 2.8/70-200mm APO G (D) SSM (2003), and Zeiss Vario Sonnar 2.8/24-70mm ZA (2008).Īt f=70mm the Minolta AF 4-4.5/28-135mm delivers at f8 clearly the best image quality of any zooms tested here - at a second hand price of 1/10 of the Zeiss. Nemecek for providing the 17-35mm G and the 28-70mm G, and thanks to Sony Overseas AG, Schlieren/Switzerland, for providing the Zeiss 24-70mm). The "Piazze die Miracoli" ("Square of Wonders") in Pisaĭuring ten days in October 2008 I had the opportunity to test the 24MP full frame Sony alpha 900 simultaneously with all the six classical professional zooms from the Sony / Minolta system (3.5/17-35mm G, 2.8/24-70mm Zeiss, 2.8/28-70mm G, 4-4.5/28-135mm, 2.8/80-200mm APO, and 2.8/70-200mm SSM - thanks to J.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |