The following sample images are RAW converted (CaptureOne) with DEACTIVATED auto-correction (as of the time of this review, auto-correction is only supported in Sony's Image Data Converter plus in-camera JPEGs).
Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE samples
(=several megabytes) thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth so please take care of the limited resources here.
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
31.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/500s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
70.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/320s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/250s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/800s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
70.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/50s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/250s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/10.0
Exposure
1/250s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
26.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/1250s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/250s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
125
Focal Length
70.0mm
Aperture:
f/4.0
Exposure
1/800s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/4.0
Exposure
1/2000s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
47.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/640s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
70.0mm
Aperture:
f/4.0
Exposure
1/320s
Make
SONY
Model
ILCE-7R
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/400s
Verdict
The Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 OSS ZA didn't really convince us completely - not at this price point for sure. While it is a joy to use the lens thanks to its high quality finish and super smooth controls, the optical characteristics aren't quite as impressive. Sony/Zeiss seems to follow the ugly trend of under-designing lenses based on the assumption that digital correction will fix the flaws. This may be an acceptable compromise when decreasing weight, size ... and price. However, the Zeiss lens isn't really a hell of a lot more compact than e.g. the Canon EF 24-70mm f/4 USM L IS. Thus why is it necessary to design a lens with such massive distortions ? Now distortions aren't really a primary concern for most users but the lens is also not all that sharp - at least at the extreme ends of the zoom range. The corners are generally soft at 24mm and it's not all that hot at 70mm @ f/4 either - even with activated (lossy) distortion correction. This is rather surprising given the moderate max. aperture which should make things comparatively easy for the lens designers. The CAs are well corrected except in the corners at 24mm. The vignetting characteristic is rather typical for a full format lens in this class. However, another downside is the quite rough bokeh. Combined with the high price point, this offering leaves a couple of question marks. For sure it proves again that it isn't trivial to design a really good standard zoom lens for mirrorless cameras.
(in auto-corrected mode)
