I thought I’d compare these two lenses just for kicks. Of course the Sony 24-70mm F/2.8 GM is a zoom, and a very good one at that, however, I wasn’t expecting miracles from it, especially since the 55mm F/1.8 is a great prime lens (reviewed here). So do you wonder how they might compare directly in a landscape scene? Well wonder no more, below are some side-by-side crops at 55mm, from F/2.8 through F/11.
Sony A7R used for test images.
Sony 55/1.8 sets are along the top, and Sony 24-70/2.8 GM sets are on the bottom of image.
Here is the whole test scene and where the crops are taken from.
F/2.8
Left side Center Right side
Sony 55mm F/1.8 on the top, Sony 24-70mm F/2.8 GM on the bottom.
The prime is slightly sharper in the middle area, and along the right side, however, the left side is sharper on the zoom; wow!
F/4
The centers are about the same at F/4, but the prime is still a bit soft as compared to the zoom on the left side. The prime shows substantially more resolution on the right side.
F/5.6
Both lenses are about even at F/5.6 on the left side and center; the Sony 55mm is a little sharper on the right.
F/8
At F/8 the Sony 55/1.8 is maxed out. The Sony 24-70/2.8 GM is showing about the same resolution as the prime, except along the extreme right side.
F/11
Both lenses look almost the same here in color contrast and resolution. If you look very closely, you can see the zoom is always just a tiny bit soft on the extreme right side when compared to the prime. But big deal, this is great performance for a zoom lens!!
I’m very surprised at the outcome, especially at wide apertures, the zoom really holds its own. I thought the prime would blow the zoom away at least until F/5.6 or F/8, but no, the differnces are relatively minor from F/4.
That’s it for this interesting comp!