5/17/10
I’ve got a good jump on the Sony CZ 24-70mm F/2.8 and prime comparison comps that I promised last year—whoops. Well, work keeps getting in the way of my free time. I’m going to compare the Minolta AF 24mm F/2.8, Sony 28mm F/2.8, Minolta 35mm F/2, and Sony 50mm F/1.4 with the CZ zoom. This time we start off with the Minolta AF 24mm F/2.8 lens. As was the case with the CZ 16-35mm, the little 24mm prime is showing its age when comparing it to a new expensive zoom, but looks pretty good at F/8.
In a nut-shell, the Sony 24-70mm CZ zoom looks marginally sharper in the centers at all focal lengths, although the Minolta AF 24mm F/8 crops are very similar. The mid areas, (or approximately the APS-C corner areas) are easily sharper at larger apertures with the Sony CZ zoom, and are only slightly sharper stopped down. The extreme corners are sharper with the Minolta from F/5.6-11. Distortion is basically the same. Ghosting is much better controlled with the Minolta at smaller apertures.