Minolta MD 35-70mm 1:3.5 zoom macro vs. Sony CZ FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA, MD 50mm f/1.4 – comparison
Minolta MD 35-70mm 1:3.5 Zoom Macro vs primes comparison.
- Minolta MD 35-70mm 1:3.5 Zoom (MD III)
- Sony Carl Zeiss FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA
- Minolta MD 50mm 1:1.4 (MD III)
The famous zoom versus famous primes – detailed battle on the infinity.
Tested lenses reviews
Minolta MD 35-70mm 1:3.5 Zoom Macro vs primes comparison – sharpness
Long-distance test description
- Camera Sony A7II (24mpx, full frame) – RAW (ARW), tripod, A-mode, ISO fixed, WB fixed, SteadyShot OFF, manual focus correction for every shot
- Targets (buildings) – fixed by gravity power on the distances in more than 200 meters
- ARW post-processing – Capture One, default settings, 100% crops 300×200 px
Focal distance 35mm
Scene preview (35mm)
Test results (35mm)
Focal distance 50mm
Scene preview (50mm)
Test results (50mm)
Final conclusion
Of course, a zoom can’t beat the primes with the level of Sony FE 35/2.8 Carl Zeiss or MD 50/1.4. The main purpose of this comparison is to show what the photographer loses in terms of sharpness if he or she using a zoom lens instead of primes. Actually – not many. Just a standard recommendation – it would be better to avoid the opened aperture – at F5.6 all positions look close the same, difference is presented but too slight to be noticed – it means much better sharpness distribution over the frame.
So, if a photographer doesn’t need thin DOF during a photo-session – zoom would be preferable than a set of primes. Anyway, the sharpness is not only one trait of lenses, a user should remember about aberrations too. For example – the geometry is not a power side of the Minolta 35-70 1:3.5-4.5.
So, yes, Minolta really has produced powerful tools – zooms, primes; try everything, and choose the best for a specific case.
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