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ZA 24/2 wide open performance.

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wbhstlouis

Guest
Hi everyone. I would like to ask for an opinion or two. The accompanying photo was taken with a Sony a55 and a ZA24/2 – exposure f2, 1/40, 800 ISO, shot as a jpg. I do not have a comparison shot taken at a smaller aperture. Is this excepted IQ under these conditions – lights with halos around them and purple edges? The reason I bought this lens was for its wide open performance. Are my expectations too high or perhaps its operator error - please enlighten. Bill
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
Pretty normal for Zeiss prime lenses. The 85mm F1.4 in the A mount has more extreme longitudinal CA. Some other lenses have none - like the 24-70m F2.8 Zeiss. In most cases it is quite esay to remove, but I see a design compromise going on here. The 24mm F1.8 E mount has some CA.

Whether it is a deal breaker for you is a mattr of taste.

Quentin
 

Nettar

New member
I'll confirm what Quentin says, and add that the problem is not uncommon for lenses from other manufacturers, too. For example, my summicron 50mm (current version) is a wonderful short portrait lens on the Nex, except that it suffers from LoCA at a level between that for the ZA 24/2 and 85/1.4. I'd add that all three of these lenses were designed for full format, where this aberration is less visible. Nettar
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Do you have a protective filter on the lens? Those halos around the lights are reflections (ghosting), not chromatic aberrations.
 
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wbhstlouis

Guest
Jan, I think you solved the problem - operator error. No I was not using a protective filter but on inspection I found the lens had a huge smear on it. I knew something was wrong. I have had the lens for a year and had never seen this before. Maybe it was the afternoon in the micro brewery. I have removed the smear and I intend to return and retake the shots. This time at different f-stops as well. Unfortunately my guest from Germany, who enjoyed the micro brewery, will not be with me.

Lesson learned (Photo 101), clean you lenses before using. Thanks everyone for your help - Bill
 
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