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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Sony FE 100-400/4.5-5.6 GM vs Contax 100-300/4.5-5.6 | |
philip_pj wrote:
Horses for courses, the 100-400 will please a lot of people with its modern features (OIS, and excellent adjustability for 'sports, wildlife, and action').
Both do very well. Surprising to see how well the Vario Sonnar did WO and at f5.6 in the extreme edge at 100mm. The MTF shows a little midfield curvature at 100mm/WO and this shows up in the mid-zone here. I prefer the color transitions provided by the VS's advanced glass formulations and the already very good 1996 coatings. Sony's new zooms can show slightly blue-tinged, saturated greens at the expense of near tones, with resulting subdued yellow and oranges - to my vision at least. You see this most strongly here in outer frames, as the definition declines.
The 3D is very real, results from the combination of the glass, color transitions and micro-contrast; when definition falls off the organic color saves the day. I shoot in very clear air (vis 50-80kms) with this VS 100-300, and often see a pleasant smoothness to the image, despite the definition.
This CY lens is a 12/7 design against a 22/16 design, separated by 21 years, 450 grams and $1500.
Zeiss wisely chose to optimize the wide end, so it can be thought of as a great 100-200mm option with a good broad center from there on. I suspect most wide range tele zooms get plenty of use at 100-150mm. The CA is largely absent in the center 300mm crop, it comes from the onset of creeping astigmatism in the outer frame. The lens lacks a fixed infinity stop so it really needs the EVF focus magnification (or TAP I just learned, lol) - note the focus ring index line in the image of the two lenses above.
PS It's also excellent at near distances and has nice bokeh, as Ronny's work shows. Thanks so much, Fred....Show more →
I was waiting for your comment Philip. Spot on as always.
The VS 100-300 always impressed me at 100mm wide open. It's better than most primes! It's true that at 300mm it loses its mojo but as you can see from these crops, when stepping down to f/8, it's still very good.
Regarding the versions. I only see MMJ versions. I think that's the only version for this lens but could be wrong.
Here is the manual:
https://www.zeissimages.com/mtf/cy/Vario-Sonnar4.5-5.6_100-300mm_e.pdf
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