{"id":17933,"date":"2019-04-05T08:23:18","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T07:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=17933"},"modified":"2024-04-21T13:46:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T12:46:37","slug":"sony-fe-standard-zoom-shootout-sony-2-8-24-70-gm-vs-sony-4-24-105-g-oss-vs-tamron-2-8-28-75-di-iii-rxd-part-1-sharpness-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/sony-fe-standard-zoom-shootout-sony-2-8-24-70-gm-vs-sony-4-24-105-g-oss-vs-tamron-2-8-28-75-di-iii-rxd-part-1-sharpness-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony FE Standard Zoom Shootout – Sony 2.8\/24-70 GM vs. Sony 4\/24-105 G OSS vs. Tamron 2.8\/28-75 Di III RXD – Part 1: Sharpness testing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Standard zooms are the swiss knifes for photographers who need flexibility, can’t change lenses or prefer exact framing over prime qualities.<\/p>\n

The Sony FE standard zoom palette has grown in the past years. In the beginning, we were cought between a rock (Sony FE 3.5-5.6\/28-70) and a hard place (Sony FE 4\/24-70 ZA OSS). We were trying to get around this lens type as good as we could.<\/p>\n

In 2019, three great options are available and the situation is the other way around. Not only I have a hard time to decide which of the three highly regarded lenses suits me best, so let’s find out together which lens is the best choice for whom.<\/p>\n

This article will be split into three seperate posts due to the sheer amount of information. I will start with a sharpness shootout (infinity) between the Sony 2.8\/24-70 GM, the Tamron 2.8\/28-75 Di III RXD and the Sony 4\/24-105 G OSS.<\/p>\n

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Introduction<\/h2>\n

First of all, let me quote Roger Cicala from Lensrentals.com who said this in the fredmiranda.com forum. He probably tested more lenses for sample variation than all readers of this post together:<\/p>\n

“I’ve only tested 5,000 zooms so far so all I can say is the frequency of a zoom perfect at all focal lengths is lower than 1 in 5,000.”<\/span><\/p>\n

So after all, you see just the performance of my copies<\/strong> of these lenses. Those who know me will agree that I am very picky about my lenses so expect my copies to be rather better than worse. Nevertheless, there will be samples that could perform differently. This also applies for every other review on the web but is especially true for a comparison of three zoom lenses.<\/p>\n

This article is obviously very geeky as it compares the sharpness around the infinity mark in detail at different focal lengths and areas of the frame. That’s why I will start with the..<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

For those who don’t want to look at all images in detail, I’ve created this table. I’ve rated the lenses in all analyzed categories. 1 stands for the best performer, 3 for the weakest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Focal Length \/ Area<\/th>Sony 2.8\/24-70 GM<\/th>Tamron 2.8\/28-75 DiIII RXD<\/th>Sony 4\/24-105 G OSS<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
24\/28mm \/ center<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24\/28mm \/ midframe<\/td>3<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24\/28mm \/ corner<\/td>1<\/td>3<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35mm \/ center<\/td>3<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35mm \/ midframe<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35mm \/ corner<\/td>2<\/td>3<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
50mm \/ center<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
50mm \/ midframe<\/td>1<\/td>3<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
50mm \/ corner<\/td>1<\/td>3<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70\/75mm \/ center<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70\/75mm \/ midframe<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70\/75mm \/ corner<\/td>1<\/td>3<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

It’s easily visible that my copy of the 2.8\/24-70 GM lens stands out of the crowd in terms of sharpness. Especially at the long end, it resolves generally a bit more detail than the rest. The weaknesses of the GM are a mid zone dip at 24mm and a slightly worse performance at 35mm. This behavior also matches with another copy of this lens that I have tested a while ago.<\/a><\/p>\n

This said, the other lenses are no slouches at all. Generally, the Tamron 2.8\/28-75 is a bit sharper than the Sony 4\/24-105 in the center while the latter is more constant across the frame which fits also well to their applications.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the Tamron renders a bit warmer than both Sony lenses which have roughly the same color\/contrast footprint.<\/p>\n

In my opinion, we see three very good performances and none of these lenses should be ruled out just by this shootout. The other categories of performance (especially bokeh) and the general specs of the lenses can be very important for a buying decision and will be discussed in the next articles.<\/p>\n

The Sony 2.8\/24-70 GM can be bought for $2.198 at Amazon.com<\/a> (affiliate link), 2.199\u20ac at Amazon.de <\/a>(affiliate link). Sometimes used copies are available at <\/em>Ebay.de<\/a> or <\/em>Ebay.com <\/a>(afiliate links).<\/em><\/p>\n

The Tamron 2.8\/28-75 Di III RXD can be purchased for $899 at Amazon.com<\/a> (affiliate link) or 829\u20ac at Amazon.de <\/a>(affiliate link). <\/em>Sometimes you can get a used lens or a good deal at\u00a0<\/em>Ebay.de<\/a> or <\/em>Ebay.com <\/a>(affiliate links).<\/em><\/p>\n

The Sony 4\/24-105 G OSS can be bought for $1.398 at Amazon.com<\/a> (affiliate link), 1.398\u20ac at Amazon.de <\/a>(affiliate link). Sometimes used copies are available at <\/em>Ebay.de<\/a> or <\/em>Ebay.com <\/a>(afiliate links).<\/em><\/p>\n

Aperture Series (infinity sharpness)<\/h2>\n

24\/28mm:<\/h4>\n