Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/25mm ZF and the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S comparison.

Many people who have recently bought either a D700 or D3 may be considering one or indeed both of these lenses. There have been many claims that the 24-70mm offers prime lens image quality with the flexability and convenience of a zoom. The Zeiss has also had some very good press. How will the two compare?

We had an opportunity to compare the performance of these lenses with full res samples that you can download below, to allow you to form your own opinions on each lens.

Both lenses were tested on a Nikon D700. The camera was tripod mounted. ISO was set at 200. Live view was used for manual focussing of each lens to keep things as fair as possible and mirror lock up was also used to reduce the possibility of camera shake. Each image was shot in RAW and then processed in Adobe Lightroom 2 with the same amount of capture sharpening added to each image.

No colour adjustments were made to ensure the colours were as shot, to allow you to establish any colour variations from each sample.

Images Below

Test One. f/16 (click on image for full res jpeg)

Image 1 from CZ 25mm @ f/16

Image 2 from Nikon 24-70mm @ f/16 

 Test two -  f/8 (click on image for full res jpeg)

Image 1 - CZ 25mm @ f/8

 Image 2 - Nikon 24-70mm @ f/8

Test Three - f/2.8 (Click on image for full res jpeg)

Image 1 - CZ 25mm @ f/2.8

Image 2 - Nikon 24-70mm @ f/2.8

Some observations.

A good photographer friend of mine Ross Scott supplied the 25mm CZ for the test - so thank you to Ross (a regular contributor on DP Review).

The Zeiss clearly shows less distortion than the Nikon. This is visible in the roof line of image one and also the wooden panels in image three. We did have an exposure discrepancy with the f/2.8 shot. The Nikon produced a 1/320sec and the CZ a 1/200 sec to achieve a similar histogram. Ross and I both double checked this to make sure it was correct and also to ensure the Zeiss was set to f/2.8 - and it was - read into that what you will! There was no significant light change during the shooting. It is possible that either 1) Zeiss are optomistic about the full aperture on the 25mm or 2) The test example is not giving its widest posisble aperture as clearly there is more depth of field visible on the Zeiss f/2.8 sample. (we will need to carry out some further tests and update if nescessary).

In general, we both felt that the Nikon lens was slightly sharper overall, however on the right hand edge of the f/16 image, the Zeiss is sharper at the edge and gets softer elsewhere.

We also felt that the Zeiss showed less vignetting wide open and this is visible in the test images above.

Both lenses seem to offer simillar resistance to flare with the Zeiss faring slightly less well on CA (There is some visible in one of the test shots).

Conclusion

An interesting test overall and when you consider the Zeiss lens can be bought for around £450 new, it would clearly make a great  value for money landscape lens (based on our test results) with low distortion and excellent resolving power with the FX sensor. The build quality really is something special and it feels like it was created from a solid lump of metal.

The 24-70mm appears to be in very short supply at the moment and based on the comparisons, it is very easy to understand why. It is slightly sharper throughout the aperture range and although it does demonstrate some mild barrel distortion at its widest setting, it does offer a great deal of flexibility into one lens. Given it has a price of more than double that of the Zeiss, it is probably on the shopping list of those with very deep pockets; however what you get is probably one of the best f/2.8 zooms available for any camera system.

Build Quality

Zeiss - A truly quality piece of equipment that is designed to last much longer than the camera you are attaching it to! 

Score: 10/10

Nikon - Very well built, with smooth zooming and focussing action and it should be given the cost. 

Score: 9/10


Value For Money

Zeiss - With a street price of around £450, it is exceptional value for money when you consider its performance.

Score: 9/10

Nikon - A veritable bargain given just how good this lens performs at every level, it's like having a whole set of prime lenses in one lens - incredible.

Score: 10/10


Performance

Zeiss - Distortion levels are kept to an absolute minimum and good levels of sharpness, although not as sharp as the Nikon and some odd results (exposure) when wide open.

Score: 8/10


Nikon - There is some mild distortion visible, however the levels of sharpness are very very impressive, colours were also outstanding with superb contrast.

Score: 9/10


Winner: A difficult one to call as both are superb. What we would say is that if you are on a budget and need a wide angle lens, then the Zeiss is going to make you very happy indeed. If you have the funds available and must have the flexibility of a zoom, then there really is no other choice for your money.