Canon FD and Zeiss lenses compared (and the Sony Zoom)

[AtticusLake]

So if I'm shooting with some nice classic FD-mount lenses, how much gain is there to be had from upgrading to more expensive glass?

To find out, I rented a couple of Zeiss lenses for the weekend, and shot some tests; and here are the results, in case anyone else finds them interesting.

Lenses I compared:

• Canon FD 24mm f/1.4 L
• Canon FD 50mm f/1.4
• Sony/Zeiss 24mm f/1.8
• Zeiss ZF.2 50mm f/1.4
• Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-f/6.3 LE (SEL18200LE)

Note that the zoom is the newer of the Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-f/6.3 E-mount zoom lenses; the original (SEL18200) is the kit lens for the FS100 and FS700, it's silver, and it's quite chunky. The new one is thinner and black.

All the test shots were recorded on a PIX-240 external recorder (which I also rented for the weekend).

Part 1 is the test shots (encoded at high quality), without the lens names, just because I think it's way too easy to fool yourself if you know the answers. You might want to download this to watch on your computer, so you don't get the streaming compression messing it up; the download button is below the video in Vimeo:

https://vimeo.com/48206418

Part 2 is the results, so you can just skip to that if you don't want to bother with the blind thing:

https://vimeo.com/48208549

Enjoy!

 

[joy new media]

Did you shoot any people as part of your test? Not surprising that the Zeiss with its sharpness and uber-contrast would make the others - especially the FD look softer - especially with leaves and grass. But while older lenses usually don't resolve as much as modern lenses - many of them produce beautiful video and wonderful skin tones. I sold my Zeiss glass in favor of some Rokkors because for me the Zeiss contrast was just overkill in video, they were better stills lenses IMHO. If I could just keep them all...

I was shooting with a 5d2 before, so the jump in IQ with the FS100 was eye opening. Anyway, while the FD may not win the sharpness test, people look really, really good in front of an FD lens. Next up for me are a few old Leica R lenses, the way a Leica lens renders tonal gradation is just beautiful. The transition between highlights and shadows are so well handled. They would never win a sharpness war with Zeiss, but they do produce nice images. Thanks for posting.

 

[Damien Collier]

Atticus,
Thanks for sharing your test. It's always good to see these comparisons to know what the different glass is doing to the image. I'm with you, invest in glass over an external recorder. (unless you are shooting for the BBC )

 

[AtticusLake]

.... Anyway, while the FD may not win the sharpness test, people look really, really good in front of an FD lens.

Thanks! Yup, right tools for the job, definitely. I was having a real issue with the FD 24 for some of the types of shooting I do a lot, hence this test... but I absolutely agree that it's a case of finding the right tools for whatever you're trying to achieve. Next time I'll get some people in... cheers!

Thanks for sharing your test. It's always good to see these comparisons to know what the different glass is doing to the image.

Cool, glad it was helpful!