- Processing is at the highest level
- The sharpness is perfect
- The contrast is Super
- Chromatic aberration is excellently corrected
But surely all know already, the question which all seek, the Sigma 50mm is better than the Zeiss Otus?!?
The Zeiss Otus was tested on a Nikon D800, therefore, a comparison may not be entirely fair, 24 megapixels are nunmal no 36 megapixels and the SD1 is an APS-C camera.
I can not say whether the sharpness at maximum aperture is as good as the Zeiss Otus so, but I can say the following things
- The Sigma irritates the 46 megapixel APS-C sensor of the Sigma and the 24 megapixel full-frame sensor from the A99
- The Sigma has a clearly visible and much less distortion as the Zeiss
- The Sigma has autofocus (HSM)
- The Sigma has the much better Boke.
The Boke of Zeiss Otus is a horror! It reminds extreme to the Boke of a fish-eye lens, rather than circular beam has "cat's eyes" and soft is something else. I'm going very strongly from that which comes from the relatively strong distortion of Zeiss.
In addition, the Zeiss has less contrast.
I just sags times, perfect sharpness can be seen only at 100%, at Bayer sensors it depends even more extreme by the demosaicing algorithm used, and of the Nachschärfealgorithmus.
Whether the Boke and the contrast is poor, you can see immediately. the only wass the Zeiss may well be the processing and the sharpness, otherwise it is inferior to the Sigma in all aspects. I would even say the processing of Sigma is on par with the Zeiss.
I have not purchased the Zeiss and not ask for the price, it was but believe just below 4000 and the Sigma is just below 1000, so 1/4 of the price.
In direct comparison to its predecessor, Sigma EX lens this one is in any and all points better, but bigger and heavier, which you should be aware!
On the A99 I still have the 50mm Zeiss tested, but that is rather on Sigma EX level and not compete with this one, the 50mm f / 1.2 compare Canon L with this lens here would be an affront to the Sigma, especially demanded at the price the Canon.
Sigma and Zeiss are the only ones that a 50mm lens in this imaging performance class (there the word?) And offer the Sigma emerged from this as winners.
So you have not much choice and the Sigma triumphs here clearly, so 5 stars.
