Carl Zeiss Otus 55 mm f/1.4 ZE/ZF.2
8. Vignetting
It is clear there are no serious problems here – even at the maximum relative aperture the relative brightness loss in the frame corners is just moderate, amounting to 24% (-0.79 EV). That aberration becomes slight already on stopping down to f/2.0, where it reaches 14% (-0.42 EV). The problem disappears completely by f/2.8, where the vignetting is just 4% (-0.11 EV).
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The chart below compares the results of the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 and those of its rivals.
|
Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 |
Voigtlander 1.4/58 |
Nikkor AF-S 1.4/50G |
Zeiss Makro Planar 2.0/50 |
f/1.4 |
24% |
28% |
29% |
- |
f/2.0 |
14% |
9% |
12% |
33% |
f/2.8 |
4% |
3% |
3% |
15% |
Let’s check now what results we got on full frame of the Nikon D3x. The appropriate thumbnails are presented below.
Here the situation is much worse. At the maximum relative aperture you must take into account the light fall-off of as much as 51% in the frame corners (-2.05 EV). By f/2.0 the vignetting level still remains significant, reaching 39% (-1.41 EV). A moderate level of that aberration can be noticed by f/2.8 where we got 21% (-0.69 EV). The vignetting disappears almost completely by f/4.0, where it is just 9% (-0.28 EV).
The chart below shows that, despite its huge physical dimensions, the Zeiss Otus doesn’t compare favourably with its rivals in this category. The Voigtlander 1.4/58, much smaller than the tested lens, is just slightly worse by f/1.4 but fares better on stopping down. It is quite a surprise.
|
Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 |
Voigtlander 1.4/58 |
Nikkor AF-S 1.4/50G |
Zeiss Makro Planar 2.0/50 |
f/1.4 |
51% |
52% |
56% |
- |
f/2.0 |
39% |
36% |
41% |
49% |
f/2.8 |
21% |
18% |
24% |
31% |
f/4.0 |
9% |
8% |
13% |
16% |