Zeiss versus Canon versus Samyang lenses

I borrowed a focus chart from the shop over the weekend to do a few tests on my lenses. After paying a large amount of money for a set of Zeiss primes I wanted to see if they were really worth it. What I had available is a mixture of popular lenses used with a DLSR for video. So I realize that the lenses aren't quite the same value, performance range, or expected performance. It's what *I* had available to me. I have a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L series, Zeiss 50mm f/2 macro, and Zeiss 35mm f/1.4. My friend brought over his Canon 24-105mm f/4 L series and Samyang 35mm f/1.4.

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First, I'll say that the Zeiss lenses are really top notch precision quality. Their lower end SLR lenses are made by Cosina in Japan, but these clearly aren't spec'd like Canon or Nikon lenses. No plastic or rubber, nor tolerance slop, as I've become accustomed to from Canon L series lenses. Even the lens shades are metal! But, more importantly, I really wanted to look at the optical quality of the lenses. I'll get into the ergonomics of the design in a future post.

Let's start with a comparison of crops from the lower left corner of the focus chart using the 35mm focal length at f/4. Frankly, they're all really good with the exception of the 24-105mm Canon, which is starting to show chromatic aberration and distortion. The Samyang actually has really great performance, which is surprising given the bargain price - most likely due to the mostly plastic construction of this lens. Notice how the Zeiss still has detail in the "A" pattern? Very nice.

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Canon 24-70mm @ 35mm

Canon 24-105mm @ 35mm

Samyang 35mm

Zeiss 35mm

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 Then lets look at the same plots at 50mm f/4. The 24-70 and Zeiss seem pretty close, with the exception of some aliasing in the A pattern on the Canon lens. However, both Canons still show distortion even at this "normal" focal length. The aliasing on the 24-70mm might have something to do with the distortion skewing the lines slightly.

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Canon 24-70mm @ 50mm

Canon 24-105mm @ 50mm

Zeiss 50mm

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I fully realize I'm being overly nit picky here, but when you pay so much for a lens you deserve to be. What I can say is that the Zeiss and Samyang seem to be matched pretty well optically. Both are excellent. It appears as though what you're really paying for with the Zeiss is the all metal bomb-proof construction and tight German tolerance. What I haven't been able to investigate is the bokeh, flare control, and transmission characteristics. Frankly I'd rather be out shooting than doing lens tests, however it's the end of the year and production is pretty much shut down until the hangovers from New Year's Eve wear off.