Why do my Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 photos look less sharp than my 85mm f/1.8 shots?
Asked 4/12/2015
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2 answers
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I’m comparing images from a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom and a Nikon 85mm f/1.8 prime. My photos from the 24-70 often seem less sharp than the ones from the 85mm. In the examples I shared, the zoom shot was taken at f/2.8 and the prime shot seems sharper to me. Is this likely a lens problem, or could it be due to technique, focus, or depth of field? Is this about what I should expect from a 24-70mm f/2.8 compared with a prime lens?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
3
The only difference in terms of sharpness I see is that the first shot appears to be at f/2.8 and slightly front-focused, while the second appears to be shot at f/1.8 and either slightly front focused if you are aiming for the branch in the left central area or grossly back focused if you were aiming for the nearer branch.
When viewed at the same display size (the first image uploaded at 819x546 pixels and the second at 2576x1719) it is hard to tell much of a difference in the sharpest parts of each photo.
The first image, though, is in my opinion much better composed and the better photo of the two. The strong diagonal curve of the in-focus branch leads the eye from the upper left corner to the lower right intersection of the vertical and horizontal "thirds" lines. The color also appears more natural in the first image than in the second.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
11y ago
0
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It’s probably not a fault with the 24-70mm. Based on the examples, the bigger issue is shallow depth of field and possibly slight focus error, not overall lens sharpness.
At f/2.8, only a thin slice of the scene will be in focus, so parts of the subject can look blurry even when the lens is performing normally. One answer noted the zoom image appears slightly front-focused; the prime image may also have focus placement issues. When both images are viewed at the same display size, the sharpest areas don’t show a dramatic difference.
Also, primes are often somewhat sharper and can give more pleasing subject separation than zooms, simply because they are optimized for one focal length. So some difference is normal.
In short: your 24-70mm is likely fine. To judge it fairly, test it on a flat subject with careful focus, good light, and compare at the same size. Also try stopping down a bit instead of shooting wide open at f/2.8 every time.
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