Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

UPDATED:The $345 Yongnuo 85mm f/1.8 FE lens outperforms the $3,990 Zeiss Otus lens?

ThePhoBlographer spotted this surprising result posted by DxOmark. The Yongnuo 85mm f/1.8 FE lens (available at Amazon US, BHphoto, Amazon DE, Amazon UK) outperformed the ten times more expensive Zeiss Otus lens:

UPDATE: The Zeiss was tested on a lower resolution camera, and this surely had a negative influence on the score. Moreover this score is not perfect, it’s a subjective standard of scoring results. So don’t take it as a perfect tool for final judgment. Still, the Yongnuo remains impressive!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

uhaas2009

I don’t know about a comparison like that. Every camera acting differently.
If I drive a Mercedes vs a Toyota for 10 hours than I know the difference maybe like Zeiss.
I have some lenses with great glass but the body of the lens are really bad und the others way around too.
For me it’s more to know my lenses and how they act to the camera body vs to have the perfect equipment……lol…..overthinking isn’t always helpful…..😉…..

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

I'm really surprised DXOMARK would conduct and publish a test where 4 different lenses were tested on 3 different bodies.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

They always do.
In reality they NEVER do true apples to apples reviews.
But I still was amazed at how incredibly well the Yonguno did.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

You can't compare lenses if you test them on cameras with different resolutions unless you account for the difference in sensor resolution.

The A7rIV is a 61.2MP camera so a sharpness score of 53 perceptual megapixels may not be as impressive as it seems.

I have done a lot of testing specifically for sharpness. I recently tested all of my lenses on a Z7 (45.7MP) which meant that I used an adapter for nearly all of them. I used the entire range of aperture settings to try an determine each lens's sharpest aperture and the point where diffraction starts. It was not easy to see the change from one f-stop to the next and I suspected that the Bayer array might be why.

Then I bought a Sony FE Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 55mm F1.8 ZA lens and, just to save a little time, I tested it on my 24MP Sony A7 II monochrome and got a surprise. With no Bayer array interfering with the image, it was much easier to see the difference between f-stops. I found that the sharpest apertures were f/4 through f/8 and that diffraction clearly starts to show at f/11.

So I retested most of my other lenses (all prime) and found that I could get a better result with the 24MP monochrome than with the Z7. Nearly all of them starting with a 28mm Zeiss ZM through a 135mm Leica Elmar produced the sharpest images at f/5.6 or f/8.

So you can probably get some decent images from the Yongnuo 85mm f/1.8. You may also find its best performance in the center of the image at around f/5.6 or f/8. But the acid test will be how well it performs on the edges and in the corners.

For $345, it's probably worth the risk.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

You can actually specify one body for the comparison.

The only problem would be a Nikon lens which would not likely get tested on a non-Nikon body.

User ID

Its not really amazing. Good news, yes, but not amazing. ~85 thru ~135mm is the easiest lens designs with the fewest challenges. Unless a manufacturer had notably shoddy QA, lenses of moderate speed in that FL range should routinely shine brightly.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Dxo does it all the time for years.
Most people here never questioned it but took those tests as gospel.
So why question them now?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

The only reason to dumb down the lens sharpness measurement to a single integer is so that you can take a stab at comparing two lenses. But it should come with a warning about camera resolution.

The number shown for perceptual megapixels is the system resolution for that particular lens/sensor combination. It changes when you select a different camera.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Again this is how DXO does ALL lens tests with different cameras and resolutions.
They NEVER do apples to apples.
And UHH'rs swear by DXO and have so for years with NO problems.
Thus this comparison is as good as ALL other DXO comparisons ever done.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

It's up to the user to do the apples to apples comparison. You just need to select the camera first.



When they calculate the score, sharpness is just one of the factors. In this case the Sony FE 1.8 is much better than the Yongnuo when it comes to chromatic aberration but it's the price (not shown) that makes the difference in the score.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

Plus: if one reads reviews from buyers on B&H, Adorama, Amazon it is clear that there are some other issues that may be more serious than resolution.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

The problem with chromatic aberration looks like the tip of the iceberg.

You don't have to look very far to find a comprehensive review from someone who doesn't have a vested interest in trying to sell you something.

The conclusion is below the title, "Not worth the risk". It goes on to describe a litany of issues with the lens.

After reading that review it's hard to take any Yongnuo lens seriously.

Caveat emptor!

Nicholas J DeSciose

Does the yunguno have auto focus? If it does is it as good as the Zeiss