I sold the Z 28mm f/2.8 as it was losing out to my Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S in the corners. My personal belief. A fixed focal length lens should be able to outperform a variable focal length lens in terms of sharpness in the corners. The Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G is two times worse in the corners than the cheaper Z 28mm f/2.8…
If the Z 28mm f/2.8 wasn’t good enough for your needs, you probably wouldn’t be satisfied with any of the current pancake/muffin lenses that I’ve tested. The Z 28mm f/2.8 is probably the best of the bunch optically, tied with the Z 40mm f/2. Next would be this Sony lens, followed by the Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8 and the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 in last place.
I still haven’t tested the Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 or some of the third-party pancakes, but my takeaway for now is that lenses this small are going to have serious optical compromises. None of them has been at the level of a high-quality zoom, let alone a high-quality prime.
(I will reserve judgment for some of the 50mm pancake lenses later, as it should be easier to design a 50mm pancake than a 24mm or 28mm pancake.)
I had a Z 40mm f/2. And it is optically better at the same aperture values in the corners than Z 28mm f/2.8. But after buying Z 7, I replaced it with Z 50mm f/1.8S. The Z 28mm f/2.8 was also a disappointment for me because it has a strong dimming along the edge of the frame when the sun shines into the lens. I even learned how to use it, but after I bought the Z 24-70 f/4S, I sold the Z 28mm f/2.8. It turned out that the Z 24-70 f/4S works very well, has a small size and weight and is very versatile. Before that, since 2012, I had been shooting almost exclusively on fixes. I had a 24-70 2.8G, but it really lost in the corners to the fixes on closed diaphragms. About RF Canon 28mm f/2.8. I read reviews and studied examples. Potentially in the corner, he’s incredibly good for his size. Regarding the size and weight. I have an ancient 35 f/2D. It is at f/8 on the D800 very sharp in the corners.
I sold the Z 28mm f/2.8 as it was losing out to my Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S in the corners. My personal belief. A fixed focal length lens should be able to outperform a variable focal length lens in terms of sharpness in the corners.
The Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G is two times worse in the corners than the cheaper Z 28mm f/2.8…
If the Z 28mm f/2.8 wasn’t good enough for your needs, you probably wouldn’t be satisfied with any of the current pancake/muffin lenses that I’ve tested. The Z 28mm f/2.8 is probably the best of the bunch optically, tied with the Z 40mm f/2. Next would be this Sony lens, followed by the Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8 and the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 in last place.
I still haven’t tested the Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 or some of the third-party pancakes, but my takeaway for now is that lenses this small are going to have serious optical compromises. None of them has been at the level of a high-quality zoom, let alone a high-quality prime.
(I will reserve judgment for some of the 50mm pancake lenses later, as it should be easier to design a 50mm pancake than a 24mm or 28mm pancake.)
I had a Z 40mm f/2. And it is optically better at the same aperture values in the corners than Z 28mm f/2.8. But after buying Z 7, I replaced it with Z 50mm f/1.8S.
The Z 28mm f/2.8 was also a disappointment for me because it has a strong dimming along the edge of the frame when the sun shines into the lens. I even learned how to use it, but after I bought the Z 24-70 f/4S, I sold the Z 28mm f/2.8. It turned out that the Z 24-70 f/4S works very well, has a small size and weight and is very versatile. Before that, since 2012, I had been shooting almost exclusively on fixes. I had a 24-70 2.8G, but it really lost in the corners to the fixes on closed diaphragms.
About RF Canon 28mm f/2.8. I read reviews and studied examples. Potentially in the corner, he’s incredibly good for his size.
Regarding the size and weight. I have an ancient 35 f/2D. It is at f/8 on the D800 very sharp in the corners.