RX1 35mm Sonnar Lens MTF Chart

Sony RX1 35mm Zeiss Sonnar Autoocus Lens

Sony RX1 35mm Sonnar Lens MTF Chart
at f/2 and f/8; 10 and 30 lp/mm

Here is the calculated MTF Chart for the 35mm f/2 Sonnar lens on the Sony DSC-RX1. We will try go give a quick explanation of the RX1 MTF charts above. The red lines show how well contrast will be reproduced by the lens. The green lines show sharpness or resolving power of the lens. The higher on the chart the better. The horizontal axis represents the point from the center of the lens. This tells us the corner performance of the lens.

The Sony's RX1 35mm Zeiss Sonnar lens as described in the press release:

Complementing the full-frame sensor is a fast, bright Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens with a fixed focal length of 35mm – a versatile choice for portraits, street photography and everyday shooting. Recordable dynamic range is reduced at sensitivity levels below ISO100. Full-frame Image Sensor APS-C Image Sensor3 Derived from the German word “Sonne” (“sun”), the Sonnar name reflects the ability of the lens to capture as much light as possible. This premium lens features newly designed optics including an Advanced Aspherical (AA) glass element. This contributes to the camera‟s extremely compact palm-sized dimensions while keeping extremely high performance of the lens.

The lens‟s wide F2 maximum aperture and 9-bladed circular aperture enable beautiful "bokeh‟ (defocus) effects. A Macro switching ring on the lens barrel instantly shortens minimum focusing distance to just 20cm (from image plane), making the Cyber-shot RX1 ideal for capturing small close-up subjects with exquisite detail.

Below are actual measured MTF charts for the other 35mm f/2 compact lenses, the Zeiss Biogon and the Leica Summicron. Calculated and measured mtf charts should not be compared but we wanted to see what the Sony and Zeiss engineers were targeting when they designed the 35mm Sonnar lens for the RX1.

Zeiss 35mm Biogon ZM Lens MTF Chart
at f/2 and f/4; 10, 20 and 40 cycles/mm

Leica 35mm Summicron MTF Chart
at f/2 and f/5.6; 5, 10, 20 and 40 lp/mm

The MTF Chart for the Sony DSC-RX1 is from the Sony Hong Kong RX1 Press Releasewhich contains a lot more information about the new RX1.

MTF Charts Explained by Carl Zeiss AG.