Two lenses in action, but which is better?

[woodrim]

There is another thread running concurrently where many people have shared contrasting opinions on how best to test lenses for comparison. I have tried to determine which of my lenses is sharpest, which provides the best bokeh, color, etc, but here is what ultimately helps me determine what I like best. But in this comparison, I have used two lenses that I like equally, but maybe for different reasons. However, what I think this will show is not so much the differences, but just how difficult it is to discern a difference between two very good, yet different lenses. The lenses share an approximate same focal length, a slightly different maximum aperture, and different optical schemes for sure.

I won't yet identify the lenses, but instead challenge you to see if you can at least determine which pictures are from the same lens. There are eleven from each lens. I will be very interested in hearing what viewers can tell. There are 11 from each lens. Camera is NEX-5N.

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[Attila]

In this perfect light lens is not matter I think

[Orio]

Differences between two good quality lenses are usually minimal - this is quite known, albeit sometimes denied by the most hardened "lens brand warriors"
Identification is difficult even when the two lenses take the same scene to be compared side by side. With different scenes, identification is simply impossible.
On crop camera, it is even "more impossible", because most of the visually evident differences usually happen at the edges of the frame, which are not captured.
So, I will not even try

[Oreste]

[fuzzywuzzy]

Looks like a great day at the beach!

I might try to at least guess focal lengths later but for now I'll just enjoy the pics

[hifisapi]

it might be possible to match up some shots that have enough and different bokeh but the small aperture landscape distance shots are going to be hard to distinquish.

[fermy]

Man, you love those quizzes, don't you? 11 images per lens is too hard, too much information. IMHO it would be better to present 3 images per lens.

[Minolfan]

Must have been a great day at the beach.
I like #13 most; wanted to be there!

Funny excuse to expose such a lot of pictures

[SonicScot]

[pich900]

Indeed quite a difficult challenge to determine which pictures are from the same lens but anyway, that's for sure two great lenses and it was a perfect day to test both lenses on the beach, great series from a great place ...

[hoanpham]

5, 8 and 16 due to the buttery bokeh.
Others are too difficult.

[peterqd]

Same for me. I tried to differentiate by the light and the length of the shadows (assuming you only changed lenses once) but that's not the point of the exercise.

[mo]

I forgot the question...but I loved the beach,the shells, what looked like good fishing...the drift wood....it just looked like you had a very nice time at the beach with two lenses.....#11 was my favorite and I enjoyed seeing the texture on the shells.

[kds315*]

Excellent shots and great work at a wonderful location. I'm not going to the guessing game,
leave that to others...

[woodrim]

Okay, okay, of course you're all right, too difficult to tell any appreciable difference. Had I thought I might do this post, I might have tried to keep the exposures more similar, but I was really just out to have a good time. But what you all see here is exactly my point (I think). These two lenses will get different reactions from this group of people, but they remain my favorite two in the focal length. I have my own perceptions of which is sharpest, which has the best bokeh, best colors, contrast, etc., but any time I've tried to prove it, I've been defeated by the results. Still, I'm confident one is the sharpest, but the other seems to give me more joy from the results. Well, most times, but this time in the same setting, they performed equally in my mind. So how important is the detail analysis we give to lenses, using test charts, etc?

I think the difference were more discernable when I was using my Sony A200, but now that I'm using a NEX-5N, the sensor seems to bring out the very best in both lenses with few if any flaws.

While the light made shooting wide open impossible, there is one that I know was wide open, that being number 5, but from which lens? The lenses were Tair-11 133/2.8 and Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3.

[woodrim]

I should have also mentioned that neither lens has much or any coatings. The Tair is older and the Vivitar is an early version before the VMC. But look how well the Tair handled the direct sun reflections.

[woodrim]

[fermy]

Ok, I'll take a stab. My guess is that #5 is Vivitar.

[SonicScot]

Either way you look at it, the photos are a great advert for both lenses.

[woodrim]

[hifisapi]

[woodrim]

Maybe I should have said neither are multi-coated.

[Attila]

[hifisapi]

[visualopsins]

I think your selection process is moved into an area only you personally can access to decide which lens is better, unless you want to loan the two lenses to somebody else to decide.

Surely there are logistical differences in operation, different focus & aperture ring feels, general ease of use factors, etc.. Which is more pleasurable to use? Which do you think gives best results? These decisions can take quite some time...