What is happening with my lens? [A7R2 | Zeiss T* FE 24-70mm f/4]

[blastula99]

I shot a bunch of photos over the weekend with both the Zeiss and my Sony 85mm f/1.8. All of the Zeiss photos came out like the image on the right. The 85mm were fine (left). I shot the attached photos from a tripod with both lens earlier today. Autofocus worked fine. Looking through the viewfinder, even using with manual focus I can see it is not sharp. I looked at the lens itself and do not see any obvious smudges, etc. I lightly attempted to clean it with a blower and cloth.

I've had the lens since I got the camera a few years ago. I just used it on tis past Friday and it was fine. I've checked all of the obvious stuff like focusing (as mentioned, it does not appear to focus sharp even in the viewfinder) and cleaning the lens. I have not dropped it or damaged it in any way. I find it weird and was just wondering if some contact point may be messed up that could cause it to happen. Any insights are greatly appreciated.

[pm-r]

You definitely need to get it off to Sony Pro Service so they can figure out what is wrong.  Sometimes, one of the internal elements can become de-centered but I'm not sure if that is your issue or not.   Best thing is to send it off and see what they say.

[blastula99]

Thanks. I'll have to do that.

[pm-r]

One other thought... sometimes repairs can be easy and not terribly expensive but other times, it goes the other way.  If the repair estimate is higher than say half the value of the lens, you may want to pass.  The newest wide angle Sony makes is quickly becoming one of my favorites as it allows me to leave a lens at home.  I've been having great success with the new FE20-70mm f/4G lens.  So, if you get bad news from the repair folks, you might consider it rather than replacing your Zeiss with the same lens.