The Unloved and the Unrivalled

Canon 24mm f1.4 L v Zeiss Contax 21mm f2.8 Distagon

Performance at f5.6 (Zone A)

Canon 24mm f1.4 L at f5.6 (centre)	Zeiss Contax 21mm f5.6 (centre)
4.25 points	5 points

It doesn't come better than the Zeiss 21mm at f5.6 centre frame: bottomless resolution and beautiful rendering. The L has finally shaped up but it's nowhere near the Contax.

Performance at f5.6 (Zone B: Left Side)

Canon 24mm f1.4 L at f5.6 (mid-frame)	Zeiss Contax 21mm f5.6 (mid-frame)
4.5 points	5 points

The entire frame is just perfectly drawn by the Distagon at f5.6, barring the wobbly lines . . .

Performance at f5.6 (Zone C)

Canon 24mm f1.4 L at f5.6 (extreme corner)	Zeiss Contax 21mm f5.6 (extreme corner)
4.5 points	4.5 points

. . . like these. On reflection I've called this one a draw: the Canon resolves the mesh detail more accurately but the Zeiss has stronger microcontrast and maintains its performance just a few pixels further into the corner than the L.