Sony is adding yet another lens to its extraordinary collection of optics for the brand’s numerous mirrorless cameras.
This time it’s a lens with a unique combination of focal length and aperture in the form of the 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens for E-mount.
This new piece of glass follows in the wake of Sony’s 2023 release of a 20-70mm f/4 G lens and both come with a notable focus on a slightly unusual focal range.
With the 24-50mm f/2.8, users can enjoy a lens that’s reasonably lightweight and extremely flexible for different photographic uses.
Weighing in at 440 grams or 15.5 ounces, the 24-50mm f/2.8 G is hardly an ultra-light lens, but it’s very modest by the standards of its kind.
Size-wise, the new optic also features reasonable dimensions for easy handling. It measures a length of just 9.23 cm or 3.6 inches and extends slightly further to 11.5 cm or 4.5 inches during maximum zoon. This compact profile contributes to its modest weight.
Internally, Sony’s 24-50mm f/2.8 G comes built with 16 lens elements in 13 groups and among these are four aspherical elements along with two ED lens elements. Sony itself has described the image quality that results from this lens array as being similar to that of its older G Master lenses.
The lens has been noted to offer exceptional sharpness in the central part of a full-frame sensor’s image area while delivering sharpness along the periphery.
Sony has given the 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens several different control rings. One controls focus, another zoom and the third ring is for adjusting aperture. This ring also has a click-stop option for adjusting the aperture via clicked levels.
With the lower end of its focal length, the 24-50mm f/2.8 G is also remarkably decent for close-in shooting: it offers a minimal focus distance of just 18 cm or 7.1 inches through manual focus and 19 cm with AF.
Even at its full 50mm extension, the 24-50mm f/2.8 G can focus on subjects from as little as 29 cm or 11.4 inches away. This isn’t bad at all if you need to jump between close-up shots and zoom shooting on the fly.
These close shooting specs give the new Sony lens a max magnification of 0.33x under manual focus and 0.3x under AF. This is indeed pretty close to what you find with some macro lenses.
Sony also built the 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens to operate quickly, smoothly and quietly during AF movements. It manages AF precision even during extreme high-speed shooting with some of Sony’s best cameras.
Sony will start shipping the 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens as of May of 2024 for a retail price of $1,100. You can of course also pre-order it if you want an extremely versatile new addition to your Sony lens collection.
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