LENS TEST
EXPERT OPINION ON THE LATEST KIT
A compact standard zoom with compromises
www.sony.co.uk £1,149/$1,098
Sony has been going about its full-frame mirrorless business for over 10 years now, racking up 73 E-mount lenses along the way. New for 2024, the FE 24-50mm F2.8 G standard zoom and the simultaneously released FE 16-25mm F2.8 G wide-angle zoom are designed to be the most compact and lightweight options in the class of full-frame compatible constant-aperture f/2.8 zooms.
So-called ‘trinity’ wide-angle, standard and telephoto zooms with a constant f/2.8 aperture are highly popular the world over, but they’re often bulky, heavy lenses that can feel a bit cumbersome. I often prefer zoom lenses with a slower f/4 aperture, especially for shooting with slinky mirrorless cameras rather than chunky DSLRs, as they’re generally more compact and lightweight, as well as being cheaper to buy. The downside is that they’re less ideal for freezing motion under dull lighting conditions, and can’t deliver such a tight depth of field.
The FE 24-50mm F2.8 G is refreshingly lightweight, but comes with a compromise in terms of outright zoom range. It has plenty of wide-angle potential, matching the more usual 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms, but can’t stretch to anything beyond a standard focal length, which makes it less versatile. I find the maximum focal length can feel limiting, not just for portraiture and still-life photography, but also in plenty of other more general shooting scenarios.
Key features
The FE 24-50mm F2.8 G isn’t the first standard zoom to sacrifice zoom range in pursuit of a compact, lightweight design. There are the Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM and the Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6, to name but two. But both of these lenses have a narrower, variable aperture rating. While the new lens weighs 440g, the full-size Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II weighs in at 695g and costs around twice as much. The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 AF DG DN Art is even heavier at 835g, but costs around the same as the lightweight FE 24-50mm.
Other constant-aperture f/2.8 choices include the Tamron 28- 75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD G2, which has a modest weight of 540g, and the Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD, which is even lighter at just 365g. The latter is more wide-angle oriented, but both lenses undercut the FE 24-50mm on price. For further comparison, the simultaneously released Sony FE 16-25mm F2.8 G is also a little lighter, at 409g.
Design and handling
The big thing abou
