Digital Camera World - UK (2020-04)

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com APRIL 2020 DIGITAL CAMERA^125

Sony

ȅȅ׎וٮזאI0

f/3.5-5.6 OSS

£395/$398

A modest FE standard zoom

Sony

ȅȅ׎וٮגאI0

ǔٖژזِאJxƏɀɎƺȸ

£1,799/$2,198

A big lens in every way

Digital Camera verdict Digital Camera verdict

4.0 Excellent 5.0 Outstanding

Features Build & Performance Value Features Performance Value

handling

Build &

handling

This lens is fairly small,
light and inexpensive
for a full-frame
compatible standard
zoom, but it lacks the
quality to make the
most of Sony’s recent
mirrorless cameras.

A stellar performer,

this lens is much more

expensive than any

other standard zoom

on test, but you get

what you pay for. It’s

the best own-brand

Sony standard zoom.

his lens is a popular kit
lens option with A7-series
bodies. It’s pretty compact
and light for a full-frame
compatible standard zoom lens, at
73 x 83mm and 295g, despite lacking
a retractable design. It also includes
a three-stop optical stabiliser, which
comes in very useful on older-
generation A7 bodies that
lack in-camera stabilisation.
Build quality feels good overall,
and it has a dust/moisture resistant
design, although without a rubber ring
around the metal mounting plate.

Performance
Three aspherical elements and one
ED element help to boost image quality
and the seven-blade diaphragm is fairly
well-rounded. Outright sharpness is
disappointing, though, making it
a bit of a mismatch with any of
Sony’s full-frame cameras that
bump up the megapixel count.

his G Master lens is as good

as it gets for an own-brand

Sony standard zoom. And

so it should be, costing

about five times the price of the

28-70mm kit lens. It’s not massively

bigger or heavier than the Fujifilm

f/2.8 lens on test, despite the Sony

being designed for full-frame rather

than APS-C format cameras.

The weather-sealed construction

feels sturdy, and switches are featured

for AF/MF and a focus hold. There’s

no optical stabiliser, but newer

Sony full-frame cameras have

in-body stabilisation instead.

Performance

Sharpness and contrast are fabulous,

aided by the inclusion of one extreme

aspherical, two regular aspherical,

one Super ED, and one regular ED

element in the optical path. Nano

AR coating is also on hand to

fend off ghosting and flare.

TT

Sharpness

Sharpness isn’t too bad at

the centre, but disappointing

towards the edges.

Sharpness

Even wide-open, sharpness

is simply phenomenal

throughout the zoom range.

Fringing

Short 0.48 Long 2.71

Fringing is well-controlled

across most of the range.

Fringing

Short 1.6 Long 0.29

Very little fringing at 24mm;

less at mid to long settings.

Distortion

Short -2.35 Long 3.46

Barreling at the short end

gives way to pincushion.

Distortion

Short -1. 8 3 Long 2.31

Uncorrected, there’s modest

barreling at 24mm.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

28mm 35mm

50mm 70mm

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

24mm 35mm

50mm 70mm

5.0 5.0

Standard zooms Group Test

4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 4.0

GOLD

AWARD

BEST FOR

SONY