New Lenses for Sony Mirrorless
Sony announced several new lenses. Click links to pre-order at B&H:
- Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA
- Sony FE 28mm f/2 Lens with optional Sony 16mm Fisheye Conversion Lens (f/3.5) and Sony 21mm Conversion Lens (f/2.8).
- Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens
- Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Lens
It is my intent to prioritize review coverage on the 35/1.4 and the 28/2. The 90/2.8 most likely also, and (groan) the 24-240, since an all-arounder can be handy.
The Sony Zeiss FE 35/1.4 Distagon is a premium lens as can be seen by build and pricing. But how much larger it is compared to the Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 Distagon for Leica M (and 80% heavier too)! Presumably autofocus is involved in size/weight, but maybe more than that, such as dealing with friendly ray angle to the sensor. Still, it has a lovely looking 1/3 stop aperture ring and one has to wonder how it might compare to the ZF.2 version for Nikon/Canon.
The Sony FE 28mm f/2 looks to be a more pedestrian design which fills a gap in the lineup with two wide angle converter add-on options. Probably it relies on some camera corrections for distortion and vignetting for best results, likes its 35mm f/2.8 sibling.
This is a smart move that suddenly gives Sony a 16mm f/3.5 fisheye and 21mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle prime based on the 28mm f/2.
Apparently designed as a set, it’s possible that the results could be very good. Or fair to middling. We shall see.
It seems odd not to see all three bundled as a set since the goal here seems to be to keep the cost down.
Personally, I’d have preferred optimized fisheye and 21mm designs with f/4 apertures if need be—very high quality and very compact. Attaching adapters means more fumbling with more caps, or at least it always feels that way to me. And then there is the filter hassle if a filter is mounted on the lens, and two more surfaces for dust.
Personally I find little use for do-it-all lenses (master of no 'trade'), but they do have their uses and this is a very aggressive cover-it-all range. Certainly on a Sony A7 II with in-body image stabilization (see A7 II review) the 240mm end becomes quite useful.
The 90mm focal length is a good choice; it offers useful working distance at a classical portrait length (85mm / 90mm).