SONY SEL2470GM FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM

[Zoom] Wide-zoom | Standard-zoom | Tele-zoom | High-zoom  
[Fixed-focal] Wide angle | Standard | Telephoto | Macro

The new "G MASTER" lenses are ranked higher than the "G" lenses produced since Minolta period. They are designed to realize "high resolution and spectacular bokeh" coming together. The "SONY FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM" is one of the three new such lenses. Even though we always want high resolution and beautiful bokeh, but it’s difficult to realize the two characteristics at a higher level in one lens. And, though the "G" lenses do deliver high resolution and soft bokeh, their bokeh taste can get hard depending on the distance to the subject and lighting condition. When it’s extremely hard to have two contradicting characteristics at the same time, it’s time for technology to be applied. And, this lens demonstrates how SONY handled the paradox. Let’s check the samples.

( Photography : 4beats / Text : KIMURAX )

While in theory I should stop down to shoot artificial subjects with complex patterns, I shot it wide open to see what happens. And voila, it’s already sharp to the corners!

In a situation like this, I’m forced to stop it down. Even though the contrast is very high, the shadow tone has a great depth. The flare is very minor, but I prefer having it to not having it at all.

The 3D quality is unique to a large diameter lens. The plant in the foreground looks very realistic. Because of the layers of round bokeh, this image looks like a mysterious painting.

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I shot at the location with depth to check bokeh, which is pretty smooth. The grass around the center could look coerce, but it looks elegant and worked to emphasize the subject. Because the focal depth becomes thinner toward the tele-end, you may want to focus more precisely with manual focus after autofocusing.

The focal peak is very sharp and the bokeh is soft. Again, the true value of this lens is the combination of sharpness and softness (click the image to see the 100% crop). The image has no ambiguity and full of realism.

The AF, which is brisk and quiet, is a welcome feature for video recording.

Slight level of distortion, which is inevitable with 24mm, is noticeable at the wide-end. But, you can always fix it in camera or with software because it’s very low. By the way, distortion is almost non-existent at the tele-end.

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The great balance between highlight and shadow is hard to realize, too. This is a lens you can always count on.

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The absolute tool for even better results

Focal peak is incredibly sharp and bokeh increase smoothly yet dramatically from there. Sharpness is very high wide open and the tonal gradation is rich. This is the very performance of the "G MASTER" lenses. Compared to the previous SONY lenses whose color reproduction was vivid, this one has quieter and more natural one just like what we see. Then what’s the difference between this lens and the "G" lens? The most striking difference is the "constant" delivery of soft bokeh, although I cannot guarantee it’s always soft because I didn’t use it in all kinds of situation. The bokeh is constantly soft regardless of situation and I just cannot find faults with this lens. Of course, it’s nonsense to compare the clarity of this lens to a prime lens. But, it’s very clear and it works to reproduce the air of the scene. As mentioned earlier, the flare, which is visible when shot backlit even at smaller aperture values, works to enhance the emotiveness in expression. So, this lens is almost perfect, yet it has a good taste you can enjoy. The barrel features anti-dust/drop construction and the rubber material applied on the focus and zoom rings guarantees reassuring operation even in low temperature, let alone in the normal one. So, even though it’s expensive, you get more than what you paid for: dependability, image quality, and taste. Because of the frequently-used zoom range, you can shoot landscape, snapshots, and portraits. This is an essential lens for the users of the Alpha 7R II or the Alpha 7R S II.

( 01.05.2016 )