PHOTO YODOBASHI

YODOBASHI CAMERA ONLINE PHOTO MAGAZINE

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/400, F4, ISO100, Photo by Z II

SONY SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS

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

The full frame E-mount line is growing. And this from Carl Zeiss brand is a long-awaited main lens. Thanks to the modest F4 constant speed, it's compact and has a great weight balance with the Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R. And, because of the high sensitivity performance, you won't feel F4 is slow. And, this compact high-end system is something that other full frame cameras struggle to realize. This lens is great for all kinds of scene including landscape, street, and portrait.

( Photography : Z II / Text : 48 & 4Beats )

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/2000, F4, ISO500, Photo by Z II

Wide open at the tele-end. The bokeh grows smoothly from the front to the back. The fur in the bottom right isn't noisy but soft. Now, who says F4 isn't bright enough? The cap on the focal plane looks so sharp that I can recognize the fiber. This is the power of a Zeiss lens.

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/125, F6.3, ISO100, Photo by Z II

Shot at the tele-end by underexposing by 1.5 steps. The fragile snow surface and the fog are rendered realistically.

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/160, F8, ISO100, Photo by Z II

Stopped further down to F8. It resolved deep to the back. The corners look a little loose, but the center is sharp enough to demonstrate the Alpha 7R's resolving power. The trees have an excellent 3D quality, too.


SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/1000, F8, ISO320, Photo by Z II

Wide-end. The resolution is great and the tonal gradation is smooth enough to reward the body's wide dynamic range.

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/60, F5.6, ISO640, Photo by Z II

A zoom lens comes in handy where we cannot move much. And, finding the best distance and focal length is fun.

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/100, F4, ISO100, Photo by Z II

The minimum focus distance is 40cm. By turning the zoom ring to the telephoto, it becomes easier to get bokeh and to crop. And, it's easy to take a table photo like this. In this short focus distance and focal length, the image becomes a little soft. But, I'm sure you'll find this character works better in some situations.


SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/200, F5.6, ISO100, Photo by Z II

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/125, F5.0, ISO400, Photo by Z II

SONY α7R, SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS, 1/160, F5.6, ISO200, Photo by Z II


PHOTO YODOBASHI

The casual and high-quality standard zoom lens starts the real Alpha 7 world

The Alpha 7R's ultra high-megapixel sensor did reveal the lens character, which is excellent. It has a wide dynamic range and the stunning resolution in the center. Perhaps, SONY chose F4 because of the better balance with the body, but it also worked to bring the great optical performance. We must note the slight barrel distortion at the wide-end and the lower resolution wide open at the tele-end. But, to me, they look tasty. The focal length covers everyday situations, and fortunately, this lens is weather-resistant. So, you can focus on shooting without worrying about the lens choice and weather.

Of course, compared to F2.8 standard zoom lenses, it's slower by 1 step. But, practically, I experienced no problem. Actually, when I need bokeh, I would just use a prime lens because even F2.8 isn't fast enough to create big bokeh. So, I would attach this lens to the body and slip a compact prime in my bag. And, it's still a very compact full frame system and you cannot do it with other system.

With the addition of this handy full frame zoom lens, the Alpha 7 system is ready to demonstrate its potential.

( 26.01.2014 )