Sony unveils wideangle prime for mirrorless
THE BUILD up to this year’s Photokina in Cologne – the photographic industry’s biggest trade fair – was dominated by Canon and Nikon’s announcements of new full-frame mirrorless systems. Sony, in contrast, has released just a single new lens, in the shape of the FE 24mm f/1.4 GM large-aperture wideangle prime. As AP went to press, there was no sign of the much-anticipated Alpha 7S III, or a new APS- C camera body.
Compared to equivalent lenses made for full-frame DSLRs, Sony’s is considerably smaller and lighter: a direct consequence of the system’s mirrorless design. Being a member of the firm’s top- end G Master range, it’s designed with the aim of providing ‘unrivalled sharpness and beautiful bokeh’.
The lens employs a newly developed optical design with 13 elements in 10 groups, including two extreme aspheric (XA) elements along with three crafted from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass. According to Sony, the lens suppresses sagittal flare much more effectively than its SLR rivals, making it highly suitable for astrophotography. Nano-AR coating suppresses flare and ghosting, while fluorine coating on the front element shrugs off water and grease. With Sony’s latest high-power direct- drive supersonic motor system on board and an internal-focus design, the lens promises fast, precise, yet quiet AF. An 11-blade aperture diaphragm is designed to give a circular opening for attractive bokeh.
The 24mm f/1.4 GM incorporates an aperture ring with detents at third-stop intervals, but which can also be de- clicked for video work using a large switch on the barrel. There’s also a focus hold button on the side, that can be reprogrammed from the camera body. The lens is dust and moisture resistant, measures 75.4mm in diameter and 92.4mm in length, and weighs just 445g. It has a 67mm filter thread and focuses down to just 24cm. The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM is due to go on sale in the middle of October for £1,450. See some sample shots here: bit.ly/sonywideangleprime.