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Sony G Grasp lenses have earned a superb repute for picture high quality and all-around efficiency since they emerged as Sony’s top-tier glass again in 2016. Practically 10 years down the road, a few of the originals have been reinvented in Mark II variations, however the 50-150mm is one thing altogether new and totally different. Certainly, it’s a world’s first with its mixture of zoom vary and aperture ranking. So what’s the large deal?
Effectively, 70-200mm f/2.8 ‘trinity’ telephoto zoom lenses are agency favorites with many photographers, particularly these taking pictures weddings and occasions, the place the flexibility of this type of lens actually comes up trumps. Naturally, the 50-150mm is an entire f/cease quicker, in a position to ship a tighter depth of area in any respect correlating focal lengths.
Sony is eager to level out that the lens units an entire new agenda however I’ve seen one thing a bit comparable within the form of the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD. The Tamron lens is offered in Nikon Z mount in addition to in Sony E mount. Whereas it’s widest aperture shrinks from f/2 to f/2.8 as you prolong by means of the zoom vary, the Tamron delivers a larger most viewing angle.
Certainly, you can argue that the 35-150mm zoom vary is a fair higher match as one of many finest lenses for marriage ceremony and occasion pictures, extra in a position to seize group pictures in addition to portraits of people and {couples}. It picks up the baton from the older, slower and now out of date Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD for Canon and Nikon DSLRs. And for APS-C format DSLRs of the identical makes, there’s additionally the correctly quick Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM | A.
Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp: Specs
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Mount choices |
Sony E (FE) |
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Lens building |
19 parts in 17 teams |
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Diaphragm blades |
11 |
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Minimal aperture |
f/22 |
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Minimal focus distance |
1.3′ / 40 cm (Broad) to 2.3′ / 70 cm (Tele) |
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Most magnification |
0.2x |
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Filter dimension |
95mm |
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Dimensions |
200mm x 102.8mm / 4 x 7.9″ |
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Weight |
1340g / 2.9 lb |
Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp: Value
On the face of it, the Sony 50-150mm seems to be fiendishly costly, with a price ticket of $4,400 / £3,800. It follows on neatly from the not-so-standard Sony FE 28-75mm f/2 G Grasp normal zoom, which once more has a continuing f/2 aperture ranking and is available in at a extra ‘inexpensive’ $2,898 / £2,749.
A extra carefully competing lens to the 50-150mm is the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, which critically undercuts each Sony lenses for value, at $1,799 / £1,699. Some would possibly say that the Sony 50-150mm successfully replaces three prime lenses with focal lengths of 50mm, 85mm and 135mm (or thereabouts), with a cheaper buy value than all three put collectively. Nevertheless, the G Grasp primes are all quicker, at 50mm f/1.2 or 50mm f/1.4, 85mm F/1.4 and 135mm f/1.8 – naturally, there’s solely a 3rd of an f/cease distinction within the final case.
Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp: Design & Dealing with
The no-expense-spared design and construct of the FE 50-150mm is solely in line with the market sector at which it’s aimed – that of high-ranking skilled photographers with deep pockets. There’s no getting away from the truth that it’s an enormous, heavy lens, but it surely’s a feast for the fingers, with dealing with exotica aplenty. Let’s begin on the again and work our approach forwards.
The steel mounting plate contains a weather-seal ring simply ahead of which is a curved steel plaque bearing the lens’s title. That’s truly mounted to an integral tripod mounting collar, which has a lock/launch knob and markers at 90-degree intervals. The mounting foot is shortly and simply detachable and, as soon as eliminated, leaves behind a low-profile stubby protrusion. You is perhaps disenchanted that the collar isn’t utterly detachable however the stub is so small that it hardly impacts dealing with or stowage dimension within the slightest.
Subsequent up is the aperture management ring, which is clearly marked in one-third f/cease increments all through the complete aperture vary of f/2 to f/22. Simply past f/22 is the ‘A’ (Auto) place marked in crimson, for controlling the aperture from the host digicam physique.
I like that on the left hand aspect of the barrel is an Iris Lock change to keep away from any unintentional nudging. I additionally like that there’s a click on/de-click change on the proper hand aspect, making the aperture ring solely appropriate for stills and video taking pictures respectively.
Transferring on ahead once more, there’s the zoom ring which is marked at 50mm, 70mm, 100mm and 150mm focal lengths. It operates with a splendidly easy motion and the zoom mechanism in addition to focusing is absolutely inner, so the entrance aspect neither extends nor rotates with any changes.
Simply in entrance of the zoom ring are three pushbuttons at 12 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions across the barrel. They’re sometimes used for AF-on or AF-lock, however might be personalized to tackle different capabilities, by way of in-camera menus. Both approach, they fall neatly underneath the thumb in panorama orientation and portrait orientation taking pictures, the latter when rotating the lens both clockwise or anticlockwise.
Up on the entrance, there’s an electronically coupled handbook focus ring, which once more works with easy precision. The zoom and focus rings have a black textured coating that feels good and grippy. The remainder of the lens is completed in white, which is usually the case with huge lenses to cut back the build-up of warmth when taking pictures underneath the solar. The entrance aspect of the lens has a moisture/grease-repellant fluorine coating. It additionally has a big diameter, as signified by the outsized 95mm filter attachment thread.
The provided hood follows the white coloration scheme of the lens, though it naturally has an anti-reflective black end on its inside floor. The hood has a round profile and a lock launch button in addition to a sliding panel to allow entry to rotational filters, like round polarizers.
Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp: Efficiency
Let’s kick off with autofocus efficiency. It’s based mostly on a strong XD linear motor and just about snaps into place when taking pictures stills. It’s additionally extremely adept at monitoring shifting topics and works a deal with with the superior topic recognition and monitoring amenities of the Sony A7R V, with which I examined the lens. The lens lacks an optical picture stabilizer however, regardless of being a telephoto zoom, I discovered that the digicam’s IBIS (In-Physique Picture Stabilization) was fairly efficient.
The pictures above and beneath show the distinction in viewing angle between the shortest and longest zoom setting. Observe that lens is ultra-sharp at each extremities of the zoom vary. Readability and distinction are glorious, regardless of the boring and overcast lighting circumstances.
The A7R V is famend for being an ultra-high-resolution full-frame digicam, with its 61-megapixel picture sensor. That places huge calls for on the resolving energy of even the very best prime lenses in Sony’s secure, not to mention zoom lenses. Throughout testing, I discovered that the FE 50-150mm was scary-sharp all through its total zoom vary, even when taking pictures wide-open at f/2.
Typical of G Grasp lenses, the FE 50-150mm makes use of top-end, ultra-high-precision XA (eXtreme Aspherical) glass parts that are troublesome and costly to fabricate. On this case, there are two of them. They’re joined by a pair of Tremendous ED (Additional-low Dispersion) specialist parts, aiming to optimize sharpness, readability and coloration high quality whereas minimizing undesirable aberrations. Certain sufficient, readability and coloration are completely top-drawer, whereas coloration fringing is negligible.
A key efficiency issue of any ‘quick’ lens is the standard of its bokeh. That’s very true of a lens with this type of vary of focal lengths, which is good for portraiture. I discovered that bokeh was sumptuously easy when taking pictures wide-open at f/2, and remained of fantastic high quality when stopping down slightly. The transition between centered and defocused areas seems to be actually pure, and there’s no axial chromatic aberration (or bokeh fringing) to talk of. All in all, efficiency is just fabulous.
Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp: Pattern Pictures
The next gallery of instance pictures had been principally taken on the medieval Bishop’s Palace & 14-acre gardens within the UK’s Somerset metropolis of Wells. There are additionally a few portraits of two of my grandkids taken in my again yard, and of ‘Gengie’, the pet cat of some shut pals (though I feel he truly owns them). I’ve majored on taking pictures on the widest obtainable aperture of f/2, which to me is the primary promoting level of the lens and what units it aside from mainstream ‘trinity’ zoom lenses.
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Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp: Lab Outcomes
We run a variety of lab exams underneath managed circumstances, utilizing the Imatest Grasp testing suite. Photographs of take a look at charts are taken throughout the vary of apertures and zooms (the place obtainable), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.
We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and evaluation software program to plot lens decision on the middle of the picture body, corners and mid-point distances, throughout the vary of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at 4 totally different focal lengths. The exams additionally measure distortion and coloration fringing (chromatic aberration).
Sharpness
Sharpness is just stellar. The FE 50-150mm is likely one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever seen, and that features primes in addition to zooms. Furthermore, sharpness is excellent all through the complete zoom vary and throughout the entire picture body, proper out to the intense edges and corners. Nook-sharpness drops off slightly on the longest zoom setting however continues to be glorious.
Fringing
As with the smaller, companion Sony FE 28-70mm f/2 G Grasp lens, coloration fringing is completely negligible. That features axial chromatic aberration (bokeh fringing) throughout the entire picture body on the widest aperture, and lateral chromatic aberration in direction of the perimeters and corners, all through the entire aperture vary.
Distortion
There’s noticeable barrel distortion at 50mm and an analogous diploma of pincushion within the 100-150mm sector of the zoom vary, but it surely’s simply throughout the remit of computerized in-camera correction.
Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp: Verdict
I feel the Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 G Grasp is an exceptional lens. All facets of picture high quality are spectacular, autofocus is super-fast, dealing with is excellent and construct high quality is superb. All in all, it’s a completely terrific lens. Would I purchase one? Sadly not. It’s simply too costly for me to justify the outlay. So it’ll stay on my want record and I’ll keep on with a extra modestly priced zoom and a few even quicker primes, that are additionally extra compact and light-weight to shoot with, even when it means switching between totally different lenses on my digicam physique.
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Options ★★★★★ |
Killer options are the mixture of 50-150mm zoom vary with a quick and fixed f/2 aperture, together with loads of dealing with exotica. |
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Design ★★★★★ |
It’s a essentially giant and hefty lens, however the design is excellent with loads of intelligent thrives and glorious construct high quality. |
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Efficiency ★★★★★ |
Efficiency is completely fabulous, from quick and constantly correct autofocus to all facets of picture high quality. |
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Worth ★★★★☆ |
The underside line, financially a minimum of, is that it’s a massively costly lens but it surely’s nonetheless fairly good worth, all issues thought-about. |