Sony has just unveiled three new, very compact prime lenses for their E-mount line of cameras. The Sony 24mm F2.8 G, the Sony 40mm F2.5 G and the 50mm F.25 G cover the most commonly used focal lengths (apart from 35mm maybe) and offer solid performance in a compact and lightweight package. These lenses are aimed at both still photographers and video shooters.
If you are out and about a lot, a decent lens kit with frequently used focal lengths that a) won’t break the bank too much and b) won’t break your backpack by being overly bulky is obviously very welcome.
These three new Sony lenses could be a decent solution to this problem (or at least one of them), as they seem to offer great performance, along with a lightweight and compact design.
However, they cost around €700 (including VAT) / $598 each. This is not exactly cheap, but not insanely expensive either. Time will tell whether this price is balanced in relation to the set of features.
Sony 24mm F2.8 G prime lens
This lens is the “slowest” of the three, sporting a f/2.8 aperture, while the other two offer a faster f/2.5. It consits of 9 elements in 9 groups, including three aspherical lenses and one ED (extra-low dispersion) element to suppress chromatic abberations.
It offers, just the other two focal lenghts, internal focusing.
Sony 40mm F2.5 G prime lens
This one sits between a classic 35mm prime lens and the “nifty fifty” 50mm focal length. It sports 9 elements in 9 groups, including three aspherical lenses to suppress abberations and deliver high resolution. This lens does not offer an ED element like the other two.
Sony 50mm F2.5 G prime lens
The last one of these new compact lenses is the 50mm f/2.5 G prime lens. This lens consists of 8 elements in 7 groups but this time with two aspherical elements and one ED element.
Features
As mentioned earlier, these lenses are suitable for both photographers and videographers. How come? Well, the main reason is the de-clickable iris (and the presence of an iris ring in the first place).. You can choose whether you want it to be clicky or smooth. Of course, since this is a video-oriented site, de-clicked all the way!
These new prime lenses also feature a focus hold button on the side and they all focus internally, so the length of the lens does not change when focusing. An MF/AF switch completes the package, and dual linear motors for fast and reliable AF should allow for pretty decent AF performance for both stills and video applications, including AF tracking.
All three lenses weigh around 170 g, which is indeed quite light. They accept 49 mm front filters. They are also resistant to dust and moisture to a certain extent. The three lenses are all the same size (2.68″ diameter x 1.77″).
Pricing and availability
These three new lenses will cost around €700 (including VAT) / $598 each and will be available from April this year.
Whether the price is reasonable for these three new lenses? I don’t know. Only time (and reviews) will tell, I guess. If you need compact and lightweight, yet quite powerful primes, these lenses might be worth a very close look. These lenses might be very suitable for use in drone work, for example.
If only the price is important to you, you might want to check out other offerings, such as the Samyang AF 45mm f/1.8 ($289 + VAT) or the SIGMA 30mm f/1.4 ($289 + VAT).
On the other hand you can spend quite a lot of money if you want to: The recently announced Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM prime lens is almost four times the price for example (but of course it also comes with a much more high-end feature set).
What do you think? Is this a lens kit you would consider having in your gear bag? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
