SONY FE 24-50MM F2.8 G

A compact standard zoom with compromises

- Matthew Richards

www.sony.co.uk £1,149/$1,098

Sony has been going about its full-frame mirrorless business for over 10 years now, racking up 73 E-mount lenses along the way. New for 2024, the FE 24-50mm F2.8 G standard zoom and the simultaneously released FE 16-25mm F2.8 G wide-angle zoom are designed to be the most compact and lightweight options in the class of full-frame compatible constant-aperture f/2.8 zooms.

So-called 'trinity' wide-angle, standard and telephoto zooms with a constant f/2.8 aperture are highly popular the world over, but they're often bulky, heavy lenses that can feel a bit cumbersome. I often prefer zoom lenses with a slower f/4 aperture, especially for shooting with slinky mirrorless cameras rather than chunky DSLRs, as they're generally more compact and lightweight, as well as being cheaper to buy. The downside is that they're less ideal for freezing motion under dull lighting conditions, and can't deliver such a tight depth of field.

1 There's a keep-clean fluorine coating on the front elements.

2 Compact at 50mm, the inner barrel extends as you zoom out towards the widest setting.

3 The AF-hold button can be customised for other functions.

The FE 24-50mm F2.8 G is refreshingly light-weight but comes with a compromise in terms of outright zoom range. It has plenty of wide-angle potential, matching the more usual 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms, but can't stretch to anything beyond a standard focal length, which makes it less versatile. I find the maximum focal length can feel limiting, not just for portraiture and still-life photography, but also in plenty of other more general shooting scenarios.

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