by The Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G full-frame wide-angle zoom lens was officially announced today. A few days ago, the editor participated in the media briefing held by SONY in Hong Kong. I tried the lens to shoot some scenery and models. In these test phases, I would like to share the preliminary test feelings.
click to enter:Test all sample flickr albums this time
Can shoot small things, wide enough, all-round sky mirror!
Originally, 24-70mm is a focal length used by many lenses, but when traveling or taking selfies, you may feel that 24mm is not wide enough, and the scenery cannot be included in the lens. This time, the FE 20-70mm F4 G solves the needs of the wide-angle segment. SONY even puts the minimum focusing distance of 0.25m in the 70mm focal segment, so that the lens has a magnification ratio of 0.39x, which is enough to be used as a simple macro lens . With the design of 9 aperture leaves of this mirror, when shooting close-up objects and small decorations, even if the maximum aperture is only F4, it can still produce soft bokeh.
▲F/4, 70mm, 100% magnification
We tried every focal length from 20mm to 70mm, and found that 20mm is indeed much wider than 24mm, and it can be used as a “sky mirror” for beginners. The weight of the FE 20-70mm F4 G lens is only 488g. Compared with the 663g of the SEL24105G, you will feel that it is really much lighter. In addition to having a good weight balance with cameras such as the A7R5, this lens has no problem with the full-frame camera A7C, and it is not top-heavy.
▲20mm
▲28mm
▲35mm
▲50mm
▲70mm
▲20mm
▲70mm (same position)
It is also suitable for users who need to take selfie vlogs. The 20mm can capture more scenes behind the selfie characters.
Selfies of pretty boys and pretty girls:
As a G lens, in addition to the practical focal length, SONY certainly has enough material. It is equipped with a non-segmented/segmented aperture ring, an independent focus ring, a zoom ring, and 2 function buttons to support linear manual focus. Users who work with this lens can more easily grasp the precise control of shooting. The function button can be set as a focus lock button, which can keep focusing when pressed, and just press it when you need to track and shoot a specific person.
More importantly, the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G uses SONY’s well-developed XD Linear Motor, which is faster and more accurate than the old-generation lenses. According to SONY, the focus tracking performance of this lens is 2 times higher than that of the previous lens of the same type (SEL2470Z). In the actual model shooting test of the editor, with continuous focus, the experience of eye tracking is quite close to that of the G Master lens.
This lens uses an advanced aspheric lens and an aspheric lens, plus 3 low-dispersion lenses and 1 low-dispersion aspheric lens, which is already a large-scale head configuration. The MTF chart published by the factory can be found below. In terms of shooting and imaging performance, with its F4 aperture characteristics, coupled with the A7R5 digital camera tested this time, its clarity is beyond doubt. We tried to magnify the model’s eyes by 100%, and found that even with the full aperture, the clarity is extremely sharp.
▲ F/4, 70mm, photo 100% enlarged
After the test: short, lean and powerful
Surprisingly, this lens, like the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II of G Master, greatly enhances the close-up capability. It can also use 70mm for close-up, with a maximum magnification of 0.39x. It is suitable for travel and work. Small items are especially handy. In addition to providing high-quality photos and videos, the Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G is also an easy-to-use working lens, whether it is used for starting work or as a telescopic lens for travel, the weight of the lens, The size, as well as the operating feel and speed are all enough to satisfy the editor in this small test. I look forward to borrowing this mirror again in the near future to make a more detailed test for everyone.
Price and Availability
Full-frame wide-angle zoom lens FE 20-70mm F4 G
Suggested retail price: HK$9,290
Pre-order discount: Free a box of G Master limited edition masks + a one-year product warranty extension (recommended retail price HK$490)
Pre-sale date: January 18, 2023 to February 1, 2023
Estimated pickup date: February 3, 2023
Deformation test:
▲50mm
▲70mm
