In response to Sigma’s push in compact mirrorless prime lenses, Sony has launched a new trio of prime compact G lenses. The 24 mm f / 2.8 G, 40 mm f / 2.5 G and 50 mm f / 2.5 G together are smaller and lighter than an average of 24-70 mm f / 2.8.
Before we get into the subject, we may owe you an explanation of why three lenses are being grouped together in an analysis. After testing, I found that the performance of these lenses was practically identical, with the only differences being the maximum aperture in one case and three different focal lengths. As such, you can treat this analysis as a performance assessment of all three and you can get what you want or choose all three as a set.
As noted in our news coverage of the lenses, the trio is built with aspherical lenses / extra-low dispersion glass that together feature high resolution and fast performance with pleasant bokeh provided by the 7-blade aperture (we’ll come later) in an aluminum barrel resistant to dust and moisture. The autofocus system is fast and accurate using dual silent motors with very low vibration, making them ideal for photo and video work.
At first glance, they almost look like what you would see in a starter kit body because they are so small. In fact, they are all physically identical when you remove the included lens caps, making the only noticeable difference in appearance to be the aperture ring and the engraved label on the lenses.
Speaking of the opening ring, like someone who fired – and still fires – on old film equipment, the opening ring design has a “de-click” button that enables and disables the click of the openings as you manually rotate them. This is quite normal for Sony lenses now, but I must say that the click aperture ring is very satisfying to use and does not age.
Are they compact? Although you can read exactly how much they weigh here, I think it’s more practical to give you an idea of their size: two of these lenses stacked from end to end are almost the height of an iPhone X, which makes them very easy to carry, even in your pockets.
The configuration
To test these lenses, I used a Sony Alpha 7 III in order to photograph the minimum and maximum apertures to determine the sharpness and quality of the images by comparing these settings.
Testing the lenses
Due to the pandemic and public collection rules at the time of the test, I limited my test to a few photos of the street and beach, as I wanted to keep my distance from the crowds.
What I discovered when mounting them on the a7 III was that holding the lenses was a little tricky without accidentally moving the aperture or the focus rings. This is not a big deal, but be aware that when mounting the lens, you are likely to accidentally change the manual aperture to something random. So, once activated, be sure to check if you are where you want.
With regard to the overall shooting experience, I was very impressed. Autofocus was incredibly fast and accurate, even when tracking moving targets like a bird in the sky. I happened to be walking along the pier when a seagull flew by and without thinking, I just pointed the camera at her as she flew and the lens focused on the first photo.
In comparison, my Sigma 35mm f / 1.4 using an FTZ adapter for my Nikon Z6 wouldn’t be able to focus that fast. It is absolutely not a fair comparison, but I thought it was worth noting. I love my 35mm art (the truth is that it’s probably my favorite lens to use and the pictures of the Sony lenses were taken with my Sigma 35mm Art), but I knew the focus wouldn’t be as fast as the new primer lenses and that was immediately obvious.
Performance
Each of the lenses of this trio worked in a fantastic way. All three had very fast and reliable autofocus, which is expected from Sony, but always good to see. Shooting in manual mode was easy (changing the AF to MF) and using the manual aperture ring was just as satisfying with the – as noted – enabled “click” mode. Using these lenses legitimately made me feel like I was filming again.
From end to end, the images are very good with almost no visible distortion on the 40 mm and 50 mm lenses and the 24 mm ones with minimal curves at the edges. It was also good that all three lenses are exactly the same size, that is, from the point of view of a street photographer, someone who is looking at you has no idea if you are shooting a wide image with 24 mm or something one little bit tighter with the 50mm.
The 40mm was my favorite of the 3 lenses to use, since the 35mm is my ideal focal length, it seemed the closest to what I am used to. Like its brothers, the precision of the autofocus was fast and acoustic all the time.
I think one of the most functional benefits of these lenses is again their small size. Since I was able to carry all three lenses without my camera bag, one lens was in the camera and the other two in my jacket pockets, which allowed for quick and easy exchanges. It was a very different experience to have several focal length cousins at a fraction of the space and weight compared to the other lenses in my kit. Better yet, I liked using them because I didn’t think I was making a deal: in addition to being small, as you can see from the images, they are very clear with a very satisfying bokeh.
Bokeh
I feel that while all three of these lenses had great bokeh at their apertures, the 40mm at f / 2.5 looked much smoother and more pleasant than the other two lenses. Being in the same place and framing the display in relatively the same position for the samples above, the 40mm bokeh is slightly smaller, but it looks much more pronounced and smoother than the others. I may have a favorite, but all three open lenses will return a satisfying and smooth backdrop for your image.
Sample images
Sony 24mm f / 2.8 G
Sony 40mm f / 2.5 G
Sony 50mm f / 2.5 G
Things I liked
- Very small and light
- I could pack 3 of these lenses in the space of 1 “normal” lens in my backpack
- The opening rings were very satisfactory to use in manual mode
- The focus rings were very smooth and precise
- The lenses are small and discreet
- Affordable price
- Autofocus was fast and accurate
- The metal body is tough and durable, and the engraved iris ring indices, focal length markings and Sony logo are a nice touch.
- AF motors are also optimized for video, with a quiet and precise linear actuator.
- The lens caps are small, discreet and easily fit into place
Things I didn’t like
- The aperture ring tends to rotate / shift when mounting and removing the lens from the camera body
- Images get a little smoother after f / 16
- Distortion at 24mm is noticeable, but easily corrected with lens profiles (once released) or taking a while to adjust / straighten the image on the post
Compact without compromises
I have to admit that although I am a fan and use Sigma lenses in my own kit, these new Sony cousins are extremely practical and fun to use. They may not be the super-fast f / 1.8 or f / 1.4 cousins you usually look for and use, but for a set of lenses that are discreet, fast and excellent
precision autofocus, are easy to use, are very durable and are also affordable, the only reason not to recommend any of them is if you really need that extra shallow depth of field and are willing to negotiate the extra cost, size, and weight for that.
Are there alternatives?
I think the most obvious alternatives are the Sigma I-Series lenses, against which Sony clearly positions the 24mm f / 2.8 G, 40mm f / 2.5 G and 50mm f / 2.5 G. They are not identical at focal lengths, (35 mm f / 2, 65 mm f / 2, 24 mm f / 3.5 and 45 mm f / 2.8), so it’s not entirely out of the question to have a mix of these two brands if you’re trying to get a set of compact cousins. Sony also has several alternatives in its own line, however, you may have to switch to the much more expensive G-Master line, as with the new 50 mm f / 1.2 G Master, which can be up to four times the cost and almost 4.5 times heavier than the 50 mm f / 2.5 G lens. So it’s up to you whether the extra focal range is worth the price, size and weight in your bag. In addition, there are several third-party lens manufacturers out there, from Tamron to Samyang and Venus Optics, and while each offers its own advantages and disadvantages over the other, this set from Sony looks like one of the first times you can get an incredibly small, affordable, and high quality travel lens and not having to leave the Sony brand to do that.
Should you buy them?
If you save space, reduce weight and still have a set of high quality lenses for shooting are priorities for your kit, then for sure. I’ve filmed with almost every brand under the sun for my own work and technical analysis, and as traveling was a big part of my creative work before the pandemic, saving space and weight is absolutely huge on the list of things I look for. In my tests, the quality of the glass at 24mm f / 2.8 G, 40mm f / 2.5 G and 50mm f / 2.5 G is remarkable and, while not as sophisticated as a G-Master, I was still impressed by each shot fired.