FE24mm f/2.8, FE40mm f/2.5 and FE50mm f/2.5 G lenses.
FE24mm f/2.8 , Alpha 7C. ISO200, f/2.8, 1/3200sec.
Prior to launch date, Sony supplied me with their trio of new lenses so I could offer my feedback on the way they perform and thoughts on where the lenses sat in their line up.
FE24mm f/2.8 coupled to Alpha 7C
My initial reaction when I first opened the boxes containing the lenses and saw each one was one of pleasant surprise. The lenses are really lightweight and compact, especially when you consider the widest aperture settings of f/2.5 on the 40mm and 50mm and f/2.8 on the 24mm. All three lenses are beautifully crafted from a metal construction with engraved markings that give the lenses a real quality look and feel in the hand. Each lens features an aperture control ring, which can be set to either 1/3 stop click steps or to a smooth transition making the lenses a great choice for either photography or video applications, a manual focus ring, an autofocus manual focus switch and a focus hold button. Each lens offers a high level of control without the need to access camera menus and offers professional control and reliability of use.
FE40mm f/2.5 coupled to Alpha 7C.
The lenses are all similar in size and weigh between 167g and 174g and work well as a set. Each one offers something different in terms of focal length and optical look, but they offer a consistent switch layout which makes using each of them and changing between them very easy.
The three lenses are ideal for people on the move who want to travel light with compact kit. With any one of the three lenses coupled to the A7C for example provides a lightweight compact solution that delivers professional results. The operability and superb build quality of the lenses all adds to the enjoyment of being able to travel light with an A7C and the three lenses fitting into a small camera bags. Lenses with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 are widely used by professionals so these three lenses having maximum apertures of f/2.8 and f/2.5 really live up to professional standards and expectations.
FE50mm f/2.5 coupled to Alpha 7C.
The three lenses all have high quality optics and have fast, quiet, accurate focusing and tracking. The 24mm being a wide angle lens lends itself naturally to landscape and cityscapes or any situation where I may want to include the environment as a narrative to the main subject. The 40mm perhaps is not a common focal length which bridges the gap between the 35mm and 50mm focal lengths and I found it to be an ideal portraiture lens that offered a different look to my existing lenses. The 50mm lens is traditionally a great focal length when wanting to produce images that are close to the view the human eye sees and is an extremely popular focal length for a lens in any photographers kit across many genres. All three lenses can be used interchangeably and offer between them many creative opportunities.
FE40mm f/2.5 coupled to Alpha 7C. ISO100, f//2.5, 1/1600sec
The autofocus system on all three lenses is fast and accurate on stills and video with great tracking accuracy. Each lens features double linear motors which operate silently making them ideal when capturing video. The image quality from all three lenses is excellent. They produce really sharp images throughout the aperture range even when using wide open apertures of f/2.5 and f/2.8 respectively, with the out of focus areas being smooth and creamy.
The small form factor and light weight make using the lenses enjoyable, especially if using and carrying them for prolonged periods of time. The compact lightweight form factor, in particular when attached to an Alpha 7C offers a really great solution for when I want to travel light but still have full frame quality and ability to work with quality glass for both stills and video. The ability to be able to shoot street and travel photography with such a small compact combination has many benefits including being less conspicuous in public areas and being able to travel lighter but still be able to obtain incredible quality.