Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens
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A good all around lens
I'm a pro photographer who works on Film and TV productions. I purchased this lens to use with my Sony A7SII. The lens seems sharp and it is pretty quick in focusing but I'm not completely happy with the knurling on the focus ring when I'm using manual focus. The grooves aren't deep or textured enough for a good grip especially with gloves on, as I often shoot outside in all weather. I had to end up butting a rubber bracelet around the focusing r... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Walkabout Lens
I use this lens on my Sony A7Rmk2 as a general walkabout lens for street photography and family shots. I think it is a great walkabout lens and good value for money now that it is cheaper than the launch price. I think some people expect it to be as sharp as a similar priced prime lens but that will never happen - you give up some sharpness in exchange for the flexibility of the zoom. 24mm is quite wide and very usefull. Sometmes I would like a bit more than 70mm on the long end but with so many pixels to play with on modern cameras you can just crop. I really like this lens.
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Not sharp enough for my needs
I bought this lens about a week ago. I really want to be happy with it, but on my Sony a7R II I'm finding a fair amount of vignetting in 2 corners at 24mm, and lack of sharpness/detail near the edges. I expected more.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Should be better
For the price of this lens I expected better performance! The IQ is inconsistent compared to my adapted Canon lenses. Even though The OSS works very well and the build quality of the lens is superb, for the cost of this lens, it should be better. The zoom range is good for a walk around lens, but I think there are now alternatives to this lens that would deliver better images.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Could be Great
I purchased this lens along with an A7II. I'm happy with the lens but it could be better. For the money, I'd expect a bit more out of it in terms of build quality and zoom. Pros: While I don't mind an f/4 lens, it should be 2.8 constant aperture Sharp: my copy is sharp all over Light with great fit, finish, and feel Great color and IQ Stabilization Cons: Should be 2.8 Should be internal focus Should be a bit sturdier: I'm a bit wary of how long i... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Returning This Lens... Not great for video
I like the Sony Zeiss 16-35mm a lot, but this lens is really only good on autofocus. The fly by wire focus bothers a lot of people, though I'm okay with it on the 16-35mm, but on here, it's much harder to get focus... It's sharp enough.. but I think I'm going to stick with the 16-35mm and then get a 50mm prime to fill the gap between this and the Sony 70-200mm.
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good but not great
I recently bought the Sony A7Rii (and a Metabones Canon to Sony adapter). I compared the Sony lens to a Canon 24-70 II. I preferred the images from the Canon lens at both near and far zoom.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Mediocre for the price
I've had this lens since it was released and use it on an A7r. The colors are nice and rich, the OSS efficient, and it's a decent size. But there are huge downsides. Loads of distortion on the wide end, soft on the long end, and messy edges. Yes, you can correct the distortion, but then you lose a lot of the frame, which defeats the point of 24mm. It's terrible for landscapes, which is what I usually shoot these days, but decent for a general tra... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Know what you are getting
The best thing about the FE 24-70 is its zoom range, which makes it very useful as a general purpose lens. However, the optics are barely mediocre. Compared to the FE 16-35, this is definitely an inferior lens. Frankly, I am surprised by all the 4 and 5 star ratings.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Lens for all but long telephoto
Have not had much time with lens but matched with the A7ii it works well. Have used for web shots and test shots with our labradoodle. Auto focus is quick and accurate - been reading Brian SMith's 'From Snapshots to Great Shots' for hints on things to make the A7ii work better and recommend this book/ebook - he has sample shots with this lens and net, net I think I made a good choice. Colors are great and images (when I don't mess up the settings... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great for still... not so much for video
I'm using this with my A7s primarily for video. Picture quality is good, image is sharp... when it's in focus. Which brings me to my main gripe. Although the AF seems to be quick for stills, it is maddening trying to get focus manually with this electronic focus ring. I can't wait for the FE 28-135 video lens to come out for that reason. with that said, the image stabilization works well and the rings move very fluidly. I would recommend this for still photographers, but not for video unless you have plenty of time to hunt for focus.
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Quality lens
I ordered this lens to use for landscape. It did not disappoint. I should say that Zeiss is not know for making zoom lens and this is a great challenge for a company known for making the best primes on the market. The agreement between Sony & Zeiss to produce quality lens for their A & E mount lens appears to be smoothing out. I sent the first 24-70 back because it was too soft along the edges. The second one image results is what I expected from... Show More
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Good, but not great.
This is the ideal walk-around lens for an E-mount Sony full-frame camera. I'm using it with my a7R, and I'm very happy with its light weight, small size and terrific resolution -- at least at the center. But as you move outwards, that crispness falls off. Okay, I'm comparing it to its big brother, the A-mount Vario-Sonnar 24-70mm f2.8, a stunning workhorse of a lens that maintains sharp resolution almost to the edges. I was planning to sell mine,... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great glass
As advertised. Clear and crisp images with exceptional detail. I used this primarily for landscape and street photography.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Solid
I bought this lens mainly for my A7S, for shooting video. It does not deliver the same insane standard of image quality as the FE 55mm on a A7R. For photos, the FE 24-70mm is very capable on A7S 12mp sensor, flawless for HD video. The lenses shortcomings are visible in the edges on the A7R, slightly soft.When I first got the A7S, I mostly used it with a Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 (via Metabones FE to EF lens adapter). The results were very pleasant, bu... Show More
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Decent at Times....but Inconsistent
I had high expectations for this lens as a primary travel/walkaround lens on the A7s. While it's met some of these expectations my results have been inconsistent enough to warrant concerns. Physically it's small and light and is very pleasant to use. Optically it appears worst at 24 and again out at 70, with it's sweet spot around about 35-50mm or so. It usually appears to have pretty soft corners, which may or may not bother a user depending on ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent walk-around and travel lens
The lens has performed admirably for street and travel photography with my Sony A7, but it is not perfect. It is very sharp for a zoom, particularly in the center. Image stabilization works extremely well. It is built like a tank, which makes it a bit heavy on the A7. I have used it in the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem and in Prague, among other places, and I am very pleased with the results. That said, it cannot compare to the great Sony Zei... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Reasonably good normal zoom
I use the Vario-Tessar T* 24-70 for those shots that are difficult to cover with a 50mm macro, usually due to space limitations. It focuses quickly, and seems adequately sharp at a normal aperture. It's a reasonable size and weight for a full-frame lens. I do think that Zeiss and Sony are overcharging quite considerably, though. True, lens prices have gotten comparatively high, but these are among the pricier offerings relative to quality.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Main Driver
I use this for all of my paid jobs, tests, and video shoots. The lens is sharp, light, and comes with stabilization. As someone who typically prefers prime lenses, I'm surprised by how much I prefer to use this lens. When working for clients it's great to not have to slow down the shoot by switching to different lenses for certain shots. The distortion is quite intense especially once zoomed all the way to 70mm. However, Lightroom's lens preset does an excellent job of correction the issue.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
one for all
one for all, better than I think, I get Sony A7s because this Zeiss lens,if it's F2.8 is excellent but price'll high, just not eal good for bokeh, but okie indoor with A7s, very good build, focus ring is perfect, zoom in out so smooth
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Smooth focus and good color
I love the color rendition and the smooth focus it gives in video mode. This lens is a must for videography and it is perfect paired with the Sony A7S :)
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I love ... Love the lens!
After reading a lot of harsh review from other web site, I opted to buy this lens since I need a walk around lens for street photography. No regrets that I bought this coz the picture quality of this lens is amazing. I have this for over 3 weeks now and the shots I took has this zeiss color quality. Working as an assistance fashion photographer I describe this lens as constructed with quality and beauty. The lens screens expensive! I love the fee... Show More
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Poor Optics Cant Use OSS on A7r
The Image Quality of the lens is mediocre at best due to choice to use the inexpensive Tessar design rather than the much better, more expensive Sonnar design. Compared to the top-of-the-line Canon 24-70 F4 L VR mounted with a Metavbones III adapter on a A7r, the Zeiss performs poorly: corners at about 35-70mm focal length are soft whereas the Canon are tact sharp. AND there is a large distortion at 24 & 70mm. But the worst design feature is the ... Show More
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Made for video
Auto Focus when shooting video is butter-smooth. Acts like video AF should. It's quite remarkable. On the other hand, the manual focus ring is very hard to predict and feels numb to the touch. I haven't used AF for video in years, so the MF behavior I find to be very frustrating. That said, the AF is good enough to actually be useful, and it's a very nicely made, compact, high-quality zoom with very good OSS. In photo mode, it seems to nail focus... Show More
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