Sony 24-70mm f/4 Vario-Tessar T FE OSS Interchangeable Full Frame Zoom Lens

I'm not a pixel peeper, so I can't speak to the technical aspects of the lens. What I can tell you, is that it's a VERY useful lens for the A7s when recording video. I can't tell you anything about autofocus other than it works, because we are strictly manual focusing people. What I can tell you, is the footage from this lens is VERY clear and the color rendition is very nice. For years, I've shot with nothing but prime lenses. This lens changed that. Mostly because it's really handy in live situations (I do weddings) to change focal length on the fly. Probably the best thing about this lens is it has the OSS which is an absolute life saver when you are forced to shoot handheld. The other thing is with a few button presses (hopefully only one after sony issues a firmware update)...on the A7s anyway, you can also shoot in crop mode which makes this lens effectively more like a 35mm-100mm or so. This is a great option again for those of us who shoot live events like weddings. But the bottom line is this: It's better than the available kit lens, it has OSS that works and works very well with the Sony equipment. It doesn't require an adapter, and there's not really a lot of choice out there right now.... I don't think you can go wrong with the lens if you're shooting with an A7s, A7r, or A7. I'll also note that it's a nice touch that it does still work the crop cameras too...which is nice as our backup camera is a NEX-6. ONE thing to note for video: If you're planning to use a follow focus. Forget it. You can't. The focus ring on this lens and most sony lenses is "drive by wire" for lack of a better word (there's probably a real term for it). What I mean by that is, the faster you turn it, the faster it changes focus. The slower, the slower it changes. Therefore, you can't repeat focus pulls like you can on a cinema lens. Of course, I'll note that I can pretty easily perform a smooth focus pull with my finger while hand holding, and the zoom is INCREDIBLY smooth for what I was expecting. Good luck.

This is a great lens. The Zeiss coating gives it a saturated, contrasty look and the images can tolerate superfine sharpening. This is also one of the smallest full frame normal zooms out there. At F11, everything is more than acceptable except for a prime shooter. The lens is silent and focusses fast in all but the darkest light. The centers are always sharp. The best pro lenses are sharp across the field wide open for shallow DOF. Everything else is good at F8/F11. This lens is good enough for casual to serious amateur use. Because the A7r files can tolerate sharpening, landscapes should be fine at F8/F11. Wide open in low light, most subjects are not even at the same plane, so edge sharpness is not critical anyway. What this lens is notable for is the saturated colors and perfect contrast that catches our eyes. It's like a signature look. I seriously doubt that most people are printing big enough to complain about this lens vs. a prime. I can see it in the RX100 and other lenses. My only complaint is that we have returned to the larger sizes and weights of full metal bodies and mid size lenses. I'm getting to the point where I think equipment doesn't matter that much anymore. I have shot a wedding for fun with my RX100 with both photos and videos and it was extremely fun. Sure, the results may not be pro, but the results can be great. To do the same thing, with a full frame A7r I would need to bring a flash, more batteries, possibly a tripod, a camera bag and possible 1 low light lens. With the RX100, it all fit in my jacket pocket. I wonder what people do with these huge image files. I hope they're printing them because why else do people need so may megapixels?

I got this lens because I wanted an everyday zoom lens for my a7, but I did not want to go with the kit lens. So I decided to step-it-up to this newly released Zeiss. Like some of my other reviews on photography equipment, I'll try to provide a different perspective on my experience with this lens, rather than give you the typical review of its technical pro's and con's. I've always had a special admiration for Zeiss lenses, I owned a couple of them before and there is something different about the way photographs are reproduced by a Zeiss. They just look special, unique, different. I wish I could better explain it, but after years of doing photography, and owning A LOT of lenses and cameras, I can honestly say that Zeiss lenses stand out when it comes to build, feel, look, and image quality. Having said that, I don't particularly think that this Zeiss lens is one of the best ones I've used. Nope, this is perhaps my least favorite Zeiss lens. Why? well, it has all the ingredients that make a Zeiss, except there are a couple of things that do not allow me to give this lens a 5 star rating. Here are MY reasons why I like and dislike this lens: But wait, before I begin I want to caveat something: as you read these, keep in mind that these are MY reasons and MY opinion, and you are likely reading this as part of your research to help you make a purchase decision. I've been doing photography for a very long time and I like to know technical details, but I think of photography as an art rather than than a science. Keep that in mind if you plan to comment and/or disagree with what I say... Why I like it: +Awesome build, feel, and look +Smooth and responsive zoom ring as well as focus ring +Perfect walk-around range for a full-frame +Great image quality, color reproduction, (that "Zeiss" look) very little chromatic aberration, even in extreme back-light situations +Nice Bokeh Why it did not get 5 stars: -Rather too big/heavy for a compact-size a7/r. I wish the lens was smaller/lighter to better balance and match the small body of the a7/r -Not as sharp as I expected for a high-end Zeiss. I have other zoom lenses for different cameras at the same price range, and the sharpness of this lens is NOT up-to-par -Focus speed greatly degrades when shooting in low light. Understand that I did not do extensive technical tests, this review is based on my experience with the lens over the past 30 days or so (as of 18-APR-2041) though I do consider my self a pixel-peeper, and I pay great attention to detail when it comes to image quality. Overall I think the lens is a good lens, but I wish it was faster (f2.8 would have been awesome) and sharp throughout the entire frame, not just the center; and throughout the entire range. I know lens copies vary, I believe I got a cood copy, and I will keep it. However, when comparing it to other lenses of the same focal range, and same price point, I would say this lens falls short in sharpness and speed. I have NOT used the kit lens, so I cannot compare it. But I do have the cannon 24-105 f4L, and the AMAZING Panasonic G Vario 12-35mm F2.8 for M43 cameras, and both of those lenses are superior in sharpness and focus speed. So wait, does this mean that this is a bad deal? NO! I actually like this lens because it produces special images that may not be a sharp as others, but have a special look and feel that only Zeiss lenses have. Again, I wish I could explain. That's the reason why I cannot give this product any less than a 4 star rating. Despite of its shortcomings, I think this lens is good value at this price point for its built and overall image quality. Like any piece of photography equipment, if used properly, and creatively, this lens is capable of producing some amazing photographs when paired with my a7. I hope this helps you make a more informed purchase decision. Happy shooting!

I primarily use this lens for event photography on a Sony A7S. The material quality is nice. It's a class act on a Sony A7 series camera. I would not say this lens is built like a tank, but rather built to a reasonably high quality while trying to be a small, light lens. In terms of size, this lens is very nicely sized for a Sony a7 series camera. It feels well balanced in hand. When I rest the camera and lens on my chest (when I'm writing down info about people I've just photo'd), and a flash attached, it has a little tendency to flop forward. I have an inexpensive 2 battery grip I might attach to remedy this, or I might not, it's not much of an issue. In comparison to a full frame mirror'd lens, this lens is small and light. I think the price on it is reasonable considering it's a 24-70 lens with stabilization. Some people worry about the image quality or the f/4 max aperture. I would say the image quality is "very adequate". When I use this lens for semi professional purposes, I don't feel like I'm wanting more. Does it compare to a $2,000 f/2.8 full frame lens? I would say no, the colors and contrast aren't quite there, but not off by much, certainly not enough to pay twice the price for a small gain in image quality or one extra stop of light. But then again, the price, weight and size of this lens is half. So, you get what you pay for. Is the f/4 a problem? Not really. F2.8 is nice to have, but the depth of field can be so narrow it can cause problems with group shots. So I shoot this lens wide open at f/4 without running into focusing or depth of field problems. Some people might wonder if this lens has distortion problems. I haven't noticed any, and seldom correct the lens for distortion in lightroom. Using this lens and the Sony A7S, I have found that I don't need to correct the photos at all in lightroom. With my previous Canon setup, I was always having to tweek the white balance, move several sliders around, minimize noise etc. With this camera / lens combo, I crop a little and that's it. Everything is perfect coming off this sensor. When I'm using flash, about 1 in 10 shots I might have to tweek the exposure level a little, to compensate for the flash. I have heard other reviewers say that same thing, but until I experienced it with the A7S and this lens combo, I would not have believed it . Great job Sony! In terms of lens stabilization, I don't really notice it lol (it is enabled). Maybe that's a good thing. So, I think this is a very good lens, and works well. Is it worth the extra $$$'s to buy the f/2.8 heavier lens? For me, no. Would I purchase this lens new or used? Yes, I would recommend it. It's fits the A7r series well and does a very adequate job for amateur, semi-professional and some professional use. Don't be worried, this lens is a good one to buy. You don't need to succumb to needless f/2.8 envy. lol.

The lens was dented, not cleaned, and looked really bad, but it was supposed to be fine. A shame.

I ordered this lens as soon as announced. Before it arrived I had read on line some very mixed reviews from the usual technical sites and was disappointed to see the negative assessments. I thought of canceling my order but decided instead to get the lens and test it for myself. As soon as the lens arrived, I went to my usual landscape test site(somewhat limited since infinity is only 100 yards from my shooting position), and found the lens to be superb from 28mm to 55mm at most apertures from center to edge. I own fixed Zeiss ZF lenses in this range and the zoom was very competitive with my fixed Zeiss lenses at comparable apertures. At 24mm I noticed softness in the very extreme corner, but overall not a bad performance. At 70mm I found the lens to be very sharp by f5.6, but somewhat less contrasty. Just about perfect for portraits at 70mm. I did my usual picture of the midday sun flare test and the lens did not disappoint. BTW, most Zeiss lenses I own do very well in controlling flare with aggressive light sources in the frame. I have now had the lens for two months and am just about to finish a two week trip to Las Vegas, Zion N.P., Bryce N.P., Arches N.P. and Canyonlands N.P. The lens has performed admirably and the results speak for themselves. Please search my flickr gallery and you can judge the results. I have changed my mind since my initial assessment and highly recommend this lens at ALL FOCAL LENGTHS! Contrast, sharpness, flare control and convenience are all there. This lens delivers the signature Zeiss look in a very convenient way and will easily deliver professional quality results. The image stabilization is a real plus and a feature my fixed Zeiss lenses do not have. Overall a fantastic lens.

I was teetering between this and the (much) more expensive G Master f/2.8, and I am so glad that I went with this one. I both saved money and got an amazing lens. I really don't know what any of the other reviews are talking about, soft corners? barrel distortion? sharpness issues? I'm shooting with a sony a7r2 on the latest firmware and so far it's the best native E lens I've shot on. Photos look great, with sharpness and bokeh that I did not expect at this price. Then comes the OSS and AF during video, incredible. Also, the build quality is fantastic. Sturdy, sleek, and well-engineered zoom and focus ring, with no resistance or noise issues.

After reading many mixed reviews of the Sony SEL2470Z Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS lens I decided to take a chance and purchase it from Amazon to use on my Sony A7r. You may read reviews with complaints of soft corners in pictures and slow focusing in low light. Depending on what your usage of this lens may be, this could be an issue for you. I use this lens for street photography and family photos. The pictures are very sharp and the OSS is a plus! I recently tested this lens at night and the results were very impressive. I also own the Sony Zeiss 55 mm 1.8 which is an unbeatable lens for the A7 cameras, but the Sony Zeiss 24-70mm is certainly no slouch. The build quality is solid and the focusing ring is incredibly smooth. If you are in need of a worthy wide angle lens for everyday use you will not be disappointed. Remember, photography is about expressing your creativity and your vision of the world. This lens can help you achieve this.