A worthy and long overdue replacement for the less than good 24-70 F/4 ZA. Rumors said it would be $1700 so I am thoroughly impressed by the actual price and value. A real knockout.
Excellent review. Could you please do a shoot-out of all the 24-105 lenses out there? Its a very useful range and most casual photographers would own this lens.
I just want to point out another perspective about this review video production on that stunning view. I really like how Jordan is framing more on the landscape beauty in this video and Chris is focused his pictures on the details and unique angle just as a street photographer do and he did it best
I like this trend of Sony re-doing lenses and making them lighter and higher quality. Hoping for them to re-do the 24-240mm to get my kit down to just two lenses (along with an ultrawide). Was a bit disappointed that they didn't push the wide end a bit more on the 16-35mm the recently re-did; plus, an ultra-wide going up to 35mm is a lot of wasted overlap with a lens like this or the 24-105mm. Hopefully they make something like Nikon's 14-30mm that takes filters.
I dont see the overlap as too bad, i use a lot a 17-55 2.8 and a 28-135 3.5-5.6 (on APS-C), both lenses are somewhat compact (the 28-135 even more than the 17-55) and they are basically the lenses i use the most (beside wildlife where i use a 150-600 or 800mm prime) 28-135 give me mostly all i need plus a bit tele range especially in 4k60 crop mode on the R7 (390mm!) and the 17-55 2.8 is my regular, better kit lens if i really need wider angle or the 2.8 aperture/low light The 28-135 i use the most at the widest end with the possibility to zoom in a lot if needed, the 17-55 is pretty much used on every focal length, just the 55mm are more used sometimes as "nifty fifty replacement" since i sold the 50 1.8 already with the full frame camera. I mean sure, for people like you using and wanting some unattractive zoom lenses with very limited zoom range overlap is bad, but my main zoom lenses are all together at least a 3x, more towards 4-5x zoom factor and for anything else i have faster primes. Also, the overlap i see as real advantage (as having 2 lenses for the same purpose/focal length but totally different quality/price so the usecases can differ from a "i dont care lens" as the cheap 28-135 to a lens i better care about as the 17-55.
This would be an incredible and a wise choice to package as a kit lens option for most Sony bodies. I love the 20-60 that came with the S5 (and now S5ii) but still has a variable aperture (but no focus breathing, as with most Pany lenses). Sony with another victory 😅
That's not really a direct comparison though- the Sony costs nearly twice what the Lumix lens does. Sony would be smart to do the 20-70 as a "premium kit" lens instead of the 24-105... same price bracket and most people will get a lot more use out of 20mm than 105mm.
Super versatile focal length. That extra 4mm at the wide end is really handy. I wish Nikon would think more outside the box and come up with something like this. Nice and light too.
@@ValentinA-nx9wm but still wouldn't make sense as you would need to crop it to avoid the vignetting. Some ultra wides don't vignette on full frame at certain focal length
I already have this lens since about 3 weeks and I love it! The only thing I miss is that camera manufacturers should cooperate more with Adobe (as Nikon seems to do so), since there is no distortion correction available for LR up to date. When a lens is designed to require correction it is really a must to have the profile in the most used editing softwares from day one.
As a Fujifilm shooter I am quite jealous of this lens focal range, its just such a great range! @Fujifilm please make us something like a 14-50mm f2.8-f4 lens 😇
Would love a shootout with the 24 105 oss which shares many of the shortcomings and features. Also at this price the Tamron/sigma standard zooms are a real threat too
Dear sony, it's time to make the 24-105 mark ii. Make it lighter, smaller, and DEFINITELY keep the OSS, it'd be the killer lens for general purpose video. I'm 100% buying it
If I was just starting out I would go with this lens and the 35 1.8 and just be done with buying lenses. Looks like a really great option for people who prefer a simple kit and are happy with f4!
@@jimmysaul2899 for fun! The joy of a tiny, bright prime lens is not to be underestimated ☺ I'm happy with f4 MOST of the time but having the option to open to 1.8 definitely makes the kit feel more complete for me
Hey man! I’m about to purchase the 24mm f1.4 GM for landscape and Astro and now I’ve seen this video and your comment I’m thinking a bit too deep. Would I be wise to continue with the prime and add the lens in the video later on?
Just wanted to thank you both for talking about the additional crop with all the compensations. It helps me see the picture (or video haha) more clearly to make a decision for my needs.
I'm still using my D810, but I must say Sony looks very tempting if I was to move to mirrorless. That's an intriguing lens from a landscape perspective.
Your lense and camera reviews are allways definitly one of the 3 best ones on the internet in any aspect from the technical and practical view regarding the lenses itself but as well from the aspect of very nice entertainment! There are only Gordon Laing's and Christopher Frost's reviews on the same great level, these 3 channels are all I need to know about a new lense!
This would be a perfect walk around lens, 20 MM on the wide end is perfect. 70 MM on the long end plus decent macro capability make it quite versatile. The size is just right but F4 is a bit on the slow side, the fact that the lens requires a significant amount of in camera distortion correction is a negative but the resulting images are really good. Overall a very desirable lens and a great addition to the Sony lens lineup.
Great lens review, but I was pleasantly distracted by the beautiful video footage recorded from the Lumix S5 ll. Waiting with anticipation for my pre-ordered S5 ll to arrive by the end of Jan/Feb!
Been with Sony since 2014 and the A7R which I still own but hardly use. Now have the A7R3. The 24-70 /f4 Sony Zeiss I bought it with was one of the worst lenses that I have ever owned at any price and was a massive disappointment although its handling was excellent. (Compact and well balanced on the A7R body).This new 20-70/f4 has superseded that lens once and for all! And on the latest high megapixel bodies makes the otherwise excellent 24-105 a hard sell as bigger, heavier, and probably not quite as sharp. Any loss at the top end can be sorted by a mild crop after the event with this lens. Just missing OSS which is not really needed on something like the A7RV and any forthcoming Sony bodies.
Oh damn, that's less than I paid for my APS-C 2.8/16-55 G! Maybe it's time to step up to full frame, after all... The decision between this and the 24-105 is going to be very tough.
So here we see Chris striding down snowy trails, crouching behind his tripod in a river, etc. and yet by the end of the segment his clothes and shoes are still perfectly clean and dry. Just some Canadian knack?
As much as I'd like to have this 20-70 lens, I recently purchased a new 24-70 f/4 ZA for around half the cost of the 20-70. I know the world thinks the 24-70 f/4 a terrible lens, but mine is pretty good !! Distortion at 24mm needs to be corrected in post, and 70mm f/22 is soft. But the range of f/5.6 through f/16 is very sharp at all focal lengths. It is what it is.
I like that Sony is producing more unique lens designs. I just wish they would incorporate OSS to all lenses moving forward. I don't mind paying more, as it will make these lenses even more desirable for cinema work with an FX series camera such as the FX6 that I use. This would almost be perfect for a standard "compact" cinema lens. I will have to wait for the 24-105 F4 II OSS which hopefully comes out soon.
Terrific review, as always. My current 24-105 is always on my camera (it's so good!) but I'm seriously considering this lens for my second A6400. And even on my FF body, those 4mm and aperture ring sure are useful.
I have 24-105 and am quite satisfied with it. I'm not considering the switch as I do like the longer reach of 24-105 and more importantly, IBIS. I do have the 20mm F1.8 which is perfect for vlogging and landscape (even at night). 16-35 PZ appears to be a great option for 24-105 owners
Great video, thank you very much! I have recently acquired the Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G lens. However, one thing is bothering me or rather I would like to clarify whether it is a general issue with this lens or whether it is a defect specifically with my lens. The lens makes a noise when focussing (with autofocus). By the way, the volume of the noise varies depending on the aperture setting. At f/4 the noise is very minimal, almost inaudible. From f/4.5, however, it is clearly audible. And the higher the aperture number (for example f/13), the longer it takes to focus and the longer the noise lasts. However, these differences are small. I am not yet familiar with focusing noises from lenses recently released by Sony. For example, the new Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G and the new Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS II are 100% completely silent. The older Sony FE 18mm f/1.8 G, on the other hand, also makes the noise described above, if I remember correctly. Does your lens also make this noise? Many thanks in advance!
WoahWoahWoahWoahWoah ..... This is exactly what I've been asking for for years now. A 24-70 but wider on the short end. Maybe a 70-300mm f/4 in the future to pair it with???
I have a 20mm prime on my wish-list as I don't have anything wide angle yet. This may well replace it though as I don't have a zoom lens under 70 either... This would complement my favourite 35mm and 55mm Zeiss primes very nicely by adding in the 20mm focal length!
Perfect review and nice shots. One q - how much sharper would be the 24-70 f2.8 GM M2 (considering it's twice the price)? Also, there're some notes comparing it to the 24-70 2.8 M1 in terms of sharpness, would you estimate that would be accurate? THanks!
24 mm is a great focal length for full frame. But, the problem is that many zoom lenses are not at their best at the widest focal length. In this case, 24 mm is enough beyond 20 mm so that barrel distortion and other issues may have disappeared. One might say it is an ideal 24 to 70 lens.
Thank you for this video! I didn't get the chance to actually test out the lens but It was on one of the display cameras and I loved that it was super lightweight. Do you know if they are coming out with the G2 anytime soon?
Ohhhh man! Sony has been reading my Fujirumors comments! I've been wanting a 20-50mm f/2.8 (FF) for quite some time as an ultrawide to short telephoto. It could replace a 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm lens. If Sony had a higher megapixel 4K120 body that wasn't the A1, I'd very heavily consider jumping ship to Sony. I guess I just need to wait for Fuji (or Canon...!) to follow suit. Very excellent work here Sony!!
Solid offering. I already have 24-70mm f2.8 GM mkii and the A7rV. Honestly if I didn't have the mkii this would be one of my top picks for single lenses travel.
100% agree! Like if I was doing events the 24-70mm f2.8 with a second body holding the 70-200mm(or 16-35mm f2.8) For travel an A7riii(or A7rV) with the 20-70mm f4 just seems perfect. Would be a fun walk around the city kind of lenses.
This lens is putting me in a tough place. I have the 24-105 and love it... but I feel like I might be able to get away with 20 for my wide end. So I could ditch my 16-35 and my 24-105, and whittle my kit down to 20-70 + 70-200. It feels very conveniently placed. 20 is absolutely not 16 tho, and 70 is not 105 lol. Damn you Sony, and your plethora of great options. Make a junky lens so choosing is easy.
Other reviewers of this lens have showed that with electronic lens compensation switched off, there’s a heck of a lot of vignetting and distortion at 20mm.
Ouchie, was literally about to shift my Sigma 28-70 2.8 for a tamron 20-40 2.8 but now having second thoughts 😅 Sell off my sigma 28-70 and 24-105 for this? Tempting...very tempting...
It looks like a terrific lens but would anyone else feel limited by an f4 in situations where they'd want a zoom? A lot of the times I want a zoom are also the times I need the most generous F stop I can get.
I don't quite understand the loss at the wide end, from 20mm to 24mm. Is that with just video when using IBIS? Can you explain that to me in a little more detail? Thanks!!!
Bought a 28-200 couple weeks ago for an upcoming trip. Haven't used it yet and conflicted to return or not as 20-70 is so tempting. Lose the reach but much wider.
The two deciding factors for me would be “what portion of my time is spent around 30-70mm” - where f/2.8 has a fundamental advantage - and “do I mind carrying 3 lenses and swapping them to go wider than 28mm?” I think this lens is the better fit for landscape photogs and video-biased shooters. For more all-around work I think more is possible with f/2.8 zooms.
Reviewing a Sony lens in CANONaskus? Nice try with the subliminal suggestion, Chris! What next - a Nikon camera review, filmed on Mt. OMSystemus? We’re onto you, Niccolls
Looks like a nice lens but seems too short for useful macro. For my personal shooting style a 24 - 120 is more useful than a little bit more on the wide end. For some it may be a selling point. I was wondering about focus breathing with this lens?
The Sony 20-70mm F4 is an intriguing lens as to zoom range, but I'd rather have something at F2.8 or even a little faster. I'm on the hunt for a new lens for my A7R5 that fits in and adds to other lenses I have that this 20-70 touches upon. Among lenses I have in this range are the 20mm F2.8 Minolta A-mount lens via various Sony converters, various primes in the range under discussion (35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 55mm, 75mm) and the Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 and Tamron 28-27mm e mounts. Am leaning to complete the Tamron trinity and maybe go for the Tamron 70-180mm F2.8. Or maybe something better (faster) than the Sigma 24-105 Canon mount adapted by the Sigma MC-11 converter. It's the F4 that stops me regarding the Sony 20-70mm.
My only hope is that Sony make this the kit lens for the a7RV and even the a7IV. The biggest advantage of shooting Sony is after all, the lens selection, and this is good starting point for many people.
