The MOST EXPENSIVE Sony Zoom LENS You Will NEVER OWN | Sony 12-24 f2.8 REVIEW (vs Sigma 14-24 2.8) 

Download SAMPLE Images right here froknowsphoto.com/sony1224/ I'm GIVING AWAY A CAMERA VALUED UP TO $4,999!!! Enter the SUper HUGER Camera Giveaway right here bit.ly/megafro2020

I'm happy for the 3 people that will buy this lens

I’m not even getting this lens . I just like watching the reviews . Who has the same thoughts 😅

"Buy the most expensive shit in the world, and just be happy with it" - My new mantra.

Gotta say, the sharpness...the lack of distortion at 12mm...the lack of lens flare...wow. Friggin amazing. THAT'S what you're paying for.

Such a beautiful lens. Sony is now the King of wide angle zoom lens.

Must admit, Sony lens line-up is freaking mind-blowing.

10 notifications at once but I chose froknows first.

I got the sigma 24-70 and 14-24mm lenses recently and couldn't be more happy. Have honestly become a bit of a sigma fanboy recently, what they offer at that price point is insane to me.

I love the vibe of this video. First time seeing Jared's work, and I respect his well-informed, no-nonsense attitude. You just saved me over a thousand bucks, Jared! Thank you.

solid review; thanks

Wow, how many people are going to post reviews. But, I'm here for the "sniff test"

From all the notification I received today, I choose Mr Fro!

1635gm is still my favorite since I personally don’t use 2470gm much. 1635,55z,70200 for me.

I’ve been using 12-24G 4.0 for 2 years, great glass, it’s hard to imagine how much better the GM version

I would have to say photo “A” would be my choice because his hand is separated from the light post in the background and you can see the separation of his feet and board even though he’s not as centred in the frame by a tiny bit. Just my opinion.

Fantastic shots at: 5:41 and 10:54, very creative, and good use of the 12mm. I prefer B, it's more dramatic, less "snapshot-like".

So as a real estate photographer who does both photo and video, this lens looks amazing. I use the 12-24 F4 right now and I get down all the way to 12-13mm for bathrooms and if I'm framing it with walls or cabinetry... that bowing is hard to manage and extremely noticeable. I have to pick and choose my shots very carefully. Any way you could show us what a shot would look like if you were shooting into a room through a door way at say 14mm? That would be worth the money to me if those lines were straight. Fantastic review, the lens flair and fringing was really impressive. Thanks for making it as in depth as you always do.

Excellent review! Using the 12-24G and while 12mm comes in handy, I completely agree about distortion being a PITA. Sigma is a great option and they do have some stelar glass. In any case, I can't wait to upgrade to the G master! Hopefully I get mine first round of preorders.

Totally love this lens. Was hesitant at first but went with it instead of the sigma since I shot with the sigma 14-24 before in my DSLR days and wanted something more unique. Took it outdoors for a whole week and it's performance really amazed me. Especially in regards to lens flare and resolution. Just mind blowing good and shooting at 12mm is so addicting and fun. The dream lens I wanted for years. This is a system switching lens so bravo to Sony for making this amazing lens! For those wondering yes it is better in regards to the sigma version but it is up to you to decide how much you value lens flare and especially center + mid field resolution. Most people will go with the sigma and will be happy with it. I suggest you rent it out first and test it out to see what it's like! It's lighter than I thought it would be in the hands. Another small thing I was really pleased with is the bokeh at 24mm 2.8. Not that I will shoot at 24mm 2.8 much but it is fun to see how good it looks.

What a great lens.I bought the 24mm Gmaster and am very happy with it.For my zoom I use the 100-400 Gmaster. Sony is pricy but your getting great glass!

A lens made for astrophotography. Would love to see how it performs

Hi @jared Polin, can you please do a comparision on 12-24 f28 vs f4. I would like to have a 12mm, but is f28 matters the extra price and weight. You are the best who can do best comparison. --thanks

I actually use the AF/MF switch on my Sigma 24-70 f2.8 a lot and the AFL button helps me stay steady. To my biggest surprise in this review the Sigma is LIGHTER!?

Lens is tack freaking sharp. Landscape photographers would love this lens more I think than photojournalists. And videographers looking to shoot quality video.

Ordering the 12-24 yesterday, can’t wait to go filming with it

You say you can't put a filter on the front of the lens - but no mention that 150mm kits exist on the f/4 version and the likelihood that they'll be developed for this lens? For that matter, why no comparison to the 12-24 f/4 from either Sigma or Sony?

I appreciate you being brutally honest. give me an assurance I can trust your reviews. Personally, I think I'll go for either the Nikon S Z mount wide zoom. or the Canon RF as the wider mount supposes to give better quality on the wider side. I shoot all 3 brands

at 16:53 - B ... The subject's face was in light, he is almost in the middle of the frame, and his left hand also came into focus a bit compared to A.

I have the Sigma 24-70 and find that in low light situations, the auto focus seems to hunt a little. That being said, I would still choose the Sigma 14-24 due to price alone.

The humor in this video alone (of something I’ll never buy) is worth the 30 min of my life I, at first, thought I’d be wasting. Damnit Jared, stop being so damn good at being the perfect subtle master teacher. Bravo on this vid!

come on, just $2998. My ZE 15mm 2.8 and EF 11-24 asked same price when I purchased them. another Lens I owned Leica SL 16 35 is way more expensive than this.

Thank you for your videos and reviews. There is one running theme with Sony E Mount lenses (First and Third Party) are the prices. For my hobby, I found myself investing in a Sony A7III but not the lenses. Though I may pick up the Tameron 28 to 200mm f/2.8 this fall. So far I've been content with the LALE4 adapter and Minolta Maxxum lenses. The draw back that I've found so far is the lose of eye tracking, only 15 AF Points, a slower AutoFocus, and the loss of 1/3 of a stop of light. But the benefit is finding used good conditions lenses for 50-200 usd that would be 300-1500+ USD for E mount equivalent. Though I am still looking for a good 14mm F1.4-1.8 for wide angle for astrophotography

The hand on B is too long and stretchy and touches the light pole, but the feet and action looks a little better than A, and the subject is also centered in the picture. The hand on A is better, even it is a little blurry, and the subject is closer, has more focus as the head is more clear from the background, and does not have the overexposed front head. Because of the odd arm on B and longer distance to the subject, I would choose A.

Please make sony buying guide.

A>B

I love when you shoot those stairs with the ultra wide lenses I remember you doing it with the Nikon’s it’s such a great place to test them

I have the 12-24 Sony and love it. One of my go to lenses for sure.

I prefer photo A mainly from a composition stand point. In photo B his hand overlaps with the light pole, where as in A his hand has a clean background. In addition, I feel photo A shows him at the peak of his trick while in B he hasn’t reached the peak yet. Awesome video Fro and this lens looks like an absolute beast 👍🏼

I think A is better for 2 reasons. First, his left hand is not touching the lighting unit. Second, in A you can see his right foot is not touching the skateboard. I do like the angle of the board better in B, but if I had to pick one, it is A.

A is better because his head is in the right place. B is better because he's centered in the shot. A is better because his fingers aren't as stretched. B is better because the stretched fingers look cool. A is better because his hand is separated from the light pole in the background. Be is better because the shadow of the skater is more compact and isolated.

I think B is better if you would crop the image to make his head the same sizes A, because B is more dynamic with his knee raise a higher angle and his foot bent more and the skateboard higher upwho's in mid trick it looks more impressive it looks like he's in control more. But if you don't crop B, A is better because he's larger and the difference in stance is not worth the noticeable reduction in size

It is not a lens for me, but I must admit that after seeing the optical design with the 4 motors, without a doubt, a hell of a lens. Right now I have a 16-35Gm that has given me great results on my A7r3, I rarely go outside 18-24mm when I use it, and of course ... it allows me to use simpler filters. At the time of purchase neither the Tamron 17-28 nor the Sigma 14-24 were on the market, but probably would have gone for one of those given the value.

I'm a real estate photographer, and I have to seriously look at this lens. I currently use the 16-35 GM lens, but I really like what this 12-24 does!

(A) Is better... (B) seems very slightly more technically perfect, but the tiny difference in the subject's position in (A) imparts more feeling... More interest.

The stairs don't close their eyes just when you trip the shutter. Best photo, A or B? A. The subject is a little bit larger, so the background doesn't distract as much. Also, with his feet obviously off the board, it's the more dynamic shot.

Your reviews are so good. You cover every single question I had about this lens.

the photo of Todd with the glasses is just perfect :D

I really enjoy your reviews. Excellent quality information, reliable truthful information, and good humor. Keep up the good work !!

I choose A. He is opened up a little so is more prominant in the image, he has separation from the light pole, and is closer to his shadow which brings it in making it part of the image.

I am trading my 16-35 2.8 GM for the 12-24 2.8 GM. This will be a great underwater lens. Thank you for the review verses the Sigma 12-24 2.8.

I have the 12-24 F4 which is fine. The price of the F2.8 is mental

i think shot a is better, because in shot a you can really see him flying through the air, while in shot b, you cant. also hes a bit closer in shot a, doesnt look like hes about to fall straight down and because hes closer in shot a you get a stronger whideangle warp thing effect, which i really like. But, in shot b he has more space to where he is going wich looks better than in shot a and hes more in the centre. and something I think only buggs me, is that in shot b, his hand is touching the big lamp. and now im not really sure anymore, i would peobably just crop shot a to put him in the centre, and go with that one. Please tell me if im talking bs

My Sigma lens for the Canon fit to me is as good as it gets, superb for astro and for landscape and interior work. Sony out paces itself of the market as most folk don't have the cash for expensive lenses.

Loved it , but sadly sent it back after failing the wind tunnel test... shame, but science is science... great video ..

I loved the Sigma, but I got the SONY GM because the Sigma never did well in low light when doing video on Continuous Focus. Otherwise, I actually found the Sigma to be at least as clear. Their 14mm f/1.8 is actually the best landscape astro lens I have ever used, and the look of the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 is unmatched-- even compared to my GM 135mm f/1.8. Sigma is awesome, just a bit weak if you need auto focus video in low light.

Great information! I think I'll stick to my iPhone 11 Pro for recording my plants for now. Is there a Nikon camera that can persuade me to record 4K video that is better than my iPhone? I happen to have about a dozen lenses and am willing to make the switch.

A - subject + shadow are grouped tighter. In B, he's almost "touching" the lamp-post, and the eye pulls up rather than down to the shadow.

Hi Jared, thank you for your review - here in Germany the price differed much more, I can buy the Sigma for 1100 Euro and the new GM for 3400 Euro.

This lens is on my future buy list

Brah, what about the coma distortion? It's a huge factor in what most astro/low light photographers will consider.

What camera and lens do you use for this video? What profile? Do you add sharpness?

so to answer your question. Both A and B are amazing photos. personally I like B better. The reason I like be is because he is connected to the skateboard, the shadow on his arm and hand are not as prominent. the light post on his left arm looks like it is holding him up in the air, and it looks like his fingers are touching the one lights. i just wish it had the background of A.

A is better because the B shot open hand on the right is cluttered by the light post making the fingers appear unusually long and drawing away attention from his intense face. The subject in A appears to be more centered. The lighting on the face is much better in A. The very slight touch at the front of the board in conveys a high level of finesse and skill, while B appears to be out of control.

Imo B is better. The foots position of Blake make the trick look more clean.

A. His feet are off the board! You do the best reviews of anyone on RU-vid!!! And you're in Philly - the best...

Suggested 1. For filters use Sony Playmemories app Digital Filter on Mark ii and below bodies (if someone could just ask Sony to put apps on the Mark iii and above frames) 2. Put a Lenscoat on the lens, For Astro people you are out at night and early season Feb. Mar. and Apr. in the cold will help keep the lens warmer. For protection and extra weatherproofing, ever do a MW at 2 deg.F in snow need I say more!! Lenscoat currently does not make one for the f/2.8 or f/4 but will if enough ask!!

Hello Jared! depending on what you own, could be a fantastic choice. I use a Laowa (cheap) 9mm 2.8 (13mm equivalent on my APS-C) and does the job of the widest and sharpest glass that I have ever owned. But SONY is getting better and better on glass, and that´s promising because of the next generation of mirrorless around the corner. So this 12 24 2.8 is going to be amazing on a A7R4 body as well the next A7SIII I supose this guy is ment for this combo. Glad for SONY, expensive yess but good quality if you want to stand out in quality wide glass.

A is better in my opinion for a couple reasons. The most obvious one I see is that Blake’s hand isn’t overlapping with the light pole in the background so it’s less distracting. Also his feet aren’t covered up as much in A. That being said, I like the angle of the skateboard in B better but I don’t think that overweighs everything in A

A. By a long shot. His pose is more dynamic with the slight blur of the right hand adding motion and the more dramatic foreshortening of the left. Also the left hand, tho distorted and foreshortened does not look as distorted as in b. It’s because in b the hand is probably coming forward, but looks almost like it’s just sting straight up, so looks unnaturally long (sorry dude if you just have really long arms;). Also in B the left arm looks connected to those light posts so it flattens out the composition a bit. In A he is more pleasingly entered in the trough of the skate park which frames him up nicely. Those are the big things. Some small things- in A his head has broken away from the horizon which imho is better, makes him look higher and separates fr background. I do like the skate board positioning better in B. The bib of shadow on the shirt breaks the motion of the arm, which you can see is an advantage when you compare it to the shadow which continues the strike of the unnaturally elongated arm of B. Seeing the trucks adds a level of interest over A.

Does the Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 get to be included in the trinity?

how did you tell the stairs to not move? Mine are running away each time

u should include ur biceps training program at the end of the video. struggling to grow my arms

B would be the skater pick, because it looks in control and "landed"

2 extra mm and more than 2x price is totally not worth it for 99% of people but hey thanks Sony for another lens. What would be next? Fisheye lens?

If you want to get use to 12mm and have shallow pockets there are other choices 1. The f/4 $1,773 2. Sony E 1018 12mm FF f/4 $898 3. Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f/5.6 Aspherical III Lens Leica M-Mount Lens requires adapter but has screw on filters $649 4.Voigtlander Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f/5.6 Aspherical III Lens for Sony E no screw on filter used $748 5. Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens for Sony E $999.00 (a great lens). Have bought all over 5 years and all are great and 2 thru 5 are very small like old film lenses.

$3,000 or 3300€ in Europe for the Sony 12-24 f2.8 is to mush!!! I will take the Sigma 14-24 f2.8.

Thanks, Sigma it is! Because 3k is a lot for non-full time use.

Image A shows the momentum of the frontside ollie better than B

Every good photographer has a special something that they photograph over and over, usually with new gear to evaluate it. It looks like Jared’s special spot are the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, [and maybe boathouse row.]

B! Is more centered the subject in the frame, we can see better the board because of the angle and the most important for me....Better lighting in his face...! (it bothers me the hand touching the lights....but i can forget it :P )

dead ass surprised Sony didn't make Fro sign a "no wind tunnel test" agreement to avoid Cov-Sars-2 transmissions.

Ok, You did good for the day time stuff lines and all with closeups!!! It is a bad year because lockdown and travel restrictions!! That said I have the f4 and have used for about 2 years before that the 1018 @12mm in FF mode. This lens will be for landscapes sunrise/sets, blue hour and mostly for astro MW. For a good astro review of sharpness is to use the NPF accurate rule of a SS of 10.88s on a A7iii, 13.64s on a A7S, 13.67s on a A7Sii and last everyone's favorite A7RIV 8.34s. It is the camera sensor and pixels that give star trailing and coma and sharpness and 500 rule for film! Upper corner sharpness, distortion barrel/pincushion and dove stars. then lower corners softness/ vignetting that leads to color noise when wide open at 2.8. Like the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 close objects like driftwood are not sharp at 1.8 and two shots one for foreground and one for stars have to be blended the reason a 2.8 is more reasonable for astro. Yes super wide f/# get more light but like daytime bokeh you get night softness and focus problems. 12 vs 14 well early in the year as the MW rises it is horizontal and rather big but you want that snake longer across the sky and as the months go by and higher you do the Rainbow pano over a barn or house etc but in portrait view only one level needed 12 or 14 good. But it is when in Sept. to Oct. it goes vertical and portrait one shot makes it like it goes to heaven and pano over head to the other horizon is awesome. A wide f/# getting lower iso getting less noise. Lower ISO lets you capture bright lights cleaner as well as a high f/#, noise on a Mark ii and above is ISO Invariance equal above 800 to 25600 below 800 more, today software can handle so ISO concerns no more an issue. My f/4 was great at the Grand Canyon giving Pano 3:2 like with clarity out to horizon and night MW's along with Elk grazing next to hotel f/2.8 would be better for less movement of Elk in the dark (yes try if you can). But playing in the dark getting wide starry skies and moonscapes f/4 is good but f/2.8 well maybe we will know when things get back to normal. Maybe a trip to the gulf coast with dark skies over the water!!!

Both photos, A and B you miss the right moment to click the trick, it would be nice to wait a little longer to capture him in the highest moment possible. Being a little lower to frame the photo would be better too, to make him feel higher in the trick, looking like he was doing a harder trick. Anyway, between A and B I would say A is looking better cause you the have lots of headroom in the sky area oppose to B, Although getting a little closer to the skater with B lens would make scene more dramatic, and then I would choose B.

Did you make the lens dock each other?

"Every zoom" "usually" from its shortes to its longest focal length has a sweetspot regarding just distortion. The DN's is around 20mm. Don't know about the GM if similar observation can be msde -or not. We are not told here. BTW; also, a serious test (forgot who, sorry) observed stange (slight) quality drop at f4 and 5.6 of the DN just only at 24mm. Similar things could be true with the GM. Again, we don't know here. That being said, I'm extremely satisfied with the DN Art 14-24 (and I appreciate it's size (compared to the f1.2 35mm ;-) ). My main reasoning for me : I'd prefer spending for a (hypothetical) fix focal DN 11mm f2.8 then this GM uniting the price of such hypotheque both - or even if cheaper. (I do have the 12mm "Zero Distortion" from Laowa for special but rare occasions - and the Samyang 12mm STERESCOPIC Fullframe-Fishey far more often. Now an equivalent of the later in DN Art quality, or a strait dedicated 11mm could winn me over, perhaps. 12-13 not worth 1600 bux to me at all (for me with the 14-24 DN that replaced my GM 16-35mm with spare money when sold. And that way I even "have to use the f1.2 35mm 'daily'. (Oh : DN 14-24 + DN Art 35 (or GM 35..not for me) for similar money as for the GM 12-24.. = G eeeee lol)

Sony is bringing the heat, especially looking on this a year later when they've since released all sorts of crap, including the Alpha 1 body, plus a bunch of small, but still awesome, GM primes, and done it all under the crazy conditions of the pandemic. They are out there to fight everyone.

Jared - A vs B... I like the perspective in A more. His arm looks more realistic in length and less stretched. But B's composition and position of the board are better; subject is centered better. So, it's a bit of a tossup for me. Either way, cool shots.

Great lens if you're doing real estate photography.

Photo A of blake is better, because the left hand is not stretched so hard

For the comparison between photos A & B at 16:52 (ish), I'm actually torn. Photo B is my first call, because I like the deck of the board being presented more to the camera. I also like the wider separation between the skater and the shadow behind him. But the left hand/fingertips clashing with the light is a detractor for me. Given these two choices, though, I'd probably still go with B and just learn to live with the disappointment of the hand.

i need one suggestion from you, I'm a hybrid shooter and i want to buy my first full frame camera, so i buy Sony A7iii or I'll wait for A7iv ?

what about using the sony 10-18 made for aps-c sensors with the full frame? I have that lens now that I got for the a6600, and have used it with the a7iv and it looks pretty amazing. What do you think??

Dear fro why are the files on DNG? shouldn't be on ARW?.

Very good review 👍📸😎

I’ve been using the Laowa 12mm f2.8 zero-D for over a year now and it’s also extremely sharp for a fraction of the price. Check it out, it won’t disappoint

A is better because the arm is less stretched but more importantly the arm is clear of contacting the light polls in the background

When will sony be coming out with a 50mm "GM" lens? regards, rick

The Nikon 14-24 is heavy, but it's a fantastic lens. I use the Nikon 14-24, 24-120, and the 200-500. About 95% of my work is with the 24-120. And a telexstender fills the gap between 120 and 200.

"What I was going for was, can I get my lines straight"...proceeds to shoot a shot with massively converging verticals.