About Photography: Sony announces 4 new FE lenses for its full frame A7 series cameras

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Sony announces 4 new FE lenses for its full frame A7 series cameras

It has taken a while for Sony to come across with extended lens support for it much admired A7 series camera, but the wait is over -- at least partially -- with the announcement of four new FE lenses.

The charts on these lenses indicate that they will be superb optically. The only question I've always had with the A7 camera series is whether a full-frame mirrorless system promises enough of a difference in terms of features and compactness to be a viable alternative to a true DSLR. As the chart below indicates, the lenses are no light weights, and, although the A7 itself is a more compact camera, than a comparable DSLR is its convenience obviated by the larger optics demanded by full-frame.

One thing that cannot be denied: The A7 system is excellent for what it can deliver in terms of image quality, and the four lenses announced today only raise the bar even further.

The A7 camera itself might be a light-weight, compact alternative to a full-frame DSLR, but if this comparison of the 35mm f/1.4 lens is any indication, the lenses for the A7 system will have to remain large enough to do the job, unless they sacrifice features to make them smaller, as was the case with the 70-200mm lens when it came out with a f/4 aperture instead of the typical f/2.8 most pro photographers use for this focal length.

Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens - $1598