UPDATE: Reader requested images added for the Sony FE 24-240mm at 360mm eq. with the A6000
posted Friday, March 27, 2015 at 5:38 PM EDT
[UPDATE 3/30/2015: On several reader requests we've added additional gallery images with the Sony FE 24-240mm lens paired with the Sony A6000 to obtain the 1.5x crop factor advantage and see the results. Scrolling down past the original images paired with the full frame A7 II will take you to the updated section with the additional A6000 images, most of which were shot at full tele 360mm eq.]
The Sony FE lens lineup continues to grow in both prime and zoom categories, now offering 5 primes and 6 zooms total to date. The most recent to arrive at our lab is the FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS, a 10x full frame long zoom offering for the Sony A7 series of cameras.
Covering everything from the classic 24mm wide angle to a fairly robust 240mm zoom range (and 360mm eq. when strapped onto a crop-sensor Sony like the A6000) this lens is clearly aimed at anyone looking for versatility in an all-around package, or as a convenient all-in-one travel companion. It's optically stabilized as well as mositure and dust resistant, making it all the more attractive for action and outdoor shooting.
But full frame photographers are often a tough crowd to please, especially a significant segment of our readers, so we'll have you a full technical review of this lens in short order with all the fine details. In the meantime I was able to spend a few days shooting gallery images with this lens on the Sony A7 II to give you an early look, and below are a few of them for a quick initial glance. For more images please see our our Sony A7 II sample gallery page (and look for "24-240mm" in the title, towards the bottom of the page).
This isn't the lightest of lenses, but it balances nicely on the A7 II and makes the new, larger grip on that body even more appreciated. And when you consider the size of most full frame long zooms (the relative rarity that they are) this lens is amazingly compact considering its 10x reach. And I actually wouldn't want it any lighter, as the balance of the two and the combined weight make for a more stable handheld shooting experience (all images in this initial gallery were shot handheld).
So those are the particulars, but what about the image quality? That'll be fully vetted with our lab tests, and in the meantime here are a few real-world images for analysis. These have been resized to fit this page and most have been cropped and/or slightly tweaked in post processing, mostly to balance the shadows and highlights. Click any image to access that image's carrier page and to see it as delivered straight from the camera, including access to EXIF data and the full resolution image. And for access to downloading any associated RAW files please visit our A7 II Gallery page (links to RAW files (ARW) are just below the JPEG links under the thumbnail image).
Paired with the Sony A6000 for a 1.5x crop factor
If 240mm reach isn't enough for you, strapping the 24-240mm onto an APS-C Sony body will give you an effective range of 36-360mm. You lose the wide angle of course (not to mention a fair bit of sensor area) but gain a respectable amount of zooming distance. Below are a few examples with this combination, most of which were shot at 360mm eq. full telephoto, and one at 36mm just to show the other end of the spectrum.
As with the images above, these have been resized to fit this page as well as slightly cropped in some cases and/or slightly tweaked in post-processing to balance shadows and highlights. Click any image to access that image's carrier page and to see it as delivered straight from the camera, including access to EXIF data and the full resolution image. To view additional images shot with this combination and for access to downloading any associated RAW files please visit our A6000 Gallery page and scroll to the section with "24-240mm" in the filename.
Sony FE 24-240mm OSS • Sony A6000 Gallery • Sony A7 II Gallery
