Imaging Resource Camera of the Year 2022: Best Standard Lens & Overall Lens of the Year
posted Thursday, January 5, 2023 at 3:00 PM EDT
So far, we've crowned our top lenses in wide-angle, ultra-wide angle, telephoto and super-telephoto categories. Those lenses are useful for a wide range of subjects, but no lens tops the classic "standard" lens when it comes to delivering a realistic, natural perspective. If you want to get very specific, the standard, or "normal," focal length ranges from around 35mm to 50mm. However, a "standard zoom lens" is often considered to be something like a 24-70mm or 24-105mm on a full-frame camera. While those zoom lenses hit "wide-angle" territory at their wide end and can even reach telephoto focal lengths at the longer end, "standard lens" is the best way we can describe lenses like the ever-popular 24-70mm F2.8 pro zoom.
This year, our winner and runner-up are anything but "standard" when it comes to performance. Both lenses represent the best aspects of zoom lenses, delivering incredible versatility, while eschewing some of the traditional pitfalls of a zoom lens when it comes to optical performance. The lenses are extremely sharp, offer outstanding bokeh, and are both really fun to use. The lenses are up to the task of even the most demanding professionals, but are also great options for amateurs and enthusiasts with slightly higher budgets and even higher expectations.
As you'll soon see, our "Best Standard Lens" winner is also our selection for Best Overall Lens of the Year thanks to its fantastic performance, lightweight design and all-around excellence. It's not just the best lens of 2022, it's among the best E-mount lenses ever made.
Best Standard Lens: Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (Overall Lens of the Year)
Last year, we were blown away by Sony's updated FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM II lens. This year, the other half of the standard pro-zoom kit, the 24-70mm F2.8, has received a similar "Mark II" update, and it is spectacular.
The upgraded 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens brings numerous key improvements over its predecessor. The 24-70mm F2.8 GM II is 191g (6.7 oz.) lighter and 16.1mm (0.63 in.) shorter, for starters, so the lens is significantly lighter in real-world use. The GM II also adds an aperture control ring, Linear Response manual focus, a better lens hood, and a lens zoom torque switch. Usability is much improved, but what else? There's an all-new optical design with more glass, including a pair of XA lens elements and three aspherical elements. The new optics deliver incredible sharpness, better control over aberrations, improved bokeh and better close-focusing performance. To round out the key improvements, the GM II version includes four XD Linear Motors, driving noticeably faster, quieter and smoother autofocus for still photography and video applications.
The original Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM was – and still is – a great flagship standard zoom lens. The new version is better in every way. The Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II is not just a substantial improvement over an already great lens, it's the best "standard" lens of 2022.
It's also the Lens of the Year. There was tough competition, including the runner-up in this category, the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8, and Fujifilm's exciting new XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 super-telephoto zoom lens. In the end, Sony's new standard zoom came out on top because of its sublime performance and extreme usability across such a wide range of photographic applications. The 24-70mm F2.8 lens is a staple in nearly every pro photographer's kit for good reason, and the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II is the best 24-70mm F2.8 zoom ever.
More info: Hands-on Review / Gallery
Buy now: Adorama, Amazon and B&H
Try before you buy: Lensrentals
Best Standard Lens, Runner-up: Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD
The Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD (Model A058) is as great as it is unusual. It's the world's first F2 all-in-one full-frame zoom lens for mirrorless cameras. It also features an unusual focal length range. It's not as wide as a 24-70mm F2.8, but it's a lot longer. It doesn't zoom as far as a 70-200mm F2.8 telephoto zoom, yet the Tamron lens is significantly wider. Plus, the Tamron is faster than both, at least until around 85mm.
The Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 is a great lens for a wide range of applications, including portraiture and landscapes. The lens is also really sharp throughout much of its focal length range, delivering great central sharpness, even when shot at maximum aperture. While extreme corner performance leaves a bit to be desired, and there's moderate distortion, the biggest knock on the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD is that it's not available for any lens mount aside from E-mount, at least for now.
The Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD is a distinct lens in a market that's generally full of many similar lenses. It stands out in all the right ways, delivering a unique combination of focal length range and aperture, producing high-quality images and being a heck of a lot of fun to use.
More info: Hands-on Review / Gallery
Buy now: Adorama, Amazon and B&H
Try before you buy: Lensrentals
Try before you buy: Lensrentals
• • •
Imaging Resource Camera of the Year 2022: