LarsPlusX's reviews
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Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS SEL24105G
10 out of 10 points and recommendedOptical Image Stabilization, Good Zoom Range, Minimal Distortion, Excellent Resolution, Constant Aperture, Weather Sealing, Auto/Manual Focus Switch, Stabilization Switch, Programmable Control ButtonLarge Overall Size, Large FilterI ran some rough tests on the Sony FE 24-105 f/4 G at 24mm, 50mm and 105mm using a basic lens chart with an A7RII shooting RAW. Wow, what a lens! It out-performs pretty much every 35mm film zoom I've ever owned, and many of the primes, especially wide angles.
reviewed January 5th, 2020 (purchased for $1,198)
This lens does exhibit some light and resolution falloff in the corners wide open, but was cleared up by f/5.6-f/8. Except strangely at 24mm, light falloff diminished at f/5.6, returned in the far corners at f/8, then disappeared again at f/11. Through the range of focal-lengths, I found the sweet spot to be f/5.6 to f/11. At f/16, diffraction is held back amazingly well, and though f/22 shows some diffraction degradation on the chart images, in real world shots it can be tolerable due to the outstanding sharpness and contrast characteristics of this lens.
I don't know how much correction was done in the camera, but CA is nil. And I didn't see any noticeable barrel or pincushion distortion.
Reviews I'd read suggested the lens was good, so once I got it, it was immediately pressed into service shooting products before I'd tested it. And I was astounded. Images held together as I progressively stopped down to catch details through depth-of-field. Shooting at around 75mm, working as high as f/18, even into f/20, real-world details were captured without apparent diffraction and post-production sharpening wasn't necessary. And the lens focuses very close, making a lens change unnecessary for smaller items.
Though I'm mostly a tripod guy, it performed very well while playing around with it hand-held. It didn't have a problem focusing in home-level lighting. The stabilization worked well, though I'll admit I have the ISO turned way up when snap-shooting. But I do like its switches for stabilization and focus so I don't have to hunt around or remember where I programmed which control, when I put it back on the tripod.
Can't really say anything bad about this lens. I'm used to manual focus lenses, or little micro four-thirds cameras, so it seems big to me, but this lens is full-format, and with all those gears and motors inside for stability and focusing, that's understandable. And it takes a large, telephoto-sized filter, but 77mm is not crazy-big and at least the lens doesn't require some oddball internal filter. So even those factors are okay.
All in all, I'm extremely happy with the Sony FE 24-105 F/4 and from what I've experienced with it so far, it could just be one of those lenses that becomes legendary. -
Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS SEL70300G
10 out of 10 points and recommendedGood Zoom Range, Excellent Image Quality, Zoom Lock, Nicely ConstructedVariable Maximum Aperture, Focus Ring Behind Zoom Ring, No Tripod MountPurchased secondhand over a year ago, I've been pleased with my Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS lens. It's an excellent performer, producing images of the same high standard as other G lenses, with excellent sharpness, saturated colors, outstanding contrast, and virtually no chromatic aberration.
reviewed June 13th, 2021 (purchased for $859)
It was tested with an ISO 12233 chart, shooting RAW images with an A7RII at 70mm, 135mm, 200mm and 300mm, from wide open to f/16. It exhibited excellent contrast, tack sharp in the center, just a wisp of corner softness up to f/8 through the zoom range. There was no visible color fringing, except a slight hint in the corners at 70mm f/4.5. There was no discernible diffraction at f/16, except a smidge at 300mm, though still usable.
Tabletop still life images taken at 70mm & 105mm with both the 70-300mm and the Sony 24-105mm G lenses were indistinguishable, though the 70-300 seemed to render slightly better greens.
The lens stows well, collapsing down to under 6-inches, telescoping out to a little over eight; it's not humongous for a full frame OSS lens in this zoom range, but appears ample with addition of the large shade. The only shortcoming is the lens doesn't come with a tripod mount, but an aftermarket clamp-on collar is available, though I usually shoot it handheld.
Although the 3-meter (9.8-feet) to infinity control makes focusing faster for landscapes, the full range is generally required indoors. Using the Flexible Spot under home lighting, focusing usually takes only a fraction of a second. But in low light with low contrast subjects, focus can sometimes be sketchy, especially for maximum closeups, which encompass 2-5/8"x4" (67x100mm) in the frame at 300mm.
This lens has good controls, tactile switches and a programmable button, except the focus ring is behind the zoom ring. Sony is consistent in the zoom direction, but most have the focus ring in the front so with this one muscle memory takes a back seat.
I was on the fence for some time prior to purchase due to lukewarm reviews. But reviews can be biased by inflated expectations, operator errors, lighting or aerial aberrations, especially with telephotos. In my experience, the FE 70-300 G turned out to be a winner.
