Sony’s latest tele zoom is fast and surprisingly light

Sony has announced the FE 50-150mm F2 GM tele zoom: a shorter but faster alternative to the traditional 70-200mm F2.8. Its wider aperture will particularly suit photographers of indoor sports and wedding photographers.

The lens is the same 200mm (7.9″) length as Sony’s current 70-200mm F2.8 OSS GM II though 17% wider, at 103mm (4.1″). And, while it’s a whole stop faster than the (longer and stabilized) 70-200mm, it’s only 30% heavier, at 1340g (47.27oz), which feels surprisingly light in the hand.

This comparative lightweight comes despite a design that incorporates 19 elements in 17 groups. There are 2 XA ‘extreme’ aspherical elements, 2 aspherical elements, 2 Super ED and 3 ED elements making up the design, delivering MTF charts of the theoretical performance that promise sharpness comparable to very good modern primes at both ends of the zoom.

It’s an internal zoom design with a short throw zoom ring. It uses four ‘XD’ high-thrust linear motors to drive focus and can refocus fast enough for use with the a9 III’s 120fps mode.

Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM @ 131mm | F2.0 | 1/320 sec | ISO 800 Photo: Richard Butler	Sony FE 135mm F1.8 | F2.0 | 1/320 sec | ISO 800 Photo: Richard Butler

Minimum focus distance is 0.4m (15.7″) at the wide end and 0.74m (29.1″) at the long end of the range. This is comparable to the working distance of the 70-200mm GM II but yields a lower 0.2x maximum magnification ratio as a result of its shorter focal lengths.

Video users will find the lens exhibits very little focus breathing (and this can be further corrected in cameras with breathing compensation mode). A switch allows you to disengage the click function on the lens’s aperture ring and the focus ring can be set to respond in a linear manner for predictable focus pulls.

The 50-150mm F2 takes relatively large 95mm filters and Sony says these must have an outside diameter of 99.4mm or less if you wish to fit the included hood at the same time.

The FE 50-150mm F2 GM will be available between the middle and end of May with a recommended price of $3899.

Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM sample gallery

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Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM specifications

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