Review: Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G - Page 3 of 3

Contents

Conclusion

Pros

Very compact for its focal length and aperture
Excellent build quality
Quick and accurate autofocus
Very good central image sharpness at wide apertures
Good image quality across almost the whole frame stopped down
Excellent color and contrast
Very good control of chromatic aberration

Cons

Bulbous front element prevents the use of screw-in filters
No optical image stabilization
Corners at 12mm are still a bit soft stopped down
Pronounced distortion at each end of the zoom range
Very high vignetting
Average flare performance

The Sony 12-24mm f/4 breaks a bit of new ground as an extreme ultra-wide angle zoom lens. It’s a remarkably compact lens for a 12-24mm full-frame lens, and the construction is solid without making the lens too heavy. The 12-24mm produces images with very good image sharpness across most of the frame throughout the zoom range, and has surprisingly good CA control and excellent color and contrast.

The usual compromises for extreme ultra-wide lenses are here as well, with fairly hefty distortion and strong vignetting. However, the overall image quality is very good. When you consider the small size and extreme focal range, it’s a really impressive lens. While the 12-24mm is definitely a bit expensive, at $1,700, it also isn’t out of line with competing lenses from other manufacturers. If you need a zoom in this focal range, is easy to recommend.