It wasn’t that long ago that photographers discovered the versatility of Sony mirrorless cameras. They loved the small, feature-packed bodies but felt limited by the lens selection. Thus began the age of lens converters. While Sony didn’t come out of the gate with a vast range of lenses, they have, in the last several years, not only expanded their lens line but have also developed some of the best lenses on the market. And continue to do so. The Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens is a great example of this focus on innovation.
Key Specs of the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens
- Standard/telephoto zoom with a fixed F2 aperture
- Prime lens level resolution
- Edge-to-edge clarity, sharpness, and contrast
- G-Master bokeh
- Remarkable close-up performance
- Lightweight and balanced design
- Fast, precise auto-focus and tracking
- Minimized focus breathing and Linear Response manual focus
Biggest Features of the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens
Sony really knocked it out of the park with the FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens. Super fast aperture. Great zoom range from normal to telephoto. Relatively compact size and weight. All this plus enough top-quality aspherical glass to yield impressively sharp and detailed images.
Super-Fast F2 Throughout the Zoom Range
There was a time when a fixed 2.8 zoom lens was the holy grail. Every photographer, professional or otherwise, longed for that mythic beast. Sony has been knocking that standard off its pedestal with these G Master lenses. Starting with the Sony FE 28-70mm f/2 GM Lens. This trend is bringing new excitement into the Zoom world. Back in the day, it was quality that made people lean towards primes, but modern zooms have crushed that idea. Currently, it’s speed, and while we are still able to get 1.2 primes like the Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master Lens, this trend towards F2 zooms is making many a prime shooter take notice.
Get Up and Personal
While not a Macro lens, the FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens has impressive close focus capabilities. For those of us who do not need 1:1 macro, the 0.2x magnification of this lens will cover our close-up needs. At 50mm, the minimum focus distance (MFD) is 1.32 ft and 2.43 ft at full extension (150mm). Sure, zooming to 150mm gets you closer as far as the field of view, but the MFD gets you closer physically, and this is a great advantage whether shooting stills or video.
Compact (Relatively)
Ok, so you won’t be shoving this lens in your back pocket; that part is obvious. However, considering the super speed of the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens, not to mention its range. This lens is very compact. Due to its light weight of just 5.16 lb. (2.34 kg), this zoom can easily be handheld or used on a gimbal. When packed up, the 50-150mm takes up little space in your bag: Φ4.125” x 7.875” (Φ102.8 x 200 mm). As part of a two-lens/ two-body kit, our very own Sal D’Alia shows you just how small and versatile this lens is in the YouTube overview video (below).
Clean and Detailed Captures
Sony built the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens for creators who are not satisfied with just capturing images. They want to capture exquisite photos and video. Content that makes the viewer dive into the fine detail. With two precision XA (extreme aspherical) elements, your viewers will have all the detail their eyes crave. Beyond that, the two Super ED (Extra-low Dispersion) and three ED glass elements reduce chromatic aberrations. This allows for great color, extreme sharpness, and no color bleeding.
Who Should Use the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens?
With the super-fast F2 aperture, the obvious answer is sports, concert, and other photographers who shoot indoors and need to stop action. Beyond that, a 50-150mm zoom is ideal for most types of portraits, and the F2 is a nice Bokeh bonus. This is a great general-purpose zoom, and really a sweet spot in the mid-range. Those who don’t need super telephoto or really wide lenses can glue this lens to their favorite body.
Conclusion
I think Sal says it well in his YouTube overview of the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM Lens: Can this replace the 70-200 2.8? A little wider field of view. A little shorter field of view. Twice as fast. We have a fairly compact zoom with a normal to telephoto range. A fixed F2 aperture. This lens is ideal for many shooters and could certainly be thought of as an alternative to a 70-200. For me personally, 150mm is plenty long enough; for others, even 200mm would be too short. All that being said, this is a fine contender for a “do (almost) anything lens.” Time will tell, but I predict this will be tremendously popular.
