Getting to know the new lens trio from Sony

By Nick Smith, Leeds Sony Centre

As a new grandparent and long-time dog owner, I have been looking for a high quality, mid-range prime lens to add to my A7M3 set up. Following a short delay in customs, the three new Sony G lenses arrived together. The SEL50F25G, SEL40F25G and the SEL24F28G didn’t disappoint on first unboxing - all three are nice and compact, and very lightweight, weighing only 6.2oz for the 50mm and 40mm, and 5.8oz for the 24mm. All this, despite the reassuring metal build quality of the lens body!

They all come with an easily detachable anti-flare lens hood, which I would probably remove whilst using flash (to avoid shadows).

Personally, I love the aperture control ring on the lenses themselves, as well as the satisfying click as you rotate through the settings. Obviously for the film makers amongst you, Sony has provided a click off slider button for silent adjustment, and if you wish, you can set the ring to auto and control through the camera body as normal. The F2.5 aperture gives a lovely, soft background to really make those portraits pop – bokeh at its best.

All three lenses also have a handy focus hold button, which if you knew my fidgety dog, would appreciate its use! Simply press and hold the shutter halfway to get back to normal focusing. In the interest of marital harmony, I’ll also be taking pictures of new and old family members - thankfully the ability to assign “Eye Focus” to the focus hold button is another winner. I know eye focus can be set to animal too, but I don’t want to come across as dog obsessed!

The 50mm lens can focus as close as 35cm to the subject, with the 40mm and 24mm getting even closer.

For my needs, I’m moving more towards the 50mm, however, I could see the 40mm being a superb lens for an APS-C user (such as the A6400) as it gives a very usable 60mm equivalent on those sensors. The 24mm would be ideal for indoor work with its generous 84° angle of view.

So, Sony have done it again with three excellent additions to their ever-expanding range of quality lenses. I feel it is nice to see the mid-range getting a look in without compromising quality. I can see a conversation coming up soon with my loved ones regarding purchases…and no, I don’t mean the dog!