The 12-24mm zoom is a jaw-dropping effects lens with a wider field of view than the human eye. It's certainly not for all situations, but its ability to see damn near behind itself gives it an incredible ability to create space in tight rooms and car interiors, grab compelling action shots just inches from the action, pull in huge quadrants of the night sky in astrophotography, and do some pretty amazing things with the right landscape situation.
There are several lenses on the market with this zoom range, but nothing like Sony's new G Master series f/2.8 lens, which becomes the world's widest zoom lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture.
This is a fully professional-grade lens, with sharp detail, high contrast, low chromatic aberration and minimal astigmatism and field curvature all the way out to the corners of the lens. When added to a 24-70 and a 70-200, it gives Sony shooters access to an extraordinary range from 12mm all the way to 200mm at a constant f/2.8.
The FE 12-24mm F/2.8 GM ultra-wide zoom uses three "extreme aspherical" elements, including the largest such element Sony has ever made for an Alpha series lens. It's hardy, with a dust- and moisture-resistant case and a fluorine front element coating that repels water, oil and other contaminants.
The bad news: it's super pricey, retailing for US$3,000. But it looks like a superb piece of kit to have in your lens bag, and bending that much light into a full frame sensor is no joke. It's set to hit the shelves in mid-August.
Check out a video below or several sample images in the gallery.
Source: Sony
