- First telephoto zoom lens with constant f/2 maximum aperture
- It follows Sony's FE 28-70mm F2 GM lens, with a focal length overlap
- Sales start early June, with a list price of $3,900 / £3,800 / AU$6,799
Sony has unveiled its latest lens for pros, boasting a unique focal length and maximum aperture combination. The FE 50-150mm F2 GM is the world's first telephoto zoom with a constant f/2 aperture.
It follows Sony's FE 28-70mm F2 GM lens, a wider zoom lens with f/2 aperture, both of which are designed to do the job of several prime lenses.
I had a quick hands-on with the latest lens ahead of its announcement, and the FE 50-150mm F2 GM is majorly impressive. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that it's the ultimate lens for event and wedding photography and one of the best Sony lenses available.
Naturally, such a premium lens is a pricey package – yours for $3,900 / £3,800 / AU$6,799, and it's a heavy thing too, tipping the scales at 47.3oz / 1,340g (excluding the tripod mount).
Still, the benefit of such a lens is that it could be the only one you need for event photography – no swapping lenses or cameras during crucial moments. Here's why I rate the lens so much.
The versatility of a zoom, with the quality and speed of a prime
My go-to lens for event photography is a 135mm f/1.8. The combination of the telephoto focal length and bright aperture allows me to get a tight crop of distant subjects, with shallow depth of field and optimum performance in low light, which is a dream.
However, there are plenty of situations where I need to go a little wider than the tight 135mm focal length – I can't exactly keep walking further back. It's at those moments that I need a second camera with a wider lens, or fiddle with swapping lenses on my main camera.
That's why Sony's new FE 50-150mm F2 GM impressed me so much. It gives me the bright f/2 aperture, in a telephoto lens with zoom versatility.
Sony also bills this lens as one with prime lens performance, and from my brief portrait studio shoot with it, I can see why. At either focal length extreme, detail is pin-sharp, while bokeh is clean and smooth.
There is a pronounced cat's-eye shaping to the bokeh with the lens set to 150mm and f/2, which may disappoint those hoping for a circular shape, but I personally don't mind it.
And then there's the build quality and performance of the lens – it's top drawer. Autofocus is silent and rapid – four XD linear motors drive the hefty lens elements, with no apparent compromise in speed.
Aside from its hefty price, a kicker is the weight of the lens – 47.3oz / 1,340g, not including tripod mount. A prime lens like Sony's own 135mm f/1.8 GM is 33.6oz / 950g, and it's less than half the cost, as is the rival Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8.
That said, I thought the balance of the 50-150mm F2 lens was decent with the Sony A9 III, which was the camera I was testing it with. It also has the same form factor as the Sony A1 II.
All told, I'm convinced Sony's new FE 50-150mm F2 GM is a no-compromise lens for pro wedding and events photographers, even sports photographers if the maximum focal length is tight enough. It's certainly on my wish list.
