A natural complement to Sony's compact a7C II and a7CR, the pro-grade FE 24-50mm F2.8 G ($1,099.99) zoom lens has a bright constant aperture, produces excellent images, focuses quickly, and features full weather protection. The meager zoom range is a significant drawback, however, since it limits the types of subjects you can capture. If you are eyeing a zoom lens for convenience, we highly recommend the FE 20-70mm F4 G for its more versatile focal range and the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art for its longer reach and matching aperture. Both are Editors' Choice winners that cost the same as the 24-50mm, but you still shouldn't count out the latter if you want to save some space in your camera bag.

Sony's Smallest, Lightest F2.8 Zoom

As mentioned, the FE 24-50mm has less zoom range than most others in its class. A 24-70mm lens has been the de-facto standard zoom for hobbyists and professionals for decades, with most kit zooms for full-frame starting around 28mm. Whether the 24-50mm's limited reach is a problem depends on the types of photos you make. You can still take portraits with blurred backgrounds at 50mm, for example, but you miss out on the more flattering perspective of the 70mm angle. That might be a fine trade-off for an f/2.8 optical formula, however, since it leads to cleaner, lower-ISO captures for video work and event coverage in tough lighting.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The FE 24-50mm F2.8 G measures 3.6 by 2.9 inches (HD) at its shortest position and weighs just 15.5 ounces, so it easily qualifies as a small zoom, especially considering its full-frame coverage and f/2.8 optical formula. The Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 (3.4 by 2.9 inches, 12.9 ounces) is the only other bright standard zoom for the E-mount system that comes in under those measurements. The differences are ultimately minimal, however, and choosing between them is a matter of whether you want wider or longer coverage.

Size-as-a-feature is a recent trend from Sony. The company reduced the volume and weight of many of its Mark II lenses, including its flagship standard zoom, the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (4.7 by 3.5 inches, 1.5 pounds). Third-party manufacturers are working on smaller lenses, too. The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary (4.0 by 2.8 inches, 1.0 pound) and Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 G2 (4.6 by 3.0 inches, 1.2 pounds) start at a slightly narrower angle but zoom in a bit further.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Like several third-party alternatives such as the Tamron 20-40 and Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 Art (4.8 by 3.5 inches, 1.8 pounds), the Sony 24-50 is fully weather-protected. The Sigma 28-70mm is sealed only around its bayonet mount, for comparison. The FE 24-50mm's front element includes anti-smudge fluorine, but you can add a 67mm protective or creative filter if you want. Sony includes a reversible lens hood, as well as front and rear caps in the box.

The FE 24-50mm is a success from a size perspective, but you can cut size even further if you're willing to consider prime lenses. The FE 24mm F2.8 G, 40mm F2.5 G, and 50mm F2.5 G all fall in the zoom's coverage range and are comparatively tiny (1.8 by 2.7 inches, 5.7-6.1 ounces). Those lenses use aluminum barrels, rather than the FE 24-50mm's polycarbonate. Choosing a prime lens over a zoom is a philosophical choice, however, and you need to be comfortable swapping lenses whenever you want a different perspective.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Ample Control and Fast Focus

The FE 24-50mm F2.8 is part of the Sony G series, a mid-tier lineup of lenses that's one step below the GM tier. Nonetheless, the 24-50mm includes a host of control surfaces on its barrel, far more than you get with even a good kit zoom such as the FE 28-60mm F3.5-5.6. Aside from the standard zoom and focus rings, the lens has an aperture ring, a function button, and an AF/MF toggle switch.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Like on many other recent Sony entries, the aperture ring is a bright spot. It supports both third-stop detents and silent continuous operation, as well as has a Click toggle that lets you change between them. If you prefer to set the aperture via the camera body, simply move the ring to the A position. The lens doesn't have a lock switch for the aperture like many others, but moving between the A and f/22 slots on the ring requires enough force that accidental changes are unlikely. 

The zoom and focus rings are both easy to find by touch thanks to their ribbed rubber exteriors. The only curiosity is the backward nature of the zoom optics—the lens is shortest at the 50mm focal length, whereas most telescoping zooms are shortest at their wide-angle setting. In practice, muscle memory led me to keep the lens at 50mm as a default. My instinct is to ratchet a zoom back down when I'm not actively using the camera.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A configurable function button is on the left side. It locks focus by default, but you can change its function via the camera menu. I typically remap it to AF-ON, though that's just one of three dozen options available with the a7CR. The AF/MF toggle is a bit lower on the barrel.

The manual focus experience is pleasing. The focus ring turns with enough resistance to support fine adjustments and offers a linear response curve. The latter is good news for cinematographers who need to repeat the same focus rack across multiple takes of a scene. Linear focus is not always ideal for photography, but the throw here is long enough that careful, minute adjustments are possible.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Autofocus is fast, too. The lens uses dual linear motors, which Sony describes as miniature versions of its existing xD direct drive linear motors. They drive focus from close to faraway distances in a split-second on the a7R IV and a7CR, as well as support 120fps focus drive with the a9 III. Support for extra fast drive modes is one aspect that differentiates the Sony from the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art, which tops out at 15fps continuous drive on E-mount cameras.

The optics show some breathing during focus, meaning the angle of view is narrower at closer focus distances than those further away. The a7 IV and other recent Sony cameras include a breathing compensation feature that works well enough to make the effect a nonconcern for video, though it does slightly reduce the lens' angle of view.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens skips optical stabilization, but that's not a huge drawback for photos since nearly every full-frame Sony camera includes a 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system. Vloggers considering the lens for self-recorded, handheld footage should get a gimbal or turn on the Active SteadyShot feature to avoid Paul Greengrass' famous shaky camera look. Be aware that if you use the Active stabilization mode along with breathing compensation, the crops stack on top of each other. For that use case, think about the Tamron 20-40mm or Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G instead. Their wider starting points make the crop less of a problem for arm's-length recordings.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

At its nearest focus distance, the 24-50mm maintains an excellent 1:3 magnification rating throughout the entire zoom range. To accomplish this, it focuses closer at 24mm (7.5 inches) than 50mm (11.8 inches). It's a little bit better in this regard than the Sigma 28-70mm, which supports a very similar magnification at 28mm (1:3.3) but doesn't focus as close at 70mm (1:4.6). Meanwhile, the FE 20-70mm F4 G is the best of the bunch for macro shots. It focuses to 9.8 inches at any angle for a maximum reproduction of 1:2.6 at 70mm.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

FE 24-50mm F2.8 G: In the Lab

I matched the FE 24-50mm with the a7R IV and Imatest software to check its resolution. The lens puts up a very good average score at 24mm and f/2.8-5.6 (3,900-4,200 lines) and is excellent at typical landscape apertures of f/8-11 (4,700 lines). Central resolution is far better than average. Even wide-open, the lens manages outstanding marks in the middle of the frame (5,300 lines). Field curvature plays a role here as the edges aren't as soft in real-world images compared with those of test charts. It's still a very good performer at the periphery. The FE 20-70mm shows similar characteristics. At 24mm, it scores lower on average (4,100 lines), but is outstanding in the center (5,200 lines) on the same camera body.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I place the camera further away from the chart for tests at 35mm and 50mm, which means curvature effects are less evident. At 35mm and f/2.8-4, the scores are excellent (4,500 lines). The lens even approaches outstanding marks (4,900-5,000 lines) at f/5.6-8. Contrast drops off slightly at 50mm, a focal length at which the FE 24-50mm scores in the same neighborhood from f/2.8-11 (4,100-4,300 lines).

The lens loses some sharpness at all focal lengths starting at f/11 due to diffraction, the effect that causes light particles to scatter as they pass through a narrow diaphragm, but still manages excellent resolution. Results drop into the good range at f/16 (3,800 lines) and show soft detail at the minimum f/22 setting (2,500 lines). There's still a reason to use the smallest available f-stops, since the diffracted light turns small specular highlights into 22-point starbursts. Incorporating a sunstar into a composition might be more important than getting the absolute best resolution, especially if you make photos for social platforms rather than galleries.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Without corrections, the lens shows noticeable barrel distortion throughout its range. The effect, which draws straight lines as outward bowed curves, is most prominent at 24mm and 35mm but still visible at 50mm. If you use your camera to record JPGs or movies, built-in distortion corrections compensate for the effect. If you use a Raw format, make sure to apply a digital correction in your photo editing software. I didn't have access to a profile for Lightroom Classic when I tested the lens, but don't doubt that Adobe will add one in short order. In practical terms, you see a wider angle of view in uncorrected images, particularly in the corners of the frame at 24mm. Understand that the viewfinder shows a preview with corrections at all times with this lens and there's no option to disable the distortion correction in-camera. Without corrections, there is a slight vignette at f/2.8, though it's not detrimental to image quality.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

False color is even less of an issue. I spotted a hint of longitudinal chromatic aberration (LoCA) in the transitions away from the plane of focus, but only just. Lateral chromatic aberration, which typically appears as purple fringing around power lines and tree branches on the plane of focus, isn't visible at all.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

As for defocused backgrounds, the FE 24-50mm produces smooth bokeh without too many distracting elements. The excellent LoCA suppression is a factor here, as are defocused highlights, which sidestep ugly onion skin texture and have soft, feathered edges. I see some cat's eye effect at f/2.8 for highlights away from the center of the frame, but that's a common effect of optical vignetting. Narrowing the 11-blade aperture down to f/4 changes the shape of light coming into the system and results in images with rounded highlights across the frame.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Is the Sony FE 24-50mm F2.8 G Right for You?

We have little bad to say about the Sony FE 24-50mm F2.8 G from a technical perspective. The lens snaps clear, detailed photos with softly defocused backgrounds, focuses quickly, and has full weather protection. Its zoom range is the biggest detractor, considering you can get the superb FE 20-70mm F4 G for the same price. The FE 20-70mm F4 G goes wider and tighter to capture more types of subjects and is just as good optically, so it remains our Editors' Choice winner for enthusiasts on Sony's E-mount. If you need a brighter F2.8 aperture for scenes with difficult lighting, you must weigh the faster focus performance and more compact build of the FE 24-50mm F2.8 against the extra zoom power of the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art, another Editors' Choice winner.