The Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM ($3,899.99) is a true first-of-a-kind lens: a telephoto zoom with full-frame coverage and a continuous f/2 aperture. The 50-150mm is almost tailor-made for E-mount photographers who work in dim light, need more reach than a standard zoom provides, and appreciate its flexible angle of view. It's a perfect lens to use for indoor sports, concerts, and weddings, and complements the FE 28-70mm F2 GM nicely. For creators who work in difficult light and find the range useful, the zoom may pay for itself in time, but it doesn't quite beat out Sony's svelte FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II as our Editors' Choice winner among premium telezooms for pros and hobbyist photographers.

Design: The First Full-Frame F2 Telezoom

I'll admit, I expected an F2 telezoom to be more lens than I'd want to carry, but at a reasonable 7.8 by 4.0 inches (HD) and 2.9 pounds, it's not oversized at all, and since the zoom is internal the lens doesn't extend at longer focal lengths like many others, including the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di-III VXD (6.2 by 3.5 inches, 2.6 pounds) zoom. Most creators should be able to carry the FE 50-150mm all day without straining their backs.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Sony gives the FE 50-150mm F2 GM the same eye-catching white barrel finish as most other telezooms. There is some logic to the decision: The light finish reflects light, so a white lens doesn't get as hot as a black one when used for an extended photo session under the hot sun—a situation sports photogs deal with all the time.

The FE 50-150mm is more likely to find use for indoor sports and events, so the white finish may be as much of a marketing decision as a practical one. Photographers see a white lens and assume it's expensive, which may make the price easier to swallow. It's a common enough perception, too. During my review I ended up using the FE 50-150mm F2 alongside a black copy of the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z. When making images from the home team's dugout, the team manager remarked that the Canon must be an "expensive lens," and the Sony a "really expensive lens" simply based on color.

The 50-150mm range is an uncommon one; it's far more typical to see a 70-200mm range, but at an f/2.8 aperture. Lenses get very, very big when you try and combine longer focal lengths and bright optics with a full-frame sensor. And while you can use a lens and camera for any genre of photography, the most obvious use cases for this particular mix—a short to moderate telephoto coverage and bright f/2 optics—are to capture indoor sports like basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball, or weddings and other events. Many churches forbid flash photography during ceremonies, so the lens can slot in and replace a 70-200mm F2.8, plus it's a good fit for formal portraits and candids at the reception.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

There is one other Sony system zoom that is close in concept to the FE 50-150mm. The Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 covers a wider angle and starts at f/2, but it loses light quickly when zoomed and is at f/2.8 starting around 80mm. Still, you may find the Tamron's wider coverage, and $1,900 asking price, worthwhile enough reasons to forgo the FE 50-150mm's ambitious optical formula, which opens up to f/2 through the entirety of its range.

As for construction, the 50-150mm is part of Sony's highest class of lenses, G Master. As such, it is built as well as any camera lens. Its metal barrel is fully weather-sealed and includes anti-smudge fluorine on the front element. The lens also supports 95mm protective and creative filters in case you want to add some extra protection to the glass. A reversible lens hood is included, too; it is shallower than a typical hood, so it doesn't add too much depth to the zoom, plus it has a sliding cut-out window that lets you change the orientation of a variable ND or polarizing filter without having to first remove the hood.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A rotating tripod collar is integral to the design. The collar rotates freely and includes a thumb screw to lock it in place plus paint markings at 90 degree increments for leveling. The tripod foot is detachable without needing tools, so you can leave it at home if you don't plan on mounting the camera. Both the foot and collar include a standard 1/4-inch 20-thread, so you can attach a quick-release plate to either. However, the foot does not include dovetail cuts on its edges, so you'll still need to attach a plate to mount it in Arca-Swiss tripod heads. Other lens makers have done a better job embracing the Arca standard; Sigma includes the feature in many of its longer lenses, including the 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN Sports.

Unfortunately, the FE 50-150mm F2 GM does not accept rear teleconverters. The rear glass element is placed right up against the lens mount. The FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM II is still the brightest zoom to work with Sony's rear 1.4x and 2.0x converters. Sony declined to confirm as to why the feature was left out of the 50-150mm, but it's likely that this type of lens simply couldn't be made at a reasonable size and carry weight with teleconverter support.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Lenses need to leave enough space inside the barrel for a teleconverter to fit, not unlike the space that optical engineers had to account for when creating lenses for SLR cameras. Sony declined to confirm, but my best guess is that the FE 50-150mm F2 would be a far larger lens if teleconverter support was included. I'll point to the only remotely similar lens from the SLR era, the Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art, a slightly brighter zoom with a shorter range and smaller APS-C sensor coverage, but a hearty 3.5-pound carry weight.

The FE 50-150mm leaves out another common feature among telezooms: the optical stabilization that Sony puts in its FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II and FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II. The brighter f/2 aperture helps to make up for it as it supports brisker shutter speeds in similar light versus a lens set to f/2.8 or f/4 at comparable sensitivity. Most full-frame Sony cameras have stabilized image sensors, too, so it's still possible to get clear results with longer shutter speeds when handholding your camera with this lens.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Controls: Useful Buttons and Dials

The FE 50-150mm has a good amount of on-barrel controls, including discrete rings for manual focus, zoom control, aperture, a few toggle switches, and three copies of the programmable Focus Hold button, which can be remapped via the camera menu as desired. All three buttons are tied to the same function; they are replicated so there is always one in the same relative position, regardless of whether you are holding the camera in landscape or portrait orientation.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens has two switches to control the focus mode. The AF/MF (auto focus/manual focus) toggle is self-explanatory, while Full Time DMF On/Off is a Sony-exclusive feature. When DMF (direct manual focus) is enabled, the focus ring works as an override to autofocus at all times, and when it's turned off, you'll only be able to manually focus the lens when the focus mode is set to MF. I like having DMF available and leave the feature turned on when I use a lens that supports it, but I can see why photographers who worry about accidentally nudging the focus ring and ruining a shot would disable DMF.

The aperture ring works as expected. It has a manual range from f/2-22 that swaps between smooth, silent operation or detent clicks at each third-stop via the Click On/Off toggle switch. The ring also has an "A" position that cedes aperture control to camera body controls, along with an Iris Lock that, when engaged, keeps the ring set either in A or its manual range.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The manual focus experience is excellent. The focus ring has a linear response curve that's long enough to support fine, precise focus. It takes about 140 degrees of rotation to move from the closest focus distance to infinity. The linear response means that you can more easily repeat the same focus rack across multiple takes. When comparing photos focused close up versus infinity, the lens shows almost no shift in angle of view, referred to as focus breathing. You can use it freely for video shots where focus shifts from one subject to another for narrative effect.

Autofocus: Speedy and Accurate

The FE 50-150mm uses four linear XD focus motors to deliver a focus response that is, for all intents and purposes, instant. It does so silently, and with the precision needed to set focus at every frame when using a high-speed camera like the a9 III, which tracks subjects at up to 120fps. Support for focus at fast drive rates sets the FE 50-150mm apart from third-party alternatives like the Tamron 35-150mm, which is restricted to 15fps focus drive with a1 and a9 series cameras. Granted, it is Sony that enforces the speed limit on third-party lenses, at least in part to give its own lenses a competitive edge over more affordable options.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I took the lens out to photograph some college baseball to check its focus speed and accuracy, using the a7R V as the camera body. The pair did a good job keeping track of runners advancing down the baseline with excellent, consistently accurate focus. The focal range is too short to catch action in the outfield, though to be fair a longer zoom like the FE 100-400mm GM is a better match for field sports. The 50-150mm is more appropriate for gym sports, where its range is well-suited for photos snapped from the courtside or the baseline, and the F2 optics allow you to use a brisker shutter speed and lower ISO when taking pictures in arenas with so-so lighting.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The FE 50-150mm is a good lens for close-up work. It focuses as close as 15.8 inches (0.4m) at 50mm and 29.1 inches (0.74m) at 150mm for a maximum 1:5 reproduction ratio. The lens falls slightly short of a proper macro, so you can't hone in on very tiny details, but I got good results using it to capture photos of spring blooms at my local botanical garden. If macro focus is more important to you than a bright aperture, consider the FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II, which covers a similar focal range, but focuses closer for half-size (1:2) magnification.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Image Quality: Clear Results With Soft Bokeh

I paired the FE 50-150mm with the Sony a7R V for testing in the field and for an Imatest SFRPlus evaluation in the studio. The lens delivers the resolving power we want to see to get great results with the a7R V's 60MP sensor, which requires good glass to maximize its potential. The lens scores in the very good range at 50mm and 100mm f/2 (4,150 lines), and improves to excellent at 150mm f/2 (4,600 lines). Its resolving power improves at f/2.8; I see excellent results at 50mm f/2.8 (4,800 lines) and outstanding numbers at 100mm and 150mm f/2.8 (5,400 lines). From f/4-11 the lens scores in the outstanding range at every tested focal length.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The aperture ratchets down further, all the way to f/22, but using the lens at settings narrower than f/11 cuts its resolving power. Optical diffraction bears responsibility; it's an effect of physics that causes light particles to scatter as they pass through a narrow diaphragm, so pictures soften at f/16 (3,800-4,000 lines) and f/22 (2,350 lines). You may want to use f/22 regardless, as the same diffraction that softens images causes small points of light to render as 22-point starbursts. I wasn't too taken by the sunstars from this particular lens, though, as their tines aren't too well-defined. Typically speaking, wide-angle lenses are better tools for sunstar shots than standard-angle or telephoto optics.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Flare is a concern when photographing into the sun or another strong source of light. The FE 50-150mm does a good job of holding contrast for this type of scene, but can show some false color caused by light reflecting inside the lens itself. Ghosts are most clearly defined at smaller f-stops, but can still appear in photos at wider settings. This proved only to be an issue when featuring the sun prominently in a scene.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The FE 50-150mm relies on digital corrections to compensate for minor optical distortion and vignetting. The zoom draws straight lines with slight outward curved barrel distortion at 50mm, and exhibits inward curving pincushion distortion at 100mm and 150mm. As for the vignette, corners and edges of an evenly-lit scene render a little darker than the center at the widest apertures (f/2-2.8). If you use your camera to capture JPG/HEIF images or video, the body applies automatic geometric corrections to eliminate the distortion, and brightens corners to compensate for the vignette if you prefer; if not, corrections may be disabled. If you work in Raw format, you will need to apply corrections manually or, if your software supports it, apply a correction profile. Adobe has not yet released one for its popular Lightroom and Lightroom Classic Raw development apps, but I expect the lens to get support with the next regular release. Adobe typically updates camera and lens support once every few months.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Bokeh is an obvious concern with any bright lens, but especially one with a telephoto focal range. The FE 50-150mm F2 blurs away backdrops like a champ at wider apertures and closer subject distances. It avoids showing distracting onion skin texture in its defocused highlights, and thanks to its 11-bladed iris, draws mostly circular highlights when stopped down. I noted some misshapen bokeh balls, however. At 150mm f/2, there is a strong cat's eye effect to their shape, but that's really the worst thing I have to say about the highlights.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens shows some longitudinal chromatic aberration (LoCA) in scenes that are typical problem areas for the effect. I noted some false purple and green outlines around the bright reflection of the sun reflecting off a shallow creek at 50mm and on either side of the plane of focus when making a close-up image of the reflective dome of the Godox Lux Elf flash, one of my favorite test subjects for LoCA. This type of false color is difficult to impossible to remove using software tools. It is most visible at wider apertures and appears in pictures of reflective subjects (like shiny metal surfaces) as well. You can avoid it by setting the aperture lower (it's minimal at the f/5.6-8 settings you'll use for landscapes), or choosing a different focal length. The effect is largely diminished at 100mm f/2 and all but gone at 150mm f/2.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)