Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM lens announcement
On September 20, 2018, Sony announced the 24mm F/1.4 GM lens. Notably, while Sony has a plethora of lenses in the 28mm to 85mm range, this is their first 24mm lens and their widest prime lens.
The price of $1400 certainly is not cheap but is less outrageous than I may have expected. It is cheaper than Sony’s other 1.4 aperture prime lenses. For example, the Sony Zeiss 50mm F/1.4 is priced at $1500 and the Sony 85mm F/1.4 GM is priced at $1800.
The real stand out spec is the weight, only 445 grams, placing it just under a pound. For a premium 1.4 aperture lens, this is small. (Sony reaps benefits from their mount with wider angle lenses such as this one.)
24mm is a very useful focal length. It’s a nice wide angle for architecture and landscape shots. As lenses go wider than 24mm, you battle greater lens and perspective distortion. Being a prime lens, it should have far less lens distortion than the various zoom lenses that cover 24mm. For example, the corners are a bit weak and distorted at 24mm on the Sony 24-105G and 24-70mm GM lenses. This performance should be significantly better on the 24mm F/1.4 GM. It’s a useful lens for environmental portraits, with the fast aperture still allowing for artistic background separation. The fast aperture will also appeal to wedding photographers seeking wide shots at ceremonies and receptions.
The fast aperture also makes this lens useful for astro-photography though most photographers would prefer to go even wider for astro shots.
Build quality appears excellent, with the convenience of a focus hold button (excellent for eye-af), a clickless aperture ring for video shooting, and weather sealing.
24mm Alternatives
Sony has several zoom lenses that cover the 24mm focal length including the 12-24mm F/4 G (review here), 16-35mm F/4 (review here), 16-35mm F/2.8 GM, 24-70mm F/2.8 GM (review coming soon), 24-105mm F/4 G (review here), 24-70/F4 and 24-240mm (review here).
Even without testing the 24mm F/1.4 GM, I can be confident that it will significantly outperform the zoom lenses. Unless you’re talking about a super cheap prime lens compared to an expensive zoom lens, primes always will have better image quality. (Primes vs Zooms article).
While this is Sony’s first 24mm lens, Sony shooters do have some third party options.
The Zeiss Batis 25mm F/2 (reviewed here) is one stop slower than the Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM. With a price of $1250, it is expensive for an F2 lens. The weight of 335 grams is appealing, making it a nice light-weight lens on the Sony system. While it is listed as a 25mm lens, it seems a bit wider than that to me in my use. I doubt most would notice the difference in focal length between this lens and the Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM.
In terms of performance and optical quality, the Zeiss Batis 25mm F/2 is a spectacular performer.
With the same focal length and aperture as the Sony 14mm F/1.4 GM, there is the Sigma 24mm F1.4 ART DG HSM. Priced at $849, it’s a definite bargain compared to the Sony. At 665 grams, it is far heavier than the Sony. I have some concerns about the quality of the autofocus, as the Sigma ART lenses were really designed for dSLRs and essentially Sigma integrated an adapter to make them functional on Sony FE cameras. If anyone has feedback on the AF performance of the Sigma ART lenses, please feel free to contact me. Reviews, such as this one from OpticalLimits, suggest the Sigma has fantastic center performance with weak corners wide open, but great performance across the frame when stopped down to F2.8.
For cheap and compact, Rokinon offers a 24mm F/2.8 for under $400. It weighs a mere 120 grams making it ultra compact for travel photography, street photography, etc. Reviews are generally favorable but it is two stops slower than the Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM.
Finally, Sony does offer the Sony Sonnar 24mm f/1.8 ZA but it not only overpriced at $1100, it is also an aps-c lens.
Status of Sony Lens Development
We are 3/4ths into 2018 and this is Sony’s first announced FE lens of the year. Technically the Sony 400mm F/2.8 GM was just announced this year but it’s development was pre-announced back in October 2017.
This lack of lens announcements is uncharacteristic of Sony. Sony announced and released 6 lenses in 2017 (7 lenses including the 400mm announcement), 7 lenses in 2016 (plus 2 teleconverters), 4 lenses in 2015 and 4 lenses in 2014.
It is my hope that Sony isn’t becoming complacent in lens development. With the Sony a-mount, Sony built out about 25 full frame lenses and then took the attitude, “okay, we have done enough, we are done now.”
I certainly hope we see another 3-4 new lenses from Sony over the next 3 to 6 months.
Anyway, Sony is now up to 26 full frame lenses for the Sony Alpha mirrorless system, in addition to various converters.
Among lenses that I’d still like to see:
- 14-16mm prime lens: perfect for astro photography. Preferably an aperture around F2, to keep the lens fast without getting too big.
- 24mm F/1.8 (akin to Sony having 1.4 and 1.8 versions of the 50mm and 85mm lenses)
- 35mm F/1.8 (the perfect middle ground for those who don’t want the price and weight of the 35mm F/1.4 but want a lens faster than the 35mm F/2.8)
- 135mm F/1.8 (a long premium portrait lens)
- 200mm F/2.8 (I’ve long wanted Sony to clone the old Minolta 200mm F/2.8 lens, one of the finest lenses I’ve ever used).
- 150-500mm zoom, or something similar. More consumer grade than the Sony 100-400, and longer reach for enthusiast sports and wildlife shooting.
- 300mm F/4. Preferably with modern lightweight elements like the Nikon 300mm F/4 PF lens. (Discussed here). Such a lens is ideal for those who want reach and quality but without heavy weight.
Recommendations and Conclusion
If you’re looking for a 24mm prime and you don’t care about price or weight, then you are unlikely to regret the Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM. Sony hasn’t made a dud GM lens. The only question for future reviews is where this lens fits on the scale between very good and truly amazing.
Before seeing the price and weight, I wasn’t even considering upgrading from my Zeiss Batis 25mm F/2, which offers truly stellar IQ in a nice compact lens.
I now expect the Zeiss will feel tremendous pressure to drop the price of the Batis 25mm. The Sony 24/1.4 is only 100 grams more than the Zeiss and only $150 more, all while being one stop faster. Not only is the Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM one stop faster, it also adds a clickless aperture ring and a focus hold button. If the Zeiss Batis price drops significantly, I might recommend it over the Sony for enthusiasts. But at a mere $150 price difference and 100 gram weight difference, there is little reason to take the Zeiss Batis over the Sony GM.
The Sigma 24mm F/1.4 will save you $550 compared to the Sony. I expect the image quality is similar. But the weight of the Sigma is 665 grams, nearly 50% heavier than the Sony. Given that the Sony is significantly lighter and likely will have better autofocus with the Sony system, I’d recommend the Sony lens despite the price difference.
Personally, I’m debating whether to pre-order the Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM (though I will certainly borrow it and review it at some point). I’m very happy with my Zeiss Batis but if I was buying into the focal length for the first time, I’d definitely get the Sony.
Pre-order your Sony 24mm F/1.4 GM from Amazon here.
