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Will we ever get a decent universal zoom for Sony FE?

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That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!

Come on Sony, you can make a better lens than the current 24-240 or the 24-105! Come on Sigma, where is your universal zoom for Sony FE????

24-120 2.8-4, or 24-140 2.8(4)-5.6 would be really appreciated, sick of swapping lenses or getting caught out with being too long or too short!
 
24-105mm f2.8 should be doable if one is willing to accept a larger/heavier lens. 24-120mm would be ideal but I wonder how heavy that would become…

Slower than f2.8 really isn’t an option in my book. Neither is a crappy vario-aperture.
 
And-roid said:
That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!

Come on Sony, you can make a better lens than the current 24-240 or the 24-105! Come on Sigma, where is your universal zoom for Sony FE????

24-120 2.8-4, or 24-140 2.8(4)-5.6 would be really appreciated, sick of swapping lenses or getting caught out with being too long or too short!
Click to expand...
The 24-105 is an excellent lens, the 24-240 not so much. I do wish the 24-105 was a bit smaller but no complaints about the IQ.
 
And-roid said:
That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!

Come on Sony, you can make a better lens than the current 24-240 or the 24-105! Come on Sigma, where is your universal zoom for Sony FE????

24-120 2.8-4, or 24-140 2.8(4)-5.6 would be really appreciated, sick of swapping lenses or getting caught out with being too long or too short!
Click to expand...
Doesn’t fit either Tamron or Sony positioning.

With an R4 and the Tamron 17-28, 28-75, APSC mode is my friend. 24mm isn’t wide enough for me, just as you want more at the tele end.

Andrew
 
Agree, I would jump on a small, high quality 24-200. I miss the Tamron 28-200 I sold.
 
And-roid said:
That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!

Come on Sony, you can make a better lens than the current 24-240 or the 24-105! Come on Sigma, where is your universal zoom for Sony FE????

24-120 2.8-4, or 24-140 2.8(4)-5.6 would be really appreciated, sick of swapping lenses or getting caught out with being too long or too short!
Click to expand...
The difference between 105mm and 120mm is pretty slight. I have the 24-105 and it’s great. 85-105 is good for portraits. Tempted by the 28-200 as a one-lens walkabout, but don’t want to give up the 24-105’s slightly better corners and wider 24mm FL. Recently bought a 28-60 as a lightweight option and a Tamron 70-300 to complement either of these. I can mix & match for various uses.
 
Jacques Cornell said:
And-roid said:
That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!

Come on Sony, you can make a better lens than the current 24-240 or the 24-105! Come on Sigma, where is your universal zoom for Sony FE????

24-120 2.8-4, or 24-140 2.8(4)-5.6 would be really appreciated, sick of swapping lenses or getting caught out with being too long or too short!
Click to expand...
The difference between 105mm and 120mm is pretty slight. I have the 24-105 and it’s great. 85-105 is good for portraits. Tempted by the 28-200 as a one-lens walkabout, but don’t want to give up the 24-105’s slightly better corners and wider 24mm FL. Recently bought a 28-60 as a lightweight option and a Tamron 70-300 to complement either of these. I can mix & match for various uses.
Click to expand...
I think Sony has progressed a lot in what they do with their lenses - and technology more generally. Superzooms have also become a lot better. I fully expect to see a high quality 24-200 (or even a 24-240) within the next year or two.
 
razorfish said:
24-105mm f2.8 should be doable if one is willing to accept a larger/heavier lens. 24-120mm would be ideal but I wonder how heavy that would become…

Slower than f2.8 really isn’t an option in my book. Neither is a crappy vario-aperture.
Click to expand...
Why is vario aperture crappy?

As for the OP, I'm hoping I can learn to live with 28mm on the wide end. The Tamron 28-200 is excellent otherwise. Personally I'd be more interested in an ultrawide with more zoom power, like a 14-50 or the rumored Tamron 16-70. Even with dirt slow max apertures they'd still be very useful. Most UWA subjects (architecture & landscapes) don't really move.

--
Sometimes I take pictures with my gear- https://www.flickr.com/photos/41601371@N00/
 
Last edited:
sportyaccordy said:
razorfish said:
24-105mm f2.8 should be doable if one is willing to accept a larger/heavier lens. 24-120mm would be ideal but I wonder how heavy that would become…

Slower than f2.8 really isn’t an option in my book. Neither is a crappy vario-aperture.
Click to expand...
Why is vario aperture crappy?

As for the OP, I'm hoping I can learn to live with 28mm on the wide end. The Tamron 28-200 is excellent otherwise. Personally I'd be more interested in an ultrawide with more zoom power, like a 14-50 or the rumored Tamron 16-70. Even with dirt slow max apertures they'd still be very useful. Most UWA subjects (architecture & landscapes) don't really move.
Click to expand...
I believe there is also a 12-50/4 Tamron patent. Was wondering if that would be released with the 50-400. Quite the combo that would be if they both performed well
 
And-roid said:
That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!
Click to expand...
Probably not. Closest thing we'll get is the SELP28135G which starts at not so wide 28mm, costs $2,500 and has a fragile mount.

Sony wants you buy the 24-70 & 70-200 duo instead and use two FF bodies. Twice the profits! ;-)
 
I don't think that such zoom would start at f2.8, but somethink like 24-150 f4-f5.6 would be nice. Maybe it's too close to 24-105, so Sony will make second version of 24-240.
 
And-roid said:
That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!

Come on Sony, you can make a better lens than the current 24-240 or the 24-105! Come on Sigma, where is your universal zoom for Sony FE????

24-120 2.8-4, or 24-140 2.8(4)-5.6 would be really appreciated, sick of swapping lenses or getting caught out with being too long or too short!
Click to expand...
Why is the 24-240 lens not considered decent? Your definition is very off from mine. I have the lens and had shot more than 40k pics with it on the old classic 7r. Been to many places with it and had made many great memories.

If Sony were to rehash it with a MK2 version with better optical qualities, I'm all game for it. My only complain is that it doesn't go close enough for food shots.
 
silentstorm said:
And-roid said:
That starts at 24 and stretches to 120mm or more?

Doesn't need to be super fast throughout just decent, ideally something like the Tamron 28-200 but with 24mm start, is it such a big ask, apparently yes!

Come on Sony, you can make a better lens than the current 24-240 or the 24-105! Come on Sigma, where is your universal zoom for Sony FE????

24-120 2.8-4, or 24-140 2.8(4)-5.6 would be really appreciated, sick of swapping lenses or getting caught out with being too long or too short!
Click to expand...
Why is the 24-240 lens not considered decent? Your definition is very off from mine. I have the lens and had shot more than 40k pics with it on the old classic 7r. Been to many places with it and had made many great memories.
Click to expand...
You can say that about any recording device, I had great memories with my old Sony 6Mpx smartphone camera.
silentstorm said:
If Sony were to rehash it with a MK2 version with better optical qualities, I'm all game for it. My only complain is that it doesn't go close enough for food shots.
Click to expand...
24-240 is OK compromise on travels, but simply not what most people expect from fullframe lens in 2022, specially if used on high 42/61Mpx bodies.

 
Martin_99 said:
silentstorm said:
Why is the 24-240 lens not considered decent? Your definition is very off from mine. I have the lens and had shot more than 40k pics with it on the old classic 7r. Been to many places with it and had made many great memories.
Click to expand...
You can say that about any recording device, I had great memories with my old Sony 6Mpx smartphone camera.
Click to expand...
You totally missed the point here. It's about the 24-240 lens being a decent all-in-one lens, countering what OP claimed. The quality it produces contributed to great memories. Here's a sample:

54mm ISO1600 1/80s
54mm ISO1600 1/80s

Here's 100% crop:

[ATTACH alt="The details it delivers "RX-78-2 Gundam" makes the memories a lot more beautiful. Click "original size" for better details."]3278950[/ATTACH]
The details it delivers "RX-78-2 Gundam" makes the memories a lot more beautiful. Click "original size" for better details.

The above sample is the reason why I buy a camera and decent lens combo.

Let's see your smart phone 6MP sample shall we? At 54mm ISO1600 1/80s?
Martin_99 said:
Martin_99 said:
If Sony were to rehash it with a MK2 version with better optical qualities, I'm all game for it. My only complain is that it doesn't go close enough for food shots.
Click to expand...
24-240 is OK compromise on travels, but simply not what most people expect from fullframe lens in 2022, specially if used on high 42/61Mpx bodies.

Click to expand...
Thanks for the video. But whatever flaws mentioned are found in all zoom lenses and those 4x zoom range or more, would have them worse. I still stand by that the FE24-240mm mega zoom is not a terrible lens, in fact it's very decent as an all rounder even on 42MP cameras.
 

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silentstorm said:
Martin_99 said:
silentstorm said:
Why is the 24-240 lens not considered decent? Your definition is very off from mine. I have the lens and had shot more than 40k pics with it on the old classic 7r. Been to many places with it and had made many great memories.
Click to expand...
You can say that about any recording device, I had great memories with my old Sony 6Mpx smartphone camera.
Click to expand...
You totally missed the point here. It's about the 24-240 lens being a decent all-in-one lens, countering what OP claimed. The quality it produces contributed to great memories. Here's a sample:

54mm ISO1600 1/80s
54mm ISO1600 1/80s

Here's 100% crop:

[ATTACH alt="The details it delivers "RX-78-2 Gundam" makes the memories a lot more beautiful. Click "original size" for better details."]3278950[/ATTACH]
The details it delivers "RX-78-2 Gundam" makes the memories a lot more beautiful. Click "original size" for better details.

The above sample is the reason why I buy a camera and decent lens combo.

Let's see your smart phone 6MP sample shall we? At 54mm ISO1600 1/80s?
silentstorm said:
silentstorm said:
If Sony were to rehash it with a MK2 version with better optical qualities, I'm all game for it. My only complain is that it doesn't go close enough for food shots.
Click to expand...
24-240 is OK compromise on travels, but simply not what most people expect from fullframe lens in 2022, specially if used on high 42/61Mpx bodies.

Click to expand...
Thanks for the video. But whatever flaws mentioned are found in all zoom lenses and those 4x zoom range or more, would have them worse. I still stand by that the FE24-240mm mega zoom is not a terrible lens, in fact it's very decent as an all rounder even on 42MP cameras.
Click to expand...
Well... Sony has released 43 FE lenses (20 zooms and 23 primes), and if we rank them by IQ, the FE 24-240mm is #42 or #43.

All the lenses are "decent", but obviously we're comparing them against each other, and the OP is expecting something better than the average.
 
pollup said:
silentstorm said:
Martin_99 said:
silentstorm said:
Why is the 24-240 lens not considered decent? Your definition is very off from mine. I have the lens and had shot more than 40k pics with it on the old classic 7r. Been to many places with it and had made many great memories.
Click to expand...
You can say that about any recording device, I had great memories with my old Sony 6Mpx smartphone camera.
Click to expand...
You totally missed the point here. It's about the 24-240 lens being a decent all-in-one lens, countering what OP claimed. The quality it produces contributed to great memories. Here's a sample:

54mm ISO1600 1/80s
54mm ISO1600 1/80s

Here's 100% crop:

[ATTACH alt="The details it delivers "RX-78-2 Gundam" makes the memories a lot more beautiful. Click "original size" for better details."]3278950[/ATTACH]
The details it delivers "RX-78-2 Gundam" makes the memories a lot more beautiful. Click "original size" for better details.

The above sample is the reason why I buy a camera and decent lens combo.

Let's see your smart phone 6MP sample shall we? At 54mm ISO1600 1/80s?
pollup said:
pollup said:
If Sony were to rehash it with a MK2 version with better optical qualities, I'm all game for it. My only complain is that it doesn't go close enough for food shots.
Click to expand...
24-240 is OK compromise on travels, but simply not what most people expect from fullframe lens in 2022, specially if used on high 42/61Mpx bodies.

Click to expand...
Thanks for the video. But whatever flaws mentioned are found in all zoom lenses and those 4x zoom range or more, would have them worse. I still stand by that the FE24-240mm mega zoom is not a terrible lens, in fact it's very decent as an all rounder even on 42MP cameras.
Click to expand...
Well... Sony has released 43 FE lenses (20 zooms and 23 primes), and if we rank them by IQ, the FE 24-240mm is #42 or #43.

All the lenses are "decent", but obviously we're comparing them against each other, and the OP is expecting something better than the average.
Click to expand...
The majority of Sony FE lenses are primes, and the majority of zooms are fast aperture low zoom power (i.e. 3x or less) so expecting a 4-10x zoom to perform "better than average" is completely unrealistic.

So yea obviously the 24-240 is at the bottom of IQ rankings. I don't think that's a meaningful data point since buying such a lens means accepting the inherent compromises of its design. To me the more important question is can I take decent pictures with it? Actual photo galleries suggest so.

Sony FE 24-240 mm | Flickr

I used to pore over MTF-50 charts and all that other stuff.... unless you are using the lenses to generate test data or have some super specific IQ needs none of that is relevant to photography IMO. I get that humans have a compulsion to evaluate and rank everything "objectively" but we also have to evaluate metrics and factors within a practical context. 24-240 being towards the bottom of an IQ ranking list doesn't make it a bad lens.

--
Sometimes I take pictures with my gear- https://www.flickr.com/photos/41601371@N00/
 
Last edited:
wpstl said:
The 24-105 is an excellent lens, the 24-240 not so much. I do wish the 24-105 was a bit smaller but no complaints about the IQ.
Click to expand...
The FE 24-105mm f/4.0 G is my favorite lens. It is versatile with a nice zoom range. Below shows data plotted "Exposure Plot" with from yesterday which is typical for my usage of this lens. I also have wider and longer lens when needed but my 24-105mm is my favorite and most go to lens (yes, an excellent lens).



f7f2e635a04048919bf0aa32fda594db.jpg



--
I enjoy content, simplicity and light weight: A6500 and A7C w/Sony + G + GM Glass
 
razorfish said:
24-105mm f2.8 should be doable if one is willing to accept a larger/heavier lens. 24-120mm would be ideal but I wonder how heavy that would become…

Slower than f2.8 really isn’t an option in my book. Neither is a crappy vario-aperture.
Click to expand...
This is why choice is good. I have the opposite view when it comes to zoom lenses, preferring to pair "slow" zooms with fast primes. If I shot events professionally, it would be a different story. But as a hobbyist I have no need for larger, heavier, and more expensive f/2.8 zooms that don't cover as much focal range. I'd much rather have slower but longer zooms and pair them with fast primes (if I really need something faster than f/4, then I probably want more than f/2.8 anyway). The 24-105 f/4 has been just about the perfect lens for my needs.

As for variable aperture zooms, sure, I prefer constant aperture lenses (e.g., the 24-105), all things being equal. But photography gear is all about trade-offs, and a variable aperture obviously comes with benefits in size, weight, and cost. I've been playing with the Tamron 28-200 lately, and it's a fantastic walkaround/travel lens. Relatively small, light, and affordable, with surprisingly good IQ and a ton of range. That lens isn't possible with a constant aperture.
 
The Lamentable Lens said:
razorfish said:
24-105mm f2.8 should be doable if one is willing to accept a larger/heavier lens. 24-120mm would be ideal but I wonder how heavy that would become…

Slower than f2.8 really isn’t an option in my book. Neither is a crappy vario-aperture.
Click to expand...
This is why choice is good. I have the opposite view when it comes to zoom lenses, preferring to pair "slow" zooms with fast primes. If I shot events professionally, it would be a different story. But as a hobbyist I have no need for larger, heavier, and more expensive f/2.8 zooms that don't cover as much focal range. I'd much rather have slower but longer zooms and pair them with fast primes (if I really need something faster than f/4, then I probably want more than f/2.8 anyway). The 24-105 f/4 has been just about the perfect lens for my needs.

As for variable aperture zooms, sure, I prefer constant aperture lenses (e.g., the 24-105), all things being equal. But photography gear is all about trade-offs, and a variable aperture obviously comes with benefits in size, weight, and cost. I've been playing with the Tamron 28-200 lately, and it's a fantastic walkaround/travel lens. Relatively small, light, and affordable, with surprisingly good IQ and a ton of range. That lens isn't possible with a constant aperture.
Click to expand...
I am with you and I also just got + am enjoying the 28-200. F/2.8 is not fast IMO and is kind of an aperture dead zone- too slow for wide/standard primes and it (generally) makes zooms too heavy and expensive

Over time I've realized my shooting needs are kind of split by indoors/outdoors....... indoors I need speed but little to no change in FL.... outdoors I'm constantly changing perspectives + framing + subject distance but have plenty of light and don't need to destroy backgrounds.... so for me indoors = fast primes and outdoors = slow zooms. With the Tamron it helps that they managed to get nice smooth bokeh which helps maximize its subject isolation capabilities. And while each gen of Sony body gets better ergos my A7III is still better with smaller + lighter glass IMO.
 
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