The 24-70mm f/2.8 full-frame zoom is becoming the general-purpose standard for news, wedding, portrait, landscape, and event pros. (Everyone, in other words, except sports and close-up photographers.) Canon, Nikon, and Sigma all offer superb examples. Sony's outstanding new entry ($1,750, street) isn't based on any earlier Sony, Zeiss, or Konica Minolta designs, but -- as the blue logo indicates -- was codeveloped with Zeiss, and it paves the way for Sony's soon-to-be-unveiled 24MP pro flagship DSLR. This lens was introduced along with an equally beefy 70-200mm f/2.8, now the fastest zooms in the Sony catalog. Both have the near-silent Super Sonic wave focusing Motor (SSM), and aspheric and ED glass elements for better control of linear distortion and chromatic aberration, respectively. A 36-105mm equivalent on Sony's APS-C sensor cameras -- such as the Alpha 350 tested in the May 2008 issue -- the 24-70mm benefits, as does the 70-200mm, from Zeiss' T* coating for suppressing reflections and flare from internal and external sources.
HANDS ON
Mostly metal construction (except for the felt-flocked, polycarb lenshood and outer barrel) and that bright f/2.8 maximum aperture make for a large, heavy lens that weighs almost 10 ounces more than the comparable Sigma. Its handsome, matte-black finish and finely ribbed focus and zoom rings are signature Zeiss.
Julia Silber
more : popphoto
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