Sony FE 12 24

[PHDX]

Hi all, I am just an amateur photographer; So take my comments with 

 

I have got the new 12 24 lens a few days ago and spent my week end in shooting with it urban landscape in Paris.

All what I have already read on the lens seems quite true : First of all, it is a light and somewhat small one ! (when compared to my bulky 24 70 GM which I like however) Very easy when paired with my A7RII. The ergonomics are quite good and overall quality fine with me.

The focussing is fast enough and I had no difficulties in shooting hands held although a tripod would have obviously brought more quality to the pictures.

In terms of sharpness, be it at 12, 16 or 24, the center and near center are very good. However, the (extreme) corners are clearly soft, even at F8 or F11 (I almost never shoot at more than F11 with the A7RII). 

I did not check any MTF curves, and did not make serious comparisons with other lenses such as the 16-35 F4 Zeiss but it seems not far from It in terms of sharpness. At 24mm, my 24-70 GM is better, but I did not buy this 12-24 to shoot at 24 !

To be honest, my favorite prints are the A2 ones, and for this size, the pictures are sharp enough (except if you have to crop a lot).

As far as the distortion in concerned, it has been said that it is well contained and I could not agree more for such a wide angle zoom. Not very difficult to correct with Lightroom (or better, with DXO). For this first test, I did not benefit from the lens correction in Lightroom which is not yet there..

Since, most of the time, I do not shoot in low light with such a lens, the F4 maximum aperture is not an issue and, if needed, I shall shoot at a low speed with a tripod of course.

I would be curious to test this zoom for shooting the milky way although a wider aperture than F4 would be better.

 

As a conclusion, this first test was positive and I shall certainly keep this zoom in my bag, using it more specifically in the 12-16 range.