Hands-On Review: the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Super Zoom Lens on the A7s

[joe1946]

Video users might be attracted to this lens for its large zoom range, as it’s impossible to switch out lenses in between a shot, and the lens's image stabilization is a huge plus for shooting handheld. The lack of a constant aperture throughout the zoom range is a bit of a drag for video, as the exposure changes as you zoom, but thankfully it's a smooth transition, unlike other SLR zoom lenses I've used. Sony does not claim the FE 24-240mm is parafocal, the way the company does with the FE PZ 28-135mm f/4 G OSS, but in my rudimentary testing I can say that when I focused on something at the telephoto end and zoomed out, the focus did not shift noticeably, which is a big plus. The main drawbacks for video are the stiff zoom barrel, as well as the distortion, which is not as easily corrected for video users. Still, if you have to have a large zoom range and don't want to splurge for the Sony FE PZ 28-135 lens, then this is certainly a viable option.

The 24-240mm offers an extremely versatile range from wide to telephoto while still being relatively compact at the wide end. It's not going to be the sharpest or most light-sensitive lens but, in my testing, I think it does well enough to use in place of other FE lenses—in most circumstances. The question is whether the tradeoffs are worth the extra convenience a lens like this offers: if you can only take one lens, would you rather have a 3x zoom that performs great, a prime lens that is near perfect, or a 10x zoom lens that gets the job done? If you are looking into a superzoom, you probably already know the answer to that question.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora...tter-_-150304-_-Body_Explora_Sony-FE-24-240mm



I have been using a Nikon mount 24-200mm with adapter on my VG900 and A7r and this looks like an interesting upgrade for it if I wanted AF and OSS with a longer range.

 

[jcs]

Pretty cool. My favorite run & gun lens for the A7S is the SEL18200. It's a crop lens, but for 1080p, the reduction in RS is helpful. For 4K, the full frame 24-240, provided the OIS is really stable (to help with RS), looks like another useful tool for the toolbox.

 

[jurny]

The main drawbacks for video are the stiff zoom barrel, as well as the distortion, which is not as easily corrected for video users.

so sad to hear this... another crap lens.