Sony’s trio of full-frame mirrorless cameras, the a7, a7r and a7s, are wonderfully capable machines. Unfortunately, there just aren’t that many native lenses to choose from. Today, a new super-wide zoom enters the fold that will hopefully make these slick bodies more appealing, with some primes on the way.
The lens is a 16-35mm f/4 OSS (that means optically stabilised). It rounds out the family of Zeiss-branded zoom lenses for Sony’s FE mount, including the 24-70mm f/4 OSS and the 70-200mm f/4 OSS. In typical Zeiss/Sony fashion, the new lens will fetch a hefty price at $US1350, available in November. Hopefully the quality lives up to the price-tag, as many were disappointed with the optics of the 24-70mm. An ultra-wide was definitely high on the list of glass that a7 users lusted after, so we can now put a check-mark next to that.
Combined with the recent 28-135mm f/4 video lens, Sony is clearly chugging along with lens production. In addition to the imminent arrival of these zooms, Sony Alpha Rumours reports from Photokina on the development of three new primes. Early 2015 will bring with it a 90mm f/2.8 macro lens, a 35mm f/1.4 lens, and a 28mm f/2. These will no doubt appeal to the many a7 owners who were hoping for some fast prime lenses, as there is currently only one in Sony’s FE lineup — the great 55mm f/1.8. The only other prime is an underwhelming 35mm f/2.8.
If Sony wants to grab the enthusiast crowd that Fujifilm has done so well to impress, it will have to compete with a good arsenal of primes, and these announcements are a great start.