Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the Sony Fe 20 to 70 Millimeter f4g a general purpose zoom Lens for Sony mirrorless cameras Announced in January 2023 and costing Around 1100 it widens the range from Typical 24 to 70 models making it more Attractive to vloggers or anyone who Wants to capture large views now it's Not the first general purpose zoom lens To reach 20mm at the wide end Panasonic Introduced to 20 to 60 kit Zoom almost Three years earlier albeit for L Mount Bodies only so it's not an option for Sony owners however towards the end of 2022 Tamron launched a 20 to 40 mil for The Sony Mount which boasts a bright F 2.8 aperture for a very reasonable 700 I Have a full review on my camera Labs Website if you're interested but the Tamron really is a wide angle Zoom only Concentrating on the shorter rather than Standard focal lengths so it's more of An alternative to say a 16 to 35 than a True General purpose lens in contrast Sony's 2070 may be a stop slower and More expensive but it's reaching almost Twice as far at the long end and that Makes it more of a lens that you could Leave on your camera most of the time For General use and here's that full 2070 range in practice on a full frame A74 body capturing huge views at the Wide end before zooming into details at
The long end this makes it great for Urban and natural landscapes and it's Also perfect for people too whether You're exploiting the wide end for Handheld vlogging or shooting portraits Or perhaps presentations with the Shallow depth of field effects at the Longer end for this review I tested a Production ready sample of the lens and I'm going to show you everything that it Can do now this isn't a sponsored video So if you enjoy my reviews find them Useful and would like to support my work Please do consider giving it a like and My channel will follow thanks a lot the New 20 to 70 f4g is arguably the Successor to the old Zeiss branded 2470 F4za maintaining its constant aperture But widening its coverage and Modernizing its autofocus albeit losing The optical stabilization here's the old 2470za on the left and the new 20 to 70 G on the ride where you can see the Latter lens is actually a fraction Larger measuring 79 by 99 mil and Weighing 488 grams it's six mil wider Four mil longer and 62 grams heavier Than the old model but once mounted on a Body and in your hands you're unlikely To notice any real difference in size And weight here they are when both Zoom To 70 mil now while the old Zeiss lens Simply had a zoom and focusing ring the New 2070 is packed with the controls of
Other modern Sony lenses so starting at The lens mount there's a manual aperture Ring from F4 to F22 with the option to D-click for smoother and Silent Video Work and a lockable a position for Body-based aperture control the first Ring operates the zoom smooth extending The barrel by around 40 mil when set to The longest focal length next is a Switch for auto and manual focus and a Pair of customizable Focus hold buttons One on the side and the other on the top For use in the portrait orientation and Finally a very smooth and freely Spinning manual focusing ring with Linear response at the end of the barrel There's a 72mm filter thread and Sony Supplies a petal hood that twists on With a Bayonet Mount meanwhile at the Other end of the barrel is a rubber Grommet with Sony describing the lens as Being dust and moisture resistant Optically the new lens employs 13 groups And 16 elements has a 9 blade diaphragm System and focuses down to 30 Centimeters with autofocus or 25 in Manual and that will deliver up to 0.3 Times magnification again unlike the old Desires 24-70 the new Zoom does not Feature Optical stabilization of its own It instead relies entirely on body based Systems to iron out any wobbles now that Minimum Focus mixing distance of the 2017 may be fine for close-ups with the
Lens set to 70 mil but it's a bit modest When used at the wide end of the range So if you're filming product Presentation videos at around 20 to 24 Mil where you're in the frame and Holding small objects up to the camera You may be better off with the lens that Can focus closer to be fair it is Actually a little bit better than the 24 To 105 f4g in this regard but if you Need smaller objects to fill more of the Frame when set to the wide end of the Lens you should be looking for a model That can focus down to around 15 to 20 Centimeters Sony's 21.8 fares better Focusing down to 19 centimeters while The Tamron 20 to 40 will allow you to Get even closer at 17 centimeters and Every single centimeter makes a big Difference to the size of the subject on The frame alternatively just film your Piece to camera at wide angle like I'm Doing here before capturing separate B-roll close-ups with the lens Zoom to 70 mil that'll work just fine moving on Like most modern mirrorless lenses the 20 to 70 exploit software profiles to Compensate for geometric Distortion and These are applied as standard for jpeg Depending on your raw converter though You may be able to disable the profile And take a peek at how much correction Is taking place I photographed this View At 20 mil in raw plus jpeg mode and as I
Toggle between these two files you can See how the uncorrected raw file reveals Some geometric Distortion as well as a Fraction of the Imaging Circle being Visible in the corners before the Profile drags it all back into shape on The standard jpeg now there's a little Loss in coverage but what you end up With is still the same as other 20mm Lenses so you're not actually missing Out meanwhile at the long end of the Range there's less wrangling taking Place but still some correction to the Geometry now I personally like to show What's going on behind the scenes out of Interest but for lenses like these it's Really an academic process since the Profiles are applied automatically for In-camera jpegs and they should also be Available for most raw converters too so You're actually unlikely to ever see the Uncorrected versions but I do like to Share them with you nonetheless to test The optical quality for this distant Landscape subjects I photographed Brighton Pier from around 140 meters Away and I've angled the views for that Details run into the corners I'm Starting here with the lens of 20mm F4 And taking a closer look in the Middle Where I focus this image shows the usual Crisp details of a modern Sony lens I Have absolutely no complaints here and There's also no benefit to stopping down
In terms of detail heading into the Corner shows the detail becoming a tad Less defined but really only in the Extremes and I'd say it's nothing to be Concerned about there is some Corner Darkening due to vignetting at the Maximum aperture but this quickly Reduces if you can close it down a bit Here's the view at the other end of the Range at 70mm F4 again focused in the Middle of the image in order to judge Field flatness obviously if your main Subject is in the corner or any other Part of the frame you'd be focusing There instead taking a closer look in The middle of the frame again reveals Those crisp details straight out of the Gate at the maximum aperture and I Measured little to no benefit to sharpen This when stopping down at least in the Middle of the frame heading into the Corner though reveals some softening to The ultimate detail as well as some Darkening due to vignetting closing the Aperture just one stop to F 5.6 greatly Improves both respects sharpening the Corner details and lifting that darkness And closing one stop further can provide Even more improvements so while the Detail at 70 mil in the middle of the Frame or indeed wherever you've actually Focused the lens is excellent at F4 if You want to maintain that sharpness Across the entire frame I would
Recommend stopping the aperture down at Least to F 5.6 now let's take a closer Look at the opportunities for blurring In the background starting with a Portrait shot at 70 mil F4 like the Zeiss lens before you're not going to Get a hugely blurred background at 70mm F4 but there's still some opportunity For subject separation and the rendering Here looks pretty well behaved with no Distracting business as you'd hope There's also very crisp details on the Subject itself to examine the rendering In more detail here's my ornament test At 70mm F4 near to its minimum focusing Distance of about 30 centimeters this in Turn has produced some pretty large Bokeh blobs look closely and you'll Notice some faint onion ring textures Within some of the blobs which isn't Ideal rendering but it's not too Distracting and also not unusual for Zoom lens is in this class to avoid or Reduce this you'd either need to spend More on a higher end Zoom like the 24 to 70 gmaster 2 or use a prime lens instead As I close the aperture one stop to time You'll see the outer blocks become more Rounded albeit as usual taking on the Shape of the nine-bladed diaphragm System which becomes more obvious at the Smallest apertures while I wouldn't Describe the rendering style as anything Particular to write home about the lens
Will take reasonable close-up shots when Zoomed to 70 mil and I'll have more Examples for you later in the review if You're chasing diffraction spikes here's An example of what you'll see at 20 mil With the aperture close to F22 now the Conditions were a little hazy here so They're not the sharpest spikes you Could get but it's still a fair result For a zoom now let's take a look at Focusing starting with single autofocus And a single area at 70mm f4 on the a74 Body Sony's employed two of their XD Linear Motors here claiming faster Performance than the old size lens and The focusing is certainly very quick in This test the Modern Motors also promise Smooth and quiet video focusing so Here's the same test filmed in 4k where The result looks pretty good and the Motors were essentially inaudible Sticking with video autofocus here's a Couple of examples of face tracking with The lens again at 70 millimeter F4 which Not only shows Sony's Pro s at this sort Of thing but also the potential for Background blurring while the longer end Of the zoom range can be good for Presenting pieces to camera from a Tripod many video creators will be Understandably more excited about the Opportunities of a shorter end of the Range so for starters here's that Outdoor setup again but this time filmed
At 20 mil now like all wide angle lenses You have to be careful about Distortion Especially if your face is positioned Towards the edges of the frame but There's really no arguing with the broad Coverage there's an interesting side Note filming with very wide angle lenses Also provides greater flexibility for Making vertical crops later on for use On multiple platforms that said it would Be even better if Sony equipped its Cameras with open gate modes that Recorded the full height of the sensor To start with but that's really a Complaint about their bodies not the Fault of this particular lens now for Some vlogging tests as this will Undoubtedly be one of the popular Applications for this lens I'm going to Start with a coverage comparison to Illustrate how big a deal 20 mil is for Handheld pieces to camera versus longer Lenses so let's start with the lens set To 28 mil held at arm's length and using Ibis alone for stabilization now while You could hold the camera out a little Further when one-handed 28 mil really is Too long for handheld vlogging so next Here's the lens adjusted to 24 mil Arguably the longest focal length that Most of us would consider for handheld Vlogging it's still verging on being a Bit too tight though especially when Held with both hands and it becomes even
Tighter if you're applying extra digital Stabilization and that's a crucial thing To consider so now here's the zoom at Its widest coverage of 20 mil again with Ibis alone so this is the full uncropped For you now I've become a much more Reasonable size on the frame with more Of my surroundings visible for context Crucially though it's now also wide Enough to accommodate the crop of Digital stabilization without too much Compromise so here's a clip filmed again At 20 mil but this time with Sony's Active stabilization Asian working Alongside standard Ibis on the A7 IV Narrative stabilization applies a crop So the field of view here has become More like 22 to 24 equivalent but Crucially it's still wide enough for Handheld vlogging while also enjoying The benefit of reduced camera Shake Let's now see it all working together While walking starting at 20 mil with no Stabilization at all where the view is Understandably wobbly so we'll move on Next for the 20 mil with Ibis alone so This is sensorship stabilization only I Find this can be pretty effective at Ironing out the wobbles but can result In some warping towards the edges your Mileage may vary so now here's the Result with both Ibis and active Stabilization obviously incurring that Mild crop you saw earlier but still
Delivering suitable coverage for Handheld vlogging with the benefit of Improved stabilization in fact I can Just about hold the camera out in one Hand and still keep the image reasonably Steady and of course you may be way Better at this than I am let's return to The start of that clip again and note That it was filmed at the maximum Aperture of f4 which is obviously only Going to mildly blur this background so Now let's switch to Sony's earlier 20mm F 1.8 prime lens open to F 1.8 here and Again filmed with active stabilization This is a popular choice of vloggers who Love the wide coverage but desire Greater background blur with the added Benefit of also being able to film at Lower isos too here they are side by Side with the 2070 at 20mm f4 on the Left and the 20mm 1.8 Prime on the right At 1.8 and both with active Stabilization on the A7 IV the latter Comes in a little cheaper at around 900 But obviously you're trading the Flexibility of a zoom range for that Brighter aperture which would you prefer And before my final verdict one more Test this time for Focus breathing Here's the lens at 20mm manually Focusing from Infinity to the closest Distance and Back Again notice how the Field of view actually broadens when Focus close like I'm zooming to a wider
Angle which could be distracting in Something like a product presentation Video next here it is at 70 mil where The lens is far better behaved when Focusing from Infinity to the closest Distance and back again there's a minor Variation in magnification but nothing That you'd really notice in real life But the latest Sony bodies feature Compensation for Focus breathing so Here's that test again at 20 mil with The standard version on the left and one With breathing compensation enabled from The a74 on the right notice how the Latter shows much less change in Magnification as the lens is focused Across the same range obviously it's Doing this by cropping the image to Maintain the coverage of closer focusing But this does at least mean the lens Will deliver much the same field of view That it would at Infinity due to the way The Optics are designed as such I'd say It's worth enabling the feature if You're making those wide angle product Presentation videos which now brings me To my final third date during which I'll Show you selection of images that I shot With the lens on the Sony a74 body as Always you can access some of the Original images via my review page for The lens at cameralabs.com if you'd like A closer look the Sony Fe 2070ml F4 G is A compelling general purpose lens for
Owners of Sony mirrorless cameras who Value extra wide coverage it takes the Classic 24 to 70 range of models like The previous Zeiss F4 but widens it at The short end making it not just ideal For capturing larger views but also more Suitable for the needs of video creators Vloggers in particular will appreciate Being able to apply active stabilization And still end up with a wide field of View even after the digital crop the Optical quality is decent with the Aperture wide open sharp across the Frame at the wide end and only a tad Soft in the corners at 70 mil but this Can be greatly improved at F 5.6 the Minimum focusing allows reasonable Close-ups when set to 70 mil albeit less So at the wide end the focusing is fast And quiet and while there's some Breathing at 20 mil it can be corrected By the latest bodies without reducing The field of view with so many options Now for Sony owners you have to Carefully think about the range aperture And price that best suits your needs if You're satisfied by 24 mil at the wide End but prefer more reach in the Telephoto then consider the 24 to 105 Their 4G which also includes Optical Stabilization albeit being 50 heavier Not focusing as close and costing a Little more too alternatively if you're After the best quality general purpose
Zoom I'd say the 24 to 70 gmaster 2 is Still the one to beat but it's really in A different class costing double the 2070 plus it won't Zoom as wide if You've decided that 20 mil is right for You but you're happy to trade reach for A brighter aperture how about tamron's 20 to 40 2.8 which is also lighter Cheaper and focuses closer and if you Love 20 mil so much that you don't need To zoom the lens at all all then Strongly consider Sony's 1.8 Prime Providing even shallower depth of field Effects and again both lighter and Cheaper than the zoom but if you're After the flexibility of a general Purpose Zoom the 20 to 70 f4g becomes a Key Contender taking you from short Telly for portraits and details to wider Than average coverage that's perfect for Video or dramatic views range is of Course a personal choice but as a fan of Wider angles I'd now choose the 20 to 70 Over the 24 to 105 as my walk around Lens for a full frame Sony mirrorless Camera PS Sony's also made a very early Announcement that it's planning a 300 Mil 2.8 G Master for early 2024 Presumably in time for the Olympics I Wonder if a new sports body will be Joining it and that's it for this lens Review as always I'd love to hear what You think in the comments and if you Found any of it useful please do
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