How the Sony 24mm F1.4GM Lens Outshines Its Rivals
January 26, 2024
I have been using this lens for a few weeks now and I am very impressed by its performance and quality. It is a fast, sharp, and compact wide-angle prime lens that delivers stunning images on the sony a7III.
The lens is very well built, with a metal barrel, a rubberized focus ring, and a manual aperture ring that can be de-clicked for smooth transitions. It also has a focus hold button, a focus mode switch, and a lockable lens hood. The lens is weather-sealed and dust-resistant, which is great for outdoor shooting.
The autofocus is fast, silent, and accurate, thanks to the direct drive SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor) system. The lens works well with the sony a7III’s eye AF and tracking modes, and I had no issues with focus hunting or missed shots. The manual focus is also smooth and precise, with a linear response and a good amount of resistance.
The image quality is superb, with excellent sharpness, contrast, and color rendition. The lens resolves a lot of detail on the 24-megapixel sensor of the sony a7III, even at the widest aperture of f/1.4. The lens also has very low distortion, chromatic aberration, and coma, thanks to the advanced optical design that features two XA (extreme aspherical) elements, three ED (extra-low dispersion) elements, and a Nano AR coating.
The lens produces beautiful bokeh, with smooth and circular out-of-focus highlights, thanks to the 11-blade circular aperture. The lens also has a very shallow depth of field at f/1.4, which allows for creative isolation of the subject from the background. The lens also handles flare and ghosting very well, even when shooting against the sun or bright lights.
The lens is very versatile, as it can be used for a variety of genres, such as landscapes, street, portraits, weddings, astrophotography, and more. The 24mm focal length is wide enough to capture a lot of the scene, but not too wide to cause distortion or perspective issues. The f/1.4 aperture is ideal for low-light situations, as well as for creating a dramatic effect with the background blur.
The lens is also very compact and lightweight, weighing only 445 g (0.98 lb), which makes it easy to carry around and balance on the sony a7III. The lens is much smaller and lighter than the Sigma 24mm F1.4 Art lens, which weighs 665 g (1.47 lb) and is 90 mm (3.55 in) long, compared to the Sony’s 75.4 mm (2.97 in) length1.
The only downside of this lens is the high price, which is $1,398 at the time of writing2. This is a premium lens that comes with a premium price tag, but I think it is worth it for the quality and performance that it delivers. This is one of the best wide-angle prime lenses that I have ever used, and I highly recommend it to anyone who owns a sony a7III or any other full-frame Sony mirrorless camera.... Read More
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