Sony FE 12 24mm F 2 8 GM Review | 54 Data compared

The Sony FE 12-24mm F2.8 G Master is a groundbreaking rectilinear wide-angle zoom lens that covers six key focal lengths (12mm to 24mm) with a constant F2.8 maximum aperture, making it an exceptional tool for interior, architectural, and real estate photography. Built to professional standards, it boasts robust weather sealing, intuitive handling with custom focus-hold buttons, and a complex optical design comprising 17 elements in 14 groups. The lens offers an outstanding autofocus system driven by four XD Linear Motors, rendering focus operations completely silent, instantaneous, and highly accurate even for tracking fast subjects. Optically, the lens delivers incredible sharpness and contrast across the frame right from F2.8, while boasting superb flare resistance and practically no lateral or longitudinal chromatic aberrations. However, the lens does demand a few compromises due to its extreme design limits, notably its bulky footprint and heavy 847g build. Its bulbous front element completely rules out the use of traditional screw-in filters, forcing users to rely on rear gel sheets or specialised third-party filter kits. Performance-wise, it suffers from heavy vignette (exceeding three stops) and complex,...

The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens offers exceptional optical performance with virtually no flare, remarkably low vignetting, and well-controlled chromatic aberration, along with smooth bokeh. While the 12mm end shows expected 3.38% barrel distortion, it quickly becomes nearly rectilinear by 18mm. ePHOTOzine Key drawbacks include a high price point, significant weight, strong focus breathing, and the lack of a front filter thread, requiring reliance on rear gel filters. Despite these limitations, the lens is considered a masterclass tool for professionals seeking high-quality results in landscape and architectural photography.

The Sony FE 12-24mm F2.8 GM is an outstanding, ultra-wide-angle zoom lens designed for demanding professional photographers using full-frame Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. Priced at approximately $3,000, this Editors' Choice winner stands out as a unique optical achievement, combining an expansive 12mm focal length with a bright, constant F2.8 aperture that delivers exceptional, high-resolution details even on pixel-dense sensors like the 60MP Sony a7R IV. It is specifically built for rugged outdoor and inclement weather use, boasting robust dust, splash, and fluorine protections, linear manual focus response, and a surprisingly manageable form factor (5.4 by 3.8 inches, 1.9 pounds) that easily balances on video gimbals. The review highlights several distinct pros and cons regarding the lens's design and laboratory performance. On the positive side, it delivers an unprecedented ultra-wide field of view with excellent sharpness, minimal flare, fantastic ghosting resistance, a close 11-inch minimum focusing distance, and crisp, well-defined sunstars starting at f/8. However, the lens is incredibly expensive and lacks a built-in aperture ring, optical stabilization, and standard front filter threads due to its bulbous, highly curved front element....

The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM is a professional-grade, ultra-wide angle zoom lens for full-frame Sony cameras that offers an expansive 122° angle of view at 12mm. The reviewer praises it as an engineering marvel and the sharpest wide-angle lens they have ever used, delivering exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness even when shooting wide open at f/2.8. It features superb flare resistance and an aperture with 9 rounded blades that produces striking 18-point sunstars. Chromatic aberration and barrel distortion are also extremely well-controlled, making it an exceptional tool for forced-perspective landscape photography and tight interior spaces. However, the lens comes with notable physical and financial drawbacks. Weighing 1.86 lbs (847 g), it is heavy and bulky, featuring a "popeye" design with a protruding front element that makes standard filter use impossible without an expensive, oversized holder. This bulbous glass design also makes the lens more vulnerable to physical damage. Additionally, the lens carries a steep price tag of just under $3,000, making it a costly investment compared to its less expensive cousin, the Sony 12-24mm f/4.

The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master is a premium ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras that delivers a massive 122-degree diagonal field of view, making it ideal for astrophotography, expansive landscapes, and tight architectural spaces. Equipped with four high-speed XD Linear Motors and an advanced optical configuration including three eXtreme Aspherical (XA) elements, the lens provides rapid, accurate autofocus and outstanding edge-to-edge sharpness even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8. Its robust, weather-sealed construction includes a Nano AR Coating II to vastly minimize ghosting and flare, along with a fluorine coating on the front element to repel moisture and grease. The lens boasts highly compelling pros, notably its impeccable handling, relatively lightweight design for its class (847g), and incredible optical performance that effectively eliminates lateral chromatic aberration. However, users must contend with a few distinct cons, including its exceptionally high retail price of approximately $3,148 and a non-removable petal-shaped lens hood that blocks standard front-filter attachments, requiring the use of rear gel filters instead. Minor optical drawbacks like noticeable barrel distortion and vignetting at the 12mm focal length...

Ken Rockwell characterizes the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM as a world-class, ultra-wide zoom offering impeccable corner-to-corner sharpness even at f/2.8, highlighted by an innovative, secure lens cap design and a rear gelatin filter slot to accommodate its bulbous front element. Key performance features include the ability to produce exceptional 18-point sunstars and unmatched, expansive framing. YouTube · Despite the performance, the lens is notably heavy and expensive, with Rockwell highlighting that it is significantly bulkier and higher-priced than the older Sony 12-24mm f/4 G version, making it less practical for some users. Additional drawbacks include a lack of optical image stabilization, moderate distortion in uncorrected RAW files, and the fact that production has moved to China rather than Japan.

The Sony FE 12-24mm f2.8 G Master is a premium ultra-wide zoom lens designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, offering a constant f2.8 aperture across an impressively wide 12-24mm focal range. In terms of performance, the lens excels with incredibly low 4% focus breathing, an inaudible autofocus system, and a parfocal design that keeps focus locked when zooming. It boasts high-end optical features, including 17 elements in 14 groups, Nano-coating to reduce flare and ghosting, and a rear gel filter holder with an included cut-out template. Its robust, professional build is fully weather-sealed and features a protective fluorine coating on the front element. However, these elite features come with notable trade-offs in size, weight, and cost. Priced at £2,900 / $3,000 / €3,300, it is exceptionally expensive and stands as the largest and heaviest lens in its class, measuring 98x137mm and weighing 847g. Because of its bulbous front element, it lacks a standard front filter thread, forcing users to buy non-standard mounting systems or use unrotatable rear gel filters. Additionally, it lacks built-in optical image stabilization, relying entirely on the camera...

The Fstoppers review highlights the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master as a top-tier lens offering exceptional corner-to-corner sharpness, a 122-degree ultra-wide field of view, and fast autofocus, making it ideal for professional landscape and real estate photography. Key advantages include superb flare resistance, a durable weather-sealed design, and a rear gel filter holder, though the lens is quite heavy. Conversely, the lens comes with a high price tag, significant vignetting and distortion at 12mm, and a bulbous front element that prevents the use of standard screw-on filters.

Here are your options. Summary The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM is a peerless, flagship ultra-wide zoom lens that delivers near-perfect optical performance across its entire focal range. It achieves remarkable center-to-corner sharpness, even on high-resolution 60-megapixel sensors, alongside virtually zero distortion, exceptionally well-controlled flare, and minimal color fringing or coma, making it an elite tool for real estate, architecture, and astrophotography. Additional strengths include a durable, fully weather-sealed all-metal barrel and an advanced autofocus system driven by four XD Linear motors that ensure fast and precise tracking. However, these elite optics come with significant compromises in price, size, and portability, as the lens costs nearly $3,000 and weighs a heavy 847 grams (1.86 lbs). Its bulbous front element means it cannot accept standard threaded filters, relying instead on a rear gel filter slot. Additionally, heavy image editing can expose a donut-shaped vignetting artifact caused by the lens' digital correction profiles, and the smoothly rounded aperture blades produce soft, less-defined sunstars rather than needle-sharp points.

The DPReview TV review describes the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM as a premium, high-performance ultra-wide zoom, featuring exceptional center sharpness and minimal distortion across its focal range. Driven by fast, quiet XD linear motors, this lens is lauded for its robust optical construction suitable for both demanding landscape and video applications. Conversely, the lens suffers from notable corner softness at 12mm, requiring stopping down to f/5.6 for optimal results. Due to a massive, protruding front element and built-in hood, standard screw-on filters are not supported, and its high cost ($3,000) and substantial 847-gram weight limit its audience to professional users.

The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master is a high-performance, ultra-wide zoom lens designed for full-frame cameras, establishing itself as an exceptional tool for landscapes, astrophotography, cityscapes, and action photography. Its standout features include a fixed f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range and an advanced optical build utilizing three extreme aspherical elements. Driven by four XD linear motors, the lens provides rapid, precise autofocus and robust subject tracking. Structurally, it is heavily weather-sealed for harsh outdoor environments and coated with Nano AR Coating II to dramatically suppress internal reflections, ghosting, and flare. The core advantages of this lens are its rivaled edge-to-edge image sharpness, extreme focal versatility, and the freedom to capture wide scenes at faster shutter speeds. However, its drawbacks include a hefty price tag ($3,000) and a heavy physical weight of 847g. Optically, users will notice some edge distortion and distinct vignetting when shooting wide open at 12mm and f/2.8, requiring correction in post-production. Additionally, the bulbous front element glass and fixed, non-removable petal hood prevent the use of traditional screw-in filters, meaning the lens remains permanently...