Sony FE 50-150mm 2.0 GM

The Sony FE 50-150mm f/2. GM is certainly a dream lens in terms of specs. It's finally a zoom lens that can truly match the speed of prime lenses in (most of) the overlapping range. The optical performance is mostly superb except for a slight drop at 100mm f/2 and in the corners at 150mm. Image distortions, CAs and vignetting are low to moderate in RAW files, and easily autocorrected. Axial CAs are also very well controlled. The quality of the bokeh is the aspect where the lens struggles a bit. The background blur can be a bit busy in critical scenes, and "cat eye"-shaped out-of-focus highlights can be a thing at f/2. This doesn't negate the fact that you can achieve a very soft background if the focus spread is sufficient, of course. In terms of build quality, the Sony lens is a tank. It feels exceptionally sturdy. Given the specs, the lens isn't lightweight at 1.3 kg, but I think nobody expected it to be a featherweight. It's not any longer than a 70-200mm f/2.8 either. The AF speed is very fast and silent. On the downside, it doesn't accept teleconverters. Some may miss an optical image stabilizer, although we actually like that Sony has been more conservative in this respect. Overall, the Sony FE 50-150mm f/2. GM is certainly a game changer (although we don't like the overuse of this word in social media, really). It can indeed replace the prime lenses in its range. Most of the time, you won't be able to tell the difference anymore. As such - highly recommended!

Sony’s FE 50-150mm f2 G Master is a unique lens that will delight portrait, event and close-range sports photographers. Traditionally they’d be using a 70-200 f2.8, but I’d argue the 50-150 range is actually more practical in many of these situations, while the brighter f2 aperture delivers greater background blur and the chance to use faster shutters or lower ISOs under the same conditions. We often kid ourselves a 70-200 2.8 can replace primes, but the reality often fails to match the kind of background blur on a fixed focal length lens. But the 50-150 f2 comes much closer, especially if you zoom a little longer. And by exploiting Sony’s latest optics, it delivers the crisp details and soft blur we’ve come to enjoy from the best in the G Master series. For distant subjects, the 50-150 delivers pin-sharp images throughout the range and pretty much across the frame at the maximum aperture. At portrait distances the eyes are crisp, while the background rendering is nice and smooth with no distracting artefacts. And on top of that you’re getting a decent feature-set including a de-clickable aperture ring, removable tripod foot, and compatibility with Sony’s fastest bursts. No lens is perfect of course, with the 50-150 sadly not compatible with teleconverters, and while it is lighter than Sony’s first 70-200 2.8 zoom, that still makes it quite a hefty lens to carry around, especially compared to their latest and surprisingly light 70-200 2.8 Mark II. It’s also comfortably more expensive. But again think of the larger aperture and the primes it could replace in your bag. Buy it now!