Layout:
Processing, use and finish conform with Sony high-standard and can go through the slightly higher price. The zoom ring is very difficult, but without play and you have a very good feeling. Slightly lighter and really super going the focus ring, manual focusing is really fun, although the transfer is obviously electronically.
The lens is light for its size but it is quite large. But it saves but enormous weight compared to another A7x with 70-200 and 28-70 kit zoom and also has a slightly larger zoom range, especially the very valuable 24mm.
Image Quality:
I see only the RAW images here.
1) field, the most important criterion, because you do not get a blurred image in hindsight really sharp:
Sony Typical are the pictures sharp crack, as you really can not complain. In a direct comparison, this lens is in focus the duo 28-70 and 70-200 really hard for. Something is weakening the lens at the point of focus in the area around 130 mm, but otherwise runs on top form. Amazingly, the lens is quite good even at the edges. The diekten comparison I always do with inclined at 45 degrees to the camera front roof of 150 meters opposite row of houses. So you can compare the outstanding sharpness and CA.
2) centering,
at least in my lens perfectly fine, had probably been lucky again.
3) Distortion:
Oh dear, here shows that you can not have everything. At 24 mm, the image is similar to a fisheye unedited recording, changing to the telephoto end in the opposite distortion, but not quite as bad. Architecture or similar lens without correction is definitely useless. As I said, this is only true for RAW, jpegs are corrected excellently in the camera. I think this is Sony's philosophy: what you can do in the post either by the camera Computer (Jpeg) or in the image editor, you do there and calculates these aberrations a consciously. For optimizing the sharpness especially in the center. This vote shows up in many Sony lenses: SEL 24-70, 16-55, etc. I SEL as inveterate RAW shooter have first gechüttelt about the head, but can now even live with it. Times are changing stop: It used to be only the lens, the image quality which constituted, at least since the digicams makes it the camera and now it is increasingly the whole workflow. There are in Lightroom and Co correction profiles and can be corrected fairly efficient. I'm assuming that the not yet published correction profile for Lightroom same effective results as for the other lenses. Then the image result is corrected according to experience very good, as has moreover been the JPEG directly from the camera.
4) Vignette
Oje here the same applies as for the distortion. Especially when there are spontaneous 24mm shadowing on the corners (uncorrected). When straightening the distortion and the jpegs but they are pushed out of the picture. Otherwise, about 28mm vignetting is present and in any other Super Zoomer, almost I would say even better. But to confirm this, I still would have some nice sunny days with the objective experience.
5) Bokeh
To the extent that is relevant at a relatively faint lens, I find this very nice bokeh: creamy and soft.
6) chrome tables aberrations
Are very well corrected out and keep in Tele limited.
Speed and autofocus
Speed is one way or another is not the domain of A7er. I only use the central AF point, the AF tracking normally I do not need. Whether it is due to the camera or lens, depending on where it takes a bit (pump) until the focus has been found, especially when changing reversed from near to far or. The setting is but a whisper. Sports photographers either way do not have a DSLR. Addendum: 22/03/2015: Today I once had the opportunity to try the lens at an A7M2 a friend. There is noticeably faster and focuses within blink of an eye. The pump falls entirely away. The algorithm in this Kamerea but fits much better to this objective.
Summary:
A lens that will divide the photo community. Pooh purists, practitioners hui. It has a very high utility value with 24 !! - 240mm, is relatively light but large and produces a good to very good result when either jpegs shoots or is willing to rework the photos in RAW with respect to distortion and vignetting. For sports photographers wg. the not quite as fast autofocus of the entire A7 system less suitable, Addendum: 3/22/2015: But improvement in sight, for example A7M2. You have to know that you can always make compromises with a superzoom, so here also: 4 stars. Oh, also with this objective remains this: On holiday in the evening on the terrace with red wine sort the images and correct. Actually beautiful, what I want more.
