Sony Unveils the FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master Lens

After months of rumors and speculation, Sony has officially unveiled the FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens, styled as the “world’s widest full-frame zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture”… with a price tag worthy of the name.

With the introduction of the 12-24mm GM, Sony’s G Master lineup of pricey-but-excellent f/2.8 aperture lenses now extends from 12mm to 200mm, giving E-mount shooters an even wider option than the beloved 16-35mm f/2.8 GM. As such, Sony is billing this lens as ideal for landscapes, astrophotography, architecture, and even “active sports shooters who want to capture ultra-wide perspectives.”

You can get a quick introduction to the lens below:

Optically, the new G Master lens is made up of 17 glass elements in 14 groups, including a slew of specialized lenses and a new coating for addressing aberration, distortion, flare, and ghosting.

These include: 3 Extreme Aspherical (XA) elements, 1 regular aspherical element, 3 Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) elements, 2 Super ED elements, and a brand new “Nano AR Coating II” that’s being used for the first time in this lens. Together, all of these technologies promise to deliver “outstanding corner-to-corner image quality throughout the entire zoom range.”

In terms of autofocus, a special “floating focus” design uses two focusing groups that are powered by four of Sony’s “high-speed, high-thrust” Extreme Dynamic (XD) XD linear motors. This delivers a constant minimum focusing distance of just 11 inches (28 cm) without compromising speed or precision.

All of this is packed inside a dust- and moisture-resistant housing with an integrated lens hood, customizable focus-hold button, a focus-mode switch, and a rear-filter holder that works with “standard sheet-type” filters, provided you cut them to spec using the provided template. Oh, and the whole thing weighs in at just 1.87 lbs (847g).

As you might expect, all of this comes with a very “G Master” price tag. The Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM will be available in August for an eye-watering $3,000.

To learn more about this lens, head over to the Sony website or go ahead and pre-order yours at this link starting at 5pm ET today. It’ll cost you, but if you do pick one up, you can say you own the “world’s widest full-frame zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture.”