Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 Review: Autofocus Zoom for a Bargain

May 28, 2026

Chris Niccolls

Even now in 2026, autofocusing lens design out of the Chinese manufacturers is still in its relative infancy. We have seen some excellent autofocus-equipped prime lenses from companies like Sirui and Viltrox, but who knew that a manufacturer known for making boutique manual-focusing M-mount lenses would be the first to market with a zoom?

Thypoch has kicked things off with the Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 zoom, and because it is the first, it will be evaluated with extra scrutiny.

The first zoom lens from Thypoch is compact and solid.

At $649, this lens, released for Sony E-mount, at least carries on the tradition of excellent value from Thypoch. However, I needed to find out if it is worthy of a place in your camera bag.

Buy the Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 Lens new on B&H Buy the Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 Lens used on KEH.com

Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 Review: How It Feels

The Thypoch is very compact and tastefully machined, with an emphasis on interesting textures in its design. The gold badge is a nice touch, and the lens overall reminds me a bit of Laowa designs. The textures might look a little busy sometimes, but they do provide good tactile grip on the lens rings. The front of the lens features a 67mm filter thread, and at only 15.8 ounces (450 grams), the Voyager is what I would consider compact.

The control rings and aperture ring have distinct textures.

A close-up image of a camera lens resting on its side with the lens mount facing forward, showing the metal contacts and glass elements, with a lens cap nearby on a marble surface. — This lens is rugged and weather-sealed.

Thypoch has devoted obvious attention to getting the resistance on the manual focus ring and aperture ring just right, and that shows here as the aperture ring is indexed nicely. There is a customizable button and an AF/MF switch and a USB-C port embedded in the lens mount.

This is also a fairly well-sealed lens against dust and splashes, and the internal zoom mechanism will only help to keep dust and debris out of the lens.

I like the indexed aperture controls, and the zoom ring has a perfect amount of resistance.

Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 Review: How It Shoots

The macro capabilities are nothing to write home about. The Thypoch lens can only achieve about a 1:5 life-size ratio, which is substantially worse than the Sony 24-50mm, which I argue is its prime competition. The minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters and 50mm focal length at least make close-up shooting a simple affair.

The macro capabilities of the lens are not ideal, but you can get sharp images at the minimum distance.

Three bright yellow, daisy-like flowers with narrow petals and prominent centers are blooming among green, feathery foliage against a blurred natural background.

Close-up of small white wildflowers with yellow centers surrounded by bright green leaves, creating a lush, vibrant background.

The autofocusing seems to be driven by a stepping motor and provides smooth and quiet focusing. What it doesn’t do is drive the lens at a blisteringly fast speed. For video work and casual landscape or travel photography, this is a non-issue. However, trying to shoot faster action and sports is not what this lens is about.

The autofocus is fine for casual situations, but a little slow otherwise.

Black and white photo of a person wearing a herringbone flat cap, aviator sunglasses, and a shiny jacket, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

A Canadian flag on a tall pole stands prominently above trees, with a modern city skyline in the background framed by green foliage and a cloudy sky.

Thypoch lens coatings are consistently high-quality, and we are seeing good results on this latest zoom. There is a slight loss of contrast with bright light sources, but I’d consider the effect minor. Ghosting is also well controlled, with more showing up at a tighter aperture, but never in an excessive way.

Close-up of a camera lens facing forward, showing detailed glass reflections and text around the rim reading "EPOCH COATING M" and "1:2.8 17-50 ASPH Ø67." The background is blurred with purple and white tones. — Thypoch seem to have a good handle on using proper lens coatings.

There is some ghosting at tighter apertures, but it is minor.

I struggled with the rendering of bokeh on this lens. Looking at the specular highlights, there are no major onion-ring patterns and no strong halos either. The lens is absolutely capable of rendering soft and shallow depth of field and yet, I sometimes find the look distracting or harsh. Bokeh is always subjective, and I can’t quite explain why, but something puts me just a little off about the way the out-of-focus areas look.

Pink bleeding heart flowers hang from a curved stem, set against a background of lush green foliage and soft yellow flowers, with a shallow depth of field creating a blurred, dreamy effect. — You can get soft backgrounds but they have just a touch of harshness.

A black metal bike rack with a bicycle symbol and the word "Calgary" cut out, set against a colorful, blurry mural background.

A turquoise dumpster with a partially melted black lid sits in front of a red brick wall. The dumpster is weathered, showing rust and scratches.

Side-by-side photos of pink bleeding heart flowers show different background blurs. The left image (f/2.8) has a blurrier background, while the right image (f/5.6) shows more detail in the green foliage behind.

The sharpness at the 24mm range is quite impressive in the center of the image. At f/2.8, I was impressed by the detail, but the contrast could be better. However, stopping the lens down brings the contrast up to ideal levels. The corner of the frame at f/2.8 is good, but there is some minor smearing, which is probably due to distortion correction. Moving to f/5.6 makes the contrast go up in the corners, and the smearing is only in the extremes.

Side-by-side comparison of two camera test charts at 24mm focal length, one at f/2.8 and the other at f/5.6, with color strips, grayscale, resolution patterns, and parts of a banknote. — There is good sharpness to be found at the wide end of the lens.

Two side-by-side photos show a Canadian dollar bill and test charts at 24mm focal length; the left is labeled "f/2.8" and the right "f/5.6," comparing image sharpness and exposure at different apertures. — The corners at 24mm are very decent at any aperture.

At the 50mm end, the sharpness is good at f/2.8, but there is room to improve. By f/5.6, the contrast and detail are ideal. Unfortunately, the corners at f/2.8 show lots of smearing and loss of detail. I was impressed by how much better the corners get at f/5.6, and this will be very important for those who want to shoot at 50mm and get maximum image quality.

Side-by-side comparison of two test chart photos taken at 50mm focal length, one at f/2.8 (left) and one at f/5.6 (right), featuring detailed patterns, colors, and a banknote image. — 50mm is excellent in terms of sharpness in the center of the image.

Side-by-side comparison of a Canadian one dollar bill and test chart photographed at 50mm with f/2.8 (left) and f/5.6 (right), showing differences in sharpness and depth of field. — Corner sharpness at the 50mm end is a little lacking at wider apertures.

Thypoch’s marketing doesn’t put a ton of emphasis on the video capabilities of this new lens, but maybe the company should have. It most certainly balances easily on a gimbal, and the internal zoom helps maintain that balance. There is also almost no lens breathing, so the field of view doesn’t change much as the lens is focused. It is important to note that the aperture cannot be declicked for video use, though.

A man wearing a flat cap, sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and a blue jacket with red and white stripes stands on a city street, looking confidently at the camera. — This gentleman’s name is Regan and we had a nice chat. I love his jacket.

A vibrant mural of a bearded man with reddish hair, wearing a blue coat, is partially shown against a bright yellow background; the scene is cut off on the right and shadow falls on the wall nearby.

Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 Review: A Good First Attempt

Thypoch did a good job with this lens and it works well for both photo and video, as Sony E-mount users will expect. There are definitely some optical achievements to be celebrated here, too, even if it’s not perfect.

Most importantly, this Voyager is a good value for the dollar: $649 is very tempting for anyone wanting a good travel lens or vlogging optic. Perhaps the 24-50mm focal length just doesn’t appeal to me as strongly as it might to someone else, but the Voyager would be a handy companion lens that lives up to its namesake.

A person walks along a gravel path through a lush, green garden while two others stand on a slope beside the path, surrounded by trees and flowering plants on a cloudy day.

Are There Alternatives?

Sony users will be able to get the 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens, but the cost is almost double what Thypoch is asking for the Voyager. It will be sharper, focus faster, and have nicer bokeh, but you’ll pay for it.

Buy the Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G Lens new on B&H Buy the Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G Lens used on KEH.com

A photographer in an orange shirt crouches to take a photo of a person in a blue jacket in a mobility scooter. A man in a plaid shirt stands nearby.