Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS
Announced October 16, 2013
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Mediocre
Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS offers a compact, metal-bodied design with effective image stabilization and reliable autofocus for general photography. That said, the lens struggles with significant corner softness, heavy distortion, and disappointing bokeh performance, making its high price point difficult to justify for many users.
Weighted from 16 reviewer scores
Pros
- Solid metal build quality with weather sealing
- Compact and lightweight design
- Effective optical image stabilization
- Sharp center resolution and good contrast
- Fast, silent, and accurate autofocus
Cons
- Soft image corners and edges
- Significant barrel and pincushion distortion
- High price relative to performance
- Unimpressive, nervous bokeh quality
- Lacks manual aperture or focus controls
- Launch price $1,199 (USD)
- Focal length & aperture 24-70mm f/4
- Mount & coverage Sony E Full-Frame
- Stabilization Optical IS
- Close focus 40 cm (0.2x)
- Filter thread 67mm
- Autofocus motor Linear stepper motor
- Weight & size 426g · 72.9 x 94.49 mm (2.87 x 3.72 in)
What the Reviewers Say
All 16 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- OpticalLimits 5/10
The Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 OSS ZA didn't really convince us completely - not at this price point for sure.
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The Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS lens is impressive overall, and is built to the standards befitting the Zeiss name. However, to make it feel truly at home on Sony’s mirrorless cameras the inclusion of manual aperture and focus rings would have been the icing on the cake.
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The Sony FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS is a attractive lens on several fronts. The lens looks great and has a comfortable luxury feel.
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[T]he Zeiss 24-70 zoom lens had some real issues: poor image quality at 70, wild distortion levels, and heavy vignetting.
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[...] I really enjoyed my time with this lens. It was a joy to use, and I genuinely found myself reaching for it over my kit lens more times than not.
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I think there are two ways to look at this lens: From the perspective of a people/reportage photographer it is a good lens.
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The Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS is a good premium standard zoom lens for Sony A7/A7/A7S owners, but it's not quite the stellar performer that we expected given its high price-tag, large size and f/4 maximum aperture.
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The Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS is an upgrade from a standard zoom, but you'll pay dearly for the performance boost you get with this lens.
- Photo Review 8.5/10
While photographers who work with raw image files will probably find this lens unsatisfactory, everyday shooters who take only JPEGs will probably find it meets their needs for a reasonably fast ‘walkaround’ lens.
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The Zeiss FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS is a lens with a lot of promise and a fairly high price tag to go along with the Zeiss name.
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It's not a horrible lens by any means, it's still a great lens, but for 1200 I would absolutely expect the corners to be sharper and the distortion to not be so severe.
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At roughly US$1200, you're making a Faustian bargain here: price, size, and weight are all completely optimized against performance.
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If you're reading this, just get one. Like a Porsche, there is no substitute.
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The first Sony-Zeiss take on the standard zoom lens for the Full Frame E-mount system may not set any performance records, but its versatile focal range and constant f/4 maximum aperture give α7-series shooters a very capable tool to get the job done in a compact, sleek package.
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Firstly, its build quality, versatility, and all-around adequate performance makes it an attractive lens for beginners and enthusiasts.
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[T]his is a very good lens.
