Sony Distagon T* 24mm F2 SSM hands-on preview

Sony has been grabbing the headlines recently both for the mirrorless NEX system and its prolific launches of inexpensive SLRs, but it has also been quietly building up an impressive line of high-end full frame equipment, spearheaded by an array of Carl Zeiss branded optics. And it's into this upper half of the company's curiously bifurcated product line that the Distagon T* 24mm F2 SSM arrives, offering a genuinely fast and wide option for Alpha 850 / 900 users, while doubling as a classic semi-wide 35mm equivalent on APS-C cameras. This lens was shown in advanced pre-production form at PMA earlier this year, and has been hotly anticipated by Sony fans ever since.

The design and construction is typical of Sony's Carl Zeiss lenses, with a rather utilitarian, purposeful aesthetic and extremely high quality fit and finish (however in contrast to Canon and Nikon's 24mm F1.4 lenses, it's not described as dust or water sealed). The optical design uses 9 elements in 7 groups, including two aspheric and two Extra-low Dispersion glass elements to combat aberrations. For the first time in a Carl Zeiss prime, a built-in ultrasonic-type SuperSonic Wave Motor is employed for autofocus, promising fast, silent focusing and enabling Direct Manual Focus override. A circular aperture diaphragm, comprised of nine curved blades, is designed to produce a smooth, natural rendition of out-of-focus regions of the frame.

Sony has kindly lent us a pre-production example of the Distagon T* 24mm F2 for a couple of days prior to its launch - just long enough to bring you a detailed preview describing its design an operation, plus a preliminary samples gallery to give some flavor of its capabilities. Please note that as this is a pre-production lens, the image quality may not be entirely indicative of the final production version.

Headline features

• 24mm wideangle with fast F2 maximum aperture
• Built-in ultrasonic-type SuperSonic Wave Motor (SSM) for autofocus, with Direct Manual Focus override
• Alpha mount for Sony and Konica Minolta SLRs

Sony Distagon T* 24mm F2 SSM specifications

* Announcement for the US market is not being made at this time, but will be made closer to the products’ market introduction
** Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

Foreword / notes

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