Both praise sharp images, quick quiet autofocus, compact construction and responsive power zoom. Amateur Photographer finds the electronic zoom excellent for stills too; Photography Blog prefers mechanical zoom feel. Amateur Photographer highlights strong uncorrected barrel distortion and sometimes busy backgrounds, while Photography Blog describes well-controlled distortion. Both note absent optical stabilisation and the price against alternatives.
Two AA advanced-aspherical elements, one aspherical element, one Super ED, one ED and one ED aspherical element
Coatings
Fluorine coating on the front element; optimised antireflection coatings without a maker Nano AR designation
Diaphragm
Seven rounded blades
Angle of view
107°–63° full frame; 83°–44° APS-C
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Sony E
Image circle
Full frame
Image circle detail
Full-frame coverage; 24–52.5 mm equivalent field of view on APS-C
Teleconverter support
Not compatible with SEL14TC or SEL20TC
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Yes
Minimum focus distance
0.24 m
Maximum magnification
0.23×
Optical stabilisation
No
Autofocus detail
Two XD linear motors drive focus; four separate XD linear motors drive power zoom. Alpha 1 30 fps compatibility requires maker-specified shutter-speed and AF conditions
Focus distance detail
Minimum focus 0.28 m at 16 mm or 0.24 m at 35 mm; Linear Response MF
Magnification detail
Maximum magnification 0.23×
Stabilisation detail
No lens stabilisation; compatible bodies provide stabilisation
Video features
Reduced breathing and focus/axis shifts; compatible-body breathing compensation works in video and may alter field of view and quality. Zoom can be controlled remotely with compatible bodies, accessories or app
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Yes
Filter diameter
72 mm
Maximum diameter
80.5 mm
Length
88.1 mm
Weight
353 g
Controls
Electronic zoom ring and variable-speed zoom lever; aperture ring with click on/off and Iris Lock, AF/MF switch and one customisable focus-hold button
Zoom design
Internal power zoom and internal focusing; overall length stays constant. Camera compatibility applies to remote zoom and reversing zoom-ring direction
Filter detail
72 mm front filter thread does not rotate during focusing
Weather resistance
Dust- and moisture-resistant design; not guaranteed completely dust- or moisture-proof
Weight detail
Approximately 353 g lens; separate hood and caps excluded
Lens hood
ALC-SH172 petal bayonet hood
In the box
ALC-SH172 hood, ALC-F72S front cap, ALC-R1EM rear cap and soft case
Release detail
Sony Hong Kong specified availability from end April 2022, separately from March–April pre-orders; UK stated May (TBC). Japan delayed its original 28 April date and subsequently fixed 27 May in its 18 May notice. Main date retains earliest regional April month precision. Photography Blog’s March launch describes announcement, not first sale. Reviews disagree on electronic zoom feel and distortion. Sony specifies four zoom-drive plus two focus motors, correcting review descriptions that conflate them
Pros and cons
Pros
+353 g lens weight
+Internal power zoom
+Aperture ring with switchable clicks
Cons
−No optical stabilisation
−Electronic zoom ring has no focal-length markings
