While details still remain a little cloudy, we can be fairly certain that Sony has a few announcements coming up in the next couple of weeks, and we can now be pretty sure that one of them is a brand new 12-24mm f/2.8 GM for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
While Sony's 12-24mm f/4 has been around for a good few years, an f/2.8 version has always been something of a hole in Sony’s lens lineup. The other alternative would have been the 14-24mm f/2.8 Art from Sigma, though this loses a significant 2mm at the wider end.
A date isn’t certain and the price is subject to speculation, but you can be fairly sure that this will not be a cheap lens. The f/4 version is just shy of $1,800, and as a GM lens that’s even faster, my guess is that this will be priced in excess of $3,000, especially when you consider that the Canon 11-24mm f/4 currently sells for $2,699. The combination of zoom, width, and speed means that this a complicated lens to construct, making it expensive.
Sony fans might be wondering if the Japanese giant has plans to overhaul its holy trinity. With Tamron and Sigma producing excellent quality glass at very attractive prices, Sony might be wise to bump up the quality of its current offering to keep its customers happy.
How good will it be and how much will it cost? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Yes, they are announcing it.
My guess is $2799 for it, but that's a pure guess based on no inside information.
People are hoping the a7sII successor is announced (some kind of camera will be - might be something else entirely). But Sony will also announce a new FF camera. My guess is a successor to the RX1R II, whether it's the RX1R III or a new replacement line. Rumors of a curved sensor. Also could be a rangefinder style (corner EVF) full frame model. But I know nothing about any of this myself.
I'd love to see them release a new camera with some interesting sensor tech, like a quad bayer sensor, which could work well in the a7sII successor but also excel at stills more so than the prior models did.
If it were a reasonable price, I'd buy that for my a6400, especially since I hope to explore full frame Sonys in the future.
I'm still bummed that in the APSC lineup, the widest they have is a 10-18mm f4, and even though its been around for half a decade, its still $900 (ouch!).
The 12-24/4 goes for ~1000-1300 used. Extremely sharp, and worth looking into.
If you have the 10-18mm hold and keep it in your bag it is way ahead of it's time!! Normal ultra wide is 16mm by all makers and it is a 15-27mm on a APS-C. But can also be used on a full frame with little or no vignetting from 12mm to 18mm (18 if you remove the light shield[three screws]). The lens is AF, IS and uses screw on filters and all so small, and chipped. With a push of a APS-C button you have from 12mm to 27mm great for street looking incognito as film camera. Or for those indoor shots where tripods not allowed. The top reason to keep in your bag, Astro Milky Way - have used since early 2015 when all there was for full frame was the Rokinon 12mm fisheye and 14mm both with mustache and barrow distortion and LR did not have the lens correction so images uneditable. Yes f/4 but on a A7 model it gives a daylight image with little noise at ISO 6400. You will not find a small FF 12mm with screw on filters (astro filters). You get pinpoint stars using the NPF rule fm 12.52s to 25s even great at 30s, yes vignetting/soft when dark at f/4 but recoverable with +shadows. Sharp as a tac at f/11 to 16 for a landscape!!! For any Sony camera a must have, as far as cost look at a 16-35 f/4 in any brand and look at size!!! Also want to go deep in the backcountry for landscaping/astro so light even good for low shot number panos. The SEL1224G f/4 (big/no filter/no IS) $1773 and this GM f/2.8 $2k+, if new to FF start low in cost (not cheap by no means). When I bought it it was $700 does that say anything about value over time!!!
Getting to 12mm at f2.8 in that zoom will be pretty bulky and will not incorporate filters most likely. Two bugaboos of the enthusiast market. Add to that a robust price and we have a great recipe for complaint. The f4 is already a great lens at very good value point.
OTOH Sony could surprise us with a novel filter solution (drop in filter slot) or a low price (unlikely but who knows?.)
As a real estate photographer who shoots mostly higher-end properties at this point and whose primary lens for the past few years has been the Sony 12-24 f4, I'd be very curious as to the vaule in upgrading to the 2.8 GM. I'm really not that interested in how fast it is as a real estate photographer, but if the GM is razor sharp to the edges when stopped down at 12mm, it's probably worth spending whatever ridiculous amount Sony is gonna want for it. Especially if my NiSi filter system for the f4 fits it. The Sigma 14-24 2.8 is an attractive lens, but I could never give up the extra 2mm at this point to save a few hundred bucks on lesser glass. I view the Sigma as a good entry level lens for real estate and events, but that extra 2mm is everything. For me, it's going to be all about the edge sharpness at 12mm stopped down.