Sony Announces 70-300mm Telephoto Zoom and 50mm F1.8 Prime Lenses for Full-Frame Cameras

Sony just introduced two new full-frame lenses for their E-mount mirrorless camera system: the FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom and 50mm F1.8 prime lens. 

The new FE 70-300mm F4.5-F5.6 G OSS zoom lens is the first Sony Alpha E-mount lens to reach a 300mm focal length, and is designed to feature high resolution and excellent optical performance throughout the entirety of its range. The new 50mm F1.8 prime lens is compact, lightweight and relatively affordably priced.

The new Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom lens goes on sale in May for approximately $1,200 US. The new Sony FE 50mm F1.8 prime lens will also be available in May for about $250. 

Below are details on the two new Sony full-frame lenses. You can read more about Sony’s other big imaging announcement today, the 20.1MP, 25x Sony RX10 III camera, here.

New FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS Telephoto Zoom Lens
Sony’s longest reaching E-mount lens to date, the new FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom lens (model SEL70300G) features a state-of-the-art optical design including four aspherical glass elements, two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements and Sony’s Nano AR coating, which are designed to work together to suppress spherical aberration, distortion, and chromatic aberration.

The new telephoto zoom lens also features class-leading close-up performance, with a minimum focusing distance of less than 3 feet (0.9m) and a maximum magnification of 0.31x, making it an ideal choice for tele-macro photography.  This outstanding close-up performance also factors into the lens’ excellent corner-to-corner sharpness.

The zoom lens includes built-in Optical SteadyShot image stabilization that helps to reduce camera shake, making it easier to capture clear images when shooting handheld.  Additionally, the new SEL70300G model has a linear actuator that allows it to achieve fast, smooth and quiet autofocus and is also dust and moisture resistant1 to ensure reliable operation in harsh outdoor conditions.

New FE 50mm F1.8 Prime Lens
Weighing in at less than 7 oz (192 g), the new lightweight FE 50mm F1.8 “normal” prime lens (model SEL50F18F) delivers an outstanding blend of performance, compactness and value, making it a perfect choice for hobbyist photographers and videographers looking to experience the benefits of a wide aperture prime lens at an attainable cost.

The lens features a new optical design with an aspherical element that effectively compensates for all forms of aberration, resulting in beautiful, crisp imagery. Additionally, it has a circular aperture with a maximum of F1.8, producing beautiful ‘bokeh’ in images that allows the subject to stand out against a smoothly defocused background.  For extended durability, the new prime lens is built with a solid metal mount.

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