San Diego, CA—Sony announced two premium Zeiss lenses—a standard zoom and a wide-angle zoom—for its α A-mount system. For professionals and high-end photo enthusiasts, the Vario-Sonnar T* 24–70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II (model SAL2470Z2) standard zoom and the wide-angle Vario-Sonnar T* 16–35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II (SAL1635Z2) are engineered to deliver significant improvements in image quality, ghost reduction and AF performance over their predecessors.
Built with a rugged dust- and moisture-resistant design, the zoom lenses partner with Sony’s α A-mount family of interchangeable-lens cameras, including the α99 and α77 II models. With the addition of an optional mount adapter, they’re also compatible with α E-mount cameras, such as the α7 series.
The Vario-Sonnar T* 24–70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II and Vario-Sonnar T* 16–35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II lenses boast Zeiss T* coatings on their optical surfaces to minimize ghosting and flare, plus aspherical and ED (extra-low dispersion) glass elements help suppress aberration and minimize distortion.
The lenses also feature enhanced AF capabilities compared to their predecessors, delivering approximately 4x the subject tracking speed thanks to their SSM (supersonic wave motor) system and faster, more powerful processing in the lens LSI.
The enhanced AF performance makes the new lenses complements to the 4D focus system on select α camera bodies like the α77 II, as well as options for shooting fast-moving subjects such as sports, wildlife or young children.
Sony’s new Vario-Sonnar T* 24–70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II standard zoom and Vario-Sonnar T* 16–35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II wide-angle zoom will be available this June for about $2,100 and $2,250, respectively. sony.com
