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Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens (Sony E)

BH #SO20704G • MFR #SEL2070G
5 reviews
Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens (Sony E)
Key Features
  • Full-Frame | f/4 to f/22
  • Ultra-Wide Standard Zoom
  • Fast Internal Focusing System
  • Supports Micro-Step Aperture Control
A groundbreaking standard zoom lens for everyday use, the ultra-wide Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G spans a popular and versatile range of focal lengths in a compact and lightweight form. Designed to accommodate new trends in shooting styles popular among vloggers and content creators, this ultra-wide to portrait-length zoom provides excellent edge-to-edge sharpness and outstanding image quality for all your imaging needs. Offering an expansive field of view to suit selfie, landscape, cityscape, and other wide-angle applications, this lens also offers fast, precise, and quiet autofocus performance as well as excellent close-up performance at all focal lengths.
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Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Overview

  • 1Description
  • 2G Lens Image Quality
  • 3Enhanced Autofocus and Video Capabilities
  • 4Handling and Design
By B&H Photo's

A groundbreaking standard zoom lens for everyday use, the ultra-wide Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G spans a popular and versatile range of focal lengths in a compact and lightweight form. Designed to accommodate new trends in shooting styles popular among vloggers and content creators, this ultra-wide to portrait-length zoom provides excellent edge-to-edge sharpness and outstanding image quality for all your imaging needs. Offering an expansive field of view to suit selfie, landscape, cityscape, and other wide-angle applications, this lens also offers fast, precise, and quiet autofocus performance as well as excellent close-up performance at all focal lengths.

G Lens Image Quality
Designed for demanding visual creators, this ultra-wide zoom offers no compromises regarding image quality, autofocus performance, or movie-making functionality.
  • Engineered for use with full-frame Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras, the lens's constant f/4 maximum aperture maintains consistent illumination throughout the entire zoom range.
  • Features a combination of three ED elements, two AA elements, one ED aspherical element, and one standard aspherical element to effectively eliminate chromatic and spherical aberrations while also rendering excellent edge-to-edge sharpness and color fidelity.
  • Rounded 9-blade aperture provides deep, soft bokeh.
Enhanced Autofocus and Video Capabilities
Offering an enhanced feature set for both still photography and videography, the FE 20-70mm f/4 G lens delivers fast focusing performance, improved tracking, and a series of attributes specifically designed for videographers.
  • Two XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors provide smooth, silent, and precise autofocus performance as well as improved tracking performance for photos and videos.
  • Internal focusing system maintains the overall length of the lens and does not rotate the lens barrel while focusing, enhancing the use of circular polarizers and variable ND filters.
  • Updated optical design effectively eliminates focus breathing, focus shift, and axial shift to prevent unwanted movements and angle of view variations during movie recording.
  • Aperture ring with On/Off click switch and iris lock switch prevents the aperture ring from being accidentally moved between the f/4 and f/22 settings.
  • Optimized for filming, the lens supports active mode image stabilization and micro-step aperture control for smooth and seamless video capture.
  • Two programmable focus hold buttons and a focus mode switch for intuitive focus control.
  • Minimum focusing distance of 9.8" with excellent close-up performance at all focal lengths.
Handling and Design
Compact and lightweight, this highly-versatile ultra-wide standard zoom offers a unique and expansive field of view for everyday shooting.
  • Hybrid construction uses both metal and plastic components to maximize both durability and a low weight design.
  • Fluorine coating on front lens element repels water, dust, fingerprints, and other contaminants while also making it easier to clean the front of the lens.
  • Dust and moisture-resistant design includes a rubber ring to seal the lens mount for working in inclement weather conditions.
UPC: 027242924017

Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Specs

Focal Length20 to 70mm
Maximum Aperturef/4
Minimum Aperturef/22
Lens MountSony E
Lens Format CoverageFull-Frame
Angle of View94°
Minimum Focus Distance9.8" / 25 cm
Maximum Magnification0.39x
Optical Design16 Elements in 13 Groups
Diaphragm Blades9, Rounded
Focus TypeAutofocus
Image StabilizationNo
Filter Size72 mm (Front)
Dimensions (ø x L)3.1 x 3.9" / 78.7 x 99 mm
Weight17.2 oz / 488 g
Packaging Info
Package Weight1.825 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)7.7 x 4.5 x 4.2"

Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Reviews

Excellent Lens

By Joseph
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-20

This is an excellent lens. Sharp, lightweight, with features like an aperture ring, an AF/MF switch, and customizable buttons make this a good alternative to a standard 24-70mm zoom. The 20mm wide focal length made my super-wide lenses redundant. I'm impressed.

An overall very impressive lens

By Ronald
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-14

So, I should say up front I purchased this lens to replace my 24-105 f/4. The 24-105 has been a terrific lens, which I've used for many types of photography and even a little video. My primary issue has been I've often wished it had a little wider focal length, particularly when travelling. It seems 20mm vs 24mm provides more opportunity for capturing an image than what I originally thought, and frequently I've had to swap the 24-105 with the 16-35 to get the image I wanted, with most of those seeming to require something between 18mm and 22mm. That's been my experience - yours may be different. Do I miss the additional 30mm of the telephoto end? Sometimes, but another unexpected attribute of the 20-70 essentially neutralizes this as well. The new 20-70 is simply sharper and has more contrast and color than the 24-105. It's not revolutionary but is easily noticeable. So much so that when I crop a 70mm image on the new lens to equal 100-105mm of the old lens, the detail is indistinguishable between the two, with the 70mm crop often still having more detail. I was quite surprised to see this but thought I should mention it for those having the same concerns I had when considering the 20-70. It's certainly lighter than the 24-105, handling quite easily, and is not front heavy at all when mounted on camera. I think the main area where the 24-105 outperforms the 20-70 mis when trying to compress backgrounds if taking portraits. I'm not a portrait guy but have found some of this can be offset with the 20-70 by adding distance between the subject and background. The bokeh is actually quite nice. Not cinematic like a true portrait lens, but certainly good enough that I'd not shy away from taking portraits if this is what I had available to use. There is quite allot of barrel distortion and vignetting, particularly at 20mm and f/4. At 70mm there is a slight pin cushion but no vignetting. Lightroom does not yet have a lens profile for this lens, but using the 24-240 seems to eliminate the majority of the distortion at 20mm and all the pin cushion at 70mm. To eliminate all of the distortion at 20mm, the 28mm f/2 ultra profile seems to work best. So, in conclusion I'm very impressed and pleased with the 20-70mm f/4. It renders beautiful images, sharp (even at f/4) with terrific contrast and color, while allowing a lightweight and easy to handle kit. It will definitely be my primary travel, landscape and general-purpose lens.

good, not perfect

By Gene
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-12

You can find lots of reviews already, so just sharing my impressions and comparison with Tamron 20-40/2.8, which in some ways competing with this lens. Lens surprisingly feels bulkier than the pictures may suggest, the hood is pretty large because of the wide angle. I found the resolution to be very good in full focal range at the center, corners at wide angle are soft as you would expect. I think the lens is the best around 50mm, at that FL it's sharp across the frame. Contrast is also good, not much flare to notice. There is some lateral CA closer to the edges. There isn't much of a bokeh to talk about, but whatever there is it's not disturbing. Distortions and vignetting at 20mm are atrocious. There isn't Adobe profile yet, I found the 24-240mm lens profile in Lightroom fits pretty well, except for 20mm, which needs stronger corrections. In comparison Tamron 20-40 lens has low distortions and less vignetting and can be used w/o software corrections. Tamron in my experience is also focusing faster and more precisely at 20mm. Judging from pictures I've got both lenses are close optically, I would give an edge to the Sony at the corners and at 40mm. Sony also seems to be about 5% wider than Tamron even after applying corrections. Tamron looks less distorted at 20mm even after applying the best corrections I could master to Sony. Finally, an advice for those who want to use this lens with an adapter on Nikon bodies -- don't! I tested it with the latest Megadap and though everything works, including aperture ring, the focusing is flaky at 20mm -- it often refuses to focus in low contrast conditions and at infinity. In comparison Tamron has no problems at all. Also worth noting, Sony mounts on adapter easily, Tamron is very tight.

Perfect All Round Lens

By Mike
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-17

I am using it on an a7 IV. It's size is perfect for that body. I'm still in the testing stage, but I haven't found anything wrong. It doesn't appear to vignette at 20mm with a polarizer at f/4.

The closest thing to the perfect lens for me

By Ken
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-17

This just became my default, never-leaving-the-camera lens for my a7iv. It looks and feels and has the features of a G Master (without the wider aperture). It's sharp and crisp with surprisingly good separation and bokeh. And, so important for me - light and small. I can carry this around all day without feeling the weight and bulk of previous lenses, which includes the Sony 24-105 and the Sigma 24-70, f2.8, which is relatively heavy. I also really like the extra 4mm at the wide end. It really makes a difference -because I always felt that the 24mm was not quite enough- and this is perfect. I'll be using it for travel and street photography exclusively while the G Masters, Zeiss's, and Sigmas will be relegated, at this point, for pro use - and even then - in specialized situations. If I was still doing wedding videography, I'd certainly start with this lens. It's just stunning and reasonably priced, to boot.

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YOUR RECENTLY VIEWED ITEMS

Any problem of dust when zooming (because the ...

Any problem of dust when zooming (because the extension of the barrel)?
Asked by: Aden
The Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens (Sony E) is sealed to prevent dust issues.
Answered by: Lawrence
Date published: 2023-03-03

is the zoom automatically and manual ?

is the zoom automatically and manual ?
Asked by: Abel
The zoom is operated manually on the Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens (Sony E).
Answered by: Dan
Date published: 2023-01-18

Does the barrel extend when zooming?

Does the barrel extend when zooming?
Asked by: Jeff
Yes the barrel extend when zooming on the Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens (Sony E) BH #SO20704G • MFR #SEL2070G
Answered by: Moe
Date published: 2023-03-09

Does this lens have enough resolving power to be ...

Does this lens have enough resolving power to be able to provide enough detail in high resolution camera such the Sony A7RIV?
Asked by: Marcia
Yes Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens (Sony E) does have enough resolving power to show high detail and great sharpness from a high resolution camera like the Sony A7RIV.
Answered by: Daniel
Date published: 2023-03-05

Is this lens compatible with my Sony 6600?

Is this lens compatible with my Sony 6600?
Asked by: Stephen B
As Kirk has answered, yes it will work with Sony crop-sensor cameras. However the crop factor applies to aperture as well and not just focal length. On a Sony crop sensor camera this lens becomes a 35-105mm f/6 lens.
Answered by: James
Date published: 2023-03-12

is the zoom manual and automatic ?

is the zoom manual and automatic ?
Asked by: Abel
The FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens (Sony E) is an auto focus lens but the zoom you would turn the zoom ring to zoom in and out.
Answered by: Jessica G
Date published: 2023-01-18
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