Sony just announced a 20mm wide-angle and 18-200mm telephoto lens for their Alpha E-Mount camera system and semi-professional camcorders.
The new 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Powered Telephoto Zoom Lens (model SELP18200) is designed for serious videographers. The high-quality lens offers a generous 11x magnification range and whisper-quiet power zoom mechanics, focusing and aperture operation. This allows for smooth cinematic transitions when adjusting zoom level or manual settings during shooting. It features a comfortably positioned zoom lever that works with a switch on the lens barrel, allowing zoom speed to be selected in three different steps – from slow, beautiful shifts in perspective to dramatic crash-zoom effects. Zoom can also be controlled directly from compatible NEX-VG900, NEX-VG30 and NEX-FS700 (requires firmware update) video cameras.
The lens also has built-in Optical SteadyShot, which cuts the effects of camera shake and minimizes camera blur while shooting handheld at slower shutter speeds. Additionally, Active Mode further enhances stabilization at the wide end of the 11x zoom range ensuring smooth, stable footage even if the shooter is in motion.
While the SELP18200 lens is optimized for video, it’s also a flexible choice for shooting still photography – from expansive landscapes to high impact close-ups of wildlife or athletes – with Sony’s Alpha E-Mount range of interchangeable lens still cameras.
The SELP18200 was originally offered only as a kit lens for the NEX-VG30 camcorder introduced this past fall, but will now be available for purchase as a stand-alone lens.
The new 20mm F2.8 ‘pancake’ wide angle lens (model SEL20F28) is an exceptionally versatile, portable lens ideal for a broad range of everyday shooting opportunities ranging from interiors to landscapes, street photography, casual snapshots and more.
The new lens features an ultra-slim design approximately 20mm from lens front to back, and with its wide angle of view (30mm on 35mm equivalent) and bright F2.8 aperture, it produces excellent contrast, resolution and clarity across the frame for both still image and full HD video shooting.
Pricing and Availability
- Sony E 20mm F2.8 (SEL20F28) wide-angle prime lens → $350 (April 2013)
- Sony E PZ18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS (SELP18200) motorized telezoom lens → $1,200 (March 2013)
