GEAR MINI TESTS
SONY 300MM F/2.8 GM OSS £5799/$5998 sony.com In my many decades of shooting stills then video professionally, my favourite lens of all time has to be the 300mm f/2.8 prime. That’s because I shoot lots of off-road bike sports, and it’s the perfect focal length for that. Since I bought my first 300mm f/2.8 back in 1987 – a Tamron Adaptall 2 – I’ve also had various Canon and Nikon versions. So when I moved to Sony for stills and video in 2014, a 300mm was a must. But through all that time, there has never been a single 300mm prime to fit E-mount either from Sony or any indie manufacturer. Until now, with Sony’s new G Master f/2.8 version. And what a lens it is, with amazing image quality and an incredibly light weight for its size. It might look like a mighty bazooka, especially with its lens hood on, but tips the scales at just 1470g/3.24lb. That’s barely more than a far smaller 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom. Nikon and Canon still don’t make 300mm f/2.8 versions of their DSLR lenses, but you can use them with AF adapters. The Nikon lens is the same size but more than double the weight, while the Canon weighs 1kg/2.2lb more than the Sony. That’s before you add the extra weight and bulk of an RF or Z mount adapter. Canon is unique in offering a 100-300mm f/2.8 zoom in RF, but it is almost twice the price of the Sony prime and weighs 1120g/2.5lb more. That’s a big difference. The Sony lens’ feather weight is a revelation for anyone that’s used to an SPECIFICATIONS Focal length: 300mm Mount: Sony E Image coverage: Full-frame Aperture: F/2.8-22 Aperture blades: 11, rounded Construction: 20 elements in 16 groups Minimum focusing: 40cm/15.7in Filter size: 40.5mm drop-in Dimensions (wxl): 12.4x26.5cm/ 4.88x10.4in (without hood) Weight: 1470g/3.24lb
IT’LL BE ALL WHITE The new Sony 300mm f/2.8 is the perfect partner for the A1 when shooting sport
old-school 300mm f/2.8 and it makes a significant difference for handling and carrying the thing around. After managing with Sony’s 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 to get the reach, since it was the only alternative, the 300mm prime offers so much more. It has a far faster maximum aperture, of course, which can be vital in low light or if you want the signature shallow depth-of-field. AF is quicker and more precise – and image quality is a clear step ahead. It has Super ED and ED glass elements to reduce aberrations and colour fringing, with a Nano AR Coating II on interior surfaces to get rid of nasty flares. And the 11-bladed aperture makes bokeh totally creamy. There are control buttons on the lens, ideal for setting a focus hold. And three image stabilisation settings work well for general shooting, panning and tracking erratically moving subjects. It’s weather sealed, has a fluorine front element to resist dirt and a beefed-up mount to make sure it’s solid. A drop-
in filter holder allows you to insert 40.5mm filters. This can prove a pain for filmmaking as there’s no sensible way of using a variable ND or polariser. Nikon’s 300mm version can be fit with a special drop-in filter holder which rotates, so it’s ideal for this. The Sony also doesn’t have an external aperture ring, and there is no filter thread at the end of the lens. Nikon’s version has a huge 105mm thread, so you can use a UV or clear protection filter. That’s not an option on the Sony, sadly. But these are only niggling details on an optic that sets a new standard in fast 300mm primes for mirrorless. For its light weight, price, handling and image quality, nothing comes close. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 The only 300mm prime for E-mount Pros: An incredibly light and super- sharp optic Cons: No external aperture ring or front filter thread
MOTOCROSS MASTER The shallow depth-of-field gives away that a fast long lens has been used
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