There was a time when the Nikon 200mm f/2 was glued to my camera. That lens changed the way I worked; it shaped how I saw sport, light and movement.
While others wrestled with their f/2.8 glass and high ISO noise in poorly lit stadiums, I was sitting pretty at ISO 3200, shooting wide open at f/2 or 2.2 and still getting cleaner, sharper files.
The difference was more than noticeable – it was defining. It gave me an edge. My images had a signature. That fast aperture wasn’t just a number; it was a tool that carved light differently and made my subjects pop in a way others couldn’t replicate.
So when I saw launch the new Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 GM at $3,898, my first thought wasn’t about price – it was about potential. To think that a lens like this even exists is still something I need to let settle in.
A few years ago, suggesting a 50-150mm f/2 zoom would’ve been laughed off the drawing board. “Impossible,” they’d say. “Too expensive.”
And yet here we are. Sony’s pulled it off, and I can’t help but applaud. This is the kind of glass that gets professionals excited – not just because of what it can do, but because of what it represents.
The 50-150mm range is, quite honestly, spot on. For years I carried a 70-200mm, but I never lived at 200mm. More often than not, I found myself frustrated that 70mm wasn’t quite wide enough.
I needed something that started a little wider, but I didn’t want to lose that reach either. This new Sony lens hits the sweet spot – it gives you the coverage you need for events, portraits, sport and even weddings, without compromise. And paired with that consistent f/2 aperture? That’s rare territory.
It also reminds me of one of my favourite lenses of all time: my old Nikkor-H 50mm f/2. That lens has soul. All the old pros shot with it, and I still adore it. The way it handles light, the way it falls off – it’s got a character that modern lenses often forget. Now, to have a zoom that covers 50mm, 85mm, 135mm, all at f/2? That’s insane!
You’re basically covering the holy trinity of primes in one lens. For working photographers, that’s not just convenient, it’s liberating. It means one less bag to carry. One less decision to make in the moment.
Yes, this Sony lens is expensive. But so is every "first-of-its-kind" lens. We shouldn’t shy away from price when it comes to tools that open creative doors. Remember, even Nikon hasn’t brought out a Z-mount version of the 200mm f/2 yet – and I suspect that’s because it would cost a fortune.
But Sony did it. It made a lens that many said couldn’t be made. And it has done it for working pros, not just for show.
This lens is a milestone. It’s a flex of optical engineering and a sign of what’s coming. Tools like this change the way we shoot. They enable us to push into new territory, shoot with less compromise, and deliver better results with fewer variables.
I don’t say this lightly, but the Sony 50-150mm f/2 GM might just become the new benchmark for pro zooms.
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