PRESS RELEASE: New Sony E Mount Lenses – 20 2.8 and new 18-200 Power Zoom

Sony Expands Lens Lineup for α E-Mount Camera System with New Wide-Angle and Telephoto Models

New 20mm f/2.8 “pancake” lens and Video-friendly 18-200mm f/3.5 – f/6.3 “Power Zoom” lens extend creative possibilities

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 22, 2013 – Sony is expanding its popular E-mount camera system with the addition of two new lenses compatible with all α E-Mount cameras and semi-professional camcorders.

New 20mm F2.8 ‘pancake’ wide angle lens (model SEL20F28)

SEL20F28_angled

When mounted on any Sony α E-Mount camera, the sharp new SEL20F28 ”pancake” lens creates an exceptionally versatile, portable package 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.

New 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Powered Telephoto Zoom Lens (model SELP18200)

Originally offered only as a kit lens for the new NEX-VG30 camcorder introduced this past fall, the new SELP18200 powered telephoto zoom lens will now be available for purchase as a stand-alone lens.

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 new 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 new 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 α E-Mount range of interchangeable lens still cameras.

Sony α E-mount lens family expansion

These new models expand the Sony E-mount family to 13 native E-mount lenses plus two converters, covering virtually any shooting situation for photographers and videographers alike. Spanning ultra-wide angle, powerful telezoom, macro and fast, bright primes, the range includes premium optics by Sony and Carl Zeiss, and offers refined performance and easy handling throughout the line.

Pricing and Availability

The new E 20mm F2.8 (SEL20F28) wide-angle prime lens will be available this April for about $350.

The new E PZ18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS (SELP18200) motorized telezoom lens will be available this March for about $1200.

The Sony α family of cameras, camcorders, lenses and accessories can be purchased at Sony retail stores, online at www.store.sony.com and at all other authorized retailers throughout the Sony dealer network.

28 Comments

  1. For video the 18-200 power zoom would be great for me! Just too bad the cost is pretty high….

  2. Doesn’t equate to a 28mm or a 35mm. Another “almost right” lens for the “almost right” system.

  3. $1200 for a slow zoom (albeit power one) – yuck! The 20/2.8 is indeed nicely compact, but a bit odd focal length. Anyhow – any new lens for NEX is good news. Sony – keep them coming.

  4. Thanks Steve,

    Thanks for this review, I use Fuji system and just received e-mail from Fuji Film distributor that a New Lens “XF14mm F2.8R” is available now. Will appriciate if you can review this lens if possible.
    As per distributor there are few important features of this lens, as follows.

    1. Distortion Free

    2. Minimum shooting distance : 18cm

    3. Aperture Ring Installed

    4. AF MF Shifting Ring Installed

    5. Depth of Field Indicator installed

  5. Anyone know why Panasonic was able to crank out an f/1.7 20mm pancake over three years ago for Micro Four Thirds, while this 20mm pancake from Sony and Fuji’s upcoming 27mm pancake can only manage an f/2.8?

    Am I missing something here?

    • ….. because the m4/3 has a smaller sensor size than APS-C? and so a f1.7 lens to cover a m4/3 sensor is smaller than a f1.7 lens to cover a APS-C sensor, plus larger aperture lenses requires tighter tolerances to get better image quality and therefore a higher price

  6. Well yah, I agree these lens announcements are nothing special. Especially the zoom lens. But I guess Sony were pressured by all the poor reviews to make an alternative to their 16mm 2.8, despite Sigma already making a good 19mm.

  7. This is fun. gearheads here are just like gearheads inany hobby. Or in some of our cases professions.
    My point simply was consumer electronic-centric companies use dumbed down words like “bright” to describe in simplistic term that would darn near embarrass anyone that knows better.
    Can u you see BMW copy that reads “rocket-like” or “bitchin’!”
    No intent to besmirch the fine name of Sony.
    And let’s not remember Trinitron or Betamax. Okay?
    And Press Releases are as American as Madison Avenue!

  8. A a 3rd iteration of a zoom lens with f6.3 at the long end AND a lens at only 3.5 times the price of an almost identically specced competitor? All on the same day?! Sony is spoiling us!

    I cannot wait for the NEX 3N which I’m sure will be an expression and embodiment of all the technological leaps and bounds in photo technology that human-kind has achieved since August 2012!!

    • Well the power zoom is mainly for video due to the electronic zoom which is great for the fs100, fs700, vg10/vg20/vg30, vg900 and maybe for the NEX 6 (which i use for video). But yeah it it friggen expensive!

  9. Get over it guys, Sony are making some of the best cameras for the money in the last year or two, so they deserve all the attention that Steve is giving them. They are also not afraid of innovation and experimentation, unlike Canon and others.

    Uptight whiners…

  10. wow what a fantasy!
    Wide Pankake …
    Tamron has made a copy of the 18-200 that was already there …
    I have to wait for a Samyang tele prime?
    or continue to use my 100 2.8 olympus om?
    sony alarm clock! you need to buy shares of olympus?

  11. In your dreams, mate! Nobody is going to “give” you anything, least of all Sony…

  12. Calm down mates! It is logical, every company that gives the world a revolutionary product, grabs our attention. Apple’s iPhone and strategic choices after iPhone made the world fuss about Apple in a good way, simply because they had done the right thing. Sony has this time done the right thing with the RX1, so the hype around Sony is somewhat justified. Let’s hope that this firm will continue to surprise us in a good way by realizing that, as things are, its flagship model right now is not the a99 but the RX1, and will give its customers the expected evolution (that means an affordable price and a built-in EVF).

  13. many sony hater on here when steve sharing some new info about new sony lens. what’s wrong with that? if you don’t like that you all should make review site with your own like

    • This is a standard PRESS release that you will find on mostly all photo sites. Not written by me, but by Sony as an announcement of new lenses for the E system. Since thousands of E system users read this site, I posted the press release. As for other Sony articles, of course there are articles as Sony recently released a slew of new cameras that are quite good. This blog is about photography, cameras, user experiences and passion. The Sony line for 2012/2013 is astounding and they have stepped it up, which is only good for all of us. Thanks for reading.

      • tried to click on your amazon and bhphoto link for the new power zoom lens. Both sites do not seem to carry the E PZ18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS (SELP18200) motorized telezoom lens as of today.

  14. Interesting, though the bar is high for the 20mm wiht the stellar Sigma 19mm which can be had at about 50% of the price of the new Sony pancake.

  15. is this site becoming a sony propaganda machine all of a sudden,sony made good walkmans and tv boxes..

    • And now, in the last few years, they turned into the most innovative camera company. I agree its kind of crazy.
      What probably helped was getting all those Minolta engineers and giving them a budget for the first time since the 70s

    • Ah. But you have to be like water. Flow with the current and not against it. This site is going with what is current in photography. If Sony is in, like NEX series or if Nikon is in, like 1 series, than just go with the flow and enjoy it. This site covers all walks of camera life and is one of the best sites on the web.

  16. Definitely looking forward to taking a look at that 20mm. Designed this late in the NEX product cycle, SURELY Sony made it with the NEX-7’s resolution in mind (perhaps it may perform well at wider apertures in comparison to the 16mm?). Looks like we’ll see in April!

  17. No wonder why Sigma recently bundled together their E-mount lenses(which included a 19mm) for cheap and Sony was practically giving away the old 16mm. I always get suspicious when there’s a big sale/price drop.

  18. Me too lenses. No big deal.
    But my real question is why do these consumer crossover manufacturers call darn near any lens of f:2.8 or better “bright”? What kind of dumbing down of the craft and technology is that?
    It smacks of crummy ad copy by an underinformed intern.
    Just my two pence.
    Carry on. Etc.

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