The Sony A7 V launched today to much (well-deserved) fanfare, but the new full-frame mirrorless comes alongside a quieter announcement: a new lens. The Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II is a new compact zoom lens that will be paired with the A7 V in the kit.
The original Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS launched in 2013 alongside Sony’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Sony A7 and A7R in 2013. The lens has been available in kit form with every A7 since, until now. While the A7 IV is available in configurations with other lenses, the 28-70mm kit has remained an option as the standard budget-priced kit.
More than a decade later, a lot has changed in the A7 series, and now, the kit lens is adapting as well. The original Sony A7 had a 5fps burst speed; with its stacked sensor, the Sony A7 V hits 30 fps.
That’s one of the biggest changes on the new kit lens – it’s designed to keep up with the frame rates of the newer cameras. The lens uses a linear autofocus motor designed to keep up with those 30 fps bursts. Sony says the lens supports autofocus and autoexposure tracking at up to 120 fps, and it also supports autofocus while zooming.
The autofocus is capable of locking in on subjects as close as .3m / .99 feet on the wide end and .45m / 1.48 feet on the long end. That gives the lens a .19 magnification ratio for close-ups.
Like the original kit lens, the second generation still offers weather sealing and stabilization. Both the original and the second generation use an optical design comprised of nine elements in eight groups, along with a 7-blade aperture.
The kit lens is meant to be more compact than brighter 24-70mm f/2.8 optics, weighing 10.4 ounces / 293g.
While the Sony A7 V will be available beginning December 18, there’s a longer wait for the kit, which won’t arrive until February. Adding on the lens will add another US$200 / CA$200 to the cost of the camera in the US and Canada; kit pricing is not yet available in the UK and Australia. The lens on its own will cost $449 / £429 / CA$599; Australia pricing has not yet been announced.
Pre-orders have already opened at some retailers, including B&H in the US.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
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