The new Sony 20-70mm f/4 G gives photographers and videographers image quality with silent and fast autofocusing in a light and compact package. Portrait pro and YouTuber Miguel Quiles had the opportunity to spend some time with the lens – shooting video and using it on some portrait sessions. “I walked away from the experience with the opinion that this might be one of the best walkaround lenses ever made,” he says. Watch as Quiles takes a deep dive into the new zoom and its standout features. See more and order the new Sony 20-70mm f/4 G HERE.

The Best Of Sony Lens DNA

“For starters,” explains Quiles, “the 20-70mm f/4 G-series lens packs in many of the features that Sony has been using in some of their best lenses.” All of these features are designed to give you excellent image quality and to make sure your lens keeps up with the advanced autofocusing systems in today’s modern Sony cameras and even those that are coming in the future.

“The lens is light and compact as well – weighing in at only 488 grams,” Quiles says. And it’s really close to the size of the Sony 24mm G Master lens. It’s also dust and moisture resistant. And it probably goes without saying but this lens offers 60% faster autofocus than one of Sony’s OG lenses, the SEL2470Z lens. If you’re using one of Sony’s newer camera bodies, you’ll definitely notice the performance differences.”

For Everyday Video Use, Vlogging & Content Creation

Quiles took the Sony 20-70mm f/4 G lens with his Sony Alpha 7 IV to shoot video at a local aquarium. “It was truly a pleasure. And having this lens go as wide as 20mm adds so much versatility. Before this lens I would have to take something like a 16-35mm and a 24-70mm to give me the flexibility of capturing any wide scenes or tight spaces that I might run into.”

The XD Linear Motors make the autofocus system basically silent, so you won’t have to worry about the microphone picking up the sound of the lens while you shoot. “Long story short,” he says, “the 20-70mm f/4 G is a great lens for everyday video use, for vlogging, and of course, for content creation. 

The Perfect Walkaround Lens

Quiles also used the lens for several photo shoots, both outdoors and in-studio. “In all cases the 20-70mm G-series lens was remarkable. I typically like to take portraits at the mid-to-tele end of a standard lens like this, and in that focal range it captured all of the detail that I like to see in my portrait work. I primarily used the lens with the Sony Alpha 7 IV, and used it as I typically do with Continuous Autofocus and Wide-Area Focus. Essentially anywhere that your subject might move within the frame, these settings will ensure that their eyes are tack sharp in every shot.”

For outdoor photo shoots, Quiles says the wide angle side of the lens is great when you want to capture more of the environment in your shot. Just like for video, he says it’s a great lens choice to use as a walkaround lens for portraits and for stills work in general.

20mm At The Wide End Is Unique

“While it might seem that the additional 4mm that you get with this lens over something like a 24-70 lens, it might not seem like a lot,” Quiles explains, but in actuality it’s more than you might think. Those extra 4mm on the wide end essentially give you a 10-degree angular field of view compared to a 24mm. If you’re comparing it to something like a 28-70mm lens, it’s giving you almost 20-degrees wide angle of view going from 28-20mm.”

“My point here with all of this is that adding 4mm on the wide end of a lens, it might not seem like a lot on paper, but it’s one of the reasons that lenses in this category have shied away from going wider on a standard zoom lens. They almost always go with adding more on the telephoto side. This is why I say that the Sony 20-70mm f/4 G-series lens is special. Getting a 3.5x zoom lens in a compact, light form-factor like this is something that I will always have room for in my camera bag.”

See more and order the new Sony 20-70mm f/4 G HERE.