Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

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Pros 10x zoom range. Good center sharpness. Weather-resistant design. Optical stabilization.

Cons Intense distortion when shooting Raw. Soft edges throughout range. Heavy. Bottom Line The Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS lens covers a 10x zoom range on a full-frame camera, but makes some compromises to achieve this feat.

By Jim Fisher All-in-one zoom lenses are popular options for APS-C cameras, as the optical sacrifices that come with long zoom ratios are often overlooked by less-exacting photographers. But they're not as common for full-frame systems, as owners tend to be more demanding and in search of top-end optics. The Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS ($999.99) is a 10x zoom for the full-frame E-mount system, and while it will never go toe-to-toe with a pro-level zoom or a Zeiss prime lens, it does cover a wide variety of photographic situations, so you won't have to think about changing lenses in the midst of a photo outing. But you can get a lot more out of your camera if you opt for a two-lens solution to cover this zoom range.

The 24-240mm is a big lens, especially if you pair it with a body with a smaller grip like the Sony Alpha 7S. It measures 4.7 by 3.2 inches (HD) at its shortest position, and is heavy at 1.7 pounds. The front element accommodates a big 72mm lens filter, and a reversible lens hood is included. Even though it's one of the biggest lenses that Sony makes for the system, it actually balances pretty well on the Alpha 7 II, which has a deeper handgrip than the first generation of models in the Alpha 7 family.

The minimum focus is 19.7 inches, delivering a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.7. That's not exactly macro territory, but it does provide decent magnification. The lens is optically stabilized, so it can be used without issue on a body that lacks sensor-based stabilization. It's best used with a full-frame camera—you lose some of the wide-angle coverage and are carrying more weight than you want to if you pair it with an APS-C Sony model like the Sony Alpha 6000.

I used Imatest to check the quality of photos shot with the 24-240mm when paired with the 24-megapixel Alpha 7 II. At 24mm f/3.5, the lens scores 2,488 lines per picture height on a center-weighted sharpness test, which is better than the 1,800 lines we look for in a crisp image. Performance is fairly even throughout the frame, but the outer edges are a little muddy at 1,692 lines. Stopping down to f/4 delivers very modest improvement, but at f/5.6 the edges jump to 1,793 lines (the center-weighted score is 2,519 lines). At f/8 the lens shows its best performance, recording an average score of 2,582 lines.

If you shoot JPGs, distortion is a nonissue, as the camera applies correction to images and video. But if you're capturing photos in Raw format, you're going to have to deal with an incredible amount of barrel distortion—about 6.5 percent. Adobe hasn't yet added a lens profile to Lightroom to correct for this, but the latest version of Camera Raw includes one, so it's only a matter of time before one-click correction comes to Lightroom.

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At 50mm, the maximum aperture has narrowed to f/4.5. Performance is strong here, with a center-weighted score of 2,450 lines, and edges that exceed 2,000 lines. Stopping down to f/5.6 improves the average score to 2,654 lines, and edges approach 2,400 lines. At f/8 the lens peaks, just exceeding 2,700 lines on the test. If you shoot Raw, you'll have to contend with 2.5-percent pincushion distortion, which makes straight lines curve visibly inward, but again, the Adobe lens profile will correct this.

By the time you zoom to 100mm the lens maxes out at f/5.6, but image quality is still strong. It scores 2,510 lines on our center-weighted test, with edges that exceed 2,100 lines. At f/8 the score improves to 2,575 lines, and edges also top 2,500 lines. Performance is about the same at f/11 and f/16. If you're shooting Raw, you'll face a 3-percent pincushion distortion from this point through 240mm.

At 150mm, the aperture has narrowed to f/6.3, but image quality takes a hit. The lens manages 1,854 on our sharpness test, but edge performance drops off significantly—it shows just 1,130 lines at the outer third of the frame. Stopping down to f/8 improves the overall score to 2,148 lines, but edges are still soft. Even at f/16 the, edges only manage 1,350 lines.

Things are a little better at 240mm. At f/6.3 the lens shows 2,124 lines, and edges sit just under 1,400 lines. They improve slightly, to just under 1,500 lines at f/8, but the overall sharpness stays about the same. Performance is similar at f/11 and f/16.

The Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS is a convenient lens to use if you're not quite sure what you'll be shooting—at its widest angle it's perfect for landscapes and group shots, and when zoomed it can handle portraits, sports, and wildlife photography. Its aperture does narrow a bit when zoomed, so it's not the best option if you really love the shallow depth of field look. Raw shooters will have to contend with distortion, but it should only be of concern if you opt to use a Raw converter that doesn't support lens profile corrections. The real sticking point is some inconsistent sharpness and murky edge quality at longer focal lengths, but those are the compromises you live with when purchasing a lens with a long zoom range that covers a big image sensor.

That said, whether or not you should consider buying this lens depends a lot on what you're looking to get out of your camera. It's unlikely that you'll want it as your only lens, as that defeats the purpose of buying an expensive mirrorless camera. If you're primarily a prime lens shooter and want a zoom for convenience—and one that doesn't break the bank—the 24-240mm is certainly appealing at this price point. Buying the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS and the FE 70-20mm F4 G OSS to cover the same range costs nearly three times as much—but that combination easily trumps the 24-240mm in terms of image quality.

You may want to think outside the box and consider getting a new camera to supplement your existing Alpha 7 kit instead of a new lens. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 has a relatively small 1-inch sensor, but it covers a 24-200mm zoom range with a constant f/2.8 aperture, and—important for Alpha 7 owners—shares the same battery type as Sony's current full-frame mirrorless lineup. Its build quality is stellar, and its macro capabilities are superior to the 24-240mm. There's also the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000; its build isn't on the same level as the RX10, but it does cover a 25-400mm zoom range, and it shoots video in 4K resolution.

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