sony alpha product book (english)

The a dimensionUnleash your imagination with the power of a creativity

Image gallery008 Jun Imura

012 Duncan McEwan

014 Cameron Lawson

016 Ken Spencer

018 Hiromasa Mano

The a lens lineup024 a lenses

026 16mm F2.8 Fisheye (SAL16F28)

028 20mm F2.8 (SAL20F28)

030 28mm F2.8 (SAL28F28)

032 35mm F1.4G (SAL35F14G)

034 50mm F1.4 (SAL50F14)

036 Carl Zeiss® Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA (SAL85F14Z)

038 Carl Zeiss® Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z)

040 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF (SAL135F28)

042 300mm F2.8G (SAL300F28G)

044 500mm F8 Reflex (SAL500F80)

046 50mm F2.8 Macro (SAL50M28)

048 100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28)

050 DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118)

052 Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar® T* DT16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z)

054 DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870)

056 DT 18–200mm F3.5–6.3 (SAL18200)

058 24–105mm F3.5–4.5 (SAL24105)

060 70–200mm F2.8G (SAL70200G)

062 75–300mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL75300)

064 1.4x Teleconverter (SAL14TC)

066 2x Teleconverter (SAL20TC)

068 Carl Zeiss® lenses

Digital SLR basics072 How an SLR camera works

074 Body-integrated image stabilization

076 Focal length

078 Focal length and angle of view

080 Focal length and apparent perspective

082 Depth of field

084 Utilizing depth of field

086 Macro shooting

088 Lens hoods

089 Circular polarlizing filters

Choosing the right lens092 Portraits

096 Landscapes

100 Snapshots

104 Macro close-ups

108 Sports

112 Wildlife

114 Pets

a system technology118 Body-integrated image stabilization

120 Circular aperture and defocusing effect

122 STF lens and defocusing effect

124 ED glass and aspherical lenses

126 SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor)

128 Autofocus reflex lens

129 DMF (Direct Manual Focus)

130 ADI flash metering

132 High-speed synchro

Specifications & terminology134 Lens performance and MTF graphs

Fixed focal length lenses

Zoom lenses

Carl Zeiss® lenses

138 Glossary

142 a lenses — basic specifications

Contents

Image gallery008–021

Jun Imura

1312

Duncan McEwan

Cameron Lawson

1716

Ken Spencer

1918

Hiromasa Mano

The a lens lineup024–069

24 25

Photography allows us to capture those specialmoments we want to remember forever. Whether it is the smile on a loved one's face, a bustling marketscene in an exotic foreign land, or a breathtaking vistaof natural grandeur, it is the emotional impact of thesemoments that moves us, and that we want to conveyto others.

Whether that impact is effectively conveyed or notisn't simply a matter of fortuitous timing, though. It alsodepends very much on the quality, angle of view, andimaging characteristics of the lenses used to captureeach image. And it is this ability to change lenses fordifferent shots that makes SLR photography so versa-tile and endlessly fascinating.

The a lineup, including our high-performance, profes-sional-grade Carl Zeiss® and G series lenses, offers adiverse array of high-quality lenses and teleconvertersdesigned to help you respond to virtually any photo-graphic or creative challenge. So that you can sharethose special moments in life with your family, yourfriends, and the world at large.

Cameras may change and be replaced, but lensesare lasting assets. Reflecting Sony's corporate commit-ment to innovation, quality, and optical excellence,the lenses introduced in these pages constitute a fullyintegrated system that brings a new dimension in cre-ativity to digital SLR photography.

The performance and quality you need to realize your personal creative vision

16mm F2.8 Fisheye(SAL16F28)

26 27

A mode, F8 (1/80 sec.), ISO 100, Auto white balance

The 16mm F2.8 Fisheye (SAL16F28) is a 35mm formatcompatible lens with a 180º angle of view that showsus realities which are always there, but beyond ournatural ability to see. The key to this amazing view iscurvilinear optical distortion, which causes linear ele-ments like the horizon to take on a pronounced curva-ture. It is by taking advantage of this distortion that the lens is able to produce such unique images.

You can control how the distortion affects your imageby varying the position of the elements in the frame,and you can magnify the effect by shooting your sub-ject at very close range. With a minimum shooting dis-tance of just 20cm/7.9", the 16mm F2.8 Fisheye lets youcapture amusing and dramatic close-up images withstrikingly exaggerated perspective. Normal, O56, A12,and B12 filters are built in.

A unique fisheye perspective that expands your photographic horizons

16mm F2.8 Fisheye (SAL16F28)● Image circle format: 35mm (180º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 24mm (110º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 11 elements in 8 groups (incl. one filter)● Aperture blades: 7 ● Minimum aperture: F22 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.2m / 7-7/8" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.15x ● Filter size: built-in (4) ● Lens hood: fixed● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 75 x 66.5mm / 2-15/16 x 2-5/8" ● Weight: approx. 400g / 14.1 oz

28 29

20mm F2.8

M mode, 1/125 sec., F16, ISO 100, Auto white balance

The superbly crafted 20mm F2.8 (SAL20F28) superwide-angle lens offers approximately four times theimaging area of a standard 50mm lens. It has a 94ºangle of view when mounted on a 35mm-format SLRand a 70º angle of view when mounted on an APS-Cformat digital SLR. At smaller apertures the depth offield is so great that this effectively becomes a 'pan-focus' lens that can capture foreground and back-ground elements with equal sharpness.

Superior optics suppress image aberration across thefocusing range, from infinity in to the minimum shoot-ing distance of just 25cm/9.8". A rear-focusing mecha-nism enables ultra-fast autofocusing for on-the-flysnapshots, while a circular 7-blade iris assures smoothbackground defocusing that really makes your sub-ject stand out.

A super wide-angle view that captures depth and drama on a grand scale

20mm F2.8 (SAL20F28)● Image circle format: 35mm (94º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 30mm

(70º angle of view) ● Lens configuration: 10 elements in 9 groups● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F22● Minimum focus distance: 0.25m / 9-7/8" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.13x● Filter size: 72mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount petal● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 78 x 53.5mm / 3-1/16 x 2-1/8"● Weight: approx. 285g / 10.1 oz ● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL20F28)

30 31

28mm F2.8

A mode, F5.6 (1/30 sec.), -0.7EV, ISO 100, White balance: Shade

28mm F2.8 (SAL28F28)● Image circle format: 35mm (75º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format

DSLR: approx. 42mm (54º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 5 elements in 5 groups● Aperture blades: 7 ● Minimum aperture: F22● Minimum focus distance: 0.3m / 11-13/16"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.13x● Filter size: 49mm● Lens hood: integrated● Dimensions (max. diameter x length):

65.5 x 42.5mm / 2-9/16 x 1-11/16"● Weight: approx. 185g / 6.5 oz

28mm wide-angle lenses have been considered a kit-bag essential by generations of SLR photographers,and the 28mm F2.8 (SAL28F28) makes it brilliantly clearwhy. Only 42.5mm/1.67" in length and 185g/6.5 oz inweight, it's gratifyingly responsive and easy to handle,with a generous angle of view that captures satisfying-ly complete images of crowds, streets, beaches, ormarkets — any place with a lot happening in a limitedspace. It's also great for architecture, interiors, andsnapshots, and although the 28mm focal length isavailable on many standard zoom lenses, the com-pact handling ease and bright, super-crisp imaging of this fixed focal length 28mm are hard to beat.

The 28mm F2.8 also shines when mounted on an APS-C format digital SLR, where it offers 42mm equivalentperformance that makes it ideal as a standard lens.Contrast is excellent, and the deep depth of fieldassures faithful rendition of key details in both fore-ground and background. With its versatile angle ofview, it's a lens that focuses the viewer's attention onthe creativity of your composition.

Light, compact, and fast: an easy-to-handle wide-angle with a built-in sliding lens hood

(SAL28F28)

32 33

35mm F1.4 G


● Aspherical element

The 35mm F1.4 G (SAL35F14G) is composed of 10 ele-ments in 8 groups, and offers the highest level ofimage quality and handling performance. A moldedglass aspherical lens element ensures outstandingsharpness at large apertures, and double-floatingconstruction helps maintain image quality at theperiphery when shooting at close range. As a result,the 35mm F1.4 G offers stunning edge-to-edge sharp-ness from infinity down to the minimum shooting dis-tance of 30cm / 11.8". A circular 9-blade iris assuresbeautiful background defocusing at larger apertures.

Although it does not exhibit the apparent perspectiveenhancement that is characteristic of very wide-angle lenses, the 35mm F1.4 G offers approximatelydouble the image area of a 50mm lens. Depth of fieldis exceptional: at F2.8 the depth of field is approxi-mately as deep as at F5.6 on a 50mm lens, making thislens ideal for snapshots and indoor photos. Togetherwith the Super SteadyShot® image stabilization systembuilt into a series camera bodies, it's a powerful toolfor handheld shooting in low light.

A fast, large-aperture lens with the superb performance of high-quality G optics

35mm F1.4 G (SAL35F14G)● Image circle format: 35mm (63º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 52.5mm

(44º angle of view) ● Lens configuration: 10 elements in 8 groups● Aperture blades: 9 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F22● Minimum focus distance: 0.3m / 11-13/16" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.2x ● Filter size: 55mm● Lens hood: bayonet-mount petal ● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 69 x 76mm / 2-3/4 x 3" ● Weight: approx. 510g / 1 lb 2 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood, carrying case

(SAL35F14G)

34 35

50mm F1.4

M mode, 1/180 sec., F2.0, ISO 100, Auto white balance

The 50mm F1.4 (SAL50F14) packs the light-gatheringpower of high-grade, large-aperture optics into alight, compact package. Designed to make the mostof available light while providing natural perspectiveand well-balanced image rendition from the classicmidrange angle of view, it's fast and versatile enoughfor a broad range of shooting applications, from inte-riors to landscapes.

Gaussian design with 7 elements arranged in 6 groupsassures excellent contrast and resolution, and al-though eminently suited to low-light shooting, that'snot the 50mm F1.4's only advantage. Its large-aper-ture capability also means you have a wider range of f-stop settings to choose from, and can explore the creative potential of depth of field control to the fullest.

When mounted on an APS-C format digital SLR, the50mm F1.4 offers the focal length equivalent of a75mm medium telephoto lens. But whether you use it with a 35mm format SLR or an APS-C format SLR, itoffers superb background defocusing characteristicsthat really make your subject stand out.

A large-aperture standard lens with natural perspective and a rich range of expression

50mm F1.4 (SAL50F14)● Image circle format: 35mm (47º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 75mm (32º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 7 elements in 6 groups● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture)● Minimum aperture: F22 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.45m / 17-11/16"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.15x ● Filter size: 55mm● Lens hood: bayonet-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 65.5 x 43mm / 2-9/16 x 1-11/16"● Weight: approx. 220g / 7.8 oz● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL50F14)

36 37

Carl Zeiss® Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA


The Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA (SAL85F14Z) is a collab-orative creation by Sony and Carl Zeiss® that brings anew standard of excellence to the medium telephotocategory. Planar® optics are famous for the delicacy ofthe images they deliver, and the 85mm focal length isconsidered by many to be ideal for portrait photography,allowing a relaxed and appropriate shooting distancebetween photographer and subject. Designed toachieve the highest standard of digital SLR imagingperformance, the Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA offers ex-cellent contrast, outstanding image fidelity, andexquisitely smooth background defocusing.

Portraits aren't the only thing at which the Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA excels, though, because its edge-to-edge sharpness and clarity also make it an excellentchoice for landscape photography. The lens is excep-tionally easy and comfortable to work with, featuringa wide focus ring with an auto clutch mechanism, and a focus hold button to enable focus lock duringAF shooting.

A bright, medium telephoto lens with impressive credentials

Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA (SAL85F14Z)● Image circle format: 35mm (29º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx.

127.5mm (19º angle of view) ● Lens configuration: 8 elements in 7 groups● Aperture blades: 9 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F22● Minimum focus distance: 0.85m / 33-1/2" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.13x ● Filter size: 72mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount round ● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 81 x 75mm / 3-3/16 x 2-15/16"● Weight: approx. 640g / 1 lb 6.6 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood, carrying case

(SAL85F14Z)

38 39

Carl Zeiss® Planar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA


● ED glass

The Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z) is anexceptionally bright telephoto lens, and its 135mmfocal length brings your subject in close without compressing the perspective the way more powerfultelephoto lenses do. It's a superb lens for portraits,indoor sports, and landscapes, with an F1.8 maximumaperture that makes it extremely effective in low-lightconditions, and defocusing characteristics that fullylive up to the high standard set by its cousin, thePlanar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA.

Composed of 11 elements in 8 groups, including twoED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements to correctchromatic aberration, the Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA isalso excellent for close-up work, offering a maximummagnification ratio of 0.25x at a minimum shooting distance of 72cm/28.3". An internal focusing mecha-nism assures rapid autofocusing for quick-actionshooting. Easy and comfortable to operate, the lensalso features a wide focus ring with auto clutch, and a focus hold button for positive focus lock during AF operation. With the light-gathering power of its F1.8 aperture and support for the Super SteadyShot®

image stabilization built into a series camera bodies,the Sonnar® T*135mm F1.8 ZA lets you enjoy available-light shooting to the fullest.

A versatile large-aperture telephoto lens of outstanding quality and brightness

Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z)● Image circle format: 35mm (18º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 202.5mm (12º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 11 elements in 8 groups● Aperture blades: 9 (circular aperture)● Minimum aperture: F22● Minimum focus distance: 0.72m / 28-3/8"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.25x● Filter size: 77mm● Lens hood: bayonet-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 88 x 114.5mm / 3-7/16 x 4-1/2"● Weight: approx. 995g / 2 lb 3.1 oz● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood, carrying case

(SAL135F18Z)

40 41

135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF

M mode, 1/60 sec., T5.6, ISO 100, Auto white balance

The 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF (SAL135F28) is a manualfocus 35mm format compatible lens that is truly in aleague of its own. With conventional lens design, it isextremely difficult to balance the demands of crisp,aberration-free imaging and smooth defocusing. But with this lens's unique STF (Smooth Transition Focus) design, these two conflicting goals are un-compromisingly achieved.

The lens consists of 8 elements arranged in 6 groups,with the fifth and sixth elements bonded together tocreate an apodization optical element that is mount-ed directly behind the aperture iris. It boasts excep-tionally high contrast and resolution that ensure ultra-crisp imaging, while the apodization optical elementsmoothes the transition between in-focus and out-of-focus areas of the image to offer distinctively richer,more refined defocusing of the foreground and background.

Ideal for portraits, landscapes, and close-up work, the135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF also features a circular steplessT4.5–6.7 manual aperture mechanism to enable finecontrol of imaging and defocusing characteristics.

A unique medium telephoto lens withdistinctively rich defocusing characteristics

135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF (SAL135F28)● Image circle format: 35mm (18º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 202.5mm (12º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 8 elements in 6 groups

(incl. 2 optical elements for apodization)● Aperture blades: 9 in auto mode, 10 in manual mode

(circular aperture)● Minimum aperture: F31 [T32] (T = Transmissive brightness)● Minimum focus distance: 0.87m / 34-1/4" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.25x● Filter size: 72mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 80 x 99mm / 3-1/8 x 3-7/8"● Weight: approx. 730g /1 lb 9.7 oz ● Teleconverter support● Included accessories: lens hood, carrying case

(SAL135F28)

42 43

300mm F2.8G


● ED glass

This superbly crafted lens offers the long-range tele-photo power you need to capture distant sports,wildlife, and landscape subjects. Built to the meticu-lous standards of our G series lenses, it boasts a bright,F2.8 aperture that lets you use faster shutter speeds,and an 8.1º angle of view that lets you zero-in on anarea 1/36th the size of the image area of a 50mm lens.With a minimum focusing distance of just 2.0m/78.7",you can even use it for portraits and close-ups.

Contrast and resolution are unparalleled, and threeED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass lens elements are incor-porated to thoroughly correct chromatic aberration.The lens is also equipped with a responsive SSM (SuperSonic wave Motor) autofocus drive system for precise,quiet focusing, as well as a focus hold button, an elec-tronic focus range limiter, and two DMF (Direct ManualFocus) modes: one that lets you fine-tune the focusmanually after autofocus has been achieved, andone that lets you adjust the focus manually anytime.

Bright, long-range telephoto power with quiet, responsive autofocusing

300mm F2.8G (SAL300F28G)● Image circle format: 35mm (8.1º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 450mm (5.2º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 13 elements in 12 groups (incl. one filter)● Aperture blades: 9 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F32● Minimum focus distance: 2.0m / 78-3/4" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.18x● Filter size: 42mm (with a dedicated filter)● Lens hood: clip-on-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 122 x 242.5mm /

4-13/16 x 9-9/16" ● Weight: approx. 2.310g / 5 lb 1.5 oz● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood, slot-in type circular polarizing filter,

lens strap, hard carrying case

(SAL300F28G)

44 45

500mm F8 Reflex

A mode, F8 (1/500 sec.), ISO 400, White balance: Daylight

The 500mm F8 Reflex (SAL500F80) isn't just compact, it'salso the first reflex lens to offer the speed and conve-nience of autofocusing. Its catadioptric design usesboth lenses and mirrors to pack 500mm telephotopower — equivalent to 750mm when mounted on anAPS-C format digital SLR — into a body 118mm/4.6"long, weighing only 665g/23.5 oz. Ideal for fieldworkon wilderness and nature assignments, or in any situa-tion where the photographer has to wait patiently forthe critical action but be ready to respond instantlywhen it happens. A focus-hold button is convenientlylocated on the side of the lens barrel for quick and reliable operation.

Reflex lenses are notable for their absence of chro-matic aberration, and the 500mm F8 Reflex is noexception. Color fidelity is excellent, with outstandingclarity and the distinctive ringed defocusing effectthat is the signature of reflex lens design. And sincereflex design eliminates the mechanical iris used tocontrol the aperture in most lenses, the amount of lightpassing through the lens is controlled via a set of snap-in neutral-density filters.

The ultra-compact super telephoto lensthat pioneered reflex-design autofocusing

500mm F8 Reflex (SAL500F80)● Image circle format: 35mm (5º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 750mm (3.1º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 7 elements in 5 groups (incl. 1 filter)● Aperture blades: none ● Minimum aperture: F8 (fixed)● Minimum focus distance: 4.0m / 157-1/2" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.13x● Filter size: 42mm (with a dedicated filter)● Lens hood: screw-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 89 x 118mm / 3-1/2 x 4-5/8"● Weight: approx. 665g / 1 lb 7.5 oz ● Included accessories: lens hood, snap-in ND filters

(SAL500F80)

46 47

50mm F2.8 Macro

A mode, F3.2 (1/80 sec.), +0.7EV, ISO 400, White balance: Shade

The 50mm F2.8 Macro (SAL50M28) is a 35mm formatcompatible lens that captures 1:1 life-size images withthe high contrast and resolution that are hallmarks of atruly great macro lens. A double floating mechanismminimizes aberrations across the focusing range toassure beautiful imaging from infinity down to the mini-mum shooting distance of 20cm/7.9". With naturallysmooth defocusing characteristics and compact,easy-handling versatility, it's a macro lens that's greatfor landscapes and snapshots, too.

The 50mm F2.8 Macro is designed for ease of use witheither auto or manual focusing. The wide focus ring iseasy to fine-tune manually, yet doesn't rotate andthrow your grip off when you're using autofocus. Afocus hold button and focus range limiter are also pro-vided to help you use autofocus in difficult situations.Whether you're shooting subjects close up or far away,you get mobility and framing versatility that 100mm-class telephoto macro lenses just can't match.

A compact and versatile macro lens with ultra-smooth defocusing

50mm F2.8 Macro (SAL50M28)● Image circle format: 35mm (47º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 75mm

(32ºangle of view) ● Lens configuration: 7 elements in 6 groups ● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F32 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.2m / 7-7/8" ● Max. magnification ratio: 1x ● Filter size: 55mm ● Lens hood: not included ● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 71.5 x 60mm / 2-13/16 x 2-3/8"● Weight: approx. 295g / 10.4 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)

(SAL50M28)

48 49

100mm F2.8 Macro

A mode, F7.1 (1/125 sec.), ISO 200, Auto white balance, Flash

The 100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28) is a medium tele-photo lens that provides amazingly sharp images, andthe working distance you need to use lighting setups,reflectors, and other advanced macrophotographytechniques. The increased working distance alsomakes it easier to get 1:1 life-size images of butterfliesand other small, camera-shy creatures. A doublefloating mechanism minimizes aberrations to ensurecrystal-clear imaging from infinity down to the mini-

mum shooting distance of 35cm/13.8", enabling thelens to perform as beautifully on portraits and land-scapes as it does on macro close-ups.

Like its 50mm sibling, the 100mm F2.8 Macro has awide, easy-to-rotate focus ring with auto clutch, afocus hold button, a focus range limiter, and is de-signed for smooth intuitive operation during auto and manual focusing.

A telephoto macro lens with a versatileand comfortable shooting distance

100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28)● Image circle format: 35mm (24º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 150mm (16º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 8 elements in 8 groups ● Aperture blades: 9 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F32 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.35m / 13-3/4" ● Max. magnification ratio: 1x ● Filter size: 55mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 75 x 98.5mm / 2-15/16 x 3-7/8" ● Weight: approx. 505g / 1 lb 1.8 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder) ● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL100M28)

50 51

DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6

A mode, F5.6 (1/30 sec.), +1.3EV, ISO 200, White balance: Daylight

● Aspherical element ● ED glass

DT

Developed specifically for APS-C format digital SLRcameras, the DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118) zoomoffers an angle of view equivalent to that of a 35mmformat, 16.5–27mm zoom lens. At 11mm it provides aspectacular 104º angle of view that goes beyond thelimits of human vision, with significantly enhanced per-spective that adds a sense of depth and drama to thescene. At 18mm it provides a more natural perspec-tive that is perfect for snapshots and general photo-graphy. With zoom capability, it's easy to manipulate

perspective to enhance the emotional impact of your photos.

Three aspherical elements and one ED (Extra-low Dis-persion) glass element are incorporated to suppressaberration, and flaring and ghosting have been minimized to ensure excellent contrast and qualityacross the zoom range. This lens also has a circularaperture for beautiful defocusing, and an internalfocusing mechanism for fast, responsive AF shooting.

A super wide-angle zoom for imaging beyond the limits of human vision

DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118)● Image circle format: APS-C● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 16.5mm – 27mm

(104º – 76º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 15 elements in 12 groups ● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture)● Minimum aperture: F22 – F29 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.25m / 9-13/16"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.125x ● Filter size: 77mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount petal● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 83 x 80.5mm / 3-1/4 x 3-3/16" ● Weight: approx. 360g / 12.7 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder) ● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL1118)

52 53

Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar® T* DT16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA

A mode, F6.3, (1/50 sec.) ISO 200, White balance: Daylight


DT

With its distinguished Carl Zeiss® pedigree, this fast-response zoom concentrates superb all-round opticalperformance in a single, easy-to-carry lens. Devel-oped specifically to match the imaging characteris-tics of APS-C format digital SLR cameras, it offers anangle of view equivalent to that of a 35mm format,24–120mm zoom lens. Carl Zeiss® T* coatings ensuresuperb clarity and light transmission, with contrast thatrivals many fixed focal length lenses across the entirezoom range. Amazingly compact despite its impres-sive 5x zoom power, the Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mmF3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z) is an all-round lens that you'llwant to carry everywhere.

Another unique appeal of this lens is its wide-anglecapability. Whereas most standard zooms stop at28mm, this one offers the equivalent of 24mm — andat that focal length, it's like having an extra lens!Constructed of 14 elements in 10 groups, the lensmaintains consistent quality throughout the image,with aberration and distortion effectively compensat-ed by the inclusion of two molded glass asphericalelements. A wide focus ring assures easy manualfocusing, and an auto clutch mechanism prevents the ring from rotating during autofocus operation.

A standard zoom lens with an impeccable pedigree

Vario-Sonnar® T* DT16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z)● Image circle format: APS-C ● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 24mm – 120mm (83º – 20º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 14 elements in 10 groups● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture)● Minimum aperture: F22 – F29● Minimum focus distance: 0.35m / 13-3/4"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.24x● Filter size: 62mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount petal● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 72 x 83mm / 2-13/16 x 3-1/4"● Weight: approx. 445g / 15.7 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood, lens case

(SAL1680Z)

54 55

DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6

M mode, 1/500 sec., F8, ISO 200, Auto white balance, flash


DT

The DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870) is specificallydesigned to match the imaging characteristics ofAPS-C format digital SLRs, and offers a zoom rangeequivalent to that of a 35mm format, 27–105mm lens.It's an exceptionally versatile range that packs wide-angle, standard, and telephoto lens capabilities into a single, compact unit, allowing you to experimentfreely with the fundamental photographic elementsof perspective, angle of view, and depth of field. From wide-angle landscapes with rich perspectiveand depth, to telephoto portraits with compressedperspective and beautiful background defocusing, the DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 really delivers.

Given the capabilities of this lens, its compact, light-weight design comes as a welcome surprise. With oneaspherical and one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass ele-ment, effective compensation is provided for chro-matic aberration and other types of distortion, ensur-ing sharpness and clarity right across the focal lengthrange. The minimum focusing distance of 0.38m/15" issufficient for standard close-up work, and the circularaperture lets you create satisfying defocused effectsbehind and around portraits, and in night scenes thatinclude pinpoint light sources.

A classic all-round zoom with wide, standard, and telephoto angles of view

DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870)● Image circle format: APS-C ● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 27mm – 105mm

(76º – 23º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 11 elements in 9 groups ● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture)● Minimum aperture: F22 – F36 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.38m / 14-15/16"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.25x ● Filter size: 55mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 66 x 77mm / 2-5/8 x 3" ● Weight: approx. 235g / 8.3 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder) ● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL1870)

56 57

DT 18–200mm F3.5–6.3

A mode, F6.3 (1/500 sec.), -0.3EV, ISO 100, White balance: Daylight


DT

When you want to travel light and shoot a variety of subjects without having to change lenses, the wide zoom coverage of the DT 18–200mm F3.5–6.3(SAL18200) delivers all the quality and flexibility youneed. Specifically designed for APS-C format digitalSLRs, it offers a focal length range equivalent to that of a 35mm format, 27–300mm lens, enabling you to move easily from taking long-range telephotoclose-ups to shooting portraits, group photos, and indoor scenes.

Constructed of 15 elements in 13 groups, the lensincludes three aspherical elements and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements to correct aberrationand assure clear, color-accurate images with excel-lent resolution and contrast across the entire zoomrange. Flaring and ghosting are also suppressed, andan internal focusing mechanism enables any focallength setting to be used at the minimum shooting dis-tance of 45cm/17.7". Add the smooth defocusing andsnappy AF response that this lens offers, and you'vegot a combination that's tough to beat.

A high-quality one-lens solution that's ready for any challenge

DT 18–200mm F3.5–6.3 (SAL18200)● Image circle format: APS-C ● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 27mm – 300mm (76º – 8º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 15 elements in 13 groups● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F22 – F40 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.45m /

17-11/16" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.27x ● Filter size: 62mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount petal● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 73 x 85.5mm / 2-7/8 x 3-3/8"● Weight: approx. 405g / 14.3 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL18200)

58 59

24–105mm F3.5–4.5

A mode, F7.1 (1/200 sec.), -0.3EV, ISO 200, White balance: Daylight


The 24–105mm F3.5–4.5 (SAL24105) is a 35mm formatcompatible lens that packs versatile zoom perfor-mance into an ultra-compact body just 69mm/2.7"long. Offering the focal length equivalent of 36–157.5mm when it is mounted on an APS-C format digital SLR, this lens makes it easy to compose just the portrait, snapshot or landscape image you want.

A 7-blade circular aperture assures beautiful back-ground defocusing, and two aspherical elements helpmaintain excellent image quality over the entire zoomrange by compensating for comatic aberration thatcan cause comet-shaped distortion of off-axis pointlight sources. In addition, the aspherical elements alsoreduce flaring and enable more compact lens design.An internal focusing mechanism improves AF responsetime and handling by eliminating the need to extendand retract the barrel when focusing, and a widefocus ring and auto clutch allow you to switch bet-ween automatic and manual focusing with ease.

A 35mm format standard zoom lens with ultra-compact handling ease

24–105mm F3.5–4.5 (SAL24105)● Image circle format: 35mm (84º – 23º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 36mm – 157.5mm (61º – 15º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 12 elements in 11 groups● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F22 – F27 ● Minimum focus distance: 0.5m / 19-11/16"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.18x ● Filter size: 62mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount petal● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 71 x 69mm / 2-13/16 x 2-11/16" ● Weight: approx. 395g / 13.9 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL24105)

60 61

70–200mm F2.8 G

A mode, F11 (1/8 sec.), -0.7EV, ISO 100, White balance: Daylight

● ED glass

The large-aperture 70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200) is a 35mm format compatible telephoto zoom lensdesigned to meet the demands of photographerswho are uncompromising in their pursuit of imageexcellence. Constructed of 19 elements in 16 groups,including four ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elementsto rigorously compensate for chromatic aberration, itoffers superb sharpness and contrast across its widefocal length and aperture range. The aperture's large-diameter 9-blade circular iris provides rich, portrait-quality foreground and background defocusing thatattracts the viewer's attention on the main subject.

An internal focusing system and built-in SSM (SuperSonic wave Motor) enable quiet, responsive auto-focusing, with a minimum shooting distance of1.2m/47.2" for truly dramatic close-ups. The lens alsofeatures three focus hold buttons, an electronic focusrange limiter, and two DMF (Direct Manual Focus)modes: one that lets you fine-tune the focus manuallyafter autofocus has been achieved, and one that letsyou adjust the focus manually anytime. A detachabletripod mount and a petal-shaped lens hood with a slotto enable polarizing filter rotation are also provided.

A bright, powerful telephoto zoom built to the highest optical standards

70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G)● Image circle format: 35mm (34.12º – 30º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR: approx. 105mm – 300mm

(23º – 8º angle of view) ● Lens configuration: 19 elements in 16 groups ● Aperture blades: 9 (circular aperture) ● Minimum aperture: F32 ● Minimum focus distance: 1.2m / 47-1/4" ● Max. magnification ratio: 0.21x ● Filter size: 77mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount petal ● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 87 x 196.5mm /

3-7/16 x 7-3/4" ● Weight: approx. 1.340g / 2 lb 15.3 oz (without tripod mount) ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder) ● Teleconverter support ● Included accessories: lens hood, lens case

(SAL70200G)

62 63

75–300mm F4.5–5.6

M mode, 1/250 sec., F5.6, ISO 200, Auto White Balance

For subjects that cannot be approached, eitherbecause of distance or inaccessibility, this powerful35mm format compatible telephoto zoom is the perfect solution. Offering a zoom range equivalent to 112.5–450mm when mounted on an APS-C formatdigital SLR, it captures your compositions with naturalperspective at the low end of its zoom range, and withdramatically compressed perspective at the high end.This versatile performance makes it suitable for every-thing from sports and wildlife to landscapes and candidsnapshots. And with a minimum shooting distance ofjust 1.5m/59" and maximum magnification of 0.25x, it lets you produce stunning, full-frame close-ups with ease.

Built for easy portability and comfortable handling,the 75–300mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL75300) features 13 ele-ments in 10 groups, a distance encoder for ADI flashmetering, and a 7-blade circular aperture for crispimaging and beautiful defocusing. Team it with a second zoom lens in the wide-angle to standard focal length range, and you've got a two-lens combo that can handle virtually any subject you're likely to encounter.

A telephoto zoom lens of awesome versatility and power

75–300mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL75300)● Image circle format: 35mm (32º – 8.1º angle of view)● Focal length equivalent when mounted on an APS-C format DSLR:

approx. 112.5mm – 450mm (21º – 5.2º angle of view)● Lens configuration: 13 elements in 10 groups● Aperture blades: 7 (circular aperture)● Minimum aperture: F32 – F38● Minimum focus distance: 1.5m / 59"● Max. magnification ratio: 0.25x● Filter size: 55mm ● Lens hood: bayonet-mount round● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 71 x 122mm / 2-13/16 x 4-13/16"● Weight: approx. 460g / 1 lb 0.2 oz ● ADI flash metering support (distance encoder)● Included accessories: lens hood

(SAL75300)

64 65

1.4x Teleconverter

70–200mm F2.8G (SAL70200G) with 1.4x Teleconverter (SAL14TC), M mode, 1/500 sec., F5, ISO 100, Auto white balance

1.4x Teleconverter (SAL14TC)● Image circle format: 35mm ● Lens configuration: 5 elements in 4 groups● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 64 x 20mm / 2-1/2 x 3/4"● Weight: approx. 170g / 6 oz● ADI flash metering support ● Included accessories: lens case

Light, compact, and easy to use, teleconvertersextend the focal length of the primary lens and sig-nificantly enhance your ability to capture distant subjects. Although the 1.4x teleconverter (SAL14TC)reduces the light-gathering power of the lens it isattached to by one f-stop, it boosts lens power signifi-cantly enough to make it a cost-effective and practi-cal alternative to carrying a bulky super-telephoto lens.

Designed for use with the 70–200mm F2.8 G(SAL70200G), 300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G), and135mm F2.8F [T4.5] STF (SAL135F28), the 1.4x telecon-verter respectively converts these three lenses into anautofocus 98–280mm F4.0 telephoto zoom, an auto-focus 420mm F4 super-telephoto, and a manual focus189mm F4 [T6.3] STF mediumtelephoto lens. Becausethe minimum shooting distance of the primary lensdoes not change, magnification is increased by 1.4x,making this teleconverter a great tool for close-upshots, too.

An affordable and compact addition for powerful super-telephoto shooting

(SAL14TC)

66 67

2x Teleconverter (SAL20TC)● Image circle format: 35mm ● Lens configuration: 6 elements in 5 groups● Dimensions (max. diameter x length): 64 x 43.5mm / 2-1/2 x 1-11/16"● Weight: approx. 200g / 7.1 oz● ADI flash metering support● Included accessories: lens case

2x Teleconverter

70–200mm F2.8G (SAL70200G) with 2x Teleconverter (SAL20TC), A mode, F6.3 (1/500 sec.), -0.3EV, ISO 200, White balance: Daylight

This 2x teleconverter (SAL20TC) is compatible with the same three a lenses as the 1.4x teleconverter(SAL14TC) — extending their focal length for stunningresults in sports, nature, and close-up photography,while minimizing the number of lenses you need tocarry. The 70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G) becomes an autofocus 140–400mm F5.6 super-telephoto zoom,the 300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G) becomes an auto-focus 600mm F5.6 super-telephoto, and the 135mmF2.8 [4.5] STF (SAL135F28) becomes a manual-focus270mm F5.6 [T9.0] telephoto lens.

Because the minimum shooting distance of the pri-mary lens remains the same, the 2x teleconverter alsoeffectively doubles the lens's magnification. In thecase of a lens like the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF, which nor-mally offers 0.25x magnification, this means you getundiminished image quality with impressive 0.5x mag-nification. And although the maximum aperture ofyour primary lens is reduced by two f-stops when usinga 2x teleconverter, you can overcome the problem ofcamera shake simply by boosting ISO sensitivity andutilizing the Super SteadyShot® image stabilization system built into your a System camera body.

A fast, easy answer to the quest for even greater telephoto power

(SAL20TC)

68 69

Carl Zeiss® lenses

Take the unrivalled optical skills of renowned lens-maker Carl Zeiss® . . . add Sony's world-leading ex-pertise in digital imaging systems . . . and you've got a winning combination that is providing today's digitalSLR photographers with access to brilliant new stand-ards of image quality.

The a series lineup already includes three high-perfor-mance lenses that are a product of this collaboration:the Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA (SAL85F14Z), the Sonnar®

T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z), and the Vario-Sonnar®

T* DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z).All three cancapture the subtlest details of the subject in clear,sharp images with authentic color rendition and su-perb background defocusing. Textures are revealedwith a clarity that is almost tangible, while highlightsand shadow areas that other lenses present with littleor no definition are captured with extraordinary pre-cision as a well-defined, clearly discernible tonal gra-dations. Delivering consistently accurate and reliableperformance at every focal length they cover, theseoutstanding lenses put the no-compromise qualitydemanded by professionals firmly in the hands of a System users.

A beautiful union of craftsmanship andhigh technology, brought to you exclusively by Carl Zeiss® and Sony

Digital SLR basics072–089

73

Digital SLR basics

72

1

Single-lens reflex cameras, commonly referred to asSLR cameras, are fundamentally different from point-and-shoot compact cameras in that they use inter-changeable lenses. This is probably the single greatestadvantage of SLR photography, because the abilityto change lenses means you have much greater cre-ative control over how your photos look.

Basically, a digital SLR camera consists of a body andone or more interchangeable lenses. The camerabody contains the image sensor and the viewfinderthrough which you look to frame your subject, as wellas the various mechanisms and electronic compo-nents needed to measure light values, control theshutter speed, and operate the shutter. The lens, onthe other hand, contains the optical elements that

determine the lens's performance characteristics, andan aperture mechanism, often referred to as an iris ordiaphragm, which controls the size of the openingthrough which the light passes. Although the auto-focusing mechanism on many lenses is driven by amotor in the camera body, some lenses contain anautofocus drive motor of their own.

When you aim a digital SLR camera at your subject,light rays reflected from the subject pass through thecamera lens, where they are composed into animage that is projected onto a mirror positioned at a45° angle in front of the camera's image sensor. Themirror reflects this image up into a glass pentaprism/pentamirror on the top of the camera body where it is redirected to the viewfinder eyepiece. Since the

left/right orientation of the image gets reversed whenit reflects off the mirror, the pentaprism/pentamirroralso flips the image on the horizontal axis so that itappears in the viewfinder the same way it does to the naked eye.

Regardless of the aperture setting you use when youactually take a photo, the iris mechanism in the lensremains in the full-open position until the moment ofshutter release to provide the brightest possibleviewfinder image while you compose your shot. If youare taking a photo at the maximum aperture setting,the iris stays in the full-open position when the shutter is released; if not, then the blades of the iris extend,reducing the size of the aperture to achieve thedesired setting. At the same time, the mirror in the

camera body swings up out of the way, and the shut-ter in front of the image sensor opens to allow lightfrom the lens to strike the sensor. When the light hasbeen captured by the sensor, the shutter closes, themirror returns to its original position, and the iris bladesretract, returning the aperture to full-open position.

This complex series of actions is executed the instantyou press the shutter button, and is fundamental to SLRphotography. But the important thing is that the sceneyou see in the viewfinder is essentially identical to theimage that is delivered to the image sensor. Regard-less of the lens you choose to shoot with, the scene yousee and the scene the camera records are the same.

How an SLR camera worksThe SLR difference: interchangeable lenses let you call the shots Designed for better imaging: the a System difference

Main mirrorReflects the image com-posed by the lens up into the viewfinder penta-prism/pentamirror.

Pentaprism/pentamirrorCorrects the left/right orientation of the image reversedby the mirror and directs it to the viewfinder eyepiece.

ViewfinderProvides a clear, real-imageview of the subject that isessentially identical to theimage that will be capturedby the sensor.

Image sensorCaptures the image formedby the lens, performing thesame role that film plays in aconventional film camera.

Aperture irisControls the amount of light reaching the sensor, andplays a central role in determining depth of field andother imaging characteristics.

Focusing screen

Aperture iris (full-open aperture)

Pentaprism/pentamirror

Shutter

Mirror

Viewfinder

Image sensor

Focusing screen

Aperture iris (shooting aperture)

Pentaprism/pentamirror

Shutter

Viewfinder

Image sensor

1) Subject image to viewfinderThe mirror and pentaprism/pentamirror direct the subject image tothe viewfinder eyepiece, enabling accurate framing and focusingregardless of the lens attached.

2) Subject image to image sensorWhen the shutter is released, the mirror flips up to allow the subjectimage to fall on the image sensor.

Lens mountThe lens mount is the inter-face that connects thelens to the camera body.Precision-machined sur-faces ensure positivemounting, with mechani-cal and electronic con-tacts for accurate auto-focusing, aperture control,and data exchange. Therim of the mount is finishedin the a System's signa-ture color, cinnabar.

Lockingpin hole

Electrical contacts

Lens Camera body AF coupler

Aperture lever

Alignmentmark

Electrical contacts

Alignmentmark

Mirror

Locking pin

Aperture lever

AF coupler

74 75

Digital SLR basics

Shutter speedFast Slow

Focal lengthShort (wide-angle) Long (telephoto)

MagnificationLow High

2 Body-integrated image stabilizationSuper SteadyShot® Inside: body-integrated camera shake protection with any a lens Super SteadyShot® is the key to blur-free low-light, telephoto and macro shooting

Even if you're new to digital photography, today'sadvanced cameras make it relatively easy to takecorrectly focused and exposed photos. But there will still be times when you enlarge a photo that youthought was going to be a winner, and discover that,in fact, the image is quite blurry. This blurring is usuallycaused by camera shake, which even the steadiesthand can find hard to overcome at slow shutterspeeds and the higher magnifications of telephotoand macro shooting.

To prevent blurring caused by camera shake, the gen-erally accepted rule of thumb is to use a shutter speed

at least as fast as "1 divided by the focal length." Thismeans that to prevent blurring when the focal lengthof the lens is 50mm, you should use a shutter speed of1/60 sec. or faster. And when shooting at a focallength of 100mm, you should use a shutter speed of1/125 sec. or faster.

Of course you can try to prevent camera shake simplyby being careful to hold the camera steady and usingfaster shutter speeds, or by using a tripod. But thosesolutions are not always an option. The light may betoo dim to allow the use of fast shutter speeds, andeven if a tripod is available, there may not be time

to set it up. That's why image stabilization systems areso useful.

Although it is possible to compensate for camerashake optically, within the lens, this increases theweight, size, and cost of the lens considerably. A moreefficient approach is to integrate image stabilizationdirectly into the camera body, so that its benefits canbe enjoyed with all lenses. And that's the approachthe Super SteadyShot® system takes. With the SuperSteadyShot image stabilization system, two gyro sen-sors and actuators are integrated into the camerabody. When camera shake is detected, the actuators

instantly shift the camera's image sensor in the oppo-site direction to compensate for the motion. Althoughthe stabilizing effect varies according to the lens andshooting conditions, it is generally effective enough toallow shooting at shutter speeds up to 3.5 steps slowerthan would otherwise be possible.

A slow shutter speed of 1/8 sec. was needed to capture the sense of dynamic motionin the stream above. With Super SteadyShot image stabilization on, only the surfaceof the flowing water is blurred; with image stabilization off, the entire image is blurred.

No camera shake blurSuper SteadyShot ON

Entire image blurredSuper SteadyShot OFF

High-power telephoto shots are particularly susceptible to blurring caused by camerashake, but with the Super SteadyShot system you can enjoy the benefits of image stabilization with any a lens, from wide-angle to telephoto.

No camera shake blurSuper SteadyShot ON

Entire image blurredSuper SteadyShot OFF

Camera shake vs. shutter speed, focal length and magnificationSlow shutter speeds, long focal lengths, and high magnificationsall increase the risk of blurring caused by camera shake. Althoughyou may be able to reduce the risk somewhat by increasing ISO sensitivity or opening the aperture, Super SteadyShotimage stabilization provides a wider margin of safety in all three cases.

Camera shake risk

Low risk High risk

Low-light shootingIndoor shots, night scenes, and other low-lightshooting situations that require the use of slow-er shutter speeds inevitably increase the risk ofcamera shake.

Telephoto shootingTelephoto lenses enable you to take close-upshots of distant subjects, but the risk of camerashake increases significantly at longer focallengths.

Macro shootingMacro lenses enable you to take truly dramat-ic close-ups, but the higher magnificationincreases the risk of camera shake and motion blurring.

77

Digital SLR basics

76

Focal length is the distancefrom the optical center of thelens to the focal plane when asubject at infinity is in focus. Theangle of view, also known asthe picture angle, is measuredin degrees of arc and deter-mines how much of the scenecan be included in the frame.

The a System includes DT series lenses that arespecifically designed for use with APS-C format digi-tal SLR cameras, and 35mm format lenses that canbe used with both 35mm format SLR cameras andAPS-C format digital SLR cameras. Because theimage circle of the 35mm format is approximately1.5 times larger than the image circle of the APS-Cformat (43.3mm vs. 29mm), the equivalent focallength of a 35mm format lens mounted on an APS-Cformat camera body is approximately 1.5 timesgreater than the nominal focal length of the lens.

Another way to look at it is to consider the image area of the tworespective formats. The image area of the traditional 35mm format is36 x 24mm, whereas the size of an APS-C type image sensor is 23.6 x15.8mm. This means that when a 35mm format lens is mounted on anAPS-C format camera, the camera only 'sees' the central portion ofthe image, effectively cropping the image to a smaller field of viewthat is equivalent to what a lens with a 1.5x longer focal length wouldproduce on a 35mm format camera.

The four photos shown here were takenfrom the same point, but at different focallengths to demonstrate how focal lengthaffects the angle of view, the size of thesubject in the frame, and the apparent per-spective. The conceptual chart at the leftshows the correlation between focal lengthand angle of view when shooting with anAPS-C format digital SLR.

At 200mm focal length

104°

76°

61°

44°

32°

16°

5°20

3°10

8°

11mm

18mm

24mm

35mm

50mm

100mm

300mm

500mm

200mm

,

,

Focal length(mm)

(with lens mounted on an APS-C format digital SLR)

Angle of view(degrees)

At 100mmfocal length



3 Focal lengthUnderstanding of focal length: a guide to intelligent lens selection Nominal focal length vs. equivalent focal length

One of the greatest attractions of SLR photography isthe wide variety of lenses you can use to shoot with.But which one should you choose? Since the choiceof lens will vary according to your shooting situationand creative intent, it's not always easy to know whichone to pick. But focal length plays a key role in deter-mining lens performance, and a thorough undestand-ing of the subject will help you make the right choice.

Basic lens specifications are inscribed on the front ofevery a lens. On the front of the DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6

(SAL1870) zoom lens, for example, the inscriptionreads: "DT3.5–5.6/18–70 0.38m/1.3ft MACRO ø55." TheDT prefix indicates that the lens is specifically designedfor use with APS-C format digital SLRs, and the num-bers 3.5–5.6 indicate the maximum aperture (f-stopsetting) possible at the shortest and longest focallengths, which are 18mm and 70mm, respectively. The0.38m/1.3ft designation indicates the minimum focus-ing distance of the lens in meters and feet, and ø55indicates filter size, in millimeters, that the lens accepts.

Lenses are generally categorized according to theirfocal length because the focal length determines thearea of the image captured (angle of view), and cansignificantly effect depth of field and apparent per-spective. The most common such categories aresuper-wide angle, wide-angle, standard, medium-telephoto, telephoto, and super telephoto, althoughmacro and other special-purpose lenses are some-times treated as a separate category. Zoom lensesare categorized in the same way according to thefocal length range they cover.

In optical terms, focal length is defined as the dis-tance in millimeters from the optical center of a lens tothe focal plane (image sensor plane) when a subjectat infinity is in sharp focus. The size of the subject andthe area covered vary according to the focal length;at short focal lengths the subject appears smaller butthe angle of view is wider; at long focal lengths the su-bject appears larger but the angle of view is narrower.

Focal plane (image sensor plane)

Angle of view(measured diagonally)

Focal length

Optical center of lensThe specifications inscribed on the front ofeach lens are always stated in terms of the35mm format. To determine the equivalentview when the lens is mounted on an APS-Cformat digital SLR, multiply the stated focallength by 1.5.

Angle of view with a 35mm format SLR

Angle of view with an APS-C format digital SLR

Focal plane (image sensor plane) 35mm format SLR image circle (ø43.3mm)

APS-C format digital SLR image circle (ø29mm)

APS-C format digital SLR image area (23.6 x 15.8mm)

35mm format SLR image area (36 x 24mm)

Image captured by a 35mm format SLR

47° angle of view

Optical center of lens

Focal length (50mm)

Focal plane

32° angle of view

Image captured by an APS-C format digital SLR

79

Digital SLR basics

78

104° 76°

44° 32°

12° 8°

61° 54°

23° 16°

5° 20, ,

3° 10

4

If you mount a zoom lens on an SLR camera and zoomin while looking through the viewfinder, your view ofthe world narrows, and details of the scene in front ofyou seem to grow in size dramatically. These changesare a direct result of the changes in focal length youmake when you rotate the zoom ring. When you zoomin or out, the most noticeable difference is the changein the angle of view. The angle of view tells you how

much of a scene can be covered by the lens at a par-ticular focal length. It is expressed in degrees and isgenerally measured diagonally. The twelve picturesabove were taken from the same point at different focallengths to demonstrate how the angle of view changes.

At shorter focal lengths, the area of the scene thatcan be captured is larger and the elements that

make up the scene appear smaller. At longer focallengths, the reverse is true: the area that can be cap-tured is smaller and the elements that make up thescene appear larger.

Lenses that offer an angle of view of about 47 degreesare commonly referred to as standard lenses becausethe view they offer is very similar to what can be seen

with the naked eye. By the same token, zoom lensesthat include this angle of view in their focal lengthrange are referred to as standard zoom lenses. TheDT18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870) zoom lens, which hasan angle of view that ranges from 23° to 76°, is a goodexample of a standard zoom lens.

Focal length and angle of viewFocal length lets you control angle of view and magnification

Focal length11mm(16.5mm)Angle of view



Focal length18mm(27mm)Angle of view









Focal length figures in parentheses indicate the equivalent focal length that will be obtained when shooting with an APS-C format digital SLR.

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104° 76°

23° 16°

61° 32°

8° 5° 20,

Full-frame view of image taken at 28mm Central portion of image taken at 28mm Full-frame view of image taken at 100mm

5

Perspective refers to the apparent relative distanceand position of the elements in a scene. In a photo-graph, if the distance between foreground and back-ground elements appears greater than it does to thenaked eye, we say the perspective seems exaggerat-ed. If, on the other hand, the distance appears to beless than it does to the naked eye, we say the per-spective seems compressed.

Understanding perspective can be tricky, though,because it is intimately connected with human per-ception and how our brains process visual information.In the previous section, Focal length and angle of view(pp. 78–79), the 12 sample photos showed how theangle of view changes with focal length. But whatabout perspective? Although there may appear tobe a difference in perspective, as the three photos atthe bottom of the following page (p. 81) show, there isactually none.

So how can perspective be controlled? The answer isto change both focal length and shooting distance. Inthe sample photos above, the photographer movedfarther away from the subject each time the focallength was increased. As a result, the size of the younggirl in the foreground remains constant, but the size ofthe elements in the background increases.

In the first photo in the series, taken at focal length of11mm, the perspective seems exaggerated and theyoung girl appears to be standing quite far away fromthe buildings and sidewalk café behind her. But in thelast photo, taken at 300mm, the perspective seemscompressed and the young girl appears to be stand-ing almost level with the café's signboard.

By experimenting with various focal lengths and shoot-ing distances, you can learn to control perspective atwill, and use it to enhance the expressiveness and cre-ativity of your photographs.

Focal length and apparent perspectiveFocal length and shooting distance let you control apparent perspective









Focal length figures in parentheses indicates the equivalent focal length that will be obtained when shooting with an APS-C format digital SLR.

Photos taken at different focal lengths will have the same apparent perspective if the subject distance is the same. If you compare the central portion of an image taken at 28mm with a full-frame view of an image taken from the same point at 100mm,you can see that the perspective remains constant.

Digital SLR basics

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6

Depth of field is a term that refers to the extent towhich things in front of and behind the actual focuspoint will be in focus. When the depth of field isextremely shallow, only things that are in the sameplane as the focus point will be in sharp focus; fore-ground and background elements will appear blurryand out of focus. When depth of field is relativelydeep, foreground and background elements within acertain range of the main subject will also be in focus.It's also important to note that, generally speaking,approximately one-third of this zone of sharp focus is in front of the focus point, and approximately two-thirds of it are behind the focus point.

Depth of field is affected by the aperture setting, focallength, and shooting distance. In the case of the aper-ture setting, smaller apertures (larger f-stop numbers)increase depth of field, and larger apertures (smaller f-stop numbers) decrease depth of field. On a lenswith an aperture range of F1.4 to F22, opening theaperture up to F1.4 results in a shallow depth of field,and narrowing the aperture to F22 results in a deepdepth of field.

In the case of focal length, depth of field is deeper atshorter focal lengths and shallower at longer focallengths. And assuming that the aperture and focal

length remain constant, the depth of field is deeper atlong shooting distances, and shallower at short shoot-ing distances.

Once you understand the relationship between thesevarious factors, you can use them to manipulatedepth of field to suit your creative intent and subjectmatter. If you are taking a portrait photo, for example,you will probably want to use a lens with a relativelylong focal length, such as a medium telephoto lens,and shoot at a large aperture to defocus the back-ground and make your subject stand out. If, on theother hand, you are taking a scenic photo, you

will probably want to use a lens with a relatively short focal length and shoot at a small aperture to ensure as much of the scene as possible is in sharp focus.

Depth of fieldDepth of field: the key to controlling how much of a scene is in focus The ABCs of depth of field: aperture, focal length and shooting distance

Depth of field determines the extent to which things in front of andbehind the actual focus point will appear in focus. In this shot, the photographer focused on the second glass from the left.

24–105mm F3.5-4.5 (SAL24105),A mode, F6.3 (1/100sec.), ISO 100, White balance; Daylight

ApertureLarge (smaller f-stop numbers) Small (larger f-stop numbers)

Focal lengthLong (telephoto) Short (wide-angle)

Shooting distanceShort Long

Depth of field vs. aperture / focal length / shooting distanceAperture, focal length, and shooting distance can all affectdepth of field significantly. By understanding the role thesefactors play, you can control the extent to which various elements in the frame are in or out of focus.

Depth of field

Shallow Deep

Wide-angle lens at small aperture(deep depth of field)A landscape photo like the one above is atypical example of a situation in which youwant a deep depth of field to ensure overallsharpness of the image. In this case, a relative-ly wide-angle lens set to a smaller aperture(larger f-stop number) will help you achieveyour creative goals.

Telephoto lens at large aperture(shallow depth of field)For wildlife photography and situations whereyou want your subject to stand out from thebackground, the shallow depth of field of atelephoto or super-telephoto lens set to a larg-er aperture (smaller f-stop number) will helpyou defocus the background to make themain subject stand out.

Macro lens at close range(shallow depth of field)At the extremely short shooting distances typi-cal of macro photography, depth of field isinherently very shallow. If you want to empha-size this even more you can use a larger aper-ture setting (smaller f-stop number) to ensurethat only limited part of your subject is in focus.

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35mm F1.4 G (SAL35F14G) at F1.4 35mm F1.4 G (SAL35F14G) at F22 100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28) at approx. 0.6m shooting distance 100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28) at approx. 1.2m shooting distance

7 Utilizing depth of fieldManipulating depth of field to achieve your creative goals

As explained in the preceding section (pp. 82-83),aperture plays a significant role in controlling depth offield. In an actual shooting situation, however, focallength and shooting distance are likely to be your firstpriority because it is these two factors that determinethe composition of your shot. If your subject is a far-away mountain range, for example, the long shootingdistance assures deep depth of field even if you use atelephoto lens with a shallow depth of field. And if yoursubject is very close to the camera, the depth of fieldwill be shallow and the background will be defocusedeven if you use a wide-angle lens with a deep depthof field. Furthermore, if the distance from your mainsubject to the background is very short, you will findbackground defocusing difficult to achieve even witha large-aperture telephoto lens. So although aper-ture-based depth of field control is an extremely pow-erful creative tool, you should remember that theshooting situation itself may limit the degree to which it can be effectively used.

Depth of field and defocusing are inversely related: as depth of field increases, background defocusingbecomes harder to achieve, and as depth of fielddecreases, background defocusing becomes easierto achieve. So consider your creative goals, andselect a lens and aperture setting that will let you getthe results you seek. If you want to include as muchbackground detail as possible, use the smallest possi-ble aperture, and if you want to defocus the back-ground to make it less distracting, use the largest possi-ble aperture. With telephoto lenses, also pay attentionto the distance from your subject to the background;the longer the distance, the greater the degree ofdefocusing. If you prefer less defocusing, use a smalleraperture and increase the shooting distance by mov-ing away from your main subject. On macro shots,extremely short shooting distances can make thedepth of field so shallow that you will need to use asmall aperture if you want to ensure that all of yourmain subject is in focus.

Changing aperture setting to vary the depth of fieldThese two photos of a chessboard were shot from the same distanceand at the same focal length, but with different aperture settings. At F1.4 the depth of field is so shallow that everything in front of andbehind the focus point is defocused, while at F22, the other chesspieces and the furniture in the background are more fully defined.

Changing the shooting distance to vary the depth of fieldThese two macro photos of a poppy flower were taken at the sameaperture setting and focal length, but from different distances. As youcan see, the depth of field is shallower and background defocusing ismuch more pronounced in the shot taken from 0.6m than in the shottaken from 1.2m.

75–300mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL75300) at 300mm, F5.6 DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870) at 50mm, F5.6

Changing the focal length to vary the depth of fieldThe two photos above were shot at the same aperture setting, but at different focal lengths. (For purposes of comparison, shooting dis-tance was also adjusted to ensure that the composition of the twophotos is the same.) As you can see, the depth of field is shallowerand background defocusing is much more pronounced in the shottaken at 300mm than in the shot taken at 50mm.

86 87

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The ability to capture stunning, high-quality macroimages at very close range is another advantage ofSLR photography. But how close you can actually getto your subject depends on the minimum shooting distance of the lens you are using. Most lenses aredesigned to meet the needs of general photographyand achieve their highest performance in the middleto far distance. As such, their minimum shooting dis-tance is usually about 10 times their focal length. The50mm F1.4 (SAL50F14), for example, has 45cm/17.7"minimum shooting distance.

Macro lenses, on the other hand, are specificallydesigned for close-up shooting performance. The

50mm F2.8 Macro (SAL50M28), for example, has a min-imum shooting distance of 20cm/7.9". making it possi-ble to get much closer to your subject than you canwith a normal lens. And although it produces trulybeautiful macro images, it is by no means limited toclose-up shooting, and is an excellent choice for por-trait and landscape photos, too.

The maximum magnification ratio of a macro lens in-dicates the magnification of the lens at its minimumshooting distance, and is a key indicator of close-upperformance. A maximum magnification ratio of0.25x, for example, indicates that an object 4cm in sizewill be captured by the camera's image sensor at a

size of 1cm. Both the 50mm F2.8 Macro and the100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28) feature a maximummagnification ratio of 1x that enables them to pro-duce life-size images. Compared to the maximummagnification ratio of 0.15x offered by a standard lenslike the 50mm F1.4, the difference in close-up capa-bility is evident.

Although the minimum shooting distance and themaximum magnification ratio are both importantmeasures of macro performance, in practice it is theminimum shooting distance that should guide you inyour choice of lens. If your objective is to take photosof butterflies or other insects and small living creatures,

a lens with a slightly longer minimum shooting distancewill allow you to shoot from farther away and reducethe likelihood that your subject will be frightenedaway. With the 50mm F2.8 Macro and the 100mm F2.8Macro, you can obtain impressive 1x life-size imagesfrom distances of about 20cm/ 7.9" and 35cm/13.8",respectively. Just choose the one that suits the shoot-ing situation best.

Macro shootingConsider minimum shooting distance and magnification when choosing a macro lens Move in close to maximize magnification and visual impact

With the life-size imaging capabilities of a dedicated, high-perfor-mance macro lens, you can turn everyday objects into strikingly original and artistic photos.

Magnification ratio: life size (1x)

Magnification ratiosThe magnification ratio is the ratio between the actual size of an objectand the size it will be when captured by the image sensor at the mini-mum shooting distance.

Magnification ratio: 0.5x

Working distance (approx. 5cm/2" at 1x magnification)

Minimum shooting distance (approx. 20cm/7.9" at 1x magnification)Image sensor

50mm Macro lens (SAL50M28)

Image sensor

Magnification ratio: 0.33x Magnification ratio: 0.25x

Shooting distance vs. working distanceYou may sometimes hear photographers refer to the "working distance"of a lens. Although similar in concept to shooting distance, the twoterms are not interchangeable. Working distance is measured from thesubject to the front of the lens, whereas shooting distance is measuredfrom the subject to the focal plane.

Working distance (approx. 16cm/6.3" at 1x magnification)

Minimum shooting distance (approx. 35cm/13.8" at 1x magnification)

100mm Macro lens (SAL100M28)

100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28), M mode, 1/60 sec, F4, ISO 100, White balance; Custom

with HVL-F56AM flash unit

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Ghosts are a form of flaring that pro-duces spot-shaped blemishes. (photo,far left). Ghosting is most likely to occurin strongly backlit situations when thesun is close to the edge of the imagefield. Even with a lens hood attached,there are times when ghosting cannotbe avoided, and the only way to elimi-nate it is to shift your position slightlyand reframe the shot. (photo, near left)

a lenses are provided with petal orround lens hood according to lens type.

(Upper photo: SAL1118 with petal hood; lower photo: SAL300F28G withround hood)

a

a

Lens hood

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Photographic images are formed by capturing light,but not all of the light that enters a lens is necessarily"good" light. Light rays that enter the lens at too sharpan angle do not contribute to image formation. Onthe contrary, they can reflect off the lens elementsand the inside of the lens barrel, causing image anom-alies known as "flaring" and "ghosting." Flaring oftenappears as noticeable streaks of light and can signifi-cantly degrade overall image contrast, while ghostingappears as blemishes that can seriously detract fromthe beauty of an image.

To help prevent such flaring and ghosting, a lensesfeature multi-coated elements, and virtually all are

equipped with a detachable or built-in lens hood thatis specially designed to match the imaging character-istics of the lens. Telephoto lenses that have relativelynarrow angle of view, for example, come with easy-to-store round hoods that extend forward from thelens to afford maximum protection. Wide-angle lensesand some zoom lenses, on the other hand, are equip-ped with petal-shaped hoods that provide protectionwithout intruding into the lens's imaging area. Whenshooting with flash you should remove or retract thehood to prevent it from casting a shadow into theimage frame, but otherwise you should always keepthe hood in place to protect the quality of your images.

Lens hoodsA simple tool that plays an important role in assuring superior image quality

Without lens hood (flaring, poor contrast) With lens hood (no flaring, high contrast)

Flaring is produced by extraneouslight reflecting off the surface of lenselements or the inside of the lens bar-rel, and can cause streaking and sig-nificantly reduce image contrast. Inthe left-hand picture shot without alens hood, contrast is poor, with visibleflaring in the upper right quadrant ofthe frame.

Visible ghosts

How lens hoods work

Enlarged view No ghosts

Extraneous light

Light needed forimage formation

Extraneous light

10

Polarizing filters, also known as PL filters, suppress glareand reflection to ensure optimum image quality, par-ticularly on landscape photos. There are two basictypes of polarizing filters: circular polarizing filters,which are designed for use with autofocus lenses, andlinear polarizing filters, which can only be used withmanual-focus lenses.

Just like the polarized sunglasses often worn by fisher-men and boating enthusiasts, polarizing filters areextremely effective in cutting glare from water, glass,and other highly reflective surfaces. Even more impor-tant from the standpoint of photography, they screenout the scattered light that is reflected by airborne

dust and water vapor particles, improving contrastand color saturation when shooting outdoors.

Circular polarizing filters are most effective in bright,sunny weather when the sun is at your back and at a90° angle to your subject. Before shooting, look theviewfinder and rotate the filter to find the point atwhich its effect is the strongest. On landscape shots,you'll be rewarded by improved contrast and notice-ably richer greens and blues in foliage and the sky.

Circular polarizing filtersPolarizing filters suppress reflection and assure optimum contrast and color

Because circular polarizing filters effectively screen out light reflected from dust parti-cles and water vapor in the atmosphere, the blue color tones of the sky appearexceptionally rich and deep.

Without polarizing filter With polarizing filter

Foliage also benefits significantly from the use of a polarizing filter, with highly saturat-ed color and improved contrast that enhances detail and overall image clarity.

Without polarizing filter With polarizing filter

Choosing the right lens092–115

92 93Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA (SAL85F14Z), M mode, 1/200 sec., F4, ISO 100, White balance: Daylight

Choosing the right lens — 1

Portraits

In portrait photography, you generally want to use alarge aperture to ensure a shallow depth of field. Thisenables you to blur background details and focus theviewer's attention on the main subject. Tight framingcan also help eliminate distracting background ele-ments, but it's difficult for your subjects to relax andpose naturally if you stand too close.

The solution is to use a medium telephoto or telephotolens that enables you to frame your subject tightly

while maintaining a comfortable shooting distance.With a bright lens like the Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA(SAL85F14Z), you can open the aperture up to obtaina very shallow depth of field that throws the main sub-ject into dramatic relief. Remember, though, that fore-ground and background elements can sometimesadd interest to your photos, so experiment and takeseveral shots at different aperture settings to see whatworks best in each scene.

Defocus the background to bring your subject to life

94 9550mm F1.4 (SAL50F14), M mode, 1/30 sec., F2.5, ISO 200, White balance: Daylight

DT 11-18mm F4.5-5.6 (SAL1118), M mode, 1/125 sec., F11, ISO 100,White balance: Daylight, HVL-F56M flash unit

Portraits

Although medium telephoto and telephoto lenses area popular choice for portraits, they are not your onlyoption. Indoors, a large-aperture standard lens like the50mm F1.4 (SAL50F14) provides excellent backgrounddefocusing and enables the use of faster shutterspeeds for handheld shooting. And when mounted ona digital SLR with an APS-C type image sensor, such alens has an effective focal length that approachesthat of a medium telephoto lens.

Wide-angle lenses can also be used to capturedynamic action portraits of subjects as they moveabout. Such lenses also offer greater depth of field,enabling you to include background and foregrounddetails that can reveal the time, place, and context ofa scene. Just be sure to choose your shooting anglecarefully to ensure that such details enhance theoverall beauty of the final image.

Use large-aperture lenses indoors and wide-angle lenses for action portraits

96 97

DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118), M mode, 1/500 sec., F10, ISO 100, Auto white balance


Landscapes

Landscape photos can be taken with a variety ofstandard lenses, but super wide and wide-angle lens-es are often chosen for their ability to capture scenicvistas on a grand scale. A super wide-angle lens likethe DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118), which offers afocal length equivalent to 16.5–27mm when mounted

on a digital SLR with an APS-C type image sensor, notonly enables you to get more of the scene in theframe, it can also significantly enhance the apparentperspective to add depth and drama to the scene. In the photo shown here, for example, the seeminglyenhanced perspective naturally draws the viewer's

eye from the snowfield in the foreground to the majes-tic peaks in the distance.

You can also use a small aperture setting of F11 orabove to achieve a pan-focus effect that ensurescrisp imaging across the entire scene. Since this may

require the use of slower shutter speeds, a tripod andremote shutter release like the RM-S1AM RemoteCommander are recommended additions to your kit.

Use wide-angle zoom and small apertures to capture sweeping vistas and sharp detail

98 9920mm F2.8 (SAL20F28), M mode, 1/80 sec., F11, ISO 100, White balance: Daylight

DT 18–200mm F3.5–6.3 (SAL18200), M mode,1/125 sec., F7.1, ISO 100,

White balance: Daylight

Landscapes

Composition is the key to successful landscape pho-tography, and you can add depth and interest toyour photos by including foreground and backgroundelements in the frame.

In the image on the left, for example, the photogra-pher used a 20mm super wide-angle lens to include avast expanse of sky in the frame. In this case, it is theclouds that make this technique effective; without

them, the image would seem flat and uninteresting.Zoom lenses are also often used in landscape photog-raphy because they make it easy to change the fram-ing to achieve an aesthetically pleasing balancebetween the various elements in your composition. Inthe photo above, the photographer zoomed in on theforest until the bright green meadow grass occupiedabout one-third of the image area, creating a well-balanced and visually attractive composition.

Include multiple elements in the frame, and zoom in to achieve a balanced composition

100 101Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z), A mode, F6.3 (1/40 sec.), ISO 200, White balance: Cloudy


Snapshots

Spontaneity is the key to successful snapshot shooting.Image quality is important, of course, but it is evenmore important to capture the moment. Becausethere are photo opportunities nearly everywhere, a snapshot lens should be light, compact, and easy to carry. In the past, this generally meant you were limited to fixed focal length lenses, but with today'sadvanced optical technology you can now choosefrom a wide range of high-performance zoom lenses.

Compact zooms not only let you frame your shotsfreely, they also offer fast zooming and focusing thatlet you respond to photo opportunities quickly. Andalthough zoom lenses are often not as bright as fixedfocal length lenses, you can use Super SteadyShot®

in-camera image stabilization and high-sensitivity ISO settings to help you achieve blur-free results in low light. For flexibility, handling ease, and super-sharp photos at a moment's notice, a compact zoom lens is hard to beat.

For snapshots, nothing beats the handling ease and framing flexibility of a standard zoom lens

102 103

Snapshots

24–105mm F3.5–4.5 (SAL24105), A mode, F8 (1/640 sec.), ISO 100, White balance: Daylight

Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z), A mode, F11 (1/200 sec.), ISO 100, White balance: Daylight

The secret of good snapshot photography is torespond to photo opportunities quickly and sponta-neously. Such opportunities can be short-lived, so takeat least one shot right away.

Zoom lenses are ideal for this sort of spontaneousshooting. Standard zoom lenses like the Vario-Sonnar®

T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z), DT 18–70mmF3.5–5.6 (SAL1870), and 24–105mm F3.5–4.5 (SAL24105)are particularly well suited to this kind of photography.In addition, the telephoto zoom DT 18–200mm F3.5–6.3

(SAL18200) offers portability and operating ease thatmake it an excellent choice, too.

Once you've taken the first shot, spend a bit more timeshooting at different exposure settings, and vary thecomposition by zooming in or out. In a photo like theone on the facing page, a change in focal lengthalone can make a big difference. And in a photo likethe one above, varying the amount of sky, sea, andshoreline you include in the frame can create anentirely new composition. With a zoom lens, it's easy!

When you see an opportunity, shoot once, then reframe your subject and shoot again

104 10550mm F2.8 Macro (SAL50M28), A mode, F4 (1/500 sec.), ISO 100, White balance: Daylight


Macro close-ups

amacro lenses feature high-quality optics thatachieve crisp imaging with an exceptionally shallowdepth of field at close range. It is this outstanding qual-ity that creates a dramatic contrast between theincredible sharpness of the part of the image that is infocus, and the smooth, attractive texture of the part ofthe image that is out of focus.

Macro lenses are available in different focal lengths,and you should base your choice of macro lens on thetype of photos you want to shoot. A 100mm mediumtelephoto macro lens enables you to defocus the

background significantly even at relatively low magni-fication, and because it allows you to shoot fromslightly further away, it makes it easier to photographsubjects such as butterflies and insects that may takewing if you get too close. A 50mm macro lens, on theother hand, offers a wider angle of view that enablesyou to include background elements that add con-text to your composition and help establish the scene.It is lighter and more compact, making it easier to holdthe camera steady and maintain crisp focus underconditions of high magnification and extremely shal-low depth of field.

Choose a 100mm macro for working distance, and a 50mm macro for mobility and easy handling

106

DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118), A mode, F11 (1/15 sec.), +0.3EV, ISO 100, White balance: Daylight100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28), A mode, F4 (1/6 sec.), +1.3EV, ISO 100, White balance: Cloudy

Macro close-ups

Flowers are naturally attractive subjects for close-upphotography, and many mid-range zoom lenses areperfectly adequate for taking pictures of lilies, sun-flowers, and other relatively large floral subjects. Zoomlenses like the DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870), DT18–200 F3.5–6.3 (SAL18200), and 75–300mm F4.5-5.6(SAL75300) offer magnifications of up to 0.25~0.27x,enabling you to capture frame-filling images of sub-jects slightly larger than a credit card. Because theyare generally not as bright as dedicated macro lens-

es, you may need to use slower shutter speeds whenshooting in shady conditions. If the wind is causingyour subject to move, you can prevent motion blur byboosting the camera's ISO sensitivity and to allow useof faster shutter speeds.

Large-aperture lenses like the Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8ZA (SAL135F18Z) and 70–200mm F2.8G (SAL70200G)can also be used for macro shooting. They allow youto use faster shutter speeds to prevent subject-motion

blur, and large apertures to significantly defocus thebackground. And the unique 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF(SAL135F28), which is specifically designed to achieveultra-smooth defocusing, can be used to producebeautiful macro close-ups.

Although magnification is a key factor in taking macrophotos of flowers, it's certainly not the only one. Thephoto of sunflowers shown above, for example, wastaken with the DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118) super

wide-angle zoom lens. Such lenses allow you to showboth a flower and its surroundings in a single frame,and demonstrate that you don't necessarily need amacro lens to take a great close-up photo!

Specifically designed for close-up shooting, macro lenses open the door to a hidden world

108 109300mm F2.8G (SAL300F28G), M mode, 1/1250 sec., F6.3, ISO 100, Auto white balance


Sports

Telephoto and zoom lenses with a focal length of200mm or more are key players in sports, where it isoften difficult for photographers to get close to theaction. The 75–300mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL75300) telephotozoom and DT 18–200mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL18200) zoom aregood choices for outdoor sports in sunny weather, butif the lighting is less than ideal, you may not be able touse shutter speeds that are fast enough to freeze theaction. If that's the case, simply increase the camera'sISO sensitivity to allow the use of faster shutter speeds.

If you're really serious about sports photography, lens-es like the 300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G) telephoto or70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G) zoom telephoto are theway to go.These large-aperture G lenses feature super-sharp optics and are bright enough to allow the use ofthe faster shutter speeds needed to capture sportsaction. And by boosting camera ISO sensitivity, theycan even be used to shoot indoor sports. Both lensesalso feature internal focusing mechanisms and SSM(Super Sonic wave Motor) for high-speed autofocusing.

Capture the drama with 200mm+ telephoto,freeze the action with fast shutter speeds

110 11116mm F2.8 Fisheye (SAL16F28), M mode, 1/500 sec., F8, ISO 100 Auto white balance, built-in flash

Sports

70–200mm F2.8G (SAL70200G) with 2x teleconverter (SAL20TC), A mode, F5.6 (1/800 sec.), -1.0EV, ISO 200, White balance: Daylight

While telephoto close-ups of athletes are certainlydramatic, a wider view of the scene can sometimesresult in a more dynamic and engaging composition.In the photo of the boy on his skateboard, for exam-ple, the use of a super wide-angle lens enabled thephotographer to include the take-off ramp and plentyof sky in the frame, greatly emphasizing the height ofthe boy's jump. A wider view of the frame can alsoadd interest by capturing the expressions of team-mates and spectators, too.

If, on the other hand, more telephoto power is whatyou need, teleconverters offer an affordable andconvenient solution. Available in 1.4x and 2x (SAL14TCand SAL20TC), they can be attached to lenses like the 300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G) or 70–200mm F2.8 G(SAL70200G) to achieve a significant power boost withonly a one- or two-step reduction in lens brightness.Compact and easy to carry, teleconverters make agreat addition to your kitbag on any sports shoot.

Wide-angle lenses and teleconverters canfurther expand your sports shooting horizons

112 113500mm F8 Reflex (SAL500F80), A mode, F8 (1/500 sec.), ISO 200, White balance: Daylight

500mm F8 Reflex (SAL500F80), A mode, F8 (1/320 sec.), ISO 200, White balance: Daylight


Wildlife

In wildlife photography, where it can be extremely dif-ficult to get close to the subjects you are photograph-ing, super telephoto lenses are your greatest ally. The300mm F2.8G (SAL300F28G) offers exceptional bright-ness and fast, quiet, SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor)autofocusing, and can be combined with a 1.4x or 2xteleconverter (SAL14TC / SAL20TC) to achieve 420mmor 600mm super telephoto power, which is equivalentto 630mm or 900mm when mounted on a digital SLRwith an APS-C type image sensor.

Another alternative is to go with the 500mm F8 Reflex(SAL500F80), which offers the equivalent of 750mm

telephoto when mounted on a digital SLR with an APS-C type image sensor. The lens uses two reflecting mir-rors to achieve incredible power with a minimum ofweight and bulk. Measuring just 89mm/3.5" in dia-meter and 118mm/4.6" in length, it weighs only 665g/23.5 oz, making it a great choice for photographingbirds and wildlife in the field. It also offers autofocusing,and although the aperture is fixed at F8, in fair weatheryou can use quite fast shutter speeds by setting thecamera's sensitivity to ISO 200 or 400.

On the wide-open savannah, super telephoto lenses are a powerful ally

DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870), A mode, F8 (1/40 sec.), -0.3EV, ISO 100,

White balance: Daylight

114 115Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z), A mode, F8 (1/125 sec.), -0.7EV, ISO 200, White balance: Daylight


Pets

Pet photos and portrait photos are alike in that youwant to focus on your subject's eyes. But in pet photos,it's a good idea to use a smaller aperture to gainenough depth of field to keep the nose, tail, and otherparts of the pet's body in focus, too. This means thatinstead of choosing an extremely bright lens like youwould for a human portrait, you can choose a stand-ard or telephoto zoom lens that lets you vary the fram-ing as your pet moves around.

For best focusing results, use Spot AF or focus areaselection to zero-in on your pet's eyes. But remember,

animal subjects don't sit still the way human subjectsdo, and you may need to use the Focus Hold button orDirect Manual Focus to get the precise shot you want.

A zoom lens is also good when you're photographingcats and other animals that may run away if you gettoo close. Keep your body low to the ground to avoidstartling your subject, and let the lens do the work. To add interest to your photos, try to capture the mo-ment when the cat yawns or stretches, and vary theframing to include other elements in the composition.

Pet photos are easy with a standardor telephoto zoom and manual focusing

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a system technology118–132

118

In-camera image stabi-lizationUnlike lens-based sys-tems, the SuperSteadyShot system worksby shifting the image sen-sor in the camera body.

Effective with any a lensBecause SuperSteadyShot is built intothe camera, its benefitscan be enjoyed with theentire lineup of a lenses.

3-piece sensor-shift unitThe sensor-shift unit consists of a mountingplate, a y-axis frame (for vertical shift), andan x-axis frame (for horizontal shift). Whenassembled, the y-axis frame is mountedinside the x-axis frame to enable four-waysensor shift.

X-axis frame (horizontal shift)

Y-axis frame (vertical shift)

Mounting plate

Y-axis actuator

X-axis actuator

Unlike lens-based image stabilization systems that workby shifting optical elements within the lens, the SuperSteadyShot® system is integrated directly into thecamera body, and works by shifting the image sensoritself. There are several advantages to this approach,one of the most important of which is that it allows thebenefits of image stabilization to be enjoyed with anylens. Sensor-shift image stabilization also reduces theconstraints imposed on lens design, enabling the size,weight, and cost of lenses to be held in check becausethere is no need to incorporate motion sensors or sta-bilization mechanisms into each lens. It also enablesphotographers to enjoy the benefits of image stabi-lization with large-aperture medium telephoto andwide-angle lenses, which by their very nature are extre-mely difficult to equip with optical stabilization systems.

At the core of the Super SteadyShot system is a three-piece unit that consists of a mounting plate and twomovable frames, one of which contains the imagesensor. Two piezoelectric ultrasonic linear actuatorsare used to drive the frames, enabling the sensor to be shifted with extreme precision on both the x and yaxes. Thanks to the outstanding effectiveness of thismechanism in canceling the effects of camera shake,photographers can shoot at shutter speeds up to 3.5steps slower than would otherwise be possible.Camera movement is detected by dual gyroscopicmotion sensors that respond to both high-speed andlow-speed shake, assuring effective image stabiliza-tion in a wide range of shooting situations. The motionsensors can also discriminate between blur-causingcamera shake and intentional movement to help

1 Body-integrated image stabilizationUnderstanding the benefits of Super SteadyShot® sensor-shift image stabilization

119

a system technology

Gyroscopic motion sen-sorsTwo gyroscopic motionsensors are used to in-dependently measurehorizontal and verticalcamera shake.

The image sensor isprotected from dustcontamination byusing the sensor-shiftmechanism tovibrate the sensorevery time the cam-era is switched off.

How the linear actuators workWhen the actuators' piezoceramic elements expand, frictioncauses the corresponding x-axis and y-axis frames to movealong with them. But when the elements contract, they do soat such high speed that the frames are left behind. By repeat-ing these actions at ultra-high frequency, the actuators areable to shift the frames with extreme precision.

Ultra-precise sensor-shiftmovementIndependent piezoelec-tric ultrasonic linear actu-ators assure instanta-neous and ultra-precisesensor-shift movement formore effective imagestabilization.

Schematic diagram of Super SteadyShot systemHighly accurate image sensor shifting is achieved by analyzing input from two gyroscopic motion sensors, an ICchip (focal length) and distance encoder (subject distance) in the lens, and a high-sensitivity Hall device that moni-tors image sensor position.

Anti-dust systemA special coatingon the low-pass filterin front of the imagesensor helps preventstatic electricitybuildup that canattract airbornedust particles.

prevent accidental activation when panning thecamera to track moving subjects. System accuracy is also enhanced by focal length and shooting distance data feedback from the lens, and by high-sensitivity Hall devices that continuously monitor imagesensor position.

Together with coatings that suppress static electricitybuildup inside the camera, the sensor-shift system alsohelps reduce the likelihood of image sensor dust cont-amination by vibrating the sensor every time the cam-era is switched off.

Spindle

Piezoceramic element

Frame

Frictive force

Drive axle

Expansion

Contraction

Gyro sensor for x-axis motion (horizontal)

Microcomputer for imagestabilization control

Microcomputer forcamera control

Focal point position data

Coupler

Lens CPU

Coupler AF drive unitAF drive signal

Gyro sensor for y-axis motion(vertical)

Focal length

Drive circuitry

Analog signal processingGyro sensorSignal amplification+Position detection

Camera lens

Imagesensor

Sensor substrate

Hall device position sensor

Magnet

Y-axis actuator

X-axis actuator

Low-pass filter

Sensor

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Smooth, circular defocusingpatternThe a System's circular aper-ture mechanism providessmooth, attractive defocusingeven when the aperture isreduced from the maximumby 1 or 2 stops. {Photo taken atF4 with the 50mm F1.4 (SAL50F14) lens}

F4F4

Faceted, polygon-shapeddefocusing patternWith conventional aperturemechanisms, polygonalshapes become prominent indefocused areas when theaperture is reduced from themaximum by 1 or 2 stops.

Circular aperture unitThe blades used in a System circular aperture unitshave a compound curvature that helps maximizethe defocusing characteristics of each lens.

Aperture blade movement and aperture shapeThe circular aperture in a lenses ensures smoother defocusingbecause it retains near-perfect circular shape 1~2 stops down from thefull-open position. A conventional aperture at the same setting takeson a polygonal shape with the same number of sides as the number ofblades, resulting polygon-shaped point light source defocusing.

When the background of a photo includes city lightsor sun-dappled foliage or water, close examinationmay reveal patterns in the shape of the aperture inthe defocused areas. Called "point light source defo-cusing," this effect can add a special touch to por-traits and macro shots. However, obtaining beautifuldefocusing is difficult with conventional aperturedesigns because defocusing produces polygonalshapes with the same number of sides as the numberof aperture blades.

With a lens that has a 6-blade aperture, for example,defocused point light sources will have a clearlydefined hexagonal shape. Although a more circulardefocusing pattern can be obtained regardless of the

the polygonal shape of an aperture can be mostnoticeable. Generally speaking, increasing the num-ber of aperture blades makes the aperture more circular and defocusing more attractive.

Of course the shape of the aperture is just one ofmany factors that can affect defocusing, and whilethe exceptionally circular shape of the aperturemechanism used in a lenses is an important advan-tage, it is not a magic cure-all. Ultimately, it is the supe-rior optical properties of a lenses that enable them tooffer truly superb defocusing; the circular aperturesimply allows the natural characteristics of each lensto be realized to the fullest possible extent.

number of aperture blades by opening the apertureall the way, a phenomenon known as vignetting cancause the defocused point light sources to assume anirregular ovoid shape near the image periphery.

While increasing the number of aperture blades canalso produce a more circular defocusing pattern, theuse of too many blades can slow operation of theaperture mechanism to an unacceptable degree. For this reason, the mechanisms used in interchange-able SLR lenses usually have no more than nine aperture blades.

The aperture blades in most a lenses are formed intoa composite curve, and the curvature and tapering

near the tip are designed to form a near-perfect circlewhen the aperture is 1~2 stops down from maximum.As a result, even when you reduce the aperture untilthe influence of vignetting is diminished, point lightsources are defocused and transformed into smooth,attractive circles free of ovoid deformation andpolygonal facets.

Although the defocusing characteristics of a lens tend to be more noticeable in images with point lightsources in the background, circular aperture mecha-nisms can ensure smoother, more attractive defocus-ing with virtually any type of background. This is partic-ularly evident when the aperture is reduced from themaximum by 4~5 stops because it is in this range that

2 Circular aperture and defocusing effectCircular aperture mechanisms: the key to distinctive defocusing characteristics

Circular aperture

Circular aperture

Full aperture -0.5 EV -1.0 EV -1.5 EV -2.0 EV

Conventional aperture

Conventional aperture

With circular aperture With conventional aperture

a system technology

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b c

aA

The flowers in the background of the examplephoto show the unique defocusing characteristicsof the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF lens. The center of thedefocused area is brightest, becoming graduallyfainter toward the periphery to ensure smoothermore aesthetically pleasing defocusing.

The inclusion of an apodization optical ele-ment ensures that defocusing at points "b"and "c" are equally smooth and natural.

With a conventional lens, defocusing at"b" and "c" has a clearly defined circularpattern.

A 135mm medium telephoto lens with unparalleled defocusing characteristicsUnique to the a System, the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF(SAL135F28) boasts superb optical performanceand incredibly smooth, natural defocusing.

b c

aA

Conventional vs. STF defocusingWith the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF lens, defocused pointlight sources blend smoothly into one another. Witha conventional lens, defocused point light sourceshave sharply defined edges that make them obtru-sively prominent.

The 135mm F2.8 [T4.5 ] STF lens (SAL135F28) is a "SmoothTrans Focus" lens that is unique to the a System, andincorporates a special apodization optical elementthat is designed to achieve the most aestheticallypleasing defocusing effect possible.

The apodization optical element is created by bond-ing convex and concave elements together. Al-though the convex element is made of normal opticalglass, the concave element is designed to act as akind of graduated neutral density filter, with light trans-mission highest at the center and gradually decreas-ing towards the periphery. So whereas conventionallydesigned lenses produce a defocusing pattern of

To further maximize its beautiful defocusing, the135mm F2.8 [T4.5 ] STF is also equipped with two circu-lar aperture control mechanisms. One is an automaticaperture controlled by the camera, and the other is amanual aperture that offers stepless manual controlranging from T4.5 to T6.7. The lens is marked with both F and T aperture settings for easy reference whenshooting, with the T aperture settings reflecting thereduction in actual light transmission effected by theapodization optical element.

uniformly bright circles, the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5 ] STF'sapodization optical element causes the intensity ofdefocused point light sources to fade out radially fromthe center, ensuring ultra-smooth defocusing with nosharply defined edges or visible geometric form.

Conventionally designed lenses can also suffer fromresidual spherical aberration that causes the bright-ness of the defocusing pattern to vary in differentareas of the image. In addition, the quality of fore-ground and background defocusing can differ wide-ly, with many lenses providing beautiful backgrounddefocusing but poor foreground defocusing.Defocusing characteristics can also be degraded by

vignetting and uncorrected residual comatic aberra-tion or curvilinear distortion.

To avoid such problems and ensure excellent defo-cusing both in front of and behind the focus point, the135mm F2.8 [T4.5 ] STF is designed to the highest opticalstandards in every detail. Vignetting is suppressed byits generously large diameter and 135mm fixed focallength, and as the MTF (Modulation Transfer Function)curve shown on page 134 shows, contrast and resolu-tion are exceptionally high, with consistently sharpimaging from the center of the lens right out to the periphery.

20151050

100

Image height (mm)

Aperture efficiency comparison

Ap

ert

ure

eff

icie

nc

y (%

)

135mm F2.8 (not a lens in a series)

SAL135F28SAL300F28G

STF lens aperture efficiencyThe 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF has an exception-ally large diameter (72mm filter size) for afixed focal length lens, ensuring high aper-ture efficiency with virtually no vignetting.Even with the aperture fully opened, defo-cusing is superb right up to the periphery ofthe image.

0

Spherical aberration

Incidence height

135mm F2.8 (not a lens in a series)

SAL135F28SAL300F28G

Spherical aberrationWith almost no spherical aberration, the135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF offers image sharpnessand clarity comparable to that of the300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G).

Apodization optical elementThe apodization optical element acts as agraduated neutral density filter, with lighttransmission highest at the center andgradually decreasing towards the peri-phery to ensure ultra-smooth defocusingwith no sharply defined edges or visiblegeometric form.

3 STF lens and defocusing effectSmooth Trans Focus: a leader in the quest for beautiful defocusing

Principle of the STF lens

Apodization optical element

STF lens Conventional lens

STF lens defocusing(point "A" in focus)

Conventional lens defocusing(point "A" in focus)


STF lens Conventional lens

a system technology

135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF (SAL135F28), M mode, 1/160 sec, T4.5, ISO 100, White balance; Daylight

125124

With a spherical lens like the one shown above, the focalpoint of light passing through the periphery of the lens is slight-ly in front of the focal plane, resulting in the formation of ablurry disk instead of a well-defined point. Lenses exhibitingthis type of spherical aberration are also more susceptible to flaring.

Superior performance in an extremely compact sizeAspherical lens elements also contribute to more compact lens designbecause a single aspherical element can correct aberration and distortionthat would otherwise require the use of multiple spherical elements to correct.Lenses like the 35mm F1.4 G and Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA aregood examples of how the inclusion of just one or two aspherical elementscan make it possible for an extremely compact lens to offer truly superb image quality.

ED glass lens elementsBy correcting chromaticaberration, ED glassplays a key role inachieving truly superiorperformance in tele-photo and super tele-photo lenses. The phototo the left shows the EDglass elements used inthe 300mm F2.8 G(SAL300F28G) and 70–200mm F2.8 G(SAL70200G) lenses.

0

400 450 500 550 600 650 700

Wavelength (nm)

Lon

gitu

din

al c

hro

ma

tic

ab

err

atio

n (

mm

) Lens ALens B

Comparison of longitudinal chromatic aberration

Molded glass aspheri-cal lens elementsAspherical lens ele-ments help correctspherical and comaticaberration, and curvilin-ear distortion. The phototo the left shows themolded glass asphericallens element used in the 35mm F1.4 G(SAL35F14G).

Aspherical lenses are designed so that the refractive indexvaries from the center to the periphery, ensuring that lightrays passing through different areas of the lens all have acommon focal point. The resulting image is sharp and thelens is less susceptible to flaring.

Schematic diagram of the 300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G)

The color of light is determined by its wavelength, andbecause different wavelengths travel at differentspeeds when they pass through a lens, a phenome-non called dispersion occurs. As a result, the focalpoints of various colors do not all fall in the exact samefocal plane. In an SLR camera, this causes the focalpoint of some colors to be slightly in front of the imagesensor, and the focal point of other colors to be slightlybehind it (longitudinal color aberration). In addition,different wavelengths are affected by magnificationdifferently, causing the focal point to be offset to theright or left of the optical axis (lateral color aberration).Together, these aberrations can distort color in cap-tured images and cause unwanted color "fringing" atthe border between light and dark areas of an image.

ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass was developed specifi-cally to combat color aberration. It has a low refrac-

Aspherical lens elements are also effective in control-ling the curvilinear distortion that can occur with wideand super-wide lenses, and the comatic aberrationthat can cause defocused point light sources at theperiphery of an image to have comet-like tails.

Due to their effectiveness in compensating for varioustypes of aberration and distortion, aspherical ele-ments also help reduce the overall number of ele-ments needed in a lens, making it possible to createextremely compact high-performance lenses like the35mm F1.4 G (SAL35F14G) and the Vario-Sonnar® T*DT16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z).

tive index and an extra-low dispersion index that helpensure light rays of all colors are brought closer to thecorrect focal point. The high-quality ED glass used ina lenses is also notable for its anomalous dispersioncharacteristics, which help minimize differences in thedegree to which colors are affected.

ED elements are used to enhance the performance ofmany a lenses. Large-aperture telephoto lenses suchas the 70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G), 300mm F2.8 G(SAL300F28G), and Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA(SAL135F18Z) incorporate from two to four ED ele-ments to ensure virtually aberration-free ultra-sharp,high-contrast imaging even at maximum aperture. ED glass is also used in APS-C format wide-angle andstandard a lenses such as the DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6(SAL1118) and DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870).

Aspherical lens elements are another means by whichaberration and distortion can be corrected. With ordi-nary spherical lens elements, light rays passing throughthe periphery are refracted more than light rays pass-ing through the center. As a result, the light rays do not all converge at the same point, and although thedifference in the point of convergence is very small, it can be enough to degrade image sharpness andcontrast. Bright, large-aperture lenses are particularlyprone to this type of aberration, and although it canbe reduced to some extent by stopping the aperturedown, the inclusion of aspherical elements assuressuperb imaging even with the aperture fully open.

400 700500 800600

F C

A

H

LR

efr

ac

tive

ind

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(n)

High dispersion glass

Low dispersion glass

Anomalous dispersion glass

Wavelength (nm)

The graph to the rightshows longitudinal chro-matic aberration for theSAL300F28G (Lens A, red line), and a hypo-thetical lens having theexact same structure,but containing onlyconventional opticalglass elements (Lens B,blue line).

35mm F1.4 G (SAL35F14G) Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5ZA(SAL1680Z)

4 ED glass and aspherical lensesED glass: a powerful solution to chromatic aberration Aspherical lenses: multiple benefits for sharper imaging

Anomalous dispersion characteristics of ED glassThe graph above shows the relationship between wave-length and refractive index for high dispersion, low dispersion,and anomalous dispersion glass. Although it is possible to minimize chromatic aberration between the wavelengthsindicated by the lines marked F and C simply by using a combination of high and low dispersion glass elements, theanomalous dispersion ED glass used in a lenses has a higherrefractive index at the low end of the visible spectrum, making it more effective in suppressing the purple fringingthat can appear at the border between light and dark areasof an image.

Conventional optical glass

ED optical glass

Focal plane

Focal plane

ED glass

Aspherical lens

Spherical lens

Aspherical lens

Focal plane

Focal plane

Aspherical lens

a system technology

127126

SSM control circuitAdvanced electronic circuitry controls thespeed and direction of rotor movement byregulating the speed and direction of thetraveling wave in the stator.

SSM-equipped lensesThe SSM-equipped 300mm F2.8 G and70–200mm F2.8 G also support direct manu-al focusing and feature focus hold buttonsand a focus range limiter.

SSM mechanismThe photo shows the SSM driveunit used in the 300mm F2.8 G(SAL300F28G). The notched sta-tor is fixed to the lens barrel; therotor is held against the statorby a spring-loaded retainingring and connected to thefocusing lens drive mechanism.

SSM focusing mechanismDuring AF operation, movement ofthe SSM rotor is transmitted via a dif-ferential roller to the focusing camthat drives the focusing lens group.When focusing manually, it is theouter focus ring itself that drives theroller, cam, and focusing lens group.

300mm F2.8 G(SAL300F28G)

70–200mm F2.8 G(SAL70200G)

SSM componentsThe primary components of theSSM unit are the rotor (left) andthe stator (right) on which thepiezoelectric elements aremounted.

PP P

When a 2-phase al-ternating current isapplied to the piezo-electric elements inthe base of the stator,torsional forces causemicron-scale elasticdeformation of the sta-tor. This creates a trav-eling wave that drivesthe rotor by generat-ing traction at point P.Although the defor-mation of the stator isextremely small, thesupersonic frequencyof the wave that isgenerated drives therotor at extremely high speed.

The supersonic wave motor (SSM) used in the70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G) and 300mm F2.8 G(SAL300F28G) represents a truly remarkable advancein autofocus drive technology. Unlike conventionalelectric motors it incorporates no magnets or coils, yetdelivers powerful torque. It is also exceptionally quietand responsive, with a ring-shaped form that enablesit to be integrated into the lens barrel with a minimumof weight and bulk.

ual focusing after autofocus has been achieved in sin-gle and auto AF modes as can be done with other alenses, SSM-equipped lenses let photographers focusmanually when using continuous AF mode, too.

The motor itself consists of a stator that is attached tothe lens barrel, and a rotor that is held against the sta-tor by a spring-loaded retaining ring. When current isapplied to piezoelectric elements in the stator, theyvibrate at supersonic speeds to create a travelingwave in the stator that causes the rotor to rotate in theopposite direction. The notched edge of the statorserves to amplify the effect of the traveling wave,resulting in high torque that eliminates the need forbulky and potentially noisy gearbox mechanisms. This,together with the fact that the supersonic vibrationsproduced by the unit are inaudible to the human ear,ensures extremely quiet operation.

SSM drive also has the advantage of enablingextremely responsive and accurate autofocusing.On/off response is virtually instantaneous, and the unit exerts powerful braking force on the focusing lens drive mechanism as soon as the motor stops. In addition, accuracy is enhanced by using a high-precision sensor to monitor the rotational position ofthe focusing lens drive ring.

Yet another advantage of SSM drive is that it providesgreater focusing freedom by enabling both fulltimeDMF (Direct Manual Focus) and standard DMF. So inaddition to being able to immediately switch to man-

5 SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor)Built-in SSM drive for quiet, responsive autofocusing

Focus ring Focusing cam

Differential roller

Rotor

Stator

SSM unit

Focusing lens group

Rotor Stator

AC voltage, Phase A

AC voltage, Phase B

Rotor

Stator

Piezoelectric element

a system technology

129128

When the clutch gear is disengaged, the AF drive couplerrotates in response to manual focus ring movement. As aresult, accurate information about current subject distancecontinues to be provided to the image stabilization andflash metering control systems during manual focusing.

Auto-clutch equipped lens

Exit pupilLight emerging from the back of the lens has adoughnut-like shape. Light in the two areas indicatedby dark gray circles is directed to the AF sensor toenable autofocusing.

Mirror lens sectionLight reflects off the primary and secondary mirrors before passing through the lenselements aligned with the hole in the primary mirror. It is this folded light path thatenables the 500mm F8 Reflex to offer the dual benefits of high telephoto power andcompact size.

AF sensor sectionWith conventional reflex lenses, autofocusing cannotbe effected because the secondary mirror blocks thelight path to the AF sensor. On the 500mm F8 Reflexhowever, tighter focusing of the light from the primarymirror enables the use of a smaller mirror, and this,together with the enhanced sensitivity of the AF sen-sor used in a System camera bodies, makes autofo-cusing possible.

Camera body clutch mechanism When DMF is active, the clutch gear automatically disen-gages to enable manual focusing as soon as autofocusingis complete. Because the mechanism is built into the cam-era body, the benefits of DMF can be enjoyed with all aSystem autofocus lenses.

500mm F8 Reflex lens(SAL500F80)The white disc-like object visibleinside the lens is the doughnut-shaped concave primary mir-ror. Although it performs muchthe same function as a convexlens, it is reflective rather thanrefractive, and thus producesno chromatic aberration.

A floating ring is attached to the cam that moves thefocusing lens elements. During AF operation, the floatingring rotates freely without engaging the outer focus ring,but during manual operation, rotation of the focus ringcauses the clutch lever to lock onto the floating ring so that the rotation is transmitted to the focus cam.

Unlike conventional lenses that use only lens elements,the 500mm F8 Reflex (SAL500F80) incorporates twomirrors — a large doughnut-shaped primary mirror witha concave surface, and a smaller secondary mirrorwith a convex surface. Using these mirrors, the opticalpath is folded back on itself twice, enabling the lens toachieve 500mm super telephoto power in a body thatis only 118mm/4.6" long. And because mirrors reflectlight without dispersing it, reflex lenses are inherentlyfree of the chromatic aberration that tends to occur inlong focal length lenses, enabling sharp, clear imag-ing without the use of expensive ED glass.

Thanks to their compact size, high power, and ultra-sharp imaging, reflex telephoto lenses were very pop-ular in the era of all-manual SLR photography. But with

the advent of autofocusing, such lenses were found tohave a significant drawback: they could not supportAF shooting because the secondary mirror blockedthe light path to the AF sensor.

On the a System, this seemingly insurmountable prob-lem was solved by focusing light from the primary mir-ror more tightly to allow the use of a smaller secondarymirror, and by increasing the sensitivity of the AF sensorused in a System cameras. In addition, the rearmostelements in the lens were redesigned to suppress non-chromatic aberration that can occur when light fromthe primary mirror is tightly focused. The result is theexceptionally sharp imaging of the world's first auto-focus reflex lens — the 500mm F8 Reflex.

DMF (Direct Manual Focus) is a convenient featurethat enables photographers to seamlessly switchbetween automatic and manual focusing. When DMFis activated, a clutch mechanism disengages the AFdrive as soon as autofocusing is complete to allowmanual fine-tuning via the focus ring on the lens bar-rel. It's a great aid to achieving correct focus whenshooting portraits, macro close-ups, and other types ofphotos where the depth of field is extremely shallow,or when the camera has focused on an area otherthan the one intended.

Because the camera returns to AF mode as soon asthe user presses the shutter release button again, thetransition from autofocusing to manual focusing andback can be made with exceptional ease, greatlyenhancing shooting freedom. DMF is supported by alla lenses except the manual focus 135mm F2.8 [T4.5 ]STF (SAL135F28); on lenses equipped with an internalauto clutch to prevent the focus ring from rotatingduring AF operation, it ensures a particularly high level of focus control and handling ease.

6 Autofocus reflex lensA pioneering innovation in compact reflex lens performance

7 DMF (Direct Manual Focus)The convenience of autofocusing, plus creative manual control

500mm F8 Reflex exit pupil

Light directed to the AF sensor

Separator lenses

How a reflex lens works

Condenser lens

Equivalent image sensor position

AF sensor

Primary mirrorSecondary mirror

AF motor

Timing belt

Clutch gear AF drive coupler

Encoder

Charging motor

Autofocusing engaged Manual focusing engaged

Cam gear for AF/DMF switching

Clutch gear

Focus ring Floating ring

Clutch lever

Pivot pin

During AF operation During manual operation

a system technology

131130

HVL-F56AM HVL-F36AM

Distance encoderThe distance encoder in the lens monitors focuscam rotation to determine the position of the focus-ing lens elements, and transmits current subject dis-tance information to the camera.

Light metering sensorThe light metering sensor measuresboth ambient light and reflectedflash illumination.

External flash unitsa System external flash units such as theHVL-F56AM and HVL-F36AM support ADIflash metering and a wide range of otheradvanced flash functions.

How ADI worksDuring P-TTL flash metering, the light metering sensor in the camera measures the ref-lected light of the pre-flash to determine the necessary level of flash brightness. DuringADI flash metering, information from the distance encoder in the lens is combined withthe light metering information to ensure more accurate flash brightness control.

Most a lenses are equipped with a distance encoderthat can determine the position of the focusing lenselements and transmit current subject distance infor-mation to the camera. This enables the camera to usehighly accurate ADI (Advanced Distance Integration)flash metering to ensure correct flash exposure in awide range of shooting situations.

With conventional flash metering systems, the flash isfired in advance of actual shutter release to measurehow much light is reflected by the subject and back-ground. The drawback of this method is that extremelylight- or dark-colored subjects and backgrounds mayresult in a false reading because they reflect toomuch or too little light. When taking a picture of a

ADI flash metering is supported by all distanceencoder equipped a lenses and built-in flash units, aswell as by external flash units such as the HVL-F56AMand HVL-F36AM. If the external flash units are posi-tioned off-camera, ADI flash metering automaticallyswitches to P-TTL (Pre-flash Through The Lens) flashmetering. With maximum guide numbers of 56 and 36 (ISO100/m), respectively, the HVL-F56AM and HVL-F36AM also support advanced functions such as TTLwireless flash and high-speed synchronization.

light-colored subject against a light-colored back-ground, for example, so much light may be reflectedthat the scene is interpreted as being brighter than itactually is. As a result, flash output will be reduced toomuch and the photo will be underexposed. Converse-ly, if the frame is dominated by a subject/backgroundthat is very dark-colored, flash output may be set sohigh that the resulting photo is overexposed.

The ADI flash metering system overcomes this problemby using subject distance information obtained fromthe distance encoder in the lens to make a moreaccurate assessment of the actual shooting situation.If the pre-flash reflection is high and subject distance isrelatively long, the system recognizes that more illumi-

nation is actually needed and increases flash poweraccordingly. If, on the other hand, pre-flash reflectionis low and subject distance is short, the system recog-nizes that less illumination is actually needed and de-creases flash power. In effect it acts as a form of intelli-gent flash control that automatically compensates forthe reflectivity of the subject and background.

As a result, ADI flash metering makes it easy to obtainbeautifully exposed photos even shooting againsthighly reflective backgrounds such as mirrors and win-dows, or illuminated backgrounds such as nighttimecityscapes and sunsets.

8 ADI flash meteringAdvanced a system technologies for more beautiful flash exposures

Lens Camera Flash

Pre-flash control data

Flash setting data

Focal length data

Subject distance data

Pre-flash metering data

IC chip

Distance encoder

CPUFlash control unit

Light metering sensor

Light reflected from subject

Distance encoder

External flash unit

Pre-flash

Light metering sensor

Pre-flash waveform(flat pre-flash)

Fla

sh

brig

htn

ess

The benefits of ADI flash meteringapply equally to night scene photoslike the one shown here and stronglybacklit daytime photos.

P-TTL flash metering ADI flash metering

P-TTL flash metering vs. ADI flash meteringWhen shooting a light-colored subjectagainst a light-colored background, P-TTLflash metering produces a slightly underex-posed image, but ADI flash metering com-pensates for the high reflectivity of the sceneto produce a beautifully exposed image.

ADI flash metering systemTo achieve more accurate flash brightness control, the ADI flash metering system analyzes ambientand reflected pre-flash light values from the light metering sensor in the camera, as well as informa-tion about subject distance and focal length from the distance encoder and IC chip in the lens.

a system technology

Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z), M mode, 1/10 sec., F5.6, ISO 200, White balance ; Daylight, with external flash unit HVL-F56AM

Flash head

132

An HSS icon is displayed on the flashunit's LCD panel when high-speed synchro is enabled. Two-way commu-nication between the flash unit and the camera makes switching automatic.If a slow shutter speed is selected, normal synchro will be used; if a fast shutter speed is selected, high-speed synchro will be used.

With normal flash synchronization, backgrounddefocusing is not possible in a scene like thisbecause slow shutter speeds prevent the use oflarge apertures .

Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8ZA (SAL135F18Z), A mode,F8 (1/250 sec.), +1.0EV, ISO 100, White balance;Daylight, with external flash unit HVL-F56AM

a system technology

When using a flash to provide fill lighting in bright day-light, it is normally necessary to use a relatively slowshutter speed to ensure the flash and shutter are cor-rectly synchronized. As a consequence, the aperturemust be reduced to prevent overexposure, making itextremely difficult to defocus the background tomake the subject stand out.

The solution to this problem is to use an advancedflash unit like the HVL-F56AM or HVL-F36AM, both ofwhich can deliver a continuous burst of illuminationthat permits synchronization at speeds of up to 1/4000

of a second. If a fast shutter speed is selected, theflash automatically switches to high-speed synchromode and the letter 'H' is displayed in the camera'sviewfinder.

High-speed synchro

Normal flash synchronization

With high-speed synchro, extremely fast shutterspeeds can be used, enabling the aperture to beopened wide to defocus the background.

Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z), A mode,F2.8 (1/2000 sec.), +1.0EV, ISO 100, White balance;Daylight, with external flash unit HVL-F56AM

High-speed flash synchronization

Specifications & terminology134–143

135134

Specifications & terminology

Fixed focal length lenses

Spatial frequencyMax. aperture F8 aperture

R T R T10 line pairs / mm30 line pairs / mm

16mm F2.8 Fisheye(SAL16F28)

Distance from optical center of lens (mm)

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20mm F2.8(SAL20F28)


0 4 8 12 16 20

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28mm F2.8(SAL28F28)


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50mm F2.8 Macro(SAL50M28)


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100mm F2.8 Macro(SAL100M28)


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135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF(SAL135F28)


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500mm F8 Reflex(SAL500F80)


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35mm F1.4 G(SAL35F14G)


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300mm F2.8 G(SAL300F28G)


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MTF graphs above show contrast values at spatial frequencies of 10 lp/mm and 30 lp/mm for a and G series lenses.

R: Radial valuesT: Tangential values


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The MTF graphs on the following pages illustratethe superior performance characteristics of a lenses. Values are plotted for both maximumand F8 aperture settings at spatial frequenciesof 10 lp/mm and 30 lp/mm (10, 20, and 40lp/mm for Carl Zeiss® lenses). Two graphs areshown for zoom lenses; one at the shortest focallength (wide-angle) and one at the longestfocal length (telephoto). In the example graphfor the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF (SAL135F28) shownto the left, the graph lines indicate the highcontrast and sharpness of the lens from the cen-ter out to the periphery, and the narrowness ofthe gap between the R and T lines indicates thelens's excellent defocusing characteristics.

Lens performance and MTF graphs

How to read an MTF graph

Indicates excellent performancewith high contrast and resolutionat the center of the lens.

MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) is a mathematicalfunction used to evaluate lens performance in termsof a lens's ability to transmit the contrast of a subject tothe focal plane. It is usually shown as a graph, with thecontrast transmission value (in %) plotted on the verti-cal axis and the distance from the optical center ofthe lens (in mm) plotted on the horizontal axis. A targetcomposed of pairs of lines of increasing spatial fre-quency is used to conduct MTF tests.

The graph above shows contrast values at spatial frequencies of 10 lp/mm and 30 lp/mm (line pairs permillimeter). Green lines indicate contrast values at full-open aperture, and red lines indicate contrast values at F8 aperture; solid lines represent radial (R)measurements made from the optical center out tothe periphery, while dotted lines represent tangential(T) measurements made at a 90º angle to radial measurements.

When reading MTF graphs, check the height andshape of the curves at each spatial frequency. Thehigher the 10 lp/mm and 30 lp/mm curves are on thegraph, the higher the contrast and resolving power.The smaller the gap between the green and redcurves, the more consistent the performance acrossthe aperture range. And the smaller the gap betweensolid and dotted lines, the more consistent and attrac-tive the defocusing characteristics.

The height of the curves will tend to be lower for large-aperture and wide-angle lenses, and tend to slopedown at maximum aperture. Also note that if a lens isto be used with a digital SLR with an APS-C type imagesensor, the smaller size of the sensor means that y-axisvalues greater than 14.2mm can be ignored.

It should be remembered, though, that MTF graphsare only one measure of performance. In practice,factors such as size, weight, cost, and intended useare also very important and should be given carefulconsideration when choosing a lens.

Red: Contrast value at F8

Indicates the level to which resolution and contrast are maintained at the periphery ofthe lens.

Green: Contrast value at maximum aperture


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At 75mm At 300mm


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137136


Cal Zeiss® lenses

Planar® T* 85mm F1.4 ZA (SAL85F14Z) Sonnar® T* 135mm F1.8 ZA (SAL135F18Z)

Vario-Sonnar® T* DT 16–80mm F3.5–4.5 ZA (SAL1680Z)


0 3 6 9 12

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Max. aperture


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F8 aperture


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F8 apertureAt 80mm

Spatial frequency R T10 line pairs / mm20 line pairs / mm40 line pairs / mm

MTF graphs above show contrast values at spatial frequencies of 10 lp/mm, 20 lp/mm and 40 lp/mm for Carl Zeiss® lenses.


Zoom lenses

DT 11–18mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL1118) DT 18–70mm F3.5–5.6 (SAL1870)

75–300mm F4.5–5.6 (SAL75300) 70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G)

DT 18–200mm F3.5–6.3 (SAL18200) 24–105mm F3.5–4.5 (SAL24105)


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At 70mm



MTF graphs above show contrast values at spatial frequencies of 10 lp/mm and 30 lp/mm for a and G series zoom lenses.


139138


Depth of field refers to the rangeof camera-to-subject distanceswithin which focus will be accept-ably sharp. Depth of field is affect-ed by a number of factors, includ-ing aperture size, subject dis-tance, and to a more limiteddegree, focal length.

A distance encoder is a deviceincorporated into most a lensesto monitor the position of thefocusing lens elements and trans-mit accurate shooting distanceinformation to the camera. Thisinformation is then combined with light metering information toensure more accurate ADI(Advanced Distance Integration)flash brightness control.

Direct Manual Focus (DMF) is ana System feature that enablesphotographers to effortlesslyswitch between auto and manualfocusing. When DMF is active, theAF drive disengages as soon asautofocusing is complete to allowmanual fine tuning via the focusring on the lens barrel. FulltimeDMF that allows manual focusingat any time is also possible whenusing a lenses equipped withSSM (Super Sonic wave Motor)drive.

DT lenses are lenses that havebeen specially designed for use with a System camerasequipped with an APS-C typeimage sensor. Although they can-

not be used with 35mm formatSLR cameras, they offer the multi-ple advantages of outstandingimage quality, compact size, andlow weight.

ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass is a type of optical glass that wasspecifically developed to com-bat color aberration. It has a lowrefractive index and an extra-lowdispersion index that help ensurelight rays of all colors are broughtcloser to the correct focal point.The high-quality ED glass used ina lenses is also notable for itsanomalous dispersion character-istics, which help minimize differ-ences in the degree to which colors are affected.

Flaring is a phenomenon thatoccurs when extraneous light raysthat do not contribute to imageformation enter a lens and reflectoff the surface of individual lenselements or the inside of the lensbarrel. It can significantly reduceimage contrast and sharpness, aswell as create unwanted streak-ing and ray-shaped patterns.Flaring can be eliminated in most cases by proper use of a lens hood.

A floating lens mechanism is amechanism that allows lens ele-ments other than the focusinggroup to move, thereby minimiz-ing aberrations that can be intro-duced at different focusing dis-tances. It can be particularly ef-fective in ensuring superior imagequality across the focusing range

on lenses with extremely shortminimum focusing distances.

F-numbers, which are also oftenreferred to as F-stops, indicate thesize of the aperture relative to thefocal length of a lens, with eachsuccessive F-number represent-ing a halving or doubling of theamount of light allowed to passthrough the lens. Because F-num-bers actually represent fractions(the diameter of the aperture inmillimeters divided by the focallength in millimeters), smaller F-numbers indicate larger aperturesand larger F-numbers indicatesmaller apertures.

Focal length is defined as the dis-tance in millimeters from the opti-cal center of a lens to the focalplane (image sensor) when a sub-ject at infinity is in sharp focus.Long focal length lenses (tele-photo) have a narrow angle ofview and make distant subjectsappear larger; short focal lengthlenses (wide-angle) have a wideangle of view and make distantsubjects appear smaller.

The focus hold button is a con-venient feature offered on somea lenses to make it easy to lockthe focus during autofocus oper-ation. Although the focus can alsobe locked by holding the shutterbutton pressed halfway, the focus hold button permits focus to be locked across multiple frames even in continuous AF(AF-C) mode.

ADI (Advanced DistanceIntegration) flash metering mini-mizes the influence of subject andbackground reflectivity to ensuremore accurate exposure whenshooting with flash. It is supportedby a System camera built-in flashunits and advanced externalflash units such as the HVL-F56AMand HVL-F35AM, and all distanceencoder equipped a lenses.

Angle of view is measured indegrees of arc and indicates howmuch of a scene a lens can cap-ture. Angle of view is determinedsolely by the focal length of thelens; the field of view (sometimescalled the picture angle) is deter-mined by the angle of view andthe shooting distance.

The aperture is the opening thatregulates the amount of lightpassing through a lens. The size ofthe aperture also affects depth offield, with larger apertures (small-er F-stop numbers) making depthof field shallower, and smallerapertures (larger F-stop numbers)making it deeper.

An apodization optical element isan optical element designed toact as a graduated neutral densi-ty filter, with highest light transmis-sion at the center and lowest lighttransmission at the periphery. An apodization optical element is built into the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5 ]STF (SAL135F28) lens to ensure

ultra-smooth defocusing characteristics.

APS-C is one of three picture sizesdefined by the Advanced PhotoSystem (APS) film standard thatwas introduced in 1996. The C(Classic) size measures 23.4 x16.7mm, and since this corre-sponds to the size of the imagesensor used in many digital SLRcameras, the APS-C designationhas also come to be applied tosuch cameras and their sensors.

A lens element with a variablecurvature that is speciallydesigned to suppress sphericalaberration without the need foradditional corrective elements.Although aspherical elementsrequire a high degree of manu-facturing precision to produce,they make it possible to createlight, compact lenses that deliverextremely high image quality.

An auto clutch is a mechanismthat prevents the focus ring onthe lens barrel from rotating dur-ing autofocus operation, yetenables the focus ring to engagethe focusing mechanism duringmanual focus operation. This en-sures improved camera-holdingstability when autofocusing, andallows the focus ring to be madewider for easier manual focusing.

Circular aperture mechanismscontribute to the excellent defo-cusing characteristics of a lensesby using specially designedblades to ensure that the aper-ture remains extremely circulareven when reduced from the full-open position by one or two F-stops.

In the context of lens perfor-mance, contrast does not refer to the distribution of tonal valuesfrom light to dark as in a photo-graph, but rather to the ability todistinguish between fine detailsthat are of slightly different bright-ness. A lens with higher contrastwill therefore produce a sharper,crisper image than one with lowercontrast.

Defocusing characteristics, alsoknown as bokeh, describe theappearance of the areas of animage that are blurred becausethey are outside the zone of cor-rect focus. With poorly designedlenses, defocused areas oftencontain visually distracting,sharply defined polygonal shapesthat correspond to the shape ofthe lens aperture. With a lenses,defocused areas have asmoother, more even visual tex-ture that makes in-focus elementsstand out from the backgroundbeautifully.

Glossary

ADI flash metering

p. 130

Angle of view

p. 78

Aperture

p. 120


pp. 40, 122

APS-C

p. 77

Aspherical lens element

p. 125

Auto clutch

p. 129

Circular aperture

p. 120

Contrast

pp. 124, 134

Defocusing characteristics

pp. 120, 122

Depth of field

pp. 82, 84

DMF (Direct Manual Focus)

p. 129

Distance encoder

pp. 119, 130

DT (Digital Technology) lenses

pp. 50, 52, 54, 56, 142

ED glass

p. 124

Flaring

p. 88

Floating lens mechanism

p. 32

F-number

pp. 82, 84

Focal length

pp. 76, 78, 80

Focus hold button

pp. 46, 48

141140


straints prevent some peripherallight from reaching the focalplane, and can thus cause ob-servable light fall-off at the peri-phery of an image, this can oftenbe avoided by reducing theaperture slightly.

In photography, perspectiverefers to the apparent relative dis-tance and size of the elements ina scene. When shooting with awide-angle lens, the perspectivecan seem exaggerated becauseforeground elements appear tobe very large in relation to back-ground elements. And whenshooting with a telephoto lens,perspective can seem compress-ed because background ele-ments appear to be very large inrelation to foreground elements.

A reflex lens is a lens that uses twomirrors to fold the optical pathback on itself to achieve a longfocal length within a short lensbarrel. Although their design doesnot permit the inclusion of a vari-able aperture mechanism, reflexlenses are much lighter than con-ventional lenses of equivalentfocal length, are notably free ofchromatic aberration, and havea distinctive ring-shaped defocus-ing pattern.

Refraction refers to the deflectionfrom a straight path that light raysundergo when they pass througha glass lens. It is this phenomenonthat makes it possible to use multi-ple lens elements to cause all lightrays that enter a camera lens to

converge and form a sharplyfocused image on the camera'simage sensor.

In the context of lens perfor-mance, resolution refers to theability of a lens to distinguish finedetail. It is not related to imagesensor resolution, although bothimage sensor and lens resolutionultimately affect the quality of animage. Lens resolution, like con-trast, is usually measured by test-ing how many line pairs per mil-limeter the lens can distinguish,and is a key factor in determiningimage sharpness.

With reference to compact cam-eras, the terms "shooting dis-tance" and "focus distance" gen-erally mean the distance from thefront of the camera lens to thesubject, but in SLR photography,these terms describe the distancefrom the focal plane (image sen-sor) to the subject when the sub-ject is in sharp focus.

The SSM (Super Sonic waveMotor) is an autofocus systemdrive motor that uses supersonicvibrations generated by piezo-electric elements to produce hightorque output with minimal oper-ating noise. It also supports full-time DMF (Direct Manual Focus)that enables photographers tofine-tune the focus manually during autofocus operation.

STF stands for Smooth Trans Focusand describes the ultra-smoothdefocusing characteristics of the 135mm F2.8 [T4.5 ] STF lens(SAL135F28). In addition to offer-ing truly outstanding contrast andresolution, the lens is equippedwith a unique apodization opticalelement that ensures beautifullysmooth defocusing of both fore-ground and background.

A teleconverter is an attachmentlens that can be mountedbetween the camera body andlens to extend the focal length ofthe lens being used. The a lenslineup includes 1.4x and 2x teleconverters (SAL14TC andSAL20TC) for use with the70–200mm F2.8 G (SAL70200G),300mm F2.8 G (SAL300F28G), and135mm F2.8 [T4.5] STF (SAL135F28).Maximum aperture will bereduced by one F-stop with the1.4x teleconverter, and by two F-stops with the 2x teleconverter.

Working distance refers to the dis-tance from the front surface ofthe lens or lens barrel to the sub-ject. Macro lenses such as the100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28)offer a longer working distancethat helps prevent the photo-grapher or camera from castingshadows on the subject when taking macro close-ups.

The focus range limiter is anotherconvenient focusing featureoffered on some a telephotoand macro lenses. It helps boostautofocusing speed by allowingphotographers to limit the dis-tance range within which the AFsystem will seek a focusing target.

Ghosting is a type of flaring thatusually takes the form of spot-shaped blemishes with a clearlydefined shape. It is most likely tooccur when the sun or other suchbright light source is close to theedge of the image field, andalthough antireflective lens coat-ings and the use of lens hood aregenerally effective in suppressingit, in some situations the only wayto eliminate it is to take the shotfrom a different position or angle.

a lenses bearing the 'G' designa-tion are specially designed andconstructed to the highest stand-ards of optical performance. Builtto last a lifetime, they combinesuperb clarity and sharpness withexquisite defocusing characteris-tics, and measure up to the mostdemanding professional specifi-cations in every detail.

High-speed synchro enables flashphotography at very fast shutterspeeds. As a result, photogra-phers can shoot at the largeapertures needed to effectivelydefocus the background evenwhen using a flash to provide fill

lighting in bright outdoor situa-tions. High-speed synchro is sup-ported by a System camerabuilt-in flash units, as well as high-performance external flashunits such as the HVL-F56AM andHVL-F36AM.

Image stabilization is a technolo-gy that was developed to helpprevent blurring caused by cam-era shake. Although it is possibleto equip individual lenses withmechanisms that shift lens ele-ments to compensate for camerashake, this adds considerably tothe size, weight, and cost of alens, and, of course, only workswith the lens it is installed on. The Super SteadyShot® system, on the other hand, is built into thecamera body, so it works with alla lenses, and provides efficientstabilization that enables shoot-ing at shutter speeds up to 3.5steps slower than would otherwisebe possible.

Internal focusing and rear focus-ing mechanisms eliminate theneed for the lens barrel to extendand retract when focusing. In ad-dition to making the lens more com-pact, the reduction in the weightof moving parts ensures fasterfocusing and easier handling.

Large-aperture lenses are some-times referred to as 'fast' lensesbecause their exceptional light-gathering power enables the useof faster shutter speeds. Althoughinherently more prone to various

types of aberration than lenseswith smaller apertures, recentadvances in optical and lensmanufacturing technology have led to the development ofextremely high-performancelarge-aperture lenses.

The magnification ratio is the ratiobetween a subject's actual sizeand the size at which it is project-ed onto the focal plane (imagesensor). If a subject 10mm highappears 1mm high at the focalplane, the magnification ratio is10:1; if it appears 2mm high, themagnification ratio is 10:2. Sincethese values apply only at the fo-cal plane, images appear muchlarger on a monitor or as a print.

The modulation transfer function isone widely used measure of lensperformance that allows the con-trast reproduction capabilitiesand resolution of a lens from itscenter to periphery to be diplay-ed in a single graph.

Multi-coatings are thin, trans-parent, antireflective coatingsapplied to lens elements to helpprevent flaring and ghosting thatcan reduce contrast anddegrade image quality.

Peripheral light is light that passesthrough a lens near the outeredge of the lens disc. Althoughinherent optical design con-

Focus range limiter

pp. 46, 48

Ghosting

p. 88

G Lens

pp. 32,42 60,142

HSS (High-Speed Synchro)

p. 132

Image stabilization

pp. 74, 118

Internal/rear focusing mechanisms

p. 39

Magnification ratio

p. 86

MTF (Modulation TransferFunction) graphs

p. 134

Multi-coatings

p. 88

Large-aperture lenses

p. 94

Perspective

pp. 78, 80

Reflex lens

pp. 44, 128

Refraction

p. 124

Resolution

pp. 121, 134

Shooting distance

p. 87

SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor)

pp. 126

STF lens

pp. 40, 122

Teleconverter

pp. 64, 66, 142

Working distance

p. 87

Peripheral light

p. 143

36012.7 oz

2358.3 oz

40514.3 oz

39513.9 oz

4601 lb 0.2 oz

40014.1 oz

28510.1 oz

1856.5 oz

2207.8 oz

29510.4 oz

5051 lb 1.8 oz

7301 lb 9.7 oz

6651 lb 7.5 oz

1706 oz

2007.1 oz

5101 lb 2 oz

1,340 *7

2 lb 15.3 oz

2,310 *7

5 lb 1.5 oz

6401 lb 6.6 oz

9952 lb 3.1 oz

44515.7 oz

83 x 80.53-1/4 x 3-3/16

66 x 772-5/8 x 3

73 x 85.52-7/8 x 3-3/8

71x 692-13/16 x 2-11/16

71x 1222-13/16 x 4-13/16

75 x 66.52-15/16 x 2-5/8

78 x 53.53-1/16 x 2-1/8

65.5 x 42.52-9/16 x 1-11/16

65.5 x 432-9/16 x 1-11/16

71.5 x 602-13/16 x 2-3/8

75 x 98.52-15/16 x 3-7/8

80 x 993-1/8 x 3-7/8

89 x 1183-1/2 x 4-5/8

64 x 202-1/2 x 3/4

64 x 43.52-1/2 x 1-11/16

69 x 762-3/4 x 3

87 x 196.53-7/16 x 7-3/4

122 x 242.54-13/16 x 9-9/16

81 x 753-3/16 x 2-15/16

88 x 114.53-7/16 x 4-1/2

72 x 832-13/16 x 3-1/4

143142


Providedaccessories

Weighttorutume(g)(oz)approx.

Dimensions(Dia. x L)(mm) (in.)

Max.magnifi-cationratio(x)

Min. aperture(f)

Min.focusdistance (m)

ADI flash metering(distance encoder)

Filter dia.(mm)

Hoodshape / mount

• Equivalent focal length is approx. 1.5x stated focal length when lenses are mounted on a digital SLR with an APS-C type image sensor.• Depending on the type of focusing lens mechanism employed, focal length may vary slightly according to shooting distance.

Stated focal length is measured with focus at infinity.• Light transmission inherently decreases at lens periphery. To reduce peripheral light fall-off, reduce aperture by 1 or 2 stops. • Non-metric weights and measurements are approximate and may vary.• Specifications are based on the latest information available at the time of printing, and are subject to change without notice.

hood

hood

hood

hood

hood

—

hood

—

hood

—

hood

hood, case

hood, slot-in ND filter

case

case

hood, case

hood, case

hood, case

hood, case

hood, case

hood, slot-in circular polarizing filter, lens strap, hard carrying case

petal / bayonet

bayonet

petal / bayonet

petal / bayonet

bayonet

fixed

petal / bayonet

integrated

bayonet

—

bayonet

bayonet

screw-on

—

—

petal / bayonet

petal / bayonet

round / clip-on

bayonet

bayonet

petal / bayonet

77

55

62

62

55

(integrated)

72

49

55

55

55

72

—

—

55

77

72

77

62

42 (provided)

42 (provided)

O

O

O

O

O

—

—

—

O

O

O

—

—

O *6

O *6

O

O

O

O

O

O

0.25

0.38

0.45

0.5

1.5

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.45

0.2

0.35

0.87

4.0

—

—

0.3

1.2

2.0

0.85

0.72

0.35

0.125

0.25

0.27

0.18

0.25

0.15

0.13

0.13

0.15

1.0

1.0

0.25

0.13

—

—

0.2

0.21

0.18

0.13

0.25

0.24

22–29

22–36

22–40

22–27

32–38

22

22

22

22

32

32

31 [T32]

—

—

22

32

32

22

22

22–29

8 (fixed)

Product

No. ofapertureblades

Angle ofview(35mm format)

Angle ofview(APS-C format) *1

Lens configuration(groups / elements)Model name Description

35mm-equivalentfocal lengthwhen mount-ed on DSLR(mm)

*1 : Digital SLR camera with an APS-C type (23.6 mm x 15.8 mm) image sensor*2 : Compatible only with digital SLR cameras with an APS-C type image sensor; not compatible with 35mm SLR cameras*3 : Manual focus only*4 : AF supported with center focus frame only*5 : Compatible with SAL70200G / SAL300F28G (AF & MF operation) and SAL135F28 (MF only)*6 : Except SAL135F28*7 : Without tripod mount

SAL1118

SAL1870

SAL18200

SAL24105

SAL75300

SAL16F28

SAL20F28

SAL28F28

SAL50F14

SAL50M28

SAL100M28

SAL135F28

SAL500F80

SAL14TC

SAL20TC

SAL35F14G

SAL70200G

SAL300F28G

SAL85F14Z

SAL135F18Z

SAL1680Z

DT 11–18mm f/4.5–5.6 *2

DT 18–70mm f/3.5–5.6 *2

DT 18–200mm f/3.5–6.3 *2

24–105mm f/3.5–4.5

75–300mm f/4.5–5.6

16mm f/2.8 Fisheye

20mm f/2.8

28mm f/2.8

50mm f/1.4

50mm f/2.8 Macro

100mm f/2.8 Macro

135mm f/2.8 [T4.5 ] STF *3

500mm f/8 Reflex

1.4x Teleconverter *4

2x Teleconverter *5

35mm f/1.4 G

70–200mm f/2.8 G

300mm f/2.8 G

Planar® T* 85 mm f/1.4 ZA

Sonnar® T* 135 mm f/1.8 ZA

Vario-Sonnar® T*DT 16–80 mm f/3.5–4.5 ZA *2

12 / 15

9 / 11

13 / 15

11 / 12

10 / 13

9 / 10

5 / 5

6 / 7

6 / 7

8 / 8

4 / 5

5 / 6

8 / 10

16 / 19

7 / 8

8 / 11

10 / 14

7(circular aperture)





7


7




9 auto / 10 manual(circular aperture)

—

—

—







—

—

—

84–23°

32–8°10'

180°

94°

75°

47°

47°

24°

18°

5°

—

—

63°

34–12° 30'

8° 10'

29°

18°

—

6 / 8 (incl. 1apod. element)

8 / 11(incl. 1 filter)



104–76°

76–23°

76–8°

61–15°

21–5° 20'

110°

70°

54°

32°

32°

16°

12°

3° 10'

—

—

44°

23–8°

5° 20'

19°

12°

83–20°

16.5–27

27–105

27–300

36–157.5

112.5–450

24

30

42

75

75

150

202.5

750

—

—

52.5

105–300

450

127.5

202.5

24–120

a lenses — basic specifications

© 2007 by Sony CorporationFirst printing April 2007

Printed in Japan

Special ThanksTomoko Saito (Art de Vivere), Hironori Doi (RISE Communications Pty Ltd), Russell Carr, The Helicopter Line, E QUBE PUBLISHING, Show Film, Stage & Screen, Allan Hamilton, Hamish Bagley, Nicholas Andrewes, Nikki Bodle, Jonathan L Carr, Saveur FERRARA (Riviera Kanko Service), Hotel Westminster Nice, The Heritage Hotel Queenstown, Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai, Eze-Village, Volkswagen Japan, Auberge Au Mirador, Big Foot, SHOTOVER JET

Information and product specifications contained herein are current as of February 2007, and are subject to change without notice.

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