Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 review

Pros

• Excellent edge to edge performance across the zoom range
• Cheap to buy used or as a kit lens bundle
• Very compact and light as an everyday carry lens
• Retracting design makes it easy to carry

Cons

• Limited zoom range
• f/4-5.6 maximum aperture
• Needs to be ‘un-retracted’ for use

Sony markets its A7C models as compact mirrorless cameras, so it needed a compact kit lens to go with them. As usual with full frame cameras, that meant compromising on zoom range and maximum aperture, so the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 looks pretty weak as a standard zoom when Sony has much better, albeit bigger and more expensive, constant-aperture zooms to choose from.

This must explain why there are so many used examples on MPB, for example, at less than half the list price and in excellent/as new condition. True, you’re not likely to buy this lens new at its list price. At $498 / £449, it does seem overpriced for what it is – but then kit lenses are typically overpriced when bought on their own. My used example, though, cost just £189 in the UK, and as far as I can tell it’s hardly been used. Now that really is a bargain.

Features and design

It’s not hard to see why many people might write this lens off as useless. The 28-60mm focal range goes from a modest wide-angle at one end to barely longer than a 50mm standard lens at the other. That doesn’t bother me too much since when I first started out in photography my favourite lenses were a 28mm and 50mm. Still, I’m sure most folk would rather have a 24-70mm or a 24-105mm if they had the choice.

The maximum aperture is nothing to get excited about either. The f/4 maximum at 28mm is adequate, but the maximum f/5.6 at 60mm does seem pretty weak, especially when you can get plenty of lenses with a longer focal range and a constant f/2.8 or f/4 maximum aperture.

So the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 is definitely not going to win on features. That’s because it has a very different, equally valuable strength – its size.

Sony A7 series cameras have long suffered from the small body/big lenses syndrome. It’s as if the camera design team worked hard to make the bodies smaller than they every needed to be, while the lens design crew decided that size was no object in their quest for the best optics. I’ve used full frame Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras with many different Sony FE lenses, and I’ve always felt this size discrepancy made the cameras unbalanced.

But the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 is different – VERY different. This is a very small, very light lens indeed. It’s an excellent match for the Sony A7C bodies, but also a terrific casual kit lens for my Sony A7 II. This is the one lens which would make me consider using my Sony as an everyday carry.

The small size of the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 comes partly from its modest zoom range and maximum aperture range, but also from its retracting mechanism. This makes it especially small for carrying around, though it does extend somewhat when you turn the zoom ring to extend it.

There are no frills with this lens – no aperture ring, no focus hold button, no optical image stabilization. It’s fine. It doesn’t need these things. Save that for your pro lenses and more serious assignments.

Usability and performance

This is a really easy lens to use. You just turn the zoom ring past a detent to extend it for use and you’re ready to go. The zoom ring has a pretty short throw – not surprising, given the short zoom range – and the focusing is fast and silent.

Except when the AF just stops working and you can’t figure out why. It’s not because the lens is broken or it’s somehow switched over to MF. It’s because the lens is still retracted… d’oh! I have done this SO MANY times with this lens.

But it’s worth it, because the performance of this lens is even more impressive than its size. It delivers amazing edge to edge sharpness from 28mm right up to 60mm, and I don’t mean it’s amazing for a lens of this type, but amazing generally. I’m sure if you compared lab tests from this lens with those from the 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master then the G Master would come out on top, but in real-world shooting this tiny Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 is so good that I’m not sure I would even care.

This is exactly the opposite of the experience I’ve had with Sony’s APS-C kit lens, the Sony E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6, which is the worst own-brand kit zoom I’ve used. The Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6, by contrast, is one of the best.

Verdict

The Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 is not going to replace a ‘proper’ standard zoom. The zoom range is just a little too small, even if you can live with the modest maximum aperture. But as an everyday carry lens or a portable combo for travelling and street photography it’s supremely practical. More than that, its optical performance is so good that you will never look at your shots and wish you had taken a better lens. If you are considering a Sony A7C/A7C II and this lens is a kit option, don’t hesitate – just get it. And while it is expensive as a new standalone purchase, do check it out on the used market, where you can get great examples at bargain prices.

Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 prices: $498 at B&H | £449 at Wex