More FE f/2.8 Zoom & Large Aperture Prime FE Lenses Coming according to Sony Manager Kimio Maki

sony fe lenses

dpreview made an interview with Sony’s Kimio Maki, Senior General Manager of the Digital Imaging Business Group. They talked about great features and advantages of the recently announced Sony Alpha a7RII (Amazon | B&H | Adorama ), RX10 II (Amazon | B&H | Adorama), RX100 IV (Amazon | B&H | Adorama).

When talking about 4K video recording features compared with Canon EOS 5Ds & 5Ds R, Sony manager Kimio Maki said:

We wanted to overcome the idea that has been prevalent since as long as there have been digital cameras, that you can have one virtue [resolution] or the other [sensitivity] but you can never have both. Look at the Canon EOS 5DS. A maximum ISO sensitivity of 6400, and crippled movie capability. Canon says that it intentionally created the camera to fit the requirements of certain photographers, and [has thereby demonstrated] that the material science of their device technology [cannot] accomplish both objectives.

Kimio Maki also said Sony will make more upper end lenses in the near future, including a new line of f/2.8 fast zoom lens, more super telephoto zoom lenses, more large aperture prime FE lenses:

We have already made a 35mm F1.4 and 90mm macro – both were based on customer’s requirements, and also we have a full F4 zoom lineup, so our next lenses will be at the upper end of the lineup.

KM: Exactly. And also aperture. A F2.8 lineup is necessary, and brighter [primes].

When talking about PDAF can be used with Canon EF lenses on the a7R II (via a Metabones adapter), Kimio Maki said that they will make more high quality native lenses better than EF lenses with adapter:

KM: I hope that our native lenses are better! But it will happen. I see people using Sony a7-series bodies and third-party lenses all the time, for video and for stills, because they already own the lenses. It works, but our native lenses are much better and that’s the process [we see a7-series buyers going through]. Of course we’re not putting them under any pressure, but in order to make them shift, we have to guarantee the quality of the lens. Our lenses have to be better than [those from other manufacturers]. That is my mission.

Read full interview at dpreview.