G Lens Details

Extra-low Dispersion lens (ED Lens)

With regular optical glass lenses, chromatic aberration generally increases as the focal length increases (such as in high-zoom ratio and telephoto lenses). This results in reduced contrast, increased colour fringe and an overall loss of detail. Extra-low Dispersion lenses, developed as a solution to this problem, are composed of ED glass featuring significantly lower dispersion and a lower refractive index than regular optical glass. ED glass also features uniquely irregular dispersion that dramatically reduces chromatic aberration. Even when shooting with a fully open aperture, Extra-low Dispersion lenses deliver crisp, clear, high-contrast images from corner to corner. Now that Sony employs these lenses, highly effective correction of chromatic aberration has become a reality.

Ultra-high refractive index lens

Ultra-high refractive index lenses utilize glass with a refractive index significantly higher than that of regular glass, resulting in much more effective correction of spherical aberration. Contrast, which tends to deteriorate in wide-angle and high-zoom ratio lenses made of regular glass, is also enhanced. Moreover, ultra-high refractive index lenses tend to be smaller in lens thickness and diameter than regular glass lenses, resulting in reduced overall lens unit dimensions. Low contrast High contrast

Aspherical lens element

Light beams passing through the edges and centre of conventional spherical lenses do not precisely converge at a focal point on the focal plane. This phenomenon, called spherical aberration, can be partially corrected by minimising the curvature of the main lens and incorporating an additional concave lens. However, it is impossible to completely correct this problem with a spherical lens. As a result, aspherical lenses were developed as a replacement. Aspherical lenses produce high-contrast images with minimal bleeding even when the aperture is kept open. Not only do they prevent spherical aberration, but they also effectively prevent distortion when zooming. In addition, they enable the use of fewer lens elements, thus contributing to lens compactness.

6-blade diaphragm unit

Conventional compact camera lenses feature a 2-blade iris diaphragm (aperture iris) that produces diamond-shaped bokeh at partially open aperture. The “G Lens”, on the other hand, features a nearly round 6-blade iris diaphragm that creates beautiful round bokeh. At large focal lengths that produce a shallow depth of field — especially in “G Lens” models featuring optical 20x zoom — the amount of bokeh in the foreground and background can be controlled through fine adjustment of the aperture.