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As we've already mentioned, there are several 24-105/120 class lenses designed for mirrorless cameras available on the market so it wasn't difficult to compile the following chart. For the comparison's sake we also added the older 24-105 mm Sony lens designed for reflex cameras.

As you see, mirrorless models are very similar when it comes to their weight. Panasonic and Nikon instruments are the biggest – quite understandable in the case of the later because it also features the widest focal range. The Canon is the smallest but also a bit heavier than the Sony for a change.

In the photo below the Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS is positioned next to the Sony FE 135 mm f/1.8 GM, and the Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 65 mm f/2.

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The tested lens starts with a metal mount surrounding a 33×24 mm frame made of plastics with embedded contacts. A rear element, 28 mm in diameter, is a bit limited by another 25×19 mm frame that sticks to it. The rear element, and that second, smaller frame, are mobile –they are situated on the same level as the contacts at 24 mm focal length and they hide over 3 cm deep after passing to 105 mm.

The interior of the inner tube is black and quite matt, without any shiny parts or electronic components visible so from this side the situation looks really good.

The proper body of the lens starts with a black ring made of plastics which diameter increases as you move further from the mount. On the ring you can find a whte dot, making an alignment with a camera easier, the mount type (E-mount), and inscription 'Optical Steady Shot' meaning it is a lens with an optical stabilization unit, the symbol of the lens, its serial number, and information that it was produced in China.

Already on the enlarged part of the ring you see an inscription with the name and parameters of the lens and on its left side there are two switches. The first one – AF/MF- is used to choose the focusing mode and the second – Optical Steady Shot ON/OFF- controls optical image stabilization.

The next ring allows you to change the focal length of the lens. It is 26 mm wide and most of its surface is occupied by rubber ribbing below which you can find focal length markings at 24, 35, 50, 70, and 105 mm. The ring moves quite smoothly and is properly damped.

Another ring doesn't move and is 16 mm wide. On it you can find the name of the producer, the G series mark and the Focus hold function button.

Further on you see a manual focus ring,18 mm wide and completely covered by ribbing. It is a focus-by-wire construction; it turns smoothly but with very light resistance. Its focus throw amounts to an angle of about 170 degrees, a significant value, allowing you very precise settings.

The front element is relatively flat, 64 mm in diameter, surrounded by a part of the barrel with the name and parameters of the lens along with a non-rotating filter, 77 mm in diameter, and a hood mount. The element is mobile; it extends with the whole front system on a homogeneous tube made of plastics when you pass from 24 mm to 105 mm, increasing the length of the lens by 4.5 cm.

When it comes to the optical construction you deal here with 17 elements positioned in 14 groups. Three elements are made of low dispersion ED glass and four others are aspherical in shape. Inside you can also find a round aperture with nine blades which can be closed down to f/22 at the maximum.

Buyers get in the accessory kit: both caps, a petal-type hood, and a nicely designed, hard case.

Optical stabilization

Producers declare that the Sony FE 24-104 mm f/4G OSS is equipped with an image stabilization system as efficient as 4 EV. In order to check that claim we set the lens at 105 mm and took several dozen photos with exposure times ranging from 1/125 to 1/3 of a second and the stabilization switched on and off. For every set of photos we determined a percentage of out-of-focus shots; then we presented it in a form of a graph of exposure time which was expressed in EV (with 0 EV being an equivalent of 1/100 of a second).

The maximum distance between both curves indeed reaches a bit over 3.7 EV so it is very close to the official declarations. We have no reservations in this area. 3.5-4.0 EV stabilization is very efficient, allowing you to shoot comfortably even in poor lighting conditions.