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It also means additional work for the testers. We have to check distortion levels not only on the APS-C sensor and on full frame but also for corrected JPEG files and uncorrected RAW files. We get four combinations that have to be checked at different focal lengths.

Let's start with the easiest case – the smaller APS-C sensor plus corrected JPEG files. Below you can find thumbnails of images we got on such a combination at 24, 35, 50, 70, and 105 mm.

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Sony A7R III, APS-C, JPEG, 24 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, JPEG, 35 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, JPEG, 50 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, JPEG, 70 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, JPEG, 105 mm

In this case distortion won't be any problem – all results are low.From the minimum to the maximum focal length they respectively amount to: −0.57%, +0.32%, +0.18%, +0.05%, −0.07%. Very slight chances to notice distortion you get only at 24 mm and from 50 to 105 mm the results are, by and large, zero.

Now let's check how the situation changes when you pass to uncorrected RAW files.

Sony A7R III, APS-C, RAW, 24 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, RAW, 35 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, RAW, 50 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, RAW, 70 mm

Sony A7R III, APS-C, RAW, 105 mm

This time the chances to notice distortion increase noticeably - you won't get any problem with observing it at the shortest focal length with a result of −2.94%, a quite high level taking the detector size into account. Fortunately by 35 mm geometric deformatons get to practically zero, reaching just +0.14%. Then they start to increase once again but they turn into the pincushion variety. By 50 mm you see a result of +1.12%, and by 70 mm +1.48%. The maximum focal length shows a slight decrease of distortion to a level of +1.31%.

Now let's check how the situation changes when you progress to full frame. We are going to start our analysis with corrected JPEG files.

Sony A7R III, FF, JPEG, 24 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, JPEG, 35 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, JPEG, 50 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, JPEG, 70 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, JPEG, 105 mm

At the shortest focal length the software of the camera doesn't correct distortion completely because you can notice barrel deformations of −1.05%. At 35 mm they change into slight pincushion, reaching +0.58%. This pincushion decreases to +0.31% at 50 mm and at the 70 and 105 mm focal lengths you see a return of barrel but its level is very low; we got, respectively, −0.01% oraz −0.14%.

Finally, let's deal with deformations you can notice on full frame using uncorrected RAW files.

Sony A7R III, FF, RAW, 24 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, RAW, 35 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, RAW, 50 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, RAW, 70 mm

Sony A7R III, FF, RAW, 105 mm

In this case there are really a lot of problems. You can start from high barrel distortion, reaching as much as −4.59%, which you can see at 24 mm. With the increase of the focal length this barrel decreases, then gets to zero, and at 35 mm it becomes slight pincushion of +0.74%. This pincushion becomes a visible problem already at 50 mm, where it reaches as high as +2.73%, and at 70 mm it becomes really huge with a result of +3.41%. Fortunately at 105 mm distortion decreases slightly, amounting to just +3.01%.

The optics of the Sony FE 24-105 mm f/4 G OSS doesn't even try to correct distortion and, as a result, that aberration is clearly visible practically at all focal lengths apart from those close to 30-35 mm.