Sony Doesn't Make This Lens: Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8

This budget-friendly zoom lens is currently doing something that Sony didn't even do with its own version. I'm talking about the Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8.

When Sony released its 24-50mm G lens, a lot of creators were excited about the compact size and versatile focal range. But it features an extending barrel when you zoom, and that became a point of complaint for me.

So Thypoch stepped up and built theirs with a fully internal zooming mechanism. The lens stays the exact same physical length whether you're at 24mm or 50mm, which keeps your setup the exact same size no matter what focal length you have set. For video shooters using a gimbal, this also means your balance stays consistent no matter what focal length you choose.

For a budget lens to pull that off when the first-party manufacturer didn't is a pretty big deal. Especially when you consider the Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 is about the same size as the Sony at its most compact. So while the Sony gets bigger as you zoom, the Voyager stays the same the whole time.

Why a Prime Shooter Is Using a Zoom

If you follow me at all, you know I've always been a much bigger fan of prime lenses. I love the sharpness, the rendering, the speed, and for me, the biggest benefit is that primes force me to move my feet a lot more, which gets me better compositions. But it's hard to argue with a lens this compact that also offers such a useful, everyday focal range. It essentially gives you a 24mm, a 35mm, and a 50mm all in one compact footprint, plus everything in between.

Because prime lenses are still more ideal for me, especially in terms of my documentary work, I'm mostly using primes for weddings and family documentary sessions. But portraits are different. I have more say in the lighting, composition, and where my subjects are placed, and I'm not as rushed to get things captured. So I've been using the Thypoch a ton on portrait sessions, especially the ones where my main priority is to pack light and travel light.

Putting It to Work in San Antonio

I recently traveled to San Antonio for a portrait session and knew it was going to be a demanding day. I wanted wide angle options to capture the environment, but I also needed tighter focal lengths for intimate portraits. On top of that, sessions like this involve a lot of walking. By the end of the day, we'd logged right around 10,000 steps in the early July Texas heat.

When I'm walking that much, the last thing I want is a massive, heavy camera bag, and I definitely don't want to be dragging a roller bag around while trying to carry light stands and my regular shoulder bag just for the sake of a couple extra lenses. So for this session, my main workhorse lens was this little 24-50mm. It only weighs around 432 grams, so paired with my Sony a9 III, my setup was pretty minimal. I did bring my Sony 70-200mm GM II as well as a Sirui 50mm anamorphic. But honestly, the 70-200mm only came out of the bag a single time when I needed extra compression, and the anamorphic also only came out once so I could play with that epic lens flare when the lighting was ideal for it. Aside from those two setups, the entire session was captured on the Thypoch.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance

The build quality felt great in the hand the entire day. I didn't need it on this particular session, but the lens is also dust- and moisture-resistant. And because it's an internal zoom, there isn't an extending external barrel, which helps maintain the lens's sealing integrity when you're working outdoors. The lens also offers some surprisingly premium physical controls on the barrel that you don't always see at this price point, including a dedicated Fn shortcut button, an AF/MF switch, and a physical aperture ring.

One thing to note about that aperture ring is that it's strictly a clicked ring. Because I'm primarily shooting stills, that doesn't affect my workflow at all. But I know a lot of hybrid and video shooters would really love the ability to de-click it for smooth exposure adjustments mid-take, so it's a limitation to keep in mind if that affects you. Or you can always throw the ring into A and control it from your camera.

Video Use

I don't shoot a ton of video, and I wouldn't consider myself a hybrid shooter, but I've used this lens on a good number of sessions for video specifically because it gives me a lot of versatility, being able to go from 24mm to 50mm. It's nice just having a dedicated video camera with a single all-purpose lens, especially when video isn't my main focus.

I also love the ability to zoom mid-take. I've been converting a lot of my clips into old 8 mm-style footage, and I love throwing in a crash zoom every once in a while because it really fits that vibe for that style of video.

A Constant Aperture Actually Matters

Having that constant f/2.8 aperture across the whole range is incredibly nice to have, especially when working with flash. If the aperture changes as I zoom, I have to compensate with shutter speed, ISO, or flash power, which makes the simple act of going from one focal length to another a lot more complicated. Thankfully, that's not an issue with this lens. And because the Voyager's zoom architecture draws on its parent group's experience with cinema zoom lenses, it features a 10-blade rounded aperture. The bokeh and out-of-focus areas have an incredibly smooth separation that looks beautiful.

About That Flare and Glare Talk

I've seen a handful of other creators talking about this lens being susceptible to heavy veiling glare or flaring when shooting directly into harsh backlighting. Honestly, I haven't seen anything worth noting about glare in my own real-world use, but it's something people are mentioning online, so maybe dig deeper into that if you think it's worth your time. I've used this setup with a flash popping directly at the lens and haven't seen anything I'd call an issue.

The Distortion Situation

My first real issue with this lens is that there's a bit of noticeable distortion, especially on the wide angle side of things. In everyday use, like shooting portraits out in nature or casual street photography, this doesn't usually bother me at all. But the second your image has clearly visible, straight geometric lines, you can definitely notice it.

Right now, because this lens is so new, there isn't a dedicated built-in lens correction profile to use within Lightroom. I really hope Thypoch coordinates with Adobe to get that profile created, so fingers crossed that it's possible and on the way in a future Lightroom update. Until then, I've been able to correct it with the manual controls in Lightroom; it's just a more tedious task than it should be.

Two Autofocus Quirks Worth Knowing About

My last complaint is something that might possibly be unique to me. I've watched a handful of other reviews on this lens, and I haven't seen anyone else talking about it yet. Possibly because they didn't use the lens as extensively as I have, or hopefully, because the issue is only affecting me. Don't get me wrong, the autofocus works really well in most normal cases. But I've run into two specific situations where it gives me some weird quirks.

The first quirk happens when I'm shooting at small, stopped-down apertures, like f/11 or f/16. Even in full daylight, meaning this is strictly an aperture thing and not a low-light hunting issue, the lens simply wouldn't lock focus. I connected the lens to my computer via the USB-C port and installed the latest firmware update, and while this issue has definitely improved, it's not gone entirely.

The second quirk is that there are times when I'm taking images, the focus is actively locked onto a subject, and the exact second I press the shutter to take the photo, the focus suddenly jumps and completely loses its lock. When that happens, the only way to get your focus back is to completely stop focusing and start focusing all over again. The image I take right before the focus jumps is in focus, but this has caused me to miss a handful of images when I'm shooting quickly and don't notice the focus has jumped.

I want to emphasize that this quirk definitely doesn't happen a lot. But it's happened enough during real sessions for me to make a mental note of it. That said, I do have a very early, preproduction version of this lens. Paired with the fact that I haven't seen other reviewers mentioning it, I'm pretty sure this is just a one-off copy issue affecting my specific unit. But as a working professional, I felt it was worth noting.

What I Liked

• Fully internal zoom keeps the same physical length and gimbal balance at every focal length
• Constant f/2.8 aperture makes flash work simple and consistent
• Compact and lightweight at around 432 grams
• Great build quality with dust and moisture resistance
• Smooth, beautiful bokeh thanks to the 10-blade rounded aperture
• Premium physical controls for the price, including a dedicated Fn button and aperture ring

What I Didn't Like

• Noticeable distortion on the wide angle end, especially with straight geometric lines
• No dedicated Lightroom correction profile yet, so distortion has to be corrected manually
• Autofocus can fail to lock at stopped-down apertures like f/11 or f/16, even in daylight
• Occasional focus jump right as the shutter is pressed, requiring you to restart focus
• Aperture ring is clicked only, with no de-click option for video shooters (not a big deal for me, but worth noting)
• Some reports online of veiling glare in harsh backlight, though I haven't personally seen it

Where This Lens Lands

For a budget-friendly lens that offers an internal zoom, a fast constant aperture, and great build quality, Thypoch has made a really compelling option with the Voyager 24-50mm f/2.8 lens. It's an incredibly easy lens to pack when you want to leave the heavy glass at home, and its $649 MSRP comes in well below the Sony equivalent.

So even with the quirks mentioned, this lens has found a permanent home as my dedicated video lens for hybrid-type situations, as well as being a go-to option for portraits and studio work. What do you think? If you've got your eye on this lens, would the internal zoom and constant aperture be enough to win you over despite the potential autofocus quirks?