Sony continues to expand the upper echelon of its glass offerings as well as its consumer lineup with the announcement today of two new high-performance zoom lenses.

The top-shelf Sony/Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA uses 17 elements in 13 groups, including 2 aspheric and 2 extra-low dispersion elements. Zeiss T* coating claims to provide higher light transmission and minimal flair. Focus drive is internal, via a high-speed, high-torque Super Sonic Wave Motor (SSM).

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A constant f/2.8 aperture should make the lens popular with portrait photographers, in particular.

The 24-70mm should be available later this spring. Announced pricing is $1750.

Sony also released specs on a new telephoto zoom, the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G.

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The latest offering in Sony's consumer-oriented G series of lenses, the 70-300mm features internal SSM focusing, construction of 16 elements in 11 groups (including one extra-low dispersion element), and a minimum focusing distance of just 47 inches – a reasonably impressive number for a lens of this focal length.

As with the 24-70mm, the 70-300mm should come up for sale later this spring, in the neighborhood of $800.