[juusto]

If you interested in great feeling and great IQ lenses with a small foot print look not further than the Zeiss Loxia line, Sony 24mm F2.8G / 40mm F2.5G and 50mm F2.5G, the new Sigma Contemporary lens line for both E and L mount and Voigtländer lenses for both E and M mount. All of them have metal bodies and some of these are even weather sealed and have AF.

There is some Chinese lenses as well which seem to be very well built.

Great lens resources: https://phillipreeve.net/ https://dustinabbott.net/ and https://www.fredmiranda.com/

[nullifidian]

If I'm not mistaken Sony G lenses are the greatest offender in terms of the amount of plastic used in the $800-$2000 price range:

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/04/sony-fe-85mm-f1-4-g... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMXjJxFXRVs

[juusto]

That's one of the reasons I mentioned those three.

I think we have to distinguish between plastic, the one that feels cheap and might crack even when exposed to cold like many of the cheap DSLR lenses. And the "new" kind of plastic that is sturdier and more resistant to drops or scratches. The FE 24-105 is the latter and it does not feel anyhow less quality than more expensive top zooms.

Plastic has its positives as well: it won't scratch as easy as metal and, specially for zooms, its lighter. Imagine a zoom made of metal like a Voigt lens.