New Sony lens - Sony SEL FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II: lighter, faster, sharper
Five years ago, Sony launched the Holy Trinity telephoto zoom - the SEL 70-200mm f/2.8 GM Mark I. However, as the technical possibilities have developed so rapidly, it was time for an update.
We were invited by Sony to take a closer look at the new product and explain the improvements in our hands-on video.
It is slimmed down
Anyone who has ever held the old SEL 70-200mm f/2.8 GM in their hands and now picks up the Version II can easily tell which is the new edition. The upgrade of the lens has slimmed down considerably over the years and lost a whopping 29% in weight, which amounts to a total of 435g. At first we had the feeling that we were holding the 70-200G f/4.0 in our hands and were immediately very impressed. The amazing thing is that the weight has been reduced, but the sharpness has actually increased. The new lens even has better edge-to-edge sharpness than before.
The design has also been slightly revised and now offers more adjustment options directly on the lens. It has been given a dedicated aperture ring, which is infinitely adjustable or can be locked in the "A" position (automatic aperture).
The usual suspects such as focus area limitation, AF/MF, OSS and the stabilization modes are of course still present as switches. The latest innovation here is a DMF switch, but more on this in the video section.
Sony SEL 70-200mm f/2.8 GM2 OSS Sony FE-Mount
- Sony SEL 70-200mm F2.8 G Master telephoto zoom lens
- 4 XD linear motors ensure outstanding AF speed, precision and tracking (for both photo and video recording)
- excellent G Master resolution and bokeh in an exceptionally lightweight design
- constant lens speed F2.8
- integrated optical image stabilization
- circular aperture with 11 blades
- Nano coating reduces unwanted light reflections
- Dust and moisture-protected
It's the inner values that count
But we all know that the exterior is all well and good, but what counts are the inner values - and a lot has changed here. In order to keep up with the modern demands of cameras in terms of autofocus, Sony has installed not one, but four XD Linear motors, which move the lenses against each other to reach the focus point more quickly. There is also a Nano AR II coating that minimizes reflections and, as usual, 11 aperture blades for circular bokeh points.
What is really impressive, apart from the weight, is the close focusing distance. Sony has managed to reduce this to 40cm at 70mm and 82cm at 200mm, which is a huge leap and increases the magnification to 0.3x.
Further features
These features are great for photographers, but videographers also benefit from them... and for them, there are even more features. As already mentioned, there is now the DMF switch. DMF stands for "Direct Manual Focus". If this is activated, it allows you to intervene in the focus even though AF is activated. Previously, the focus ring was deactivated if the lens was not set to MF. Now, however, you can intervene and switch between AF and MF very quickly and seamlessly.
Last but not least, there is an upgrade in terms of focus breathing. This has also been noticeably improved compared to its predecessor and therefore ensures a smoother overall image when shifting focus in video.
