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Sony's GM or Gold Master lenses are in their second generation, and the 24-70mm f2.8 GM
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Mark II is evidence of just how far Sony has come in the past six years. The Mark II lens
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is smaller, lighter, more feature-rich, faster focusing, and optically superior. It's also
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more expensive, but you can't have everything. If you want a deeper dive into performance
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check out my definitive video review. But if what you're looking for is a quick overview
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The 24-70 Mark II is 191 grams lighter, 16mm shorter, and has an overall volume that is
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18% smaller than the first generation lens. It is the smallest and lightest 24-70mm f2.8 lens on the Sony platform, but also manages
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to be the most feature-rich. Those features include an aperture ring that can be used clicked, de-clicked, or not at all
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There's an iris lock to help prevent inadvertent changes. There are now two focus hold buttons
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an AF-MF switch, and a very useful tension control for the zoom ring
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Smooth gives you very light zoom action, and tight gives you firmer zoom action
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and eliminates any zoom creep. The lens is thoroughly weather-sealed with 14 seal points
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plus a flooring coating on the front element. A lens hood and a zippered case is included
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There is no optical steady shot in the lens as it will rely on in-camera stabilization instead
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I found the balance of the new lens much better than its predecessor, and the host of features makes it a joy to use in the field
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Autofocus is also improved as Sony now employs four XD linear motors to drive focus
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That makes focus changes near instantaneous even when going from close to distant subjects It also allows you to keep up with demanding action like those frustrating moments when your subject keeps coming
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closer and closer to the camera. Focus accuracy was essentially perfect even when I whipped up
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the camera and snapped a photo to capture a plane buzzing overhead. Video focus pools were smooth
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quiet, and confident with roughly average amount of focus breathing. I didn't really notice much
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of a difference when I use Sony's focus breathing compensation. The hand test worked well too
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with smooth returns to my eye after I blocked the lens with my hand. I had no problem using
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the lens on a gimbal to track Nala moving around, and focus stayed locked on her eye even at f2.8
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The image quality from the 24-70 GM2 is extremely impressive. The MTF charts show near perfect
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performance in the center of the frame, strong mid-frame performance, and only a mild drop off
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to the corners. That's what I saw even wide open on my 50 megapixel Sony Alpha 1 at 24 millimeters
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35 millimeters was even better, with 50 millimeters being arguably better still
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70 millimeters was also very close, with extreme sharpness and contrast showing on real world
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subjects. This is one of the rare zoom lenses that provides prime-like image quality throughout
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the zoom range I saw some moderate barrel distortion at 24 millimeters though the correction profile deals with it well That eventually turns to mild pin cushion distortion at 70 millimeters which also corrects easily
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Expect about two stops of vignette in the corners throughout the zoom range at f2.8
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I saw mild amounts of longitudinal chromatic aberration, but no lateral CA in the corners
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Flare resistance was reasonably good, with no loss of contrast, but a bit of ghosting blobs of color
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The bokeh quality is also very nice for a standard zoom, delivering creamy defocused areas and nicely round specular highlights due to the 11 aperture blades
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A high magnification figure of 0.33 times allows you to really blur out backgrounds at close distances
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There is little to criticize here other than the price, which is a whopping $2,300
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That's a lot to pay, but if you want the best, this is it. It's smaller, lighter, faster, better sealed, more feature rich, and optically superior
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The Sony FE 24-70mm f2.8 GM Mark II is the new gold standard for standard zooms
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I'm Dustin Abbott and if you want more information you can click the link below to view my text
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review or buy the lens through the links there. Thanks for watching, have a great day, and let the light in
