Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II Overview

Introduction

Ease of Use

Weighing in at 1045g, the aluminium alloy bodied Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II is 435g / 29% lighter than the unique model, a exceptional achievement on condition that it’s nearly equivalent in dimension to its predecessor.

Consequently, in use it feels significantly better matched to a small physique just like the Sony A7R IV digicam that we examined it with, as proven within the pictures beneath. Whereas becoming a vertical battery grip would nonetheless assist with the general steadiness, it is not as needed as with the Mark I lens.

Whereas you should utilize it on a smaller APS-C physique just like the Sony A6000 sequence of cameras, it will not steadiness notably effectively and the equal focal size can even change to 105-300mm.

Construct high quality is superb, one thing of a aid given the price-tag. The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II has an improved sealed mud and moisture resistant design that includes sealed seams, buttons and switches with silicone rubber gaskets, and a rubber ring across the lens mount, all of which makes it well-suited to life in each the sector and the studio.

The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens has a metallic lens mount. It accepts 77mm filters through metallic threads.

There are three separate spherical Focus Maintain buttons, equally spaced 90° aside, which maintain the lens locked to the present focusing distance, helpful should you’re auto-focusing and don’t desire the lens to attempt to discover focus once more. The preview perform will also be assigned to those buttons by way of the digicam’s customized settings.

The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II has a large and ridged focus ring, though it’s a little slimmer than on the unique model as a way to accommodate the brand new Aperture Management ring.

Handbook focusing is feasible by utilizing the AF/MF swap and there is additionally now a devoted swap for Sony’s Full Time DMF (Direct Handbook Focus), which lets you have interaction handbook focus even when the lens is about to AF mode.

There aren’t any onerous stops at both finish of the vary, although, making it harder to set focus at infinity. Polariser customers ought to be happy that the 77mm filter thread does not rotate on focus.

In relation to auto-focusing, the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II zoom is a quiet and really fast performer on the Sony A7R IV that we examined it with, taking round 0.25 seconds to lock onto the topic.

We did not expertise very a lot “looking” in any respect, both in good or dangerous mild, with the lens precisely focusing just about all the time, and it is also a really quiet performer that makes it perfect for film taking pictures.

The Focus Vary Limiter swap prevents the lens from looking by way of your complete focusing vary. There are two choices – Full, or Infinity to 3m.

The brand new bodily aperture ring is a reasonably shocking however very welcome addition. It ranges from f/2.8 to f/22 in third-stop increments and there is additionally an A (Auto) setting should you’d reasonably set the aperture through the digicam physique within the regular manner.

There’s additionally a Click on swap on the right-hand aspect of the lens barrel which may be turned On for stills pictures or Off for clean, silent use throughout film taking pictures.

Lastly, the brand new Iris Lock swap successfully locks the aperture ring into the A (Auto) place for customers that desire command dial management or any of the handbook settings from F2.8 to F22.

This new management maybe feels a bit of extraneous on condition that you have already got to maneuver the aperture ring fairly a great distance from f/22 to A (Auto), with little likelihood of it being by chance moved even with out participating the Iris Lock swap, however it does show helpful if you wish to regularly shoot utilizing a selected aperture.

The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II options optical picture stabilisation, which along with the A7R IV’s personal built-in stabilisation imply that we may efficiently hand-hold the digicam as much as 5 stops slower than with a lens and digicam physique with no OIS.

The Mode swap toggles between Regular taking pictures (Mode 1), Panning (Mode 2), which routinely adjusts the lens to account for horizontal motion while taking pictures, and the brand new Mode 3 emphasizes framing stability when taking pictures dynamic, unpredictable movement.

The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens is commendably equipped with a comfortable case, an excellent high quality, up to date petal-shaped metallic lens hood (ALC-SH167) with a gap for round polarizing or variable ND filters, a flocked inside to assist stop undesirable reflections and a silicone rubber entrance edge, and a detachable tripod collar that may be unlocked and rotated to any place.

Notice that this lens is absolutely appropriate with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters which lengthen the lens’s focal size to 98-280mm f/4 utilizing the 1.4x converter and 140-400mm f/5.6 utilizing the 2x converter.

Focal Vary

On the 70mm focal size the angle of view is 34° levels.

70mm

On the 200mm focal size the angle of view is 12° levels.

200mm

Chromatic Aberrations

Chromatic aberrations, usually seen as blue or purple fringes alongside contrasty edges, weren’t very obvious in our check photographs, solely showing in very excessive distinction areas.

70mm

200mm

Vignetting

With the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II extensive open at f/2.8, you possibly can see some pretty noticeable mild fall-off within the corners. Stopping down helps, though to utterly do away with this phenomenon, you will want to make use of an f-stop of f/5.6 or smaller.

70mm

200mm

Distortion

Barrel distortion is effectively managed, however there’s some pin-cushion distortion evident at 200mm in each the JPEG and RAW recordsdata which you will must right in post-processing till an acceptable lens profile is launched on your modifying software program.

70mm

200mm

Sunstars and Flare

The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II produces fairly good sunstars when stopped-down to f/16-f/22, as proven beneath, though it it a bit of vulnerable to flare when taking pictures instantly into the solar.

70mm

200mm

70mm

200mm

Macro

The Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II is not claimed to be a macro lens, however it delivers fairly good efficiency nonetheless should you zoom to 200mm.

The close-focus level is a powerful 40cm / 1.32ft from the movie/sensor airplane on the 70mm focal size (82cm / 2.69ft at 200mm) and it has a most magnification ratio of 0.3x.

Bokeh

Bokeh is a phrase used for the out-of-focus areas of {a photograph}, and is normally described in qualitative phrases, resembling clean / creamy / harsh and so on.

One of many purpose to purchase such a quick lens because the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II is to have the ability to isolate the topic from the background.

Sony was apparently very a lot conscious of this requirement, as they employed an iris diaphragm with 11 rounded blades for a really pleasing rendering of the out-of-focus highlights.

Beneath you will discover some examples, however you’re additionally inspired to take a look at our pattern pictures.

Sharpness

With a view to present you ways sharp the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II lens is, we’re offering 100% crops on the next pages.