Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II review: The must-have F2.8 standard zoom lens

Note: This review was first published on 27 June 2022.

Sony’s new FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (SEL2470GM2) is the world's smallest and lightest F2.8 standard zoom lens, according to its maker. For Alpha full-frame mirrorless cameras, this lens will deliver a versatile focal length from 24mm ( 84-degree field of view) to 70mm (34-degree field of view). For APS-C mirrorless cameras, the focal range will be from 36mm to 105mm.

Compared to its predecessor, this new Sony G Master lens is 18% smaller at 12cm (down from 13.6cm) and 20% lighter at 695g (down from 886g). Despite being smaller in stature, it has grown in terms of optical performance with 20 lens elements - two more than the original. 

The lens elements design - comprising five aspherical lenses, two extra-low dispersion (ED) and two super ED glass elements - has undergone a revamp to reduce chromatic aberration and distortion for better image quality across the range of its focal length and aperture. With the new optical design and its 11-blade aperture unit, this lens is said to deliver beautiful bokeh throughout its focal range. 

In addition, it comes with Sony's Nano AR Coating II on the lens surface, plus internal seals that protect it from dust and moisture.

For auto-focusing (AF), the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens uses four extreme dynamic linear motors in a floating focus mechanism for speedy AF. The lens also has a minimum focusing distance of 21cm at 24mm focal length and 30cm at 70mm focal length. 

It supports a 82mm filter thread, similar to its predecessor as well as the FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM. So, if you have a polariser filter at that diameter, you can use it on this lens too. However, like its predecessor, it does not feature in-built image stabilisation. It will have to depend on the mounted camera body's IBIS.

In terms of design, the lens is as basic as it gets. There is a focusing ring in front with an aperture ring closest to the lens mount. On the aperture ring itself, there is an Iris Lock switch that can be used to prevent accidental turning of the aperture ring. 

In front of the aperture ring is the zooming ring, while two focus hold buttons and a focus mode switch - toggle between AF and manual focusing (MF) - can be found between the focusing ring and zooming ring. 

At the bottom of the lens barrel, there is an aperture click switch and a zoom smoothness switch. Both switches do the same job of letting you choose between smooth and tight turning of the aperture ring and zooming ring respectively. 

As I shoot stills most of the time, I prefer the clicking sounds of the aperture ring and a smooth turning of the zooming ring. It allows me to know if I have turned the aperture ring while giving me the speed to zoom the lens into frame. Alternatively, you can turn the aperture ring to Auto and use the dials of the camera to adjust aperture.  

Videographers will probably prefer a smooth turning aperture ring to avoid the clicking sound being recorded. Similarly, A tight turning zooming ring will ensure slow and accurate zoom shots.

For this review, the lens is mounted on a Sony Alpha 9 II full-frame mirrorless camera. Despite its lighter weight, I found the lens offer excellent weight balance to counter the Alpha 9 II's heft. As such, holding the camera with the lens mounted using one hand will not cause much strain to your wrist. 

Not to mention, the focus hold buttons fall naturally under your thumb in both horizontal and vertical orientation when you are holding the camera. All the other switches are also placed to be easily accessible.

The zooming mechanism of this lens is external. In other words, the lens barrel will extend and retract during zooming. However, it will only extend the length of the lens by at most 3.5cm. 

Even when you set the zooming ring to smooth turning, it will not extend itself when the camera is dangling on your shoulder. These happen quite a lot in some other lenses, like my personal Canon EOS 24-105mm F4 L lens.  

Overall, the controls and handling of the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens is just fantastic. 

Image Performance

The AF performance on the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II is equally stellar. It can easily capture a community cat running towards me with its face in sharp focus, as you see from the picture below.

Equally superb is the lens' image performance. I do not have the Mark I lens to compare with this Mark II. But just by looking at the photos taken using the Alpha 9 II with this lens, the images are exceptionally sharp. This is even so when the aperture is at its largest f/2.8 through its entire range of focal length.

As with many lenses, when one shoots at f/2.8 or larger apertures, the resulting images tend to be a bit soft at the edges. However, as you can see from above, even the edges and corners of each frame are quite sharp compared to the centre of the frame, which usually is the sharpest. 

And the most impressive thing about this lens is its natural and round bokeh performance. Usually at f/2.8, the bokeh effect might not be as evident compared to larger apertures like f/1.8 or f/1.4. 

Plus, if you like to shoot close-ups like a flower, you can see the background being blurred to oblivion, thereby allowing you to concentrate on the flower itself. It is delightful to see these natural bokeh effects.

In addition, the images taken with this lens also exhibits very little chromatic aberration (or purple fringing) and vignetting. The only downer is slight barrel distortion at 24mm. Thankfully, there is no visible distortion at 35mm and above.

You might want to shoot RAW when photographing buildings and architecture, so as to rectify the distortion in post processing.  

More photos from the lens

Conclusion

The Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens is almost the perfect lens, apart from slight downers like no image stabilisation and slight barrel distortion.

Nonetheless, it is a must-have for all Alpha full-frame camera users whether you are a serious amateur or a professional. It offers a versatile focal length of 24mm to 70mm with a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout. 

The lens handles superbly with all the buttons and switches sited logically for quick access. The on-lens switches offer plenty of options to cater the way you like to shoot. It also automatically focuses quickly, so you can always get your shots.

Most importantly, the image sharpness remains constant from centre to corners throughout the zoom range as well. The bokeh effects that this lens offer are beautiful and a sight to behold. 

Moreover, all these goodies now come in a lens that is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The best part is its price tag of S$2,999. Although still considered expensive, the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II is actually S$200 cheaper than the Mark I at launch. As such, getting this feels like a no-brainer decision. 

 

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