Sony FE 70-200 F2.8 GM OSS II Lens Review 

Join me on Patreon for the best Alpha Support and Guidance. A single $10 Membership fee includes access to my 500-page camera-specific eBooks, member-only Q&A Forums + Over twenty 1-hour member-only seminars + cameras settings files & access to the Raw files from the lens and camera reviews (there is no contract or commitment beyond the first month). www.patreon.com/markgaler

Got lucky today at my local camera shop and they just received one 5 min before I walked into the door. Needless to say it came home with me. This video is epic to get me familiar with my new lens. Thank you Mark

I love your matter of fact, thorough reviews Mark. Plenty of technical and artistic considerations, along with comparisons to previous lenses. 👏👏👏👏

With the improved AF, pairing this with the 2x teleconverter might be viable, bringing the range from 70 to 400mm - convenient for travellers. As usual, thank you for a comprehensive review. I will seriously consider this G Master lens when we can shoot sports again. Right now using the Tamron 70-180, a good affordable alternative, although it seems the V2 here is a fast focusing monster.

Awesome review and detailed information. I bought the Mark I just over a week ago open box for $800 USD off. I was willing to compromise on the features of that lens for the reduced price and I didn't expect a Mark II to come out anytime soon. This new version has everything I wished for and more, especially the reduced weight and faster autofocus. Now that the Mark II will be available I am taking it back in order to upgrade to this new version.

Great vid, with real world examples, as always. One note on the TC's and the fast focusing: the clever thing about this system is that it only transmits the electric signal, there are no moving parts in the TC per se. So, the motors aren't impeded by weird srews and the such

thanks for the review, Sony listens to customers, let’s hope more mark ii version of older lenses come up, but the range is already impressive….

Thank you Mark for this review! Am considering to get this Len soon!

Fantastic review as always thanks Mark.

Was just considering picking up the 135mm F1.8 but it sounds like optically speaking in terms of AF performance and IQ, this zoom lens is pretty darn close. I'm a big fan of prime lenses and zooming with my feet, but there are also times where that's a challenge - sometimes impossible - depending on the circumstance. So this 70-200 refresh is awfully tempting. I have a tough decision to make!

Great video! Always a pleasure to watch your videos!

One Comment on weather sealing. I fell through Ice with my mk1 and a7iii. The camera was on and completely dunked for a second. I turned off the camera and left it 4 days. Both the lens and camera worked perfectly.

Not that I needed convincing, but this review showed me, to get that lens if it gets available in my region.

Awesome Review as always Mark! Very insightful

Fantastic Lens!!!

amazing. Not an ordinary photographer

Fantastic review Mark 🙏

Thanks Mark, Enjoy the reviews, and really appreciate you helping out the homeless guys even more. Wish I could afford to add some of the newer Sony mid-zooms especially for low light performance.. but they so cost prohibitive. While I still have the A7riv A, as my "main camera" with the original Sony - Zeiss 16-35 f4, 100-400 gm and the 24-240mm (yeah I have been thinking of selling that and "at the very least" going to a 24-105 f4.. But really need an f2.8) Lately I have actually added an Olympus om-d em-1 mk ii and the m ZUIKO 12-100mm f4 as a Carry round due to weight and cost of lenses to fill the gap (though there are some big trade off's)... Also due to being in line for a neck fusion weight wise.. Though otherwise I do still want that Sony mid zoom GM 2.8mm 😁 Thanks yet again Rodger

… thx Mark, great review! 👍🏻 ... and what a great lens, best class 70-200 / 2.8 on the market for us journalists. two days before the announcement we ordered the lens from our photo dealer. 😏 now we're hoping for the 24-70 2.8 lens next - maybe with an aperture ring too?! 🤔

For the sharpest results...on a 7R3 would you crop your shots or use a teleconverter (where you lose a stop and add some softness)? Thanks! Great content.

Hi Mark thanks for the excellent review as always. Got my copy yesterday and took it for its first outing! Grey northern hemisphere lighting I didn’t do quite as well as you did, on slow shutter speed, but it is noticeably sharper than the 100-400 on my A7R4. I can’t get the iris lock to work, the apature ring still moves. It would be really useful if you could lock the apature as on the 135mm lens it often gets changed by accident. Any thoughts on what I’m doing wrong?

Very good review Mark. Any experience coupled with the TC 2x? I’m tempted by that combo instead of the 100-400mm + 1.4x

How did you find the corner sharpness as compared to the old 70-200?

You're the real master！🎉

Which alpha series camera body were you using for the majority of the images taken?

you are wonderful!

Thanks, interesting! But in your opinion do you think there’d be a noticable difference in quality at f/4 between this new lens and the Sony 70-200mm f/4 version, assuming the same optimal lighting?

Which camera was these shot with??

Awesome

If we are using a 200 mm lens on a full frame camera , at what real distance will a 1 mtr long diagonal placed rod / stick will occupy the full 35mm diagonal of frame ??

What about the video capabilities ?

When shoot with tripod Must I turn Oss off ?

I have an old EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS. It works surprisingly well through the Sigma adapter on my 7RIV. I do not think I'll upgrade. The price is too steep.

Which mode is best for OSS if I want the most stability for treating it like a gimbal with the Sony a7siii that has built in Active steady shot ?

i would like to hear how the sony a9 will shoot with the Sony FE 70 200 F2.8 GM OSS II ? I see No revies anywhere. If you could help me out . That would be greatly appreciated.Thanks

Figures I just bought the 2.8 i last week

must have ;-)

So is it still worth a upgrade for somebody that owns 70-200 f2.8 V1?

To the one person that disliked this video. I'm curious ... why???

I’m thinking of getting the 100-400 gm, do you think it’s worth waiting for an update?

one Canon user have seen this so far.

I’m sure it’s a great lens and I’ll probably upgrade at some point. However, it’s ridiculous to have a Sony Ambassador “reviewing” Sony’s new flagship mid-range zoom. There is zero chance of anything other than a stellar report.

A great review of a stunning lens, well done as always Mark!

Hi Mark Thanks, good review. It looks a lot more capable than older model. I thought it was a sure fire candidate for update when I saw how good Canon's equivalent was for mirrorless. I used to love my old 70-200 f2.8 Nikkor, but that was 3-4 years ago before selling up and switching to Sony. I didn't like heft of older model thinking it contra to ethos of 'smaller/ compact' Sony mirrorless, so bought Sony's f4 model for travel. Switched to Similar size Tamron 70-180 f2.8 but did miss OSS. Then bought Sony GM 135 f1.8 - a fab, fast, sharp lens that helped me feel at one with primes rather than zooms. Much like you I think? Yet this looks good enough to maybe tempt me back into a tele zoom since it's lighter than it's predecessor. I do appreciate my a9 for speed and sport and think this new zoom would perform a lot better than my Tamron 70-180, which I hardly use nowadays. I do want to get an a1 and plan to sell my a9 when I can stump up the extortionate price here in UK for the a1. I'm in no rush thinking that price will ease a bit once early adopters have left the queue so to speak. I'm honestly tempted to buy this, after an a1, but still feel the a1 with a 135mm f1.8 GM might still be a smaller, faster, neater solution (given APS crop to afford an equivalent of a 205mm f1.8 lens still with 20+ Mp). My key question to you is...... as a prime devotee (like me) are you personally tempted to buy one given your love of your a1 & 135mm GM combo?

Ok….so I decided to keep my version one of this lens and upgrade my a7iii to the a7iv…..hopefully the correct choice.🤞🏻🤞🏻

Gold standard for sharpness is the 135mm F1.8. How close or far is it from this lens sharpness wise?

Excellent review Mark and fantastic images as normal. I just wish I could get such clean images as you have here.

Can someone please recommend which lens to use for Sports photography such as basketball and football? Would this lens be great? The camera I currently use is the Sony ZV-E10 for now....Thoughts? Thank you! The big thing is I don't want to see blurry when the kids are moving quickly.

Picked up the V2 last week based on Mark's review. All I can say is wow !!! Best lens I have ever owned based on weight, features,and IQ

Great video! Could I pick your brain on one thing? I'm waiting for the next A7R to upgrade my A7iii, but recently purchased a used 135mm 1.8. Might just sell it for a new copy of this. Any thoughts on sharpness and bokeh on the new 70-200mm vs the 135? I had the gen 1 70-200 before, but I've gotten used to just using my feet to zoom, so that's not a big loss for me. Shooting sports I usually only run the 200-600 on long end anyway. Sharpness, focus speed and bokeh is the most important to me.

Awesome!

Mark- Very good and thorough review, as usual. I bought and am using this lens and love it. I find I spend way less time worrying if I will get the shot and concentrate more on composition and, well the actual shot- trusting the camera and lens to do the technical stuff- focus and exposure. I am curious if you will be getting this lens, or will be sticking with the 135mm?

Another outstanding review. Thanks Mark.

Wow, 100% hit rate..! 👍🏼👍🏼

I've been waiting for this lens and the 24 to 70

I was wondering what is going with RU-vid, and why is it showing to many reviews of 70-200 GM lens which very old, then I noticed that your review is recently posted. Great review as usual and amazing simple photos. I don't see myself buying this lens since I spent to much on 100-400 GM. I would only by this 70-200 II GM if I sold my 100-400 and replace it with both 70-200 and 200-600 in addition to 2x teleconvertor

Thanks Mark . Always great content

Splendid review Mark, thank you!

Very detailed review, happy to share it!

Just giving you a piece of my appreciation for all you're work you put in making these video's

I suspect the fantastic image quality we see is down to the camera at least as much as the lens. It would be good to see some samples taken with something like the A7-III or A7R-III. I can't afford to upgrade my body and buy this lens at the same time....which to prioritise?

Thanks Mark! Very informative video.

this is amazing 👏 I own the first version and I have to say shooting at 70mm at the infinity seem be be very soft for my copy . will you be using this new mark ii lens with an a9 ?? I would love to hear your opinion with an a9 body please. thank you so much for all you do .

Very impressive, wish I could afford that lens!

Thanks Mark. great review with all the details you want. You cleared out lots of questions I had and now I can make an informed decision.

It's going to be a while before I can afford this lens but I'm glad Sony upgraded it.

Brilliant again Mark! Please send any extra lenses to Montana!

Always love your comprehensive reviews Mark. What a stellar lens and awesome video!

Can't wait for a faster focusing 85 F1.4

Does it work ok with the Sony Alpha 7 lll ??

Very detailed video as always. Thanks Mark!

was waiting for this lens. i think the 24-70 version 2 is on the horizon too. did i understand correcty that you can lock the apperture ring ? - did you process the images or are they straight out of camera ? - wondering if i should buy this lens and if it could replace the 85mm.

I wonder if Full time DMF slows autofocus of the lens or not? Do I need to turn it off if I'm not using it?

Very informative and absolutely beautiful shots of our city Mark. Thank you for the excellent review as always. Cheers.

I’m primarily a wedding and portraits photographer, and my v1 copy of this lens is wicked sharp and doesn’t ever miss focus. So while this is a worthy 2nd gen, for my use cases I don’t see a reason to upgrade

Superb images Mark, glad i held off on the MK1 for so long, picking up the MKII on Tuesday.

I like many wish we could own Sony products? Thanks for the great video

I have this lens. I use it with my trusty A7 iii. Is it better to buy the 1.4 teleconverter or to get a cheap A6400? Thanks for the video Mark.

An excellent and honest review! The best ambassador for Sony! Thank you for sharing.

Hmmmm, certainly not a cheap lens, maybe I'll stick with the f4. Great overview, as always

Mark is da man

Fantastic thumbnail!

Hi Mark, thanks for this overview. I just got this lens and am trying to get familiar with it. When attached, the back-dial on my Sony a7r IV doesn't work (I have it set to change aperture). I know the aperture ring does this, but is there a way to restore the function on the camera body dial, since that's more intuitive?

Hello, between this and little brother 70-200 f/4 G2 macro, is there a huge difference in terms of sharpness and contrast at 200mm?

Great review Mark thank you

Olá amigo tudo bem !! uma duvida qual o investimento mais adequado ... A lente 135 F1.8 G master ou a 70/200 G master II 2.8? para ensaios e fotos de casamentos

Did you test the major flaring and ghosting issues mentioned elsewhere with this lens when shooting against the sun?

Extraordinary work that you have done here, apparently the lens is now much better, the photos are great, thank you very much Mr. Mark Galer.

OMG... You always the first

Thank you for the great video Mark. I know you're using the A1, a phenomenal camera. How will this lens perform with the A7RIII? I haven't upgraded my camera but am eyeing this lens.Will it be a good match?

Hi mark, excelent review like everything you do, how this lens compares with the 100-400 in terms of AF speed?

I’ve been waiting for this lens for long time and I can’t wait to preorder it 👌

Well I might have known you would have this lens already. I'm ambivalent about a lens I cannot afford anytime soon. Sigh.

Hi mark are you originally from the uk ?

ありがとうございます。

Would you trade 135GM for this?

Thanks for this …. I’m upgrading my Sony kit and had already decided to get the new 24-70 GMii and was going to go with the 70-200 f4 G ….. not any ,ore …. It’s only money , will be using it with the A7RV …. So not getting the 30fps I expect similar quality images … 9th March 2023

Excuses me, what camera did you used to take the pictures in the video? Also, may you give me some advice on choosing a74 or a7r4? l like a7r4's 6100mp more, but Im afraid that l will always get 'unsharp' photos cuz the sutter speed is not fast enough. Also, a74's auto focus is better a7r4's. IDK which is more suitable for me. Thanks🙏🏻

Hi Mark ...just your opinion , should i add this lens ( weddings, portraits and street) or 135 1.8 gm. I already have 24 1.4 gm , 35 1.4 gm , 50 1.2gm and 85/1.8. Thanks

Hi Mark, Thank you for reviewing this lens. Do you think the A7Riii body can keep up with this 70-200mm version II lens?