Since the introduction of Sony’s mirrorless cameras, the 24-70mm F2.8 G-Master can be said to be a must-have ternary lens for digital workers and friends who pursue large aperture bokeh. However, the design of this mirror is a product of many years ago, and many users hope that Sony can launch a new version to improve the surrounding picture quality, the closest shooting distance, and especially the need to reduce the mirror body. Sony today officially released the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II, a brand new Mirror King II product, pursuing a lightweight mirror body and responding to the expectations of many users. The editor participated in Sony’s “auditing” event a few days ago. I will share with you the experience of the trial at the venue and share the audition with flickr. All trial photos can be clicked to see the original image, and can also be downloaded.
Click to enter the test photo flickr album
＞＞＞FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II flickr album＜＜＜
Comparison of the first and second generation FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
| product | second generation product | first generation product |
| model | Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM II | Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM |
| lens group | 20 pieces in 15 groups | 18 pieces in 13 groups |
| ASPH Architecture | XA 2/ Aspherical 3 | XA 1/ Aspherical 1 |
| ED lens | Super ED 2/ ED 2 | Super ED 1/ED 1 |
| shortest focus distance | 0.21m/0.30m | 0.38m |
| maximum magnification | 0.32x | 0.24x |
| drive | XD Linear Motor | Direct Drive SSM |
| focusing system | Inner focus, floating | Internal focus |
| zoom system | Outer zoom | Outer zoom |
| Aperture plate | 11 | 9 |
| Anti-shake system | none | none |
| minimum aperture | 22 | 22 |
| Lens coating | Nano AR Coating II, Fluorine | Nano AR |
| filter | 82mm | 82mm |
| size | 87.8⏀x119.9mm | 87.6⏀x136mm |
| weight | 695g | 886g |
| Dust and moisture proof | Have | Have |
The mirror body is 191g lighter, no longer a brick
The FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II body first made a great design change, reducing the lens body from 886g of the previous generation to 695g of the second generation, making it the lightest 24-70mm F2.8 on the market. Autofocus lens. The difference in numbers is only about 200g, but as a first-generation GM lens user, I actually took the new lens and found that the difference of 200g can be said to be quite large. In addition, the new lens barrel is thinner, and the height is reduced from 136mm to 119.9mm. The overall volume can be reduced when taken out for street photography or put in a camera bag. And with FX3, A7C and other thin cameras, the balance between the body and the lens can also be better.
▲The left of the above picture: the first generation 24-70mm GM, the right picture above: the second generation of 24-70mm GM
▲Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM II (second-generation product) is lighter to handle and has a shorter lens body. The first-generation product now seems to be rather bulky
▲Compare the volume change of Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM II (second generation product) and the first generation product when installed in Sony A1 camera (the thinner one is the second generation, the larger one is the first generation)
▲Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM II (second generation product) is suitable for installation on FX3, A7C and other cameras that are already thinner (the thinner one is the second generation, the larger one is the first generation)
Peripheral image quality improvement
The second focus is the peripheral image quality of the new mirror. Sony refers to FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II 2nd generation lens king with 2 XA extreme aspherical lenses (1st generation: 1), 3 aspherical lenses (1st generation: 1), 2 Super ED ultra-low dispersion lens (1st generation: 1 lens) and 2 ED low-dispersion lens (1st generation: 1 lens) improve image clarity and the quality of peripheral imaging. We can compare the official MTF charts of the first and second generation GMs. At the maximum aperture of 70mm, the MTF curves of the second generation are flatter than the previous generation. We were not able to test this aspect in detail during the press conference (please pay attention to future review articles), but you can also take a look at the test phase at that time.
▲Official FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II MTF chart
▲The official MTF chart of the first generation FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
Sony also pointed out that the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II uses the latest coating of Nano AR Coating II, which can further reduce the dispersion phenomenon when shooting under strong light. Please look forward to my review article for this test.
Increased magnification for more fun close-up burst bokeh
The closest focusing distance is the same as the magnification, which is actually quite important for friends who pursue large aperture bokeh. The current-generation FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II shortens the closest focusing distance from 0.21m (Wide end) to 0.3m (Tele end), increasing the maximum magnification from 0.24x of the previous generation to 0.32x. In addition to capturing the details of small objects closer, it can further enhance the bokeh of the background, resulting in a shallower depth of field effect.
▲When the wide end has the shortest focusing distance, the situation of the photographed object
▲ When the tele end has the shortest focusing distance, the situation of the photographed object
When shooting portraits, you won’t have to worry about not getting close to the model’s face, because the lens is about to get close to the model’s face. During the test, in order to avoid the hood from hitting the model, it has to be taken a little off, so the photos are only Shadow to her limit. The picture shows the effect of the extreme closest focusing distance, you can pay attention to the bokeh behind.
11 aperture plates, bokeh waves are rounder and purer
As a G-Master lens, in fact, the developer pays the most attention to the “bokeh waves” presented by the background lights during bokeh. In the first generation GM, or 85mm F1.4 GM, many users chose Sony because of its beautiful bokeh. As for the current-generation FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II, Sony offers a cleaner bokeh wave. The effect of the onion rings in the bob is reduced even further, so that the atmosphere of the photo will not be spoiled by the impurities in the bob. The current generation FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II uses 11 aperture blades, which is more than the previous generation’s 9 blades. From the photo samples or the shooting experience of the press conference at that time, it is also found that these bokeh waves are generally more rounded. Lemon bokeh is also less likely to appear on the more lateral sides other than the center.
XD linear motor improves focusing and tracking speed
XD linear motor is one of Sony’s ace cards in recent years, and of course it also uses heavy materials as a GM lens. The FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II large stack head uses 4 XD linear motors, and Sony claims that the focusing speed is 2 times faster than the previous generation. Moreover, the noise of the XD linear motor operation can be greatly reduced, so you don’t have to worry about recording the motor noise into the video when shooting videos in a quiet place. At the same time, the new mirror also reduces the breathing effect, and does not make a huge range of expansion and contraction when changing the focus object.
Non-segment solid aperture ring + variable tension zoom ring to enhance the sense of film
Today’s GM mirrors and even G mirrors have a stepless aperture ring, and now they have joined the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II. The most important thing about the stepless aperture ring is that when shooting videos, it can smoothly adjust the depth of field of the video, and with the change of the zoom focus, it can create a very creative image effect. If you are worried about accidentally touching the aperture ring, you can also adjust it to a step.
▲Stepless aperture ring
▲The click feeling can be adjusted freely, and the click feeling OFF is the stepless aperture adjustment
The FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II uses both “loose” and “tight” zoom rings. When you need to zoom in or zoom out on the way to shoot the roll camera, you can turn the focus ring more smoothly, bringing an electronic zoom effect like PowerZoom. And set the setting to “tight”, you can be more accurate when you need a small zoom adjustment.
▲ Adjustable SMOOTH loose or TIGHT tight zoom ring
Improved operation and comfort
The lighter body of course greatly improves the sense of operation, and the lens body has more designs to improve the lens’s various endurance. Including the use of the latest rubber edge to make the lens body more moisture-proof and dust-proof, and the lens surface lens to add a special coating to make it difficult for water spots and fingerprints to stick to the lens surface. Finally, the hood is added with a small window, like the hood of the 70-200GM, which can be opened to adjust the polarizer or other filters.
Hong Kong price, supply
The suggested retail price of the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II is HK$17,990. Participating in the pre-sale activities can also upgrade the maintenance service for free.
FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II
Suggested retail price: HK$17,990
Pre-sale dates: April 28 to May 15, 2022
Estimated pickup date: May 19, 2022
Pre-sale free upgrade to an additional 1 year Premium Services star service (suggested retail price: HK$690)
After purchasing at a retailer, users must log in to their MySony account and register the product on or before May 31, 2022. Registered users will automatically get extra star service for 1 year before December 31, 2022.
The first-generation Mirror King continues to be sold at a reduced price
When the second-generation Mirror King FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II goes on sale, the first-generation FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM will also continue to be sold at the same time. The suggested retail price will be reduced by HK$2,500.
FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
New suggested retail price: HK$14,490
If you have a Sony compact camera at the same time, you should pay attention to the new white wireless remote control handle, which is especially suitable for the ZV-1 video blog camera with a white body.
