Sony SEL 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II

The perfect standard zoom

In early 2016, a new standard zoom was released - the 24-70 f/2.8 GM. It came with some just newly developed lens elements, autofocus motors and coatings. Now, almost 6 years later, it's time for an upgrade!

No time to watch the whole video? Here we have summarized the new lens in 60 seconds.

New case

Let's take a look at the obvious, external changes. When we compare both lenses, we immediately notice that the new GM Version II is a good bit smaller - 16.1 mm smaller to be exact. That makes for about an 18% smaller volume.

But that's not the most important point. What is interesting here is the weight. The new lens weighs 191 grams less, so it totals 695g. Those who know the old 24-70 know that this is very important.

Also new are a manual aperture ring (including declick & lock function), two customizable function buttons and a lever on the zoom ring.

Photo & Video Hybrid

Since Sony has paid a lot of attention to the hybrid functions of its cameras in recent years, i.e. in the photo & in the video area, the lenses must of course also be suitably optimized. For example, if we take a look at an Alpha 7 IV, which can be an absolute workhorse in both photo and video mode, we need lenses that don't compromise on either of the two areas of application.
In concrete terms, this means that, as with the 70-200 GM II, for example, the new 24-70 also has a few features that will probably be of less interest to photographers. For one, of course, the manual aperture ring, which is unclickable for videographers - for another, we can adjust the resistance of the zoom ring for smoother zooming.

Also, the autofocus is heavily optimized for hybrid use.

Autofocus

In the area of autofocus, the 2nd generation of the 24-70 GM has also undergone some changes. Instead of the outdated DDSSM (Direct Drive SSM) system, there are now four XD linear motors (as in the 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II). The new system enables many, important improvements.

1. Speed: The new 24-70's autofocus allows full AF potential even in continuous shooting at the Alpha 1's currently possible 30 fps, so there are no limitations in photo. The autofocus is also fully functional in video mode, even at 120 fps.
2. Versatility: The autofocus is optimized for a natural focus progression in video. The focus ring is also linear, which means you can also manually pull focus more naturally. Sony also made sure that the autofocus continues to perform smoothly while zooming when developing the XD Linear Motor system. This can be useful in photography (e.g. in action-packed situations), but also in video, e.g. in a so-called vertigo, where the camera moves away from or towards an object while simultaneously zooming in the opposite direction. Such a shot is very difficult to do by hand, but the autofocus while zooming and the smooth zoom ring make the task much easier.
3. Focus-Breathing: For video use, it is especially important that the lens does not breathe when focusing from near to far or vice versa. For those who don't know. Photo lenses usually have a significant problem for filmmakers. When we have a focus gradient, lenses that are not optimized for filming sometimes change the proportions in the image quite a bit. Here, too, Sony has taken care in development and reduced this so-called focus breathing optically, i.e. without digital corrections, to a barely visible minimum.
4. Close focusing distance: One of the most exciting aspects of this lens is the reduced closest focusing distance. This means that at 24mm, we can now focus on subjects as close as 21 cm. At 70mm, this closest focusing distance increases to 30cm. Compared to the old lens, that's a full 14 cm difference at 24mm focal length and 8 cm at 70mm.

Optical quality

Sony states that the new 24-70 GM II, with the new construction of the individual lens elements, is significantly sharper than its predecessor. We see a clear difference in sharpness not only in the peripheral areas, but even in the center of the image.
But Sony has also optimized the image defects with the help of new coatings. Chromatic aberrations, flares, etc. have been significantly reduced and are reproduced more naturally.

The two additional aperture blades also make the bokeh look much rounder and more natural.

Target group

But who is this lens for now? Well? Everyone. It is the perfect standard zoom for wedding photographers, but due to its lighter weight also for portrait, travel, reportage and landscape photographers. However, all new GM lenses are also optimized for video use, so any wedding or documentary photographer will have fun with this lens.

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