Sony - FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Standard Zoom Lens (SEL2470GM)

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I use primes almost exclusively. I generally only use zooms for interview videos or walkaround videos. For those cases, Ive mostly used the Sony/Zeiss 24-70 F4 FE up to now. For all other cases, such as portraits, landscapes, and artistic videos, Ive used primes because Id rather have the best possible look than the convenience of a zoom. This 24-70mm f/2.8 is the first zoom on the Sony system that Im comfortable using for almost any scenario. It is ridiculously sharp, and renders images beautifully. It focuses extremely quickly and silently on the a7rII. I can easily recommend it. If youre trying to decide between this and one or two primes like the Sony/Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 or the 35mm f/1.4, a few thoughts: - The primes capture far more light, which means cleaner/shaper pictures because you can use lower ISOs and faster shutter speeds. - The primes have better background blur. Blurry backgrounds are generally better for portraits. - Individually, the primes are cheaper and smaller. But with two primes, its less clear. - The primes probably still have better quality overall, but its very close. If your goals are more artistic and you have time to swap lenses, youll probably be happier with the primes. If you just want to able to document events or life as it happens, this zoom may be the best choice.

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First of all, the pictures are so good that my co-workers have asked me to share the details of my new lighting setup. All I did was replace the Sony A7II kit lens with this lens and started shooting with it rather than my Canon T4i with the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. Its nice and sharp. I usually shoot at f/2.8 or all the way up to f/16. One thing that I noticed is that the color of the image completely changes when I switch to f/16 and the distortion is completely out of hand on the edge of the frame. For this reason, Im waiting for the new Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens to be released. My experience with Sigma Art Lenses is that there is minimal distortion. Well see. However... One unexpected, absolute win that will make it hard for me to ever give up this lens, is the custom button. Its sped up my workflow. Cut my shooting time in half. That one extra button has allowed me to set up all the features I use so that I dont have to deal with the nightmarish menus system at all during a shoot. Ive now got all the patterns memorized so that I can change the focus type/points without looking at the camera. Since the Sigma wont have that, it may add too much time to my shoots. Another benefit is the focusing. Ive owned both the Sony A7II and the A6300 (which I sold as a favor, it is a great camera). The issue I had with both cameras and their kit lenses is that the focus was wildly inconsistent. The cameras would totally whiff many times in a row and I had to take way more pictures than needed to insure that I had a enough shots. There were pictures where literally nothing in the shot was in focus. The G Master hasnt done that yet and Ive taken 3000 - 5000 pictures with it. The lens is great. Pros: -Stunning image quality -Accurate focus -Nice out of focus areas - havent seen the bokeh balls yet, but I like the way the background melts away and the subject is isolated -Feels solid -Custom button - my favorite feature Cons -Heavy - Called one reviewer a whimp for complaining that you wouldnt be able to go fifteen minutes with this lens before your arms wearing out. Well, I lasted about six hours over the course of two days before my arms were burning. Im used to the weight now, but my arms were on fire by the end of that second day. -Distortion - At f/16 the distortion is just ridiculous on the edges of the frame. I now know to keep everything in the center and crop. The correction in Adobe Lightroom and Capture One is totally unacceptable. Compared to the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art or the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8, the distortion is absurd. -Crazy Colors - Ive literally taken shots back to back, no setting change, and seen a color shift in the image. Boggles my mind. The color shift that occurs when switching from f/2.8 to f/16 is acceptable, because I use mixed lighting all the time, so I just re-balance the color. When theres a shift without changing the settings or moving, however, I just dont understand that.

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We recently got the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens, which we use with the Sony a7RII and the a7II. Our first impression is that it feels like a solid and professional lens. Weighing at 886g or 1.95lb, it is on the heavy side for the Sony mirrorless system, but that is a worthwhile tradeoff for image quality. It balances well on the a7RII even without the grip, and it’s similar to the size and weight of the Sony FE 24-240mm lens that we had tried out for a while. We were concerned that it would be front-heavy, but it is very manageable for both of us. The lens features a black metal and rubber construction that is rated to be dust and water resistant. There is an AF/MF toggle as well as a zoom lock on the lens body. The focus hold button (right under the red “G” logo) on the lens is able to be customized to the eye autofocus functionality, which is extremely useful as the left hand is often resting on the lens for adjusting the zoom and for support. Lock-on tracking worked very well for faces and bodies. Our favorite way to test and evaluate a lens is to play with it, so we took it with us on outings with the kids. We took many photos at F2.8 to see what the lens is capable of at the widest aperture. When combined with 42 megapixels on the a7RII, the camera and lens capture a ton of detail, dynamic range and color depth. At 40mm to 70mm it is able to take great portraits with more blurred backgrounds, while at 24mm to 35mm it can take fine landscapes or environmental shots. The constant F2.8 aperture along with the flexibility of the zoom range make 24-70mm F2.8 lenses a popular choice for many photographers. The image quality of this lens is quite spectacular throughout the zoom range. The GM lens should satisfy most people looking to replace a series of primes in the 24mm to 70mm focal lengths. While the lens finds focus very quickly, particularly fast movements near minimum focus may prove challenging. This is more the limitation of the a7RII, which does not have the sports-level autofocus of the new a6300, and not the lens itself. The minimum focusing distance is 38cm or 1.25ft, measured in the distance of the object to the flange. So although it’s no macro lens, you can get up quite close to something to take a photo of it. The lens controls flare very well in backlit situations. However, there can be some loss of contrast. Under extreme conditions, it will flare more strongly. The flares are generally small green light bursts. Sometimes there are more complex, rainbow-colored flare shapes and aperture halo ghosting when shooting straight into the sun. Background blur is generally very smooth, although outlines can be seen in the bokeh circles. The best part about the circular highlights is that they are completely round all the way to the edges of the frame. There is some vignetting and distortion, which are correctable. In summary: Pros Excellent build quality with gaskets and weather sealing Silent, accurate and fast autofocus Quite sharp even wide open at F2.8 Very sharp when stopped down a little Smooth background blur with round bokeh balls out to the corners Good colors and rendering Cons Very expensive at $2200 Somewhat heavy and large Some vignetting at wider apertures (correctable) Can have chromatic aberration near edge of frame (correctable) Can flare strongly in some situations You can read more and see more photo samples on our website: [...]

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While the size and cost of this lens cant be ignored, the quality and versatility also stand out. I normally post pictures, but there are already tons of sample pictures out there. Pros - The image quality is excellent and paired with the A7RIII, I was able to get some really great shots - The build quality seems very sturdy, and my copy of the lens seems to be very good (which may speak to quality control by Sony) - The zoom ring is quite firm, which keeps the lens from creeping. - Nice to have the zoom lock feature when you need it - Nice and sharp wide open, and throughout the zoom range (You can see a difference wide open at the end of the zoom range, but the photos are still very good) - After shooting a little with this lens, and taking about 100 pictures, very few of them had any chromatic aberration. In post, I only needed to correct for this in a few photos. Cons - The size and weight are quite significant, and pretty much take away any size advantage that the mirror-less A7RIII might have had over another DSLR - The focus is by wire, so you dont get the same smooth focus-ring feel. - While the A7RIII has IBIS, I would really like to see image stabilization here for the cost and size - Speaking of price... $$$ Conclusion If you are looking for a pro lens, and dont mind carrying it around, then this lens is great. Extremely sharp for a zoom and correcting any chromatic aberration, or lens distortion was easily handled in Lightroom. If you are looking to get a standard zoom for your Sony mirror-less, this is a great option.

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Sony has really set a new precedent with their GM glass and this really showcases it. Theyve somehow figured out how to encapsulate all of the desirable optical qualities youd get with a very good prime into a zoom. Previously, I wouldnt have even considered shooting a zoom for anything really important, but this lens changed all that. Even the bokeh is pleasant and very usable. Its great not having to lug 5 lenses around with me everywhere I go and risk getting dust on the sensor when Im changing them. Its also refreshing having the freedom to focus solely on the photography side of things without having to worry about the equipment. Ive heard people call this lens heavy, and its no lie. It is is among the heavier ones Ive used. You can feel the quality of its construction in its sheer density and mass. With the grip, its not badly balanced, but without it, I dont know how I would manage it. Thats really the only caveat that comes with this lens that Ive found so far - youve got to possess the strength to wield it. Autofocus is very fast on my A7rii, but insanely fast on the A7riii. the colors are very nice, a bit on the cool side, which I prefer, and contrast is excellent. Its also a very sharp lens, even at f/2.8. I also own the 28-105mm G now and Id say this one is a bit better optically, at least to my taste. If being able to push the bokeh further and having that extra 1.2 stops of light matters to you, Id go with this one. If having the extra range and a slightly lighter lens is a top priority, then opt for the 70-105. Or you can always buy both of them, because theyre both amazing in their own ways. Lol

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My favorite FE lens. To my eye, its ultra-sharp and I doubt Ill again use my 24-70mm f/4. Thats not to say that it isnt larger and heavier but the extra f-stops are worth it. Ninety percent of what I regularly shoot is indoors under daylight-balanced fluorescents. The f/4 did a pretty good job but I like the results with the new one much better. Is it worth the upgrade? Thats an individual choice but Im glad I did.

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I finally broke down and picked his up despite the nay-sayers and the price tag. I tested my lens as always and found nothing to be concerned about at 24mm, 50mm or 70mm although there was just a bit of corner softness at 70mm, which doesnt concern me as Im a portrait photographer and usually employing bokeh anyway. Its fast, sharp and beautiful! What else can I say? These pictures were shot with an A7RIII body.

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If you only had a choice of one lens, this would be the lens to get for your e-mount cameras. It may not be the best in all scenarios, but you can shoot pretty much anything exceptionally well. Landscapes, portraitures, product shots, etc, this lens does it all. Very sharp lens that lives on my a7rii 90% of the time.

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I just switched to Sony from Canon with A9. This is my first sony lense. Build quality is really good if feels like a tank just like the canon counterpart. Its a bit more expensive than Canon but I think its all worth It. Focus was fast and acurate, also its very silent when doing videos which is a bonus. the only downside is its front heavy with my Camera but can be solved with a battery grip in the future.

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Great lens and at 24-70mm, this will cover most shots for an average hobbiest/enthusiast with amazing clarity. The weight is a bit on the heavier side but definitely not unwieldy. The attached images were shot on a A7S II and color corrected in Lightroom.

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